Transcript Highlights:

• But we implemented a plan basically to repay that fund...” “...plan basically to repay that fund over
• That is the plan to pay off the five-year note.
• What is that in your plan?
• That is the immediate plan.
• We went ahead and created some strategic planning so our district, with those major two impacts—if you

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Audit Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• A Bitcoin Strategic Reserve is more than just an investment.
• States adopting a strategic Bitcoin reserve are taking a bold but necessary step.
• The Bitcoin Strategic Reserve isn't just a financial policy; it's a safeguard for the future.
• But it is so new to the industry that our folks are not even able to tell us now whether they plan to
• You know, I didn’t plan on debating the amendment. The AI component is a concern for me.

Summary: The Insurance and Banking Committee met with a quorum and heard three bills. HB 487 would authorize the CFO and State Board of Administration to invest up to 10% of certain state funds in Bitcoin, require specified custody methods, allow Bitcoin lending under rule, and create a process for accepting taxes and fees in Bitcoin. The sponsor and several proponents argued it would diversify state investments, hedge inflation, and position Florida as a leader in digital assets. Members raised concerns about volatility, security, valuation, and whether Bitcoin was being singled out over other cryptocurrencies, but the bill was reported favorably after debate and a roll call vote. The committee then considered HB 7011, an Open Government Sunset Review measure for records of insolvent insurers. The bill would continue some exemptions but make additional records public, including underwriting files, risk-solvency assessments, corporate governance annual disclosures, and the names, benefits, and compensation of insurance executive officers. There was no public testimony, and members discussed privacy and safety concerns, but the bill passed and was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard HB 1433 on hurricane mitigation grants and insurer regulation. The bill would tighten restrictions on former executives of failed insurers, raise capital requirements for new insurers, and require mitigation credits when homeowners receive Safe Florida Home funds. An amendment was adopted to require a licensed person to make final claim-denial decisions when AI or automation is used and to prioritize filings that lower rates. Consumer advocates supported the transparency and consumer protections, while industry representatives urged caution on the AI provisions. After debate, the amended bill was reported favorably. The meeting ended with closing remarks from the ranking member, vice chair, and chair reflecting on the committee’s work and likely final meeting of the term.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I mentioned all of that to kind of set the scene for our strategic environment and our strategic priority
• Looking at the strategic environment with regard to the Florida National Guard, as we know, Florida is
• Since force structure changes in 2018 resulted in strategic reductions, the Guard and the active duty
• So it's a great facility, as well as a coup plan for the governor's office.
• Research and planning and development.

Committee: Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security

Summary: The Senate Committee on Military, Veterans Affairs, and Domestic Security met for its first meeting of the 2025-26 session and heard presentations from Major General John Haas, Adjutant General of Florida, and Tim McGregor, executive director of the Florida Defense Support Commission. General Haas reviewed the Florida National Guard’s missions, statewide footprint, domestic disaster response, and federal deployments, emphasizing the Guard’s role in hurricanes, border-related support, and other state operations. He also discussed recruiting and retention, noting that recruiting remains strong but retention is challenged by the Guard’s high operational tempo, and he outlined efforts to expand force structure, improve facilities, and modernize units, including Camp Blanding upgrades, new armories, additional infantry, engineer, military police, and aviation assets, and the Air National Guard’s F-35 conversion. Members asked questions about recruiting methods, typical brigade size, and how many personnel would be needed to reduce the average duty burden back toward the statutory 39 days. Haas explained that Florida’s large population helps recruiting, especially through community and school outreach, but that the state’s frequent domestic missions make the current 12,000-member force too small for its workload. He said the Guard’s high tempo is the main reason members leave for the reserves and argued that more force structure is needed to reduce strain. Committee members also discussed prior efforts to influence National Guard stationing decisions based on population shifts and domestic mission demands. McGregor then described the Florida Defense Support Commission’s work to protect military installations, prevent encroachment, support workforce and economic development, and improve the military-friendly environment for service members and families. He highlighted the commission’s grant programs, the military benefits guide, and a spouse license reciprocity matrix, as well as site visits to installations and defense-related facilities across the state. Members asked about Lockheed Martin’s innovation and simulation work in Orlando and discussed the value of military spouse reciprocity compacts. No bills were heard, and the committee adjourned after the presentations and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• In closing, I would like to note that we have recently released OHV master plan strategic master plans
• In closing, I would like to note that we have recently released OHV master plan strategic master plans
• In closing, I would like to note that we have recently released OHV master plan strategic master plans
• In closing, I would like to note that we have recently released OHV master plan strategic master plans
• In closing, I would like to note that we have recently released OHV master plan strategic master plans

