Transcript Highlights:

• And I know that the Pu has mentioned that, yes, they have a public attorney who does and have public
• And I know that the Pu has mentioned that, yes, they have a public attorney who does and have public
• land use reasons but for broad public land use reasons but for broad public policy<01:33:40.119>
• Folks who claim that the process illustrates that there are deficiencies with the review process, we
• Folks who claim that the process illustrates that there are deficiencies with the review process, we

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, with no public testimony, we'll close public testimony on Senate Bill 870, and Senate Bill 870
• I think the process will play out. What does that mean?
• We love having a threat assessment process.
• But this is not just a public school issue.
• The whole process and premise of it is that you have to be following those processes and premises.

Bills: SB27, SB226, SB326, SB570, SB605, SB870, SB991, SB1871, SB1872, SB1873, SB1874, SB1924, SB1925

Keywords: residency, public schools, child safety placement, enrollment, education code, antisemitism, student conduct, education, disciplinary actions, Texas Education Code, truancy, attendance policy, chronic absenteeism, school attendance, student absence notifications, parent notification, home visit, attendance officer, truancy court, school district

Summary: The committee heard a series of school safety and discipline bills, beginning with SB 870, which would codify an attorney general opinion allowing local school boards to decide whether school marshals may openly carry, conceal carry, or store a firearm in a secure safe on campus. The bill was laid out with no public testimony and left pending. The chair then moved to a combined discussion of SB 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, and 1924, all focused on school discipline, teacher authority, and student safety. Senators Perry and Creighton described the package as a response to rising classroom disruptions, assaults on teachers, and concerns that districts lack effective tools to maintain order. SB 1871 would expand teacher removal authority, require return-to-class plans before a student removed for certain conduct can return, make some serious offenses mandatory for placement in juvenile justice settings, and provide telehealth mental health services through a consortium. SB 1872 would require expulsion to a JJAEP for assaults on teachers or school volunteers and extend certain expulsion-eligible conduct to off-campus offenses. SB 1873 would restore the prior understanding that in-school suspension is not subject to a three-day limit. SB 1874 would grant teachers immunity from disciplinary action for reporting discipline violations or acting in compliance with Chapter 37. SB 1924 would restore authority for local police and school district police to issue Class C citations for school offenses and require criminal referrals for students posing an imminent threat or assaulting a teacher, with a substitute clarifying referral rules when a citation has already been issued. The committee adopted the substitutes for the bills and moved them forward. Invited witnesses from teacher and administrator groups largely supported the overall goal of stronger discipline and safer classrooms, while asking for refinements. The Texas Classroom Teachers Association testified that teachers need more autonomy to remove disruptive or violent students and that classroom removals should not mean removal from learning. Superintendents from San Angelo, Grandview, and Wiley ISDs supported the bills’ emphasis on safety, expanded ISS flexibility, mandatory placement for serious offenses, and telehealth mental health services, but asked for more local control, flexibility for Districts of Innovation, more than one campus behavior coordinator in large districts, clearer timelines for return-to-class plans, and more precise definitions for disruptive conduct. Several witnesses stressed that teacher retention and student learning are being harmed by current discipline problems, while some members raised concerns about vague standards and the risk of overuse or public humiliation through citations and removals.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a due process issue for public employees who have a constitutional right to continued employment
• <00:04:45.880> who process issue for public employees who process issue for public employees
• , and this multi-state process would seem to apply even to public issues as well.
• , and this multi-state process would seem to apply even to public issues as well.
• , and this multi-state process would seem to apply even to public issues as well.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, a public consultation process to bring in stakeholders, certain stakeholders, right?
• protective of public safety.
• AB 2601 is a process bill.
• This is a process bill. That's about process streamlining, and time is money.
• This is a process bill. That's about process streamlining and time is money.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• years in the process, working in a public Format to develop that, and then, I believe it was 2018, issued
• We have a yearly process called the Intended Use Plan, where the board has a very public process of scoring
• process.
• We will be using those existing, very public processes to come up with a plan to implement and distribute
• But that falls into the category of public works, and there's a whole state process for us to do the

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is there public testimony? Questions on the amendment? Is there public testimony on the amendment?
• process that happens during that adoption process.
• The focus of public education and public schools should be every student first.
• Florida has over 2.7 million public school students and more than 4,000 public schools.
• process.

