Transcript Highlights:

• staff check on this infrastructure such as the kiosks, boardwalks, wildlife viewing platforms and boat
• gateways for the system and they make the W is especially important economic acts asset for the debt, small
• The Division of Law Enforcement's Boating Waterway section is responsible for helping to reduce the number
• And then it's up to the contractor for when they get out there and remove the boat.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's more than 20 violations per weekday in just a small slice of the district. of our fleet.
• They may be small or property-poor. They may not have any buses that have seatbelts.
• Eliminating a $3 fee may seem small, but it's a big deal.
• These vehicles serve practical roles for farmers, ranchers, and small businesses across the state.
• I'm going to go to the first bill. 927, that's a Senator Hancock bill on the small trucks.

Bills: SB249 , SB546 , SB744 , SB927 , SB1227 , SB1229 , SB1353 , SB1365 , SB1366 , SB1394 , SB1464 , SB1709 , SB1729 , SB1733 , SB1744 , SB1745 , SB1746 , SB1772 , SB1816 , SB1841 , SB1939

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• Just recently, the FBI announced that a Russian group had hacked the end-of-life consumer and small business
• Also, I would be interested if there were some safe harbors or cure periods, and then narrowing the mandatory
• Suño, Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, CERAC, Harbor
• Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, CRAC, Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice.

Summary: The committee heard several privacy, technology, and public safety measures. SB 898 by Senator Weber Pearson would require manufacturers of connected consumer products to disclose the minimum period of software support and notify consumers when support is nearing or has ended. Consumer Reports supported the bill as a consumer protection and cybersecurity measure, while some members raised concerns about enforcement through the unfair competition law and the possibility of private lawsuits. The bill was moved on a 5-1 vote to the Senate Judiciary Committee, with amendments to be taken there. SB 1279 by Senator Gonzalez would authorize Long Beach to place speed safety cameras on Pacific Coast Highway under the same privacy and equity guardrails as the existing pilot program, including no facial recognition, confidentiality of DMV data, warning notices, and reduced fees for low-income recipients. Supporters said the cameras would address severe speeding and fatal crashes on PCH, while opponents raised civil liberties, due process, and concerns about automated enforcement and identifying the actual driver. The committee voted 6-2 to send the bill to Appropriations, and it was placed on call. The committee also advanced SB 1111 by Senator Ashby, the Artificial Intelligence Abuse Protection Act, which would create civil remedies for nonconsensual AI voice, image, and video cloning. Support came from SAG-AFTRA and Common Sense Media, and members discussed concerns about employer liability and the scope of the bill, but no opposition testified. The measure passed 7-1 to Public Safety and was placed on call. SB 1217 by Senator Grove, backed by survivors of trafficking and nonconsensual intimate imagery, would create a DOJ-run clearinghouse to verify removal requests and require platforms to take down intimate images within 48 hours. Survivors described ongoing harm from images still circulating online; members focused on privacy, DOJ capacity, cybersecurity, and the lack of a private right of action. The bill passed 8-0 to Public Safety and was placed on call. Finally, SB 1095 by Senator Perez would require fusion centers and participating agencies to adopt MOUs limiting the sharing of sensitive personal information for immigration enforcement or racial profiling, require annual reporting, and add oversight and audit provisions. Supporters argued fusion centers have operated with too little transparency and have been used to circumvent California privacy and immigration laws; some members raised operational concerns about defining prohibited sharing and how the restrictions would work in practice. The discussion continued, with the author noting committee amendments and existing state law as the basis for the bill's guardrails.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the second amendment, and I will also point out that one included boat registration fees.
• And Mickey, the one had boats included, the other one did not.
• </c> boats included, the other one did not. boats included, the other one did not.
• My second question was regarding something we talked about earlier: the boating fees.
• fee has to be used for that as a boat fee has to be used for that dedicated<02:09:08.800><c> fund?