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• And we also found that Park City's strategic plan was actually very comprehensive.
• Park City's strategic plan was actually very comprehensive.
• It was very thorough, and it also included guidance on how the budget aligns with the strategic plan.
• That's actually one of the things that we're working on as the state board in our strategic plan: our
• In addition to that, adding our monitoring and accountability, which aligns with our strategic plan,

Committee: Joint Education Interim Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• And together, the consortium identified strategic priorities to address.
• the consortium identified strategic priorities to address.
• Do you have plans to do anything with this after the grant ends in September?
• Because transition planning honestly starts when they start their first IEP.
• So now it is all about transition planning. So there's no way around it.

Summary: The Employment Subcommittee of the Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities met on April 27 and approved the prior meeting minutes. The main presentation was from the Lawrence Partnership for Transition to Employment (LPTE), a five-year grant project focused on improving transition outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Lawrence. Presenters described the project’s community conversations, consortium, and four work groups, with emphasis on the family-partnership work group and a family survey designed to better understand engagement barriers and transition needs. The survey results showed that family participation increased sharply when Lawrence Public Schools helped distribute the survey, rising from about a dozen responses to more than 200. Key findings included barriers such as scheduling conflicts, language access, childcare, and limited understanding of the IEP and transition process. Many families said they wanted their children to pursue college or employment after high school, but fewer reported access to pre-employment training, suggesting a gap between expectations and awareness of available services. The Lawrence team also described a bilingual transition website, workshops offered at different times with interpretation and childcare, and efforts to make transition planning more visible and accessible. Committee members responded with questions and comments about cultural barriers, early transition planning, college and community college pathways, trades, summer youth employment, and how to reach families earlier, especially in middle school. Presenters said Lawrence has a strong transition team and existing resources, but needs more real-world work experiences and better communication so families understand and use them. The meeting ended with thanks to the presenters, a note that committee members would meet with SEED later in the week about Massachusetts as a model employer, and an announcement that the May meeting would feature the Office of Veterans Affairs.

Transcript Highlights:

• He ran a bill, and I think we're tracking toward hopefully a statewide strategic plan, which, when you
• So with a plan that we can bring to our partners in Congress and say this is what the state's looking
• Chairman Boriak this session he ran a bill and I think we're tracking towards hopefully a statewide strategic
• plan which when you mention Mobile their success up so much of it has been the amount of federal dollars
• So with a plan that we can bring to our partners in Congress and say this is what the state's looking