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee took up CS for House Bill 1071, a broad education package described by the sponsor as updating transparency, parental rights, student safety, early learning accountability, scholarship oversight, and instructional program rules. The committee adopted two amendments without objection: one clarifying that Title I funds may be used for STEM programs, and another removing a prior provision related to canine dogs on school grounds. Members then questioned the bill’s provisions on student records transfers, instructional materials adoption and removal, educational emergency authority for low-performing schools, health education and a fetal development video, student-led organizations, FHSAA board language, lab schools, and rulemaking authority. The sponsor repeatedly said the bill was intended to improve accountability, keep education dollars focused on students, and give districts flexibility, while also noting that some issues would be addressed through future rulemaking or later amendments. Public testimony was overwhelmingly opposed. Many speakers argued the bill was an omnibus measure that bundled unrelated policies together, making it hard for families and educators to understand or meaningfully comment on it. Opponents also said it would increase school-law enforcement coordination, chill immigrant and mixed-status families’ participation, restrict DEI-related and student-led organizations, and impose controversial health and embryology content on students. Supporters, including the Christian Family Coalition and Florida Citizens Alliance, backed the fetal development video and the bill’s parental rights and funding restrictions, saying the content should be medically accurate and that schools should not fund political advocacy. Several speakers urged the committee to break the bill into separate measures. In debate, some members praised the sponsor’s responsiveness but said they would vote no because of constituent concerns, especially around DEI, the fetal development video, and local control. Others supported the bill, emphasizing rulemaking, educational emergency flexibility, EpiPen access, early learning changes, and evidence-based math instruction. The sponsor closed by reiterating support for the bill as amended, saying the law enforcement provision had been removed, the embryology content would be opt-out with posted materials, state funds should not support political advocacy, and the bill would help with safety, accountability, and student outcomes. The committee then voted on the bill after debate, with the sponsor indicating support and members stating their positions during closing discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• And to your point about public input, one of the ways we get public input in our CCM process is through
• process, and we are supportive of the batch process.
• RPG process that are now being incorporated in the batch process.
• So when I was on the Public Utility Commission, I asked point blank, really dug into the process of interconnection
• the process - month 12 of a 15-month process.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because they're in the process of making them.
• A survivor goes through the difficult process and sometimes a dangerous process of seeking a restraining
• Public safety.
• Is that restoration process a long process, or is that simply a matter of them determining, hey, your
• This data is a powerful public safety tool.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee met on June 16, 2026, with a quorum present and first approved a consent calendar containing several bills, while a number of other measures were pulled and set for later hearings. The committee then heard AB 1662, which would require notice to the DMV when a defendant receives diversion in certain driving-related cases so DMV points can still be assessed. The author and supporters, including police chiefs, road safety advocates, district attorneys, cities, and AAA, said the bill closes a loophole identified in reporting on dangerous drivers; one opposition witness from the Western Center on Law and Poverty objected. The bill was moved on a due pass recommendation to Transportation and kept on call. The committee next heard AB 1741, which would allow sexual battery committed during an unlawful residential intrusion to be charged as a wobbler. The author and supporters, including district attorneys, sheriffs, and victim advocates, argued current law leaves a gap when an intruder sexually touches a victim in a home without meeting other felony elements. Public defenders opposed, saying existing burglary, attempted rape, and other statutes already cover the conduct and warning the bill was overbroad. The bill passed on a due pass as amended recommendation to Appropriations. AB 2760 followed, allowing counties with an Office of Inspector General to expand oversight to probation and animal control. The author and a San Diego supervisor’s letter framed it as optional local oversight to address capacity limits, while probation chiefs and Fresno County opposed, citing existing oversight and concerns about duplication and confidentiality. The bill passed to Local Government, with some members voting no. The committee then heard AB 1753, the Survivor Pathways to Safety Act, which would strengthen firearm relinquishment and protection-order enforcement, expand remote hearing access, and add certain offenses to firearm prohibitions. Supporters, including Giffords, prosecutors, police chiefs, emergency physicians, and victim advocates, said it would make restraining orders more effective and close enforcement gaps; gun rights groups opposed on due process and Second Amendment grounds. The bill passed to Judiciary. AB 1743, by Assembly Member Wicks, would allow local governments and certain universities to request firearm trace data from DOJ for research and policy analysis. Supporters said the data would help identify trafficking patterns and improve evidence-based policy, while NRA and gun rights groups warned about privacy, misuse, and stigmatizing lawful dealers. The bill passed to Appropriations. Later, the committee heard AB 2164, the Care Without Fear Act, which would strengthen California’s shield-law protections for abortion providers by limiting extradition cooperation and extending reciprocal protections to providers from other shield states. Health care and reproductive rights groups supported it; the California Family Council opposed, raising concerns about abortion and gender-affirming care. The bill passed to Judiciary. AB 2664, the Safe Worship Zone Act, would create an eight-foot personal buffer within 100 feet of a place of worship’s entrances and exits to prevent harassment or intimidation. Jewish organizations and the ADL supported it as a response to harassment at synagogues and other houses of worship, while the ACLU, CAIR, and others opposed on First Amendment grounds and urged narrower alternatives. The bill passed to Appropriations. Finally, AB 2122 would prohibit bench warrants for Vehicle Code infractions and allow noncustodial warrants for other infractions; the author and supporters said it would reduce criminalization of poverty and unnecessary arrests, while the transcript cuts off during support testimony and no vote is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• related to the clemency review process related to the clemency review process um<00:15:59.040>
• The primary consideration being public safety. does Our intention fit into your process does Our intention
• Now I'll hand it over to our interim director for OJP. public schools and public charter public schools
• There's a process for it.
• There's a process for it.

