Transcript Highlights:

• We have ongoing professional development That we have to go through and pass these tests in order to
• We also have $16.5 million for professional development that is led by the Priority Schools Bureau.
• This also includes our professional development, our newly created AI professional development as well
• And this training includes about hours of synchronous professional learning for our educators and it's
• are credible, and making sure our board trainings are credible. and professional and reliable.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, Senator Draheim, what I would say is that at MMB we have a team of financial professionals who
• Chair, Senator Draheim, what I would say is that at MMB we have a team of financial professionals who
• Chair, Senator Draheim, what I would say is that at MMB we have a team of financial professionals who
• At MMB, we have a team of financial professionals who are working to support agencies with financial
• <00:32:26.399> development for more professional development for more professional development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I wanted to take a moment to personally thank her for her hard work, professionalism, and commitment
• Her academic and professional interests center on stakeholder capitalism and the role and responsibilities
• Her academic and professional interests center on stakeholder capitalism and the role and responsibilities
• In addition to her academic and professional pursuits, Jada volunteers and mentors young girls through
• And former Senate professional staffer Susan Miller.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opening with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a series of recognitions for interns, staff, and guests. Members also honored a retiring Senate staffer and a wounded veteran, then moved into returning House messages and special order bills. Several measures were taken up and either concurred in or sent back to the House, with multiple unanimous or near-unanimous votes on noncontroversial bills. Among the bills addressed were SB 118 on recreational vehicle park assessments, SB 572 on ethics for public officers and employees, and HB 991 on election integrity. SB 118 and SB 572 were amended to reflect House changes and passed 38-0. HB 991 drew extensive debate over voter registration and identification requirements, with opponents arguing it would burden students, seniors, disabled voters, and others, while supporters said it would strengthen election security and streamline verification; it passed 27-12. The chamber also approved bills on historic cemeteries, chickee regulation, habitual traffic offender designation, military affairs, and a Department of Health package. The Department of Health bill (SB 902/HB 733) was the subject of detailed amendment work, including changes to medical marijuana rules, NICU educational materials, Early Steps, dental loan repayment, and pediatric trauma center designation. The Senate adopted an amendment to the amendment and then passed the bill 37-0. Other measures included a funeral services bill, which the Senate refused to concur in because the House strike-all would redefine cremation to include composting, and a veterans-related bill that was temporarily postponed. The Senate also recessed briefly, then returned to continue the calendar and additional recognitions.

Transcript Highlights:

• At this point I might defer in a minute to my professional witness just to cover a little bit of what
• Tristan Brown of CFT, a union of educators and classified professionals here at the college.
• That only happens when we invest in ongoing professional development and universal design for learning
• The fact is this proposal does not limit a district's flexibility to change professional assignments,
• Many CTE teachers at ROCPs are industry professionals who teach part-time or are on short-term contracts

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:02:47.000> who<01:02:47.080> are with a number of professionals who are with a
• number of professionals who are sitting<01:02:47.480> at<01:02:47.600> the<01:02:47.720
• For everything, for all you're doing, and I really respect and support the professionalism you bring
• <01:23:14.520> engineers uh those licensed professional engineers uh those licensed professional
• really the licensed professional really the licensed professional engineer<01:23:21.840> signs

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, because of your generosity, we have collected a significant amount of professional attire that will
• have collected a significant amount we have collected a significant amount of<00:04:07.920> professional
• > attire<00:04:09.280> that<00:04:09.480> will<00:04:09.640> go of professional
• attire that will go of professional attire that will go directly<00:04:10.480> toward<00:04:10.960

Bills: SCR56, SCR79, SCR85, SCR120, SCR129, SCR181, SCR63, SCR112, SCR194, SCR195, SCR196, HB202, HB963, HB1050, HB1511, HB1546, HB1550, HB1553, HB1643, HB1656, HB1658, HB1664, HB1667, HB1682, HB1700, HB1721, HB1810, HB1823, HB1824, HB1878, HB1969, HB2005, HB2078, HB2152, HB2246, HB2270, HB2279, HB2289, HB2385, HB2417, HB2429, HB2503, HB2599, SB253, SB847, SB1142, SB1432, SB2043, SB2050, SB2074, SB2102, SB2135, SB2138, SB2140, SB2320, SB2340, SB2386, SB2396, SB2397, SB2398, SB2433, SB2446, SB2521, SB2544, SB2567, SB2578, SB2580, SB2595, SB2601, SB2645, SB2673, SB2706, SB2727, SB2802, SB2852, SB2892, SB2929, SB2972, SB3007, SB3069, SB3073, SB3076, SB3136, SB3138, SB3157, SB3204, SB3234, SB3247, SB3302, SB3324, SB3325, HB1815, HB2592, HCR32