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works met to receive public testimony and act on port priority applications for inclusion in the FY 2027-2028 Port Priority Construction and Development Priority Programs. After a roll call showing 18 members present, the committee adopted the March 9, 2026 minutes without objection. Commissioner Andrew Killshaw of the Office of Multimodal Commerce explained the Port Priority Program criteria and presented two applications from the Avoyelles Harbor and Terminal District: a $3.4 million building addition and infrastructure project requesting $2.853 million in state funds, and a $1.5 million Workforce Training Center redevelopment requesting $1.287 million. He said the projects were projected to create 265 jobs and generate substantial state benefits, with very high benefit-cost ratios. Members expressed support for the projects and for strengthening the port program overall. Chairman Boriak moved to approve the applications, and Senator Carter and others discussed the need to increase investment in ports and develop a statewide strategic plan to better compete for federal dollars. DOTD Multimodal Commerce staff, including Molly Bergoin, testified that the program has more than $200 million in backlog, that annual Transportation Trust Fund financing has made it difficult to reduce, and that the department hopes to clear 10 to 12 low-balance projects this year. They also said the request cap had been increased to $7 million per project this year and up to $21 million going forward, and that most projects are proceeding under reimbursement agreements because construction costs have risen sharply. After discussion, the committee voted without objection to accept the port priority applications received through March 1, 2026, for the FY 2027-2028 program. The committee then adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a rule under which they have to file these plans, and those rules are, excuse me, the plans are
• And then... ...review those plans, provide an independent analysis of those plans, and then ensure that
• And then... review those plans, provide an independent analysis of those plans, and then ensure that
• Water Planning Statute.
• that strategic water supply, as distinct from the Strategic Water Reserve.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• He got strategic. And he realized we can be smarter and more focused.
• And we just have to be extremely focused and strategic and smart in doing that.
• And there are things we can do in the mindset of a Joe Mazzulla to be strategic.
• My name is Joshua Dancoff, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Citizens for Juvenile Justice.
• So these are the types of plans and conversations.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on responding to federal immigration enforcement in Massachusetts, with opening remarks from Sen. Liz Miranda and Rep. Bud Williams emphasizing fear in immigrant communities, recent ICE operations, and the need to learn from advocates and affected residents rather than debate individual bills. The hearing was organized around three topics: detention, arrests, and surveillance, with members repeatedly asking what the legislature can do to improve transparency, legal access, and oversight. On detention, Leah Hastings of Prisoners’ Legal Services said most people end up in ICE custody through contact with the criminal legal system and argued that state carceral systems are deeply intertwined with immigration enforcement. She described conditions at Plymouth County House of Correction and Burlington ICE holding as concerning, citing limited medical care, disability accommodations, solitary confinement, retaliatory transfers, and poor attorney access. Hastings said Massachusetts should reduce funding for sheriffs and the Department of Corrections, ban intergovernmental service agreements and 287(g) agreements, and invest instead in housing, treatment, and other community supports. Members also discussed ICE reimbursement, the immigrant legal defense fund, and the need for more immigration attorneys. On arrests and enforcement tactics, David Albright of JALSA said federal immigration enforcement has been expanded by major new funding and incentives, including higher payments for 287(g) and bed contracts, and he noted that most ICE detainees nationally do not have criminal records. He said Massachusetts has one 287(g) agreement with the Department of Corrections and one IGSA with Plymouth County, and that ICE also uses Burlington, Hanscom, and informal local collaboration in places such as Milford and Auburn. Danny Tampona of Neighbor to Neighbor and the LUCE Rapid Response Network described more than 10,000 hotline calls from 46 cities and towns, with arrests often involving masked agents, surveillance of workers and families, traffic stops, broken windows, and arrests at check-ins or schools; he said the network is concentrated in places including Everett, Chelsea, Lynn, New Bedford, Milford, Marlboro, Framingham, and Springfield. He urged legislation requiring clear identification for law enforcement, limits on surveillance technologies, and stronger legal defense resources. On surveillance, Joshua Dancoff of Citizens for Juvenile Justice argued that current state policies allow broad sharing of fingerprints and surveillance data with ICE, including through BRIC, the Massachusetts Fusion Center, and municipal police policies. He cited cases in Chelsea and Everett where children were taken from police custody into ICE custody and said many departments automatically share arrest fingerprints and other information with federal authorities. He recommended limiting fingerprint sharing, restricting surveillance databases and task-force participation, and curbing police and sheriff collaboration with ICE even where no formal 287(g) exists. Members and witnesses also discussed the need for more immigration lawyers, possible bar advocate-style funding for immigration defense, and legislative action to prevent further collaboration and deportation infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• A strategic plan for the development of the aerospace and defense industry.
• Goals and key performance metrics, I do have a plan.
• We're completing the comprehensive statewide space strategic plan that we've executed with the Artemis
• Do they eventually have plans to do something that's a bigger craft?
• This is the old alert pad for what it was a strategic air command base.

Committee: House A&B Transportation Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• THIS REQUIRES THE PLAN TO ESTABLISH HEALTHCARE FACILITIES ACROSS THE STATE TO SERVE VETERANS AND THEIR
• REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF AFFAIRS TO DEVELOP A PLAN TO ESTABLISH ADULT DAY HEALTHCARE FACILITIES THAT
• FOR THE PAST FIVE PLUS YEARS TOP STRATEGIC PRIORITY IS TO GROW THE FORCE FOR FLORIDA'S OTHER LARGEST
• >> WE HAVE AN ANNUAL MARKETING PLAN. 295.53 CREATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US AND VISIT FLORIDA.
• SOME OF THE SERVICES INCLUDE 5297 INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYMENT PLANS CREATED TO HELP VETERANS NAVIGATE CAREER

Transcript Highlights:

• That we were planning on doing it anyway. We would have done it.
• Each cycle, we have pushed health plans or asked health plans to come to the table with strategies that
• We collect a lot of reports from the health plans.
• We collect a lot of reports from the health plans.
• , the value of the plans.