Summary: The committee first revisited HB 781, the cell phone bill, after previously retaining it. On reconsideration, members moved to OTP the bill, and it passed unanimously. The committee then moved into the budget tracking packet and adopted an amendment to HB 2 to add the same cell phone policy language, also unanimously, and separately reduced HB 1 by $1 million to match the policy change. Members noted the cell phone language had already been stripped of grant funding language in the House version and that the policy and funding pieces were being aligned across the budget bills. The committee then took up a Department of Education technical amendment to HB 2 on charter school grants, which made timing and administrative changes without altering grant amounts, and adopted it unanimously. Members also discussed but held other education-related items, including adequacy grants, pending broader decisions on overall education funding. Another HB 2 item concerning E-911/state police radio communications prompted a longer discussion about whether E-911 surcharge funds were being used for purposes that should instead be general-funded. After debate over whether to leave the current practice in place or split the funding 50/50 between E-911 and general funds, the committee adopted a joint HB 1/HB 2 change to shift the funding source to a 50/50 split and delete the HB 2 language authorizing the prior use; the motion passed 7-0. The committee also discussed but did not act on several lottery-related provisions, including the video lottery terminal amendment, the increase in maximum ticket price from $30 to $50, and related tax split changes, with members planning to hear from the Lottery Commission on Monday. The meeting ended with the committee beginning review of new amendments in the tracking packet, including a Department of Education request related to Public School Infrastructure Commission grant administration, but no action was taken on that item in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this body has a habit of starting small but then going really big. And so I will say, Mr.
• This is starting small, pardon me, I need some water, starting small, but getting your footing in this
• A rising tide lifts all boats. We're talking about failing schools.
• While monies in the EPRF may not be used to purchase aircraft, boats, or vehicles, this amendment clarifies
• able, or instead of being able to buy assets, we have changed it to short-term leases of aircraft, boats

Transcript Highlights:

• , their boat.
• Again, this is why we work... ...their home, their auto, and, if they have a boat, their boat.
• I'm jamming on that small cottage industry of folks that did file frivolous litigation and fraudulent
• I'm jamming on that small cop on lawyers and I'm not jamming on even plaintiff's lawyers.
• I'm jamming on that small cottage industry of folks that did file frivolous litigation and fraudulent

Summary: The Insurance and Banking Subcommittee received a lengthy presentation from Citizens Property Insurance Corporation CEO Tim Serio, with Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworski also answering questions. Serio reviewed Citizens’ role as Florida’s insurer of last resort, its statutory funding structure, eligibility rules, depopulation program, reinsurance obligations, and the surcharge/emergency assessment mechanisms that can be used if Citizens runs a deficit. He emphasized that recent legislative reforms, combined with lower litigation and improved market conditions, have helped the private market recover and reduced Citizens’ policy count from a peak of about 1.41 million in 2023 to 936,182 at the end of 2024, with a projected drop to about 771,000 by the end of 2025. He also said the reforms reduced Citizens’ rate need and helped avoid an emergency assessment after the 2024 storms. Members asked about Citizens’ rate increases, why Citizens still seeks higher rates despite lower litigation, how the 20% eligibility threshold works, whether Citizens should be wind-only, and whether the state or federal government could help with deficits. Serio explained that Citizens is still charging below actuarially sound rates in most areas, that rate filings reflect reduced litigation and lower reinsurance exposure, and that assessments on all Florida property policyholders are the reason Citizens tries to build surplus and depopulate. He said the depopulation program is working better than in the past, with less than 2% of takeout policies returning to Citizens, and that the Office of Insurance Regulation has been vetting takeout companies more carefully. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on claims handling after Debby, Helene, and Milton, including flood-versus-wind disputes and Citizens’ use of the Division of Administrative Hearings for some claim disputes. Serio said Citizens had received 76,625 claims from the three storms and had paid nearly $823 million in indemnity and expenses as of January 7, 2025. He said many closed-without-payment claims were either below deductible, withdrawn, duplicate, or flood-only, and that Citizens had asked its internal audit function to independently review the claims data and denials. He also described Citizens’ storm outreach, catastrophe response centers, managed-repair program, and claim review process, and said the corporation remains focused on paying valid claims while minimizing the risk of assessments on the broader Florida market.