Keywords: lifeguards, first responders, public safety, ocean safety, emergency response, community wellbeing, invasive species, octocoral, Pearl Harbor, environment, Navy responsibility, marine ecosystem, ecosystem preservation, shoreline maintenance, civil service, classification review, compensation systems, labor shortage, employee retention, department collaboration

Transcript Highlights:

• THE GOVERNANCE AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BUREAU DRAFT, MAINTAIN RULE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES RELATED
• CONTRACT MANAGEMENT AND WORK ACROSS GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES TO PROMOTE BEST PRACTICES AND PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL
• ADDITIONALLY WE HAVE CERTIFIED MORE CONTRACT MANAGERS AND PROJECT MANAGE PROFESSIONALS THAN EVER BEFORE
• WE DEVELOPED AND PROVIDE MORE TRAININGS AND PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS TO EQUIP STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Licensed pest management professionals Licensed pest management professionals in<01:31:29.760> New
• > not<01:33:14.560> eliminate trained professionals does not eliminate trained professionals
• >> Do you mean by licensed professionals?
• He said, "Let the professionals deal with this."
• <03:40:19.920> were that was how the professionals were that was how the professionals were

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I could not ask for a more dedicated group of professionals.
• AB 489 Bonta, health professional chat bots do pass out on an A roll call. AB 801 Bonta.
• AB 742, Alhawari, professional licensing priority, do pass out on a B roll call.
• AB 1454 Revis literacy instruction professional development due pass out on an A roll call.
• AB 548, Social Services holding committee AB 667 slouch a professional licensees exam interpreters do

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our turnover rate has dropped to 10%. across the agency and just 2.3% for licensed professionals like
• 14 of our presentation, we continue to struggle. to attract and retain qualified attorneys and professionals
• , preserving, and protecting the health and safety of the people of Texas and licensed skilled professionals
• Each staff member in the agency performs an important function for licensing skilled professionals who
• all metrics in performance and efficiency, despite a significant surge in the number of dental professionals

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• professional self-certification for commercial<01:59:40.080> projects.
• professionals professionals and<02:17:50.479> people<02:17:50.800> get<02:17:51.040>
• cheaper design professionals cheaper design professionals um<02:18:02.000> can<02:18:02.319
• You really their design professionals.
• Um, so myopic the design professionals.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The task force held its first meeting, beginning with roll call and introductions of members and participants in the room and on Zoom. The chair emphasized Sunshine Law transparency, noted the meeting was on September 11, and opened public testimony on the orientation report. No one testified in person or on Zoom, and the chair observed a moment of silence in remembrance of 9/11 before moving into the agenda. The chair then reported on several orientation presentations given statewide between July 18 and September 5, including meetings with transit-oriented development, the Maui Chamber of Commerce, the Kona-Kohala Chamber, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce on Hawaiʻi Island, the Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce, the Hawaiʻi Island Native Hawaiian Chamber, and the Capo Chamber of Commerce. The main presentation item was a detailed overview from Kauaʻi County on its permitting process. County staff explained that zoning and building permits are handled separately on the outer islands, with zoning focused on form, character, and compatibility, and building permits focused on health and safety. They described a two-tier zoning system: ministerial permits that are automatically approved if not acted on within 30 days, and discretionary permits that go to the planning commission and can become lengthy contested cases if there is intervention. They also discussed special management area review in coastal areas, which can add time, and explained that building permits must conform to what was approved in zoning. Kauaʻi County staff also outlined the building permit process, including online and in-person submission, coordination with planning, engineering, water, wastewater, health, and fire agencies, and the county’s fully electronic review system using ProjectDox and related software. They noted that applicants are encouraged to check zoning, water, wastewater, and floodplain issues before hiring someone to prepare plans, especially for homeowners. The county shared permit and utility statistics and said the public can check permit history through Click2Gov. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided; after the Kauaʻi presentation, the chair opened a question period for members.