Bills: HF2432

Keywords: HF2432, judiciary finance bill, public safety finance bill, corrections policy, crime victims, victim services, Minnesota victims of crime account, court fees, marriage license fee, financial crimes, fraud investigations, insurance fraud, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, BCA, Commerce Fraud Bureau, wage theft, automobile theft prevention, nonprofit security grants, 911 funding, POST Board

Transcript Highlights:

• I just feel that this process that we've taken to get us to this point, it's not a democratic process
• They have a verification process already in place.
• hearing after public hearing after public hearing about what they thought we ought to do to ...improve
• And that was, we have to make sure that people in public office don't use their public office, thank
• Make sure that people in public office don't use their public office to benefit themselves or their family

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a series of member introductions recognizing interns, pages, and a retiring Senate employee. Leadership also announced that budget talks with the House were continuing and that senators should not plan to be in next week, with hopes of sharing more budget news soon. The chamber then moved to third reading and took up a major bill on citizen initiatives and constitutional amendments, with sponsors saying it was needed to address documented petition fraud and to protect the integrity of the process. That bill drew extensive debate. Supporters argued that recent investigations showed widespread fraud in petition gathering, that the measure would add reasonable guardrails, and that it would prevent taxpayer-funded government messaging from being used to influence ballot measures. Opponents said the bill would make it much harder for ordinary Floridians to place amendments on the ballot by adding costs, deadlines, registration requirements, fines, and felony exposure, and they warned it would chill grassroots participation and effectively favor wealthy or corporate-backed campaigns. After debate, the Senate passed the bill 28-10. The Senate then adopted several House amendments and concurred on a series of education and public-safety measures, including bills on stem cell therapy, student-athlete electrocardiograms, cardiac emergency planning in schools, school safety, Bright Futures and other education policy items, and educator preparation. Most of those measures passed unanimously or with overwhelming support, and the chamber also recognized additional interns and a long-serving education advocate before recessing and returning to continue with House messages.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:01:40.119> Safety and Public Safety and Public Safety professionals<00:01:42.360> Mr
• vehicle so it's a it's a large public vehicle so it's a it's a large public safety<00:17:59.360>
• policy on matters impacting public policy on matters impacting Public<00:24:17.679> Safety<00
• to begin the accreditation process to begin the accreditation process and<00:25:28.960> will<
• process itself looked that accreditation process itself looked that for<00:30:29.279> the<00:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• this inspiring process.
• this inspiring process.
• Are there any public...
• Sets up a new process.
• Public information is public information.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, heard an invocation, adopted the prior day’s journal, received House messages, and adopted several resolutions and recognitions, including Senate Resolution 496 honoring Leadership Garland and resolutions 503 and 504. The chamber also recognized guests, including a North Dakota senator and the Doctor of the Day, and received gubernatorial nominations for the Texas Economic Development Corporation Board and the Nueces River Authority Board. The Senate then took up and passed a series of bills, often by suspending the regular order and the constitutional three-day rule. Measures approved included SB 614 on Texas Forensic Science Commission referrals to the Office of Capital and Forensic Writs; SB 250 on municipal annexation across railroad rights-of-way; SB 1660 on toxicological evidence retention and destruction procedures; SB 2586 requiring property owners associations to file governing documents with the Texas Real Estate Commission; SB 1588 increasing penalties for certain failures to report child sexual abuse; HB 912 on compensation for distributed renewable generation outside ERCOT; SB 