Transcript Highlights:

• And importantly, these are overwhelmingly locally small businesses.
• And importantly, these are overwhelmingly locally small businesses, Missouri employing Missourians and
• Rachel is an occupational therapy assistant, a third-generation farmer, and a small business owner.
• For boating families like this, this vote is not theoretical.
• For boating families like this, this vote is not theoretical.

Transcript Highlights:

• OPUC is a small agency currently with 16 staff members, primarily attorneys and legal assistants.
• Our mission is to represent residential and small commercial consumers as a class in utility proceedings
• commercial small businesses in a very, well, a big money area with utilities and as we move forward
• We're a small agency. We have two strategies: licensing and enforcement.
• We are a small agency.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met to review Article 8, regulatory agencies, and began Article 9, general provisions, before recessing for floor action. The committee first heard budget presentations from the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC). The PUC budget recommendation was about $5.07 billion in all funds, including an additional $5 billion for the Texas Energy Fund, plus funding for staffing and technology needs tied to contested cases, infrastructure resiliency, and outage mapping. PUC witnesses emphasized the agency’s growing workload, the need for more staff and modern systems, and oversight of the Texas Energy Fund. OPUC’s recommendation was about $6.9 million, with a reduction in authorized FTEs to better match actual staffing; the agency requested additional funding for salaries, expert witnesses, and budget flexibility, and members highlighted OPUC’s role representing residential and small commercial consumers in utility proceedings. The committee then heard from the Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), whose recommendation was just over $11.2 million. BHEC’s main requests included funding to fill vacant positions, money for continuous National Practitioner Data Bank queries, and a proposed Texas-owned psychology licensing exam in response to concerns about changes to the national exam. Agency leaders also discussed a rider request that would shift responsibility for certain judgments or settlements to the comptroller. Members asked about prior complaint backlogs, and BHEC said those backlogs had been cleared. The Board of Chiropractic Examiners followed, with a recommendation of just under $2.4 million; the board sought support for staffing, training, broadband, and salary retention, and described its work regulating chiropractors and workers’ compensation-related doctors. The Board of Dental Examiners was the last agency heard before the committee recessed. Its recommendation was just under $10 million, and it requested a 10% salary increase for eligible staff, three additional licensing staff, one staff member to handle required background checks, an additional attorney, and an executive director salary adjustment. Dental board witnesses said licensure growth, increased complaints, and low salaries were straining licensing and enforcement operations, even though the agency reported strong performance and high case completion rates. The chair ended the hearing early because the Senate had to return to the floor, and the committee remained in recess.

Transcript Highlights:

• These small utilities represent various areas around the state. We are not-for-profit utilities.
• These small utilities represent various areas around the state. We are not-for-profit utilities.
• So this is to help the small homeowner not be at risk so soon or for such a small amount.
• But some of the small reps might be concerned about that. But anyway, just food for thought.
• They are not only contributing to our economy, they're notorious for starting small businesses.

Bills: SB1246 , SB1338 , SB1428 , SB1443 , SB1501 , SB1566 , SB1571 , SB1645 , SB1646 , SB1663 , SB1688 , SB1805 , SB1808 , SB1825 , SCR1023 , SCR1029 , HB2079 , HB2080 , HB2130 , HB2239 , HB2324 , HB2375 , HB2610 , HB2619 , HB2620 , HB2716 , HB2745 , HB2749 , HB2837 , HB2857 , HB2968 , HB4064 , HB4066 , HB4087 , HB4130 , HCR2048 , HCR2058

Committees: Senate Government , Senate Senate Government Committee of Reference

Keywords: homeowners associations, foreclosure, common expense liens, condominiums, special assessments, unit owner, public benefits, eligibility, immigration status, documentation, Arizona law, county governance, supervisorial board, population-based representation, local government, elections, noise pollution, environmental nuisances, building permits, urban development

Transcript Highlights:

• The funding in this bill is a small step forward in the process for the possible development of a 30-
• this</c><00:04:39.040><c> bill</c><00:04:39.320><c> is</c><00:04:39.440><c> a</c><00:04:39.480><c> small
• </c><00:04:39.920><c> step</c> funding in this bill is a small step funding in this bill is a small step
• This is not a small issue. This is a system gap.
• </c> for Como Harbor. for Como Harbor.