Transcript Highlights:

• First will be experienced professionals and subject matter experts in the field.
• First will be experienced professionals and subject matters in the field.
• Let me first begin by acknowledging the dedication and professionalism of the attorneys, social workers
• Let me first begin by acknowledging the dedication and professionalism of the attorneys, social workers
• That is why most campaigns rely on some professional signature gathering.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions held a public hearing on Initiative Petition 2522 / H. 5909, which would amend state labor law to treat the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) as a public employer and allow its employees to seek collective bargaining rights. The chair explained the Article 48 initiative process, noted that no opponents or members of the public had signed up to testify, and said written testimony would be accepted through March 20. The hearing focused on whether CPCS staff should be brought within the public-sector bargaining framework and how that would interact with the agency’s statutory duties. Expert testimony began with an NCSL analyst, who gave a national overview of public employee bargaining rights and examples of public defender unions in other states and localities, including Colorado, New York City, Indianapolis, Cook County, Maryland, and Illinois. Department of Labor Relations officials then reviewed prior failed organizing efforts at CPCS and its predecessor, explaining that earlier petitions were dismissed because the agency was not considered a public employer under existing law. They said passage of the initiative would not automatically unionize employees, but would allow a union to petition for an election or written majority authorization, with normal unit-appropriateness and supervisory/confidential employee issues still to be resolved. CPCS Chief Counsel Anthony Benedetti testified that the agency supports providing information to the legislature but is not taking a position for or against unionization. He described CPCS’s statutory responsibilities, size, and current efforts to expand staffing after recent indigent-defense crises, and said any new bargaining framework would need to operate alongside the agency’s obligations to provide counsel. Proponents from SEIU Local 888 and allied labor groups argued that CPCS employees have long been denied the same collective bargaining rights as other public workers, and that a union would provide just-cause protections, a voice on staffing and working conditions, and better support for recruitment and retention. CPCS attorneys and staff testified in favor of the measure, citing heavy caseloads, rapid expansion, inadequate supervision and office support, and the need for representation in disciplinary and workplace disputes. Committee members asked about bargaining-unit composition, the role of the DLR, the effect of unionization on attorneys’ ethical duties, and the use and cost of paid signature gathering. The hearing ended with no votes taken and no opposition testimony presented.

Transcript Highlights:

• What I've learned through my personal work and professional work is that my story is shared by so many
• From both the personal and professional perspective, I can confidently say that early detection is essential
• Medical aesthetics is a multidisciplinary field that includes a myriad of medical and aesthetic professionals
• Medical aesthetics is a multidisciplinary field that includes a myriad of medical and aesthetic professionals
• team includes active industry participants, including nurse practitioners and other experienced professionals

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health heard testimony on four bills: H. 5013 and S. 2928, which would establish a three-year celiac disease screening pilot program for children during routine cholesterol/lipid screening at ages 8 to 12; H. 5087, regulating medical spas; and H. 5115, establishing statewide food truck regulations, though the transcript focused almost entirely on the celiac and medical spa bills. For the celiac proposal, Rep. Badger and Sen. Lovely described long diagnostic delays, the lack of a cure, and the potential for a simple blood test to identify children earlier and reduce long-term harm. Multiple patients, clinicians, and researchers supported the pilot, saying celiac is frequently missed because symptoms vary widely or are absent, and that early detection could prevent malnutrition, growth problems, osteoporosis, and other complications. Testifiers also emphasized that the bill would study feasibility, accuracy, cost, and acceptability, and would include family education and support resources if diagnoses are made through the program. Several experts and advocates backed the celiac screening pilot, including a pediatric gastroenterologist from Italy who described successful national screening efforts there, a Celiac Disease Foundation representative, pediatric gastroenterologists from Massachusetts and Colorado, a pediatric dietitian, and a parent whose child was diagnosed after severe malnutrition. They argued that routine screening alongside existing pediatric bloodwork could identify many undiagnosed children and improve health equity, since celiac disease is often overlooked in people of color and lower-income patients. Committee members asked about how the screening would work, and witnesses explained it could begin with a blood test, followed by confirmatory endoscopy if needed. No vote was taken in the hearing. On H. 5087, witnesses from the medical aesthetics industry largely opposed the bill as written, saying it was outdated, redundant with existing Massachusetts licensing and board oversight, and too restrictive for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other licensed providers. Testifiers, including a retired lobbyist, a nurse practitioner, a PA, a plastic surgeon, and a clinic owner, said the bill could reduce access, raise costs, and push care into less regulated settings, while not addressing the real issues of training, compliance, and patient safety. Committee members pressed for more specific feedback on what provisions were unnecessary or duplicative, and witnesses said they had submitted position papers and written testimony identifying conflicts with current law. The hearing ended with the chair noting that all oral and written testimony would be reviewed before any decisions are made.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, Member, Senate Bill 1656 amends the process the court must follow when appointing professional
• personnel in family court proceedings and provides guidelines for professional personnel once appointed
• Chairman, Member, Senate Bill 1656, amends the process the court must follow when appointing professional
• personnel in family court proceedings and provides guidelines for professional personnel once appointed
• That's just plain and accurate. ...professional conduct requirements of an appointed person.