Committee: Senate Ethics and Elections

Summary: The committee met to consider a large slate of appointments, with the main discussion centered on the confirmation of Chavon Harris as Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Harris testified about her background in state service and outlined agency priorities including Medicaid financial accountability, transparency, managed care oversight, behavioral health redesign, rural health access, workforce recruitment, and use of technology and AI. Senators questioned her extensively about the Hope Florida/Medicaid settlement controversy, opioid settlement-funded advertising campaigns tied to marijuana prevention and the 2024 Amendment 3 election, public records compliance, abortion reporting and enforcement under the Heartbeat Protection Act, managed care denials, value-based purchasing, and Medicaid funding pressures. After debate, the committee voted to recommend her confirmation, with Senator Polsky voting no. The committee then considered Anna Ortega and Robert Payne for the Florida Public Service Commission. Ortega, a current PSC commissioner and former staff advisor, discussed utility regulation, data center load issues, ratepayer protections, transparency in PSC decisions, and lessons from other states. Payne, a former legislator and longtime utility co-op employee, emphasized his technical background and the need to balance utility returns with consumer affordability. Both nominees were confirmed by unanimous or near-unanimous votes and recommended favorably to the full Senate. Next, the committee heard from Jeffrey Aaron for reappointment to the Public Employees Relations Commission. Aaron described PERC’s role in public-sector labor disputes and said his work had been upheld in appellate courts without reversal. Senators questioned him about his law firm’s state contracts, his role as chairman of Attorney General James Uthmeier’s PAC, and his connection to the Hope Florida Foundation matter; he declined to discuss the pending investigation. Public testimony included opposition from Florida Voice for the Unborn. The committee nevertheless recommended his confirmation, with several no votes. Finally, the committee approved the remaining appointees on tabs 5 through 46 in a single vote, postponing Dr. John Littell and DCF Secretary Hatch, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Skubinik about this; their entire strategic plan is about developing things around.
• Do you plan to add additional universities?
• This past year, we completed a year-long strategic enrollment planning exercise.
• plan.
• plan for building a talent-strong Texas.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• AND FINALLY, BRITNEY HUNT THE CEO OF THE FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH PLANS. ALL RIGHT.
• I CLEVELAND CLINIC WE ARE CENTERING AROUND FOR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES.
• THAT'S WHAT WE PLAN TO DO IT CLEVELAND CLINIC. I WON'T GO THROUGH THESE BUT LESSONS LEARNED.
• IN EFFECT, ONE OF THE INSURANCE PLAN EXECUTIVES WITH WHOM WE SPOKE AGREED WITH THIS.
• LAST BUT NOT LEAST WE HAVE BRITNEY REPRESENTING THE HEALTH PLANS.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> otherwise uh pre-planned otherwise uh pre-planned and<00:07:00.000><c> basically</c><00:07:00.560
• These are the four strategic comparatives of our current strategic plan.
• </c> forward these are the four strategic forward these are the four strategic comparatives<01:25:25.960
• of our current strategic comparatives of our current strategic plan<01:25:28.159><c> uh</c><01:25:28.280
• These are the four strategic comparatives of our current strategic plan.

Bills: HF1250

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Keywords: outdoor heritage, land acquisition, wildlife management, conservation easements, environmental restoration

Transcript Highlights:

• action plan.
• Missouri Main Street would help identify the strategic plan and the critical needs required to become
• Yeah, and I can tell you that part of that plan with the second tranche is to be more strategic in how
• The Strategy and Performance Division helps inform DED's strategic planning, program development, and
• But working to help to help. five-year plan. I can't remember the name of the plan.