Committee: House Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• But for responsible adults, small business owners, and anybody who's looking to improve their life without
• Our state constitution says it, and on top of it, in my opinion, it's a small dollar amount. Mr.
• but I'll tell you right now, right there by the London Bridge, and you can barely get past with the boat
• You better be holding on and pushing your boat to not hit another boat because they're pretty expensive
• be holding on and pushing your boat to not hit another boat because they're pretty expensive.

Bills: HB2205 , HB2265 , HB2413 , HB2415 , HB2418 , HB2495 , HB2589 , HB2661 , HB2720 , HB2771 , HB2833 , HB2870

Committees: House Judiciary , House House Judiciary Committee of Reference

Keywords: criminal damage, trespassing, critical facilities, felony, Arizona Revised Statutes, court fees, public defender, criminal justice, legal aid, indigent defense, appeals, administrative assessments, sex offender, electronic monitoring, registration, public safety, youth protection, Kratom, narcotic drugs, regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• They represent small business mind.
• We were able to make the 199A small business deduction permanent, allowing agriculture and small business
• And he and his small family moments.
• </c> fuel available and accelerate small fuel available and accelerate small modular<02:38:05.600><c>
• </c> sends a clear message to families, small sends a clear message to families, small businesses,<04

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, you know, I didn't contract anyone when we were at 490 a few months ago, so we're in the same boat
• It makes you wonder... ...90 a few months ago, so we're in the same boat. It makes you wonder.
• electric Alternative fuel vehicle refueling property and electric vehicle recharging property tax credit, small
• have the liabilities of their own to take full advantage of these programs, and it does a lot for our small
• So we're appreciative of that, and I'd be happy to take any questions. ...for our small meat processors

Committees: House Agriculture , House Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• less than a three-year life, if they have solid contractual plans to replace them, give us a safe harbor
• Put that in there as a safe harbor to that alternate plan, saying that such a plan would be acceptable
• So if they come back, they can still look at that, but still give us a safe harbor in there if we resolved

Committee: Senate Regulated Industries

Summary: The Committee on Regulated Industries heard and advanced several bills, with the most extensive discussion centered on condominium issues, gambling enforcement, and public safety. CS/SB 592 on the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program was amended to clarify the three-story eligibility threshold and to add sliding glass door wind-driven rain mitigation devices as an eligible improvement. A late-filed amendment to appropriate $500 million for the program failed on a 3-4 roll call vote, and the bill was then reported favorably. Members also took up CS/SB 1742, a broad condominium and cooperative association reform bill, which would give associations more flexibility on reserves after milestone inspections, require substitute budgets over certain spending increases, improve disclosure and conflict-of-interest rules, expand data collection, and extend some disclosure rescission periods; the committee adopted an amendment and reported the bill favorably. The committee also approved CS/SB 622 on pari-mutuel permit leasing, as amended to allow leasing to same-class permit holders or Hialeah permit holders and to make related wagering licenses discretionary rather than automatic. SB 1404 on illegal gambling was reported favorably after amendments allowing veterans organizations to seek declaratory rulings on machine compliance and adding ethics/revolving-door restrictions for Gaming Commission personnel; a late amendment concerning a Miami casino property was withdrawn. Testimony on that bill came from prosecutors, the Gaming Control Commission, veterans groups, and amusement machine operators, with supporters emphasizing organized crime enforcement and opponents seeking clearer definitions and compliance guidance. On public safety and infrastructure, SB 1682 to include 911 dispatchers in the definition of first responder was reported favorably with strong support from dispatchers and committee members. SB 818 on utility relocation and SB 1228 on spring restoration were also reported favorably, with counties opposing the utility bill as a taxpayer cost shift. SB 948 on flood disclosures for rental properties and condominium sales/rentals was reported favorably after support from environmental and flood advocacy groups. The committee also heard SB 604 on residential pool safety requirements, but the chair temporarily postponed it after concerns were raised about how the inspection requirement would work in cash transactions and whether it would require permits or delay closings.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're a small but mighty staff of seven, and just this past year we served over a thousand clients.
• We are small in number, but we are critical to our public safety system.
• We also facilitate a Safe Harbor team, making sure that victims of human trafficking are connected to
• </c><00:22:54.120><c> team,</c> We also facilitate a safe harbor team, We also facilitate a safe harbor
• </c> that AI is going to help like small that AI is going to help like small governments<00:42:40.520