1957 setting eligibility standards for civilian oversight boards; HB 2525 clarifying a charitable property tax exemption; SB 1525 limiting repeated prior authorization for neurodegenerative disease drugs; SB 865 requiring CPR/AED training and cardiac emergency response planning in schools; SB 1212 elevating human trafficking penalties; SB 2690 on solicitations for Secretary of State documents; SB 1802 on landlord repair duties for ramps, elevators, and handrails; SB 905 on licensing rules for speech-language pathologists and audiologists; SB 2929 allowing removal of disruptive spectators at school athletic events; SB 2675 creating a narrow McAllen-specific parkland conveyance exception; SB 872 increasing punishment for burglary of a vehicle involving firearm theft; and SB 1113 clarifying sales rules for certain converter-license holders. Several bills drew extended debate. SB 2487, dealing with crisis and mental health services for homelessness, was amended to make the county model permissive rather than mandatory and to remove state funding/assistance requirements before passing 28-3. SB 2138, barring higher education funds from contracting with firms that boycott fossil fuels through ESG policies, also passed after questions about fiscal effects and First Amendment concerns. SB 2615, restricting remote work at public institutions of higher education, advanced 22-9. The Senate also began consideration of SB 3016, which would expand enforcement tools against local governments that fail to comply with state law, but the transcript cuts off before action on that bill is completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a process that has to happen up front.
• It's not specific to public safety.
• The second from the back is the public safety...
• would be our only public input meeting.
• But my feeling is that we want to have the public input process, right?

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration met on October 17 with members attending in person and virtually. The commission approved the September 15 minutes and then heard a detailed presentation from DCAM Commissioner Adam Bakey on the correctional facilities portfolio, including the age and condition of DOC and sheriff facilities, deferred maintenance, ADA compliance, decarbonization mandates, and how capital funding is allocated. Bakey said the correctional portfolio includes 36 facilities, with average ages over 50 years, and described how older, rapidly built facilities from the tough-on-crime era now face significant maintenance and replacement needs. He also explained the distinction between catch-up deferred maintenance and ongoing keep-up needs, and noted that construction costs and code thresholds have made projects more expensive. Commissioners and sheriffs asked about ADA requirements, aging and overcrowded facilities, hazardous materials, parts availability for obsolete systems, plumbing and health risks, and whether a newer, more modern correctional facility should be considered. Bakey said many projects trigger broader code upgrades, that some dormant facilities remain in the portfolio, and that health-care and correctional construction are among the most expensive building types. He outlined current funding, including annual deferred maintenance allocations for DOC and formula-based five-year commitments for sheriffs, plus a new competitive capital program for larger sheriff projects. He also explained the Designer Selection Board and “house doctor” process used to procure architects and engineers. The commission then shifted to planning its next steps, focusing on public input. Members agreed the next meeting should likely be a public hearing or include public testimony, with possible input from people with lived experience and consideration of facility tours, especially of women’s facilities such as Framingham. Members emphasized the need to define the commission’s scope clearly so testimony stays focused on structural and consolidation issues rather than all correctional policy topics. The meeting ended with plans for the co-chairs to coordinate the public process and a motion to adjourn, which passed without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• All public comments must pertain to the subject matter of the bill.
• That is why we've gone to videophone processes across...
• Okay, I will now ask staff to begin public comment.
• There is no virtual public comment at this time.
• So, you know, we do have an amenability process. We have a reverse amenability process.