Summary: The House Budget Committee heard the Department of Economic Development’s fiscal year 2027 budget presentation, beginning with Director Michelle Hadaway and division leaders. The department emphasized that most of its budget is federally funded and walked through requests for regional engagement, international trade and investment offices, business recruitment and marketing, Delta Regional Authority dues, business and community solutions, tax increment financing, MODESA, DRPP, CDBG, disaster recovery, Missouri Main Street, AmeriCorps, Missouri One Start, the Missouri Technology Corporation, semiconductor and API reshoring efforts, SSBCI, and other economic development items. Members repeatedly asked about lapses, one-time appropriations, whether general revenue could be reduced or replaced with other funds, and how the department prioritizes federal and other non-GR sources. Several members also praised regional engagement, Missouri Partnership, and rural economic development efforts. A major portion of the discussion focused on specific one-time or performance-based projects. Members questioned the large GR transfer for TIFs and MODESA, the use of funds for the Urban League plaza renovation, the Northeast Missouri housing fund, the Highway MM corridor, and the Missouri Technology Corporation. Department witnesses explained that many of these amounts are based on projected performance or are tied to multi-year obligations, and that some unspent balances reflect project timing, federal reimbursement timing, or delayed construction. The committee also discussed the Missouri Main Street program, with staff explaining it supports both new and existing Main Street communities and can be adapted for county-wide models. The committee spent significant time on workforce and innovation programs. Missouri One Start described its customized training and upskilling programs, including a statutory fund switch to align with existing law, while members asked for more data on participation and impact. Missouri Technology Corporation explained that reduced funding last year limited some entrepreneur-support programs, and that its venture fund has leveraged state dollars into private capital and jobs. Members also discussed the API reshoring item and semiconductor funding, asking what the money would do, what companies would benefit, and how much federal leverage the state could expect. Witnesses said the API request supports a nonprofit center working with existing Missouri companies to reshore pharmaceutical production, while the semiconductor item is tied to federal matching opportunities that have moved slowly. The committee did not take final action on the budget during the portion of the hearing provided. The chair recessed the committee to go to session, stating that the hearing would resume afterward and that public testimony on House Bill 2007 would follow completion of the department presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting estimates a revenue impact to our state parks revenue
• The Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting estimates a revenue impact to our state parks revenue
• The Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting estimates a revenue impact to our state parks revenue
• Would I be able to send you—we just received the Office of Strategic Budget and Planning fiscal information
• From $1,200... ...for planned communities.

Committees: House Government , House House Government Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• I think he views China as a strategic competitor to the United States.
• Senator Kaine and I subsequently led an effort to try to stop this plan to harm Mexico.
• That is Russ Vogt's plan. So we should have a follow-up conversation. Yeah.
• But if there's not a commitment and a plan to get to 5% as soon as possible, I think.
• I think it would be a critical strategic mistake.

Committee: Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's really as a strategic partner in a lot of ways.
• As you can see from the pictures, we have a design plan.
• But again, we're trying to strategically ...if we opened it.
• planning, budget, and planning use of that data.
• planning with... ...the board and the system office to engage in strategic planning with SAGency, which

Summary: The Higher Education Institutions Committee met on the Minot State University campus for presentations on campus operations, enrollment, and new academic initiatives. President Shirley reviewed recent audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings, and highlighted MSU’s broad academic offerings, specialized accreditations, athletics, and partnerships with Minot Air Force Base and the MSU Development Foundation. Members asked about declining interest in teacher education, tuition waivers for athletes, dual credit incentives, and how MSU decides when to launch new programs and avoid duplication within the university system. Shirley also discussed several workforce-focused initiatives supported by the Legislature’s Workforce Education Innovation Funds, including the purchase of the Trinity Health Center West building for a downtown health sciences hub, a new daycare/preschool partnership near campus, the Aspire program to recruit rural students into teaching, and a paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Enrollment data showed overall headcount was flat at just under 2,750, but full-time equivalent enrollment rose slightly and new student numbers increased, including the largest freshman class in 15 years. The committee also discussed Minot State’s in-state tuition rate for all students, its dual credit “Emerging Scholars” scholarship, and concerns about the share of high school graduates who do not immediately pursue postsecondary education. Faculty then presented two new programs funded in part by WEAF: an Innovation Engineering degree and a master’s program in counseling with an integrated addiction studies focus. The engineering program was described as industry-driven, designed with broad early coursework, hands-on learning, and local employer input to prepare students for western North Dakota workforce needs; officials said it had already drawn more applicants than expected and would use renovated library space and donated or grant-funded equipment. The counseling program will be mostly face-to-face with hybrid options, aims to address shortages in mental health and substance use providers, and is structured to help students meet licensure requirements. Committee members asked about startup costs, licensure supervision hours, and whether the programs would be on campus rather than online, and presenters said both programs had recently received required approvals and were moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> funding for bilateral family planning funding for bilateral family planning and<04:21:18.080><c>
• It's a strategic investment.
• Strategic planning would increasingly be driven by worst-case assumptions rather than verified facts.
• Strategic planning would missiles.
• Strategic planning would increasingly<08:10:00.240><c> be</c><08:10:00.478><c> driven</c><08:10:01.120

Bills: HB7006 , HR992

Keywords: appropriations, national security, foreign aid, transparency, democracy, House Resolution 992, H.Res. 992, HR 992, rule resolution, procedural rule, Rules Committee, Committee of the Whole, previous question, motion to recommit, waiver of points of order, closed rule, structured rule, FY2026 appropriations, consolidated appropriations, federal spending