Bills: SB1317, SB1655, SB1656, SB1751, SCR1049

Keywords: reentry programs, criminal justice, funding, grants, recidivism, attorney general, jury duty, election worker, Arizona Revised Statutes, temporary appointment, civic duty, family court, professional personnel, parenting time, legal decision-making, evidentiary hearings, child custody, ethical standards, capital punishment, death penalty

Summary: The committee first took up SB 1655, which would have allowed qualified jurors to serve as temporary election workers instead of jury service if summoned 90 to 120 days before an election. The Arizona Association of Counties opposed the bill, saying the timing would create major planning and tracking problems for county jury commissioners and courts, and noting that jury service can already be excused in some circumstances. Members also raised concerns that jury duty and poll work are fundamentally different responsibilities. The motion for a due pass recommendation failed, 4-5, and the bill did not advance. The committee then heard SB 1751 and the related SCR 1049, both dealing with Arizona execution methods. The bills would expand the available methods of execution to include firing squad and lethal gas, alongside lethal injection, with the SCR going to voters. Senator Payne argued the change was needed because Arizona has had problems with past execution methods and that the inmate would choose among the options. Opponents, including a death penalty attorney and a corrections chaplain, argued the methods raise constitutional, operational, staffing, and trauma concerns, and that Arizona should not revive methods with a history of botched or prolonged executions. SB 1751 received a due pass recommendation, 6-2 with one absent and one present, and SCR 1049 also received a due pass recommendation, 6-2 with one absent and one present. The committee next considered SB 1317 as a strike-everything amendment appropriating $20 million in opioid settlement/remediation funds for county coordinated reentry planning services and a statewide database. Supporters from the Arizona Sheriffs Association and county sheriffs said the program has shown strong recidivism reductions, helps people transition from county jails back into the community, and should expand to more counties. Members asked about data, funding timing, and whether all counties should participate; supporters said the amount would likely be negotiated in the budget process and that the database funding was needed to track outcomes. The strike-everything amendment was adopted, and SB 1317 as amended passed 9-0 with one absent. Finally, the committee heard SB 1656, which would change how courts appoint professional personnel in family court cases and set guidelines for those appointees. Court representatives submitted written concerns, saying the bill would duplicate existing practice, require unnecessary and costly depositions of experts before appointment, mandate recordings of all interactions, and extend the statute of limitations for lawsuits. With no sponsor present and no outside speakers, members expressed concern that the bill was unnecessary and potentially costly. SB 1656 failed to receive a due pass recommendation, with three nays, six votes not in favor, and one absent.