Bills: HB372, HB414

Keywords: HB372, Justice of the Peace Court, Delaware courts, Title 10, court administration, judicial staffing, county courts, Kent County, New Castle County, Sussex County, Wilmington, 24-hour hearings, court locations, court hours, magistrate court, access to justice, court consolidation, Delaware General Assembly, destructive weapon, possessing a destructive weapon

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee met and heard three bills. HB 372 would reorganize Justice of the Peace Court resources by shifting the number of judges and court locations among counties, consolidating overnight operations into a single 24-hour court in Kent County, and adjusting staffing to address workload and efficiency concerns. Chief Judge Alan Davis said the change responds to increased civil filings, automated enforcement, and staffing shortages, and that a Sussex County pilot closing a 24-hour facility had worked without major issues. Some members raised concerns about impacts on Sussex and Kent County, bail processing, and local response times, while public comment included one supporter. The committee voted to release HB 372. The committee then considered SB 324, which amends Delaware’s permit-to-purchase law to allow constable agencies, including those serving institutions like Delaware Tech, to purchase handguns for newly hired constables without duplicative background checks. Sponsor Representative Cook said the bill aligns constable procurement with existing law-enforcement exemptions while preserving gun-safety requirements. Public testimony included support from Delaware Tech and comments urging broader fixes to the permit-to-purchase law, including exemptions for retired officers with federal 218 credentials and clarification on firearms returned from manufacturers, gunsmiths, or police departments. The committee voted to release SB 324. Finally, the committee heard HB 414, which clarifies that the Superior Court’s exclusive jurisdiction over certain destructive-weapon offenses applies only to adults, while juvenile cases would still begin in Family Court. Sponsor Representative Romer said the bill preserves the Family Court’s role in handling youth cases and allows referral to Superior Court when appropriate. The Department of Justice said it still believes Superior Court is the proper venue for these serious charges, while the Office of Defense Services supported keeping youth cases in Family Court first, arguing that rehabilitation and juvenile-specific dispositions are more appropriate. After public comment, the committee voted to release HB 414, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I are public records, right?
• Did human review process?
• One is, you know, by building in not pilot process to your solicitation process, right?
• You intake process.
• What does that process look like?

Transcript Highlights:

• At this time, you have the state superintendent of public instruction, the state board of public instruction
• Uh, at this time you have the state superintendent of public instruction, the state board of public instruction
• <00:04:59.840> in administration of public education in administration of public education in
• do that now during rule making process do that now during rule making process long<00:22:02.799>
• of public instruction.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• who wish to participate in calls to the public regarding due process and confidentiality.
• who wish to participate in calls to the public regarding due process and confidentiality however in
• What does end process mean?
• What does end process mean?
• It will no longer have to be a manual process, but it will be an automatic process.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee first heard the January 2026 follow-up to the special audit of the Arizona State Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The auditor’s contractor reported that the board had implemented or was in the process of implementing most of the 28 recommendations from the 2024 audit, but three remained unimplemented: resolving complaints within 180 days and two open meeting law recommendations. The follow-up also identified new concerns about outdated or incomplete public disciplinary records and the lack of a complete public records request log and response procedures. Committee members pressed the board on open meeting compliance, complaint delays, transparency, and lobbying activities, while the executive director said the board had adopted new policies, added staff and investigators, created an intake committee, improved complaint prioritization, and was transitioning to a new licensing platform. She also said the board had ended broad subpoenas, improved conflict-of-interest tracking, and was working to formalize its practices in rule. The committee did not take a vote or other formal action in the transcript provided. The committee then received the Arizona school district financial risk analysis for January 2026. The Auditor General’s office reported that the number of highest-risk districts increased from two to nine, and districts approaching the highest-risk category increased from seven to nine. The presentation explained the financial risk measures used, common risk patterns among the highest-risk districts, and the district action plans posted on the report website. Tucson Unified School District was used as an example of a highest-risk district, and Scottsdale Unified as an approaching-highest-risk district. Members asked about declining enrollment, reserve balances, negative fund balances, and the use of capital monies for operations. Sierra Vista Unified School District then presented its response to being identified as financially at risk. The superintendent said she had recently taken over and was implementing a turnaround plan that included a school closure, staffing reductions through attrition, spending freezes, tighter purchase controls, a three-year sustainable spending plan, and efforts to stabilize enrollment through outreach, customer-service changes, and alternative program offerings. She also said the district was redirecting some capital assistance to operations, renegotiating contracts, and improving communication with families and staff. Committee members questioned the district about declining enrollment, instructional spending, school safety, academic performance, and whether the action plan adequately addressed those issues. No formal vote or action was taken on the school district item in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think it's a fact-intensive process.
• I think it's a fact-intensive process.
• What this bill does is it seeks to bring a process to that that is similar to the federal process.
• And so there are similarities between the process. That process does not exist today.
• SB 1634 creates a public record exemption from public disclosure records which would reveal information