Bills: HF1082 , HF2099 , HF4177 , HF2742

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• experiencing homelessness, including Emergency Services Grants, transitional housing programs, Safe Harbor
• shelter and housing programs, Safe Harbor shelter, and Housing Shelter Link youth Mental Health Grants
• experiencing homelessness, including Emergency Services Grants, transitional housing programs, Safe Harbor
• shelter and housing programs, Safe Harbor shelter, Housing Shelter Link youth Mental Health Grants,
• shelter and housing programs, Safe Harbor shelter, Housing Shelter Link youth Mental Health Grants,

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• us at least a small comfort that we<00:52:59.200><c> may</c><00:52:59.480><c> not</c><00:52:59.720><
• </c> income individuals while Hing small income individuals while Hing small business<01:37:48.080><c
• Usually it comes in at the airport, not so many packs at the airport, but we know at the harbor there
• Usually it comes in at the airport, not so many packs at the airport, but we know at the harbor there
• Usually it comes in at the airport, not so many packs at the airport, but we know at the harbor there

Committee: House Higher Education

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Bachman Hall and heard testimony on several UH-related bills. HB 542 would expand the Hawaiʻi Promise Program to provide unmet-need scholarships at four-year UH campuses. UH system officials, the UH Student Caucus, and a Honolulu Community College student testified in support, emphasizing college affordability, student retention, and workforce needs. Committee members asked about current program data, eligibility, transfer patterns, and cost; UH said it had data available, noted about 10% of current Hawaiʻi Promise students transfer to four-year campuses, and estimated the full expansion would cost about $12 million. UH also suggested a possible alternative of focusing on transfer opportunities from two-year to four-year campuses. The committee then heard HB 840, which concerns athletics appropriations for UH. UH Mānoa and UH Hilo supported the bill. UH officials said the funding would help cover recurring athletics operating costs, women’s sports travel and recruiting, Austin Awards, and a new nutrition fueling station, while Hilo said the money would help with travel, per diem, and conference-related costs. Members asked about the history of the athletics funding, the difference between Austin Awards and special talent waivers, NIL planning, and whether the appropriation should be restored to the base budget. UH explained that a $4 million athletics appropriation was originally made in 2018 or 2019, later removed from the base, and has been reappropriated annually since then. Finally, the committee heard HB 842, which would fund three additional permanent mental health practitioner positions at UH Mānoa’s Counseling and Student Development Center. UH supported the bill, and Academic Labor United and a high school student testified in favor, citing student stress, overwork, and the need for more counseling access. In questions, members discussed the current counselor-to-student ratio, recruitment challenges in a tight labor market, and strategies for hiring, including looking at candidates on soft-money grants who may be seeking stable employment. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• representative in this room has a right to do a resolution, whatever is in their heart, whatever harbors
• We should not be a body that is okay with harboring pedophiles, anything like that.
• My husband would have been here today if it wasn't because he's at home battling stage 4 small cell Representative

Transcript Highlights:

• And then Mark Smith, representing a number of water agencies and boat manufacturers, will be here to
• In 2025, Tahoe boat inspectors prevented 72 boats with invasive species from entering Lake Tahoe, including
• one boat with attached golden mussels.
• Will a boat in a waterway or a reservoir where there’s a complete infestation—will the boaters be able
• If you want to move your boat to a body of water that's not contaminated, it has to be decontaminated