Transcript Highlights:

• nonprofit organization that is dedicated to furthering the advancement of African American legal professionals
• throughout Texas, fostering professional development.
• collaborative community and to equip the next generation of attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals
• Since its founding, BJLI has directly mentored aspiring black legal professionals and civic leaders through
• So the purpose of the office is to have technical professionals, people skilled in regulations to determine

Transcript Highlights:

• a department-managed construction project had to be licensed by the Department of Business and Professional
• next item is on tab four of your notebooks, and it's a report by the Department of Business and Professional
• Rule 61A-2.022, the Division of Alcohol, Beverages, and Tobacco in the Department of Business and Professional
• Rule 61A-2.022, the Division of Alcohol, Beverages, and Tobacco in the Department of Business and Professional
• My name is Jake Whelden, and I serve as the General Counsel for the Department of Business and Professional

Summary: The Joint Administrative Procedures Committee reviewed several agency rules and objections under Chapter 120. First, the committee revisited prior objections to Agency for Health Care Administration rules containing sunset provisions. AHCA’s general counsel said the agency amended 26 of the objected rules but declined to amend five others, arguing sunset provisions are lawful, are not themselves rules, and were consistent with a 2019 gubernatorial directive. Committee members questioned that position, especially for licensing and certificate-of-need rules, and urged the agency to consider legislative changes; no formal action was taken on that item during the discussion. The committee then considered an objection to Department of Management Services Rule 60G-1.001 defining the Governor’s Mansion grounds. Committee staff argued the rule is vague and improperly refers to future land acquisitions without updating the rule since 1998. DMS defended the rule as a general definition tied to publicly recorded property and a master lease, but said it would not object if the Legislature chose to codify the definition in statute. After discussion, the committee voted to file the objection. Members also received informational updates from the Department of Environmental Protection on the Solaris state lands inventory system, and from the Florida Gaming Control Commission on its response to the Tampa Bay Downs unadopted-rule litigation, in which the commission said it has stopped relying on the prior tax interpretation and will not promulgate a rule on that issue. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation said it would remove an unsupported cigar wholesale dealer permit reference, repeal an obsolete excise-tax deduction rule, and amend penalty guidelines and an affirmation in its alcohol, beverage, and tobacco rules. Finally, the Division of Administrative Hearings’ interim director discussed case-processing times, possible changes to ALJ status, and whether the Florida Rules of Evidence should apply in administrative proceedings, emphasizing the need to weigh costs, independence, and impacts on pro se litigants. The chair noted this was likely the committee’s final meeting of the year.

Transcript Highlights:

• The proposed changes update language for improved reading and understanding for the public and professionals
• Updating professional terms in the same sense, this is just streamlining language, making sure that our
• <00:03:26.000> terms<00:03:26.400> in Board um updating professional terms in Board
• um updating professional terms in the<00:03:26.720> same<00:03:27.319> sense<00:03:27.959
• So at some point, some professional in the United States will be observing this person working before

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Licensing and Occupations met on March 27, 2025, with a quorum present and first took up House Bill 255, relating to physical therapy. The bill sponsor and representatives of the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy and APTA Kentucky said the measure is mainly a cleanup and modernization bill that updates outdated statutory language, changes PTAs from “certified” to “licensed,” gives the board authority to purchase liability insurance, moves fee and fine caps into regulation without changing current fees, renames temporary permits as provisional licenses, and creates a pathway to more easily recognize some internationally trained physical therapists already practicing in other states. Senators asked whether the bill changed training, scope of practice, Medicaid, or supervised practice standards; witnesses said it did not, and that supervised practice requirements remain in place with out-of-state practice accepted only when equivalent or more stringent. The committee approved HB 255 with favorable expression. The committee then considered House Bill 618, an alcoholic beverages measure with a Senate committee substitute. The bill was described as having three parts: allowing restaurants to buy limited quantities of alcohol from retail outlets to meet customer demand while keeping the three-tier system intact and requiring quarterly reporting; creating a temporary auctioneer license to auction previously retail-sold alcohol in original packaging, such as estate or bourbon collections; and giving quota bar license holders the same opportunity restaurants already have to sell barrel picks by the bottle. Testimony supported the bill as a way to help restaurants, auctioneers, and bars, while a senator raised a question about sales tax on auction sales and another noted that nonprofit or church-related alcohol auctions already require permits under existing law. One senator suggested future guardrails to encourage local purchasing, but no amendment was adopted. The committee passed HB 618 with favorable expression.