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard a long agenda of bills, beginning with several probate, civil rights, and claims measures. Senators Burgess’s SB 326 on curators of estates was explained as a modernization of probate law; an amendment narrowing the bill was adopted, and the committee reported the bill favorably 10-0 after limited public testimony, including opposition from Ray Contreras. Burgess’s SB 1096, clarifying filing deadlines under the Florida Civil Rights Act, also passed unanimously 11-0. The committee then approved several claims bills, including SB 28 for Reginald Jackson against the City of Lakeland, SB 6 for a child injured after DCF’s handling of abuse allegations, SB 18 for the estate of McKenzie Navarre against the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, SB 26 for the estate of Mark Legata against FDOT, and SB 2 for the estate of Daniel Maudsley against DHSMV, with votes ranging from 10-1 to 11-0 and mostly no debate or opposition. The committee also took up trust and family-law related bills. Leader Berman’s SB 786 created a nonjudicial process for closing uncontested trusts and discharging trustees; after a technical amendment and testimony from Ray Contreras raising notice concerns, it passed 11-0. President Gates’s SB 50 expanded veterans’ courts statewide, drew broad support from veterans’ groups and advocacy organizations, and was reported favorably 11-0. Senator Simon’s SB 538 standardized extracurricular participation rules for public, private, virtual, and homeschool students; after multiple amendments on homeschool eligibility, fees, and coach compensation, it passed 11-0 with support and opposition from education-related groups. President Gates’s SB 1004, aimed at consumer protections in the sale of dogs and cats, also passed unanimously after testimony from humane organizations. The committee then considered broader policy bills. President Pro Tem Brodeur’s SB 1366 on claims against the government proposed raising sovereign immunity caps and adding CPI adjustments; local government, hospital, and school representatives supported the Senate’s lower-cap approach while warning against the House version, and the bill was reported favorably 11-0. Senator Jones’s SB 178 on athletics in public K-12 schools, as amended, would let head coaches provide limited personal support to student-athletes and require reporting of assistance; it passed 10-0. Senator Grohl’s SB 1178 on foreign influence and foreign countries of concern drew extensive supportive testimony from national security witnesses and was reported favorably 11-0 after a technical amendment and withdrawal of another amendment. Finally, SB 1632 on ideologies inconsistent with American principles prompted substantial debate and public testimony over domestic terrorism designations, Sharia law references, due process, and free speech concerns; the committee had not yet completed final action on that bill when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• We want to get them through the process.
• And now it's a digital process to start, but then it's a manual process having to ship evidence back
• We have been in the last year going from a manual process and handling those cases to a digitized process
• It's hate crime for the general public, based off statute.
• The clerk's involvement is essential in public safety.