Summary: The committee heard three water- and environment-related bills. AB 1663, by Assembly Member Wallace, would provide relief for high desert homeowners by allowing permits without mitigation fees for removing or trimming up to 10 Western Joshua trees for health and safety needs, including defensible space. Support came from the California Association of Realtors and the Community Water Systems Alliance, and members discussed balancing conservation with property maintenance. The bill was moved out of committee on a do-pass-as-amended vote to Appropriations. AB 1772, by Assembly Member Papin, sought to create a statewide framework to prevent the spread of golden mussels through watercraft decontamination standards, reciprocity for certifications, and long-term funding. Testimony in support highlighted Lake Tahoe’s invasive species prevention program as a model, while Recreational Boaters of California expressed caution about funding fairness, reciprocity, and how the system would work if infestations become widespread. After discussion about mandatory decontamination standards and funding, the bill was also passed as amended to Appropriations. AB 2521, also by Assembly Member Papin, would use a watershed-wide water availability analysis from the California Council of Science and Technology to help streamline groundwater recharge permitting and reduce applicant costs. Members raised concerns about protecting existing water rights and ensuring stakeholder input, and the author emphasized the study would be informational rather than binding. The bill passed to Appropriations, and the committee later took add-on votes confirming passage of AB 1663, AB 1772, and AB 2521.

Transcript Highlights:

• It does not bypass the large institutions, but oftentimes connecting all boat.
• We have invested, excuse me, $5.6 million directly into small businesses. And we're also...
• We have invested, excuse me, $5.6 million directly into small businesses.
• My name is Marali Barajas, and I am a small semi-truck business owner.
• I am here today to support continuing... ...and I am a small semi-truck business owner.

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on a series of housing, education, workforce, and court-related bills. On Substitute Senate Bill 5884, staff described changes to a sales and use tax deferral for redeveloping vacant or underused land into affordable housing, including broader eligible property definitions and lower affordability thresholds in designated areas. Testimony was mixed: builders opposed language they feared could encourage project labor agreements, while Spokane and Kent representatives supported the bill but asked for flexibility on affordability mix requirements. On Senate Bill 6256, which expands a property tax exemption for nonprofit low-income rental housing to include certain co-located community uses during construction and extends the pre-construction exemption period, testimony was strongly supportive from housing nonprofits and local housing partners, with questions focused on clawback provisions. The committee also heard Substitute Senate Bill 6027, which expands allowable uses of local housing and supportive housing sales tax revenue, adjusts a REET exemption timeline, broadens emergency housing definitions, and changes use of the Affordable Housing for All account. County, housing, and nonprofit witnesses said the bill would help preserve housing and services amid federal funding uncertainty, though Snohomish County asked for an amendment to allow rental assistance. Substitute Senate Bill 6018 would revise the Housing Finance Commission’s authority, including direct lending and bond counsel terms; commission staff said it would modernize outdated restrictions and improve financing flexibility. Substitute Senate Bill 6028 would create a revolving loan fund for mixed-income homeownership projects; supporters said it would help smaller infill projects pencil, while staff noted the loans would be subordinate and carry some risk. Later, the committee heard Senate Bill 6275 on the community reinvestment program, which would require periodic plan updates, reporting, and a WSIPP study, while also expressing legislative intent to continue at least $100 million annually in the account. Advocates, workforce groups, legal aid providers, and small business owners testified that the program supports communities harmed by past disinvestment and should be made permanent and more accountable. Substitute Senate Bill 5961 would move the Imagination Library program from DCYF to OSPI; early literacy advocates and local partners supported the transfer as better aligned with school readiness. Substitute Senate Bill 5969 would integrate IEP transition plans with high school and beyond plans, and a prior critic said amendments addressed her concerns. Second Substitute Senate Bill 5292 would shift PFML premium rate-setting to the annual actuarial report and raise the reserve target; labor and industry witnesses supported the change, while a policy group opposed the program’s costs. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5868 to add one superior court judge each in Skagit and Yakima counties. Judges and county officials testified that caseloads, population growth, and backlogs justify the additions, and county leaders said they had already budgeted for their share. Finally, Substitute Senate Bill 5827 would allow service members to use pre-discharge certification to claim veterans’ civil service preference; the sponsor said it would solve a timing problem for transitioning service members. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the transcript, as the meeting consisted of bill briefings and public testimony.