Transcript Highlights:

• HR 30339 by Lee honoring professional golfer Sergio Garcia for his achievement achievement.
• These dedicated professionals taught us, they nurtured us, they guided us, and they supported us as we
• We have business leaders, educators, health care professionals, and military champions all united to
• Beyond his professional achievements, Chief Kester is a man of education and lifelong learner, a graduate
• Members, as I have spent my entire professional life outside of politics working in the real estate industry

Transcript Highlights:

• CRNAs were the first anesthesia professionals, dating back to the Civil War.
• CRNAs are highly trained professionals, and allowing them to practice autonomously...
• CRNAs are highly trained professionals, and allowing them to practice autonomously will enhance patient
• Doctors are taught things that other professionals are not taught.
• Next, we have Rocco Savatori with Florida professional firefighters, waving in support.

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee heard a lengthy agenda of health care and public health bills. The first major item was HB 649, which would remove the paper supervision protocol for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and allow autonomous practice. The sponsor and supporters argued it would improve access, especially in rural areas, address workforce shortages, and reduce costs, while opponents from the medical community raised patient safety concerns and argued it would weaken physician oversight. After extensive testimony and debate, the committee reported the bill favorably by a vote of 18-7. The committee then unanimously advanced several other measures. HB 259, creating a special observance for fentanyl awareness and education, passed 23-0. HB 791, which codifies infant safety devices as an option for surrendering newborns and amends safe-haven law, passed as amended 25-0. HB 355, allowing schools to use FDA-approved emergency opioid antagonists rather than only naloxone, passed 26-0. HB 1119, requiring hospitals with emergency departments to adopt pediatric readiness policies, training, coordination, and assessment requirements, also passed 26-0 after two amendments. HB 431, changing the date for level-two background screening of athletic coaches to July 1, 2026, passed 26-0. Later, the committee approved CS for HB 907, the Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases or “Sunshine Genetics Act,” which would establish an opt-in newborn genome sequencing program at FSU and a statewide consortium for rare disease research; supporters emphasized earlier diagnosis and cost savings, and the bill passed 25-0. CS for HB 519, aligning state law with federal law on controlled substances for paramedics, passed 25-0. Finally, CS for HB 723, requiring the Department of Health to provide early-detection materials for type 1 diabetes to families of young schoolchildren, passed as amended 26-0. The meeting adjourned after all bills were reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• I have a very professional and productive relationship with them. This is regarding the policy.
• the attorneys here: How often does the Department of Revenue take someone's driver's license or professional
• How frequent is it that the Department of Revenue is taking away someone's driver's license or professional
• the attorneys here is how often is the Department of Revenue take someone's driver's license or professional
• How frequent is it that the Department of Revenue is taking away someone's driver's license or professional

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a hybrid hearing on several property and local tax bills. The main focus was H.56, the Municipal Empowerment Act, which the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, MAPC, and Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo supported as a package of local options and administrative reforms. Supporters said municipalities need more tools to relieve pressure on property taxes and fund services, citing proposed increases to local meals and lodging taxes, a new local vehicle excise surcharge, senior property tax relief, one-year override flexibility for emergencies, and central valuation of telecom and utility property by DOR. The administration said the bill was based on municipal listening sessions and was intended to give cities and towns optional, not mandatory, revenue tools. Opponents, including the National Federation of Independent Businesses, argued the tax increases would hurt restaurants, hotels, tourism, and small businesses and add to affordability concerns. The committee also heard testimony on H.3211, dealing with deeds excise receipts, from Norfolk County Commissioner Richard Staidi. He said Norfolk County is financially stable but needs additional revenue for major capital needs at its agricultural school, especially a new cafeteria and other aging facilities, and also to support county programs such as veteran transportation services. On S.2020, a bill to allow settlements of tax liability, Greater Boston Legal Services, the Asian American Civic Association, and several individual taxpayers urged creation of a more workable offer-in-compromise process at DOR. They said the current system is too subjective, requires an unaffordable $5,000 threshold, lacks clear standards and appeal rights, and leaves low-income taxpayers stuck with unmanageable debt, license suspensions, or business closures. Supporters said the bill would give both taxpayers and DOR a practical way to resolve liabilities and bring people back into compliance. The committee also took testimony on S.1966, which would require nonprofits selling property to disclose any back-tax obligations to buyers. Senator Peter Durant said the bill was prompted by a personal experience in which a tax bill arrived after a nonprofit property purchase was already completed, and he argued the disclosure would prevent buyers from being surprised by retroactive tax liability. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair closed the session after hearing from all scheduled witnesses.