Summary: The committee heard budget presentations from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the clerks of court. FDLE outlined 28 legislative budget requests for fiscal year 2026-27, including funding for a new Fort Myers regional operations center lease, technology and data system upgrades, moving several programs off uncertain federal grants, expanding the wellness office, cryptocurrency seizure efforts, cybersecurity, forensic equipment, digital forensics, criminal history modernization, training, and the SAFE fentanyl enforcement program. Members asked about the reported 79% increase in officer misconduct cases, the role of body cameras and masking, public records request burdens on local agencies, and the status of Fibers and the Uniform Arrest Affidavit systems. FDLE said the misconduct data covers all sworn officers and corrections personnel, that many cases would not be affected by body cameras because they involve off-duty conduct or internal matters, and that it is working with agencies and vendors to improve participation in reporting systems. DJJ Secretary Matt Walsh updated the committee on the Florida Scholars Academy, describing the new unified education system across 39 residential facilities. He reported first-year enrollment, course completions, graduations, and compliance results, and said the program now provides in-person and blended instruction, individualized support, mental health services, and career and technical education. He also discussed staffing shortages in some detention facilities, the need for more residential beds, and the importance of recognizing and supporting staff. In response to questions, he explained how the program addresses students with disabilities and behavioral needs through one-on-one instruction, paraprofessionals, and immediate mental health support. The clerks of court presented a budget request centered on funding shortfalls and rising costs. Clerk and Comptroller Stacey Butterfield said clerks are operating with outdated funding levels despite increased statutory duties, higher postage and staffing costs, and growing workloads in priority case types such as injunctions for protection and other high-risk matters. The clerks requested $22 million in direct appropriations, including support for due process costs, jury management, and staffing for 37 new judges approved last session. Members also asked about Senate Bill 532, which Butterfield described as a CPI-based measure to update court fines and fees that have remained unchanged since 2008. The committee took no votes on the presentations and adjourned after discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Public ownership of transmission using low-cost public financing can reduce the long-term cost passed
• our very in-depth process is different than... ...resources in our planning process and, you know, our
• Public Utilities Commission.
• How will that process work exactly?
• I will agree that the rate-setting process is a complicated process, and it's quite involved, and it's

Summary: The committee heard several energy and water affordability bills, with extensive testimony on SB 254 by Senator Becker, SB 541 by Senator Becker, SB 453 by Senator Stern, SB 292 by Senator Caballero, and SB 473 by Senator Padilla. SB 254 was presented as a broad utility affordability package addressing short-term climate credits, a Power Fund, tighter scrutiny of rate increases and utility profits, wildfire spending, securitization of future utility costs, and streamlining. Supporters, including TURN and several environmental and public power groups, said it could lower bills and reduce long-term costs; opponents from investor-owned utilities, labor, business, and local government raised concerns about market impacts, insufficient analysis, and the breadth of the bill. The committee approved SB 254 on a 6-3 vote and placed it on call. SB 541 focused on load flexibility and using existing grid capacity more efficiently. Senator Becker described it as a transparency and planning measure to identify cost-effective load shifting and reduce peak demand, while supporters said it could improve resiliency and save money. Several CCAs and utilities opposed the bill in print or unless amended, arguing that some language implied a mandate and that the concept needed more cost-effectiveness analysis; the author said amendments would remove language dividing the state goal among retail suppliers and clarify that the bill is not a procurement mandate. The committee passed SB 541 as amended to Appropriations on a 9-1 vote and left it on call. SB 453 by Senator Stern would return unspent ratepayer-funded microgrid program dollars and was described as a way to keep the lights on and redirect unused funds. It drew support from local government and environmental groups, with PG&E expressing concern about how the bill would affect its ability to spend awarded funds. The committee passed SB 453 as amended to Appropriations on a 12-0 vote. SB 292 by Senator Caballero would require more granular outage and reliability reporting, including census-tract-level data, to better inform resilience planning after PSPS events; utilities opposed unless amended, citing duplicative reporting and regulatory overlap, but the bill passed 12-0 to Appropriations. SB 473 by Senator Padilla would require or expand water utility decoupling to promote conservation and affordability. Supporters, including water utilities, labor, business, and local government groups, argued decoupling stabilizes revenue, supports conservation, and can keep rates lower for low-use customers. The Public Advocates Office opposed, saying prior pilot data showed no conservation benefit and about $1 billion in added costs, and that the CPUC had already rejected similar requests. Committee members questioned the conservation and capital-investment effects of the different rate structures; the author and supporters argued decoupling helps utilities fund infrastructure while allowing lower fixed charges for low-use customers. The transcript ends during that discussion, before a final vote on SB 473 is shown.