Transcript Highlights:

• OF AN AUDIT GOES AWAY AND WE MOVE ON. >> Chair Anderson: YOU ORGANIZE FOR A FOLLOW-UP. >> THE FLORIDA
• THEY PACK UP THEIR BAGS AND SAY WE WILL NOT'S PERFORM IN THE STATE BECAUSE WE CANNOT DO SO.
• IF YOU ARE PERFORMING SURGERIES YOU ARE MAKING MONEY.
• JUST THINK OF A WORLD WHERE THE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS CAN PERFORM THE VITAL DUTIES WITHOUT AN ADDED
• IT NOTED THE TOP PERFORMING CENTERS STAND OUT FOR HANDS ON CARE, AND STAFFING PER DAY THAN THE NATIONAL

Transcript Highlights:

• Regarding performance measurement, there are various ways of measuring performance based on the local
• The existing performance indicators that we have are for drug courts, and we realize that we do need
• In order to measure performance statewide, we realize that we need to have participant-level data that
• We are all operating with basic minimum best standards, and we will be audited.
• We just finished getting audited recently, and we had to make sure that all of our numbers, all of our

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met with a quorum present and heard several Office of the State Courts Administrator presentations. Judge Mark Mahan discussed the impact of 2023’s HB 837 litigation reforms on court operations, explaining that the law’s changes to comparative negligence, filing deadlines, collateral source evidence, premises liability, bad faith claims, attorney’s fees, and offer-of-judgment rules triggered a major March 2023 civil filing surge. He described how filings tripled statewide, with especially large increases in auto negligence and premises liability cases, and outlined how circuits responded through active case management, added resources, and workflow changes. Members asked whether the bill’s immediate effective date contributed to the surge and whether clearance rates would normalize over time; Judge Mahan said the court system viewed its response as a success and expected rates to settle as the backlog is worked through. The committee then received a presentation on problem-solving courts from Jennifer Grandal and Judge Nina Richardson. Grandal reviewed Florida’s drug courts, mental health courts, veterans courts, dependency and early childhood courts, noting statewide best-practice standards, annual reporting requirements, funding sources, and data collection systems. Judge Richardson gave a local perspective on treatment courts, emphasizing that they address underlying mental health and substance use issues, rely on judicial supervision and sanctions as well as incentives, and help participants achieve recovery and avoid reoffending. She said the programs are accountable, transparent, and effective, and thanked the Legislature for continued support. Finally, Judge Rachel Nordby and Eric McClure outlined the judicial branch’s legislative agenda. Nordby summarized the Supreme Court workgroup’s recommendations to expand Florida’s vexatious litigant law, including broader coverage, fewer qualifying adverse cases, a longer lookback period, and a public records exemption for stricken defamatory or sham material. McClure then highlighted additional agenda items: modernizing the duty-judge statute, expanding senior management retirement eligibility, authorizing additional judgeships based on workload studies, removing the statutory cap on court-ordered nonbinding arbitration compensation, protecting appellate clerks’ personal information, allowing alternative authentication for certain judicial notarizations, and creating a hearsay exception for guardian ad litem reports and testimony. No votes were taken, and the committee adjourned after member introductions and staff introductions.

Transcript Highlights:

• this audit. this audit.
• <02:51:30.920> So<02:51:31.080> thank audit is given to this body.
• So thank audit is given to this body.
• That is a statistic that is comparable to the highest-performing public school systems globally.
• their performance of official duties. their performance of official duties.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But the CMTLs, the labs, their job is to come in behind and test the product, and so they perform an
• And then the other desk audits were designed to make sure that the labs were using scientifically valid
• So one of the things that the OMU does is we do essentially desk audits of the data packages that underlay
• close attention to so the patients weren't getting things that had failed and then the other desk audits
• And then the other desk audits were designed to make sure that the labs were using scientifically valid

Summary: The Health Professions and Program Subcommittee met to receive oversight briefings on Florida’s medical marijuana program from the Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) and from the University of Florida’s Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research. OMMU Director Christopher Kimball outlined the program’s structure, including more than 900,000 active patients, nearly 7,000 caregivers, 27 MMTC licensees, 706 dispensing locations, and nine certified testing labs. He described the state’s pre-approval process for products and advertising, plain packaging requirements, seed-to-sale tracking, registry operations, and compliance efforts such as background checks, inspections, complaint investigations, and lab desk audits. He also said the Bureau of Public Health Laboratories in Jacksonville had been accredited to begin supporting testing. Members asked about telehealth, patient growth, product safety, advertising to children, inspections, and the status of MMTC licensure; Kimball said recertifications by telehealth now make up more than half of recertifications, that patient growth has slowed, and that ongoing litigation is delaying issuance of 22 new MMTC licenses. Kimball also discussed implementation of recent legislation and licensure changes, including licenses issued under HB 387 and SB 1582 to applicants from the original Pigford-related pool, with additional cure opportunities still ongoing. He said the department is monitoring diversion, inversion, and unapproved products, and that it coordinates with law enforcement when needed but does not itself have sworn authority. In response to questions, he said the department does not regulate physicians directly, but may refer concerns to the Division of Medical Quality Assurance, and that caregiver and physician participation requirements are set by statute. Members raised concerns about edibles, child access, and continued use of child-attractive branding; Kimball said the department tries to catch issues through pre-approval and enforcement, and that complaints involving children are treated as serious and investigated using available records and camera footage. Dr. Almond Winterstein then presented the consortium’s research overview. He explained that the consortium was created by statute in 2019, includes 10 universities, and is funded by annual state appropriations. He said its work includes grants, a research repository, a clinical core, outreach, and evidence synthesis, including a recent FDA-supported review of cannabis evidence. He emphasized that the current evidence base is limited and often low quality, with the strongest signals for symptom relief in PTSD-related symptoms, nausea, and some pain outcomes, but with many studies inconclusive or mixed. He also described the consortium’s use of registry data linked to Medicaid, Medicare, death, fetal death, and birth records to study safety and outcomes, including children, pregnancy, driving safety, opioid-sparing effects, and adverse events. Winterstein said adverse event reporting is sparse and likely underreported, with most reports mild but some serious events noted, and he expressed concern about use among young adults because of uncertain benefit-risk and possible effects on the developing brain. The committee discussed the need for better surveillance, more robust adverse event reporting, and the possibility of using linked data to identify harms more quickly. At the end of the meeting, the committee rose without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, are you auditing any... Right? So then we said, hey, what's your quality control?
• You know, are you auditing any of these people to make sure that they're doing a good job?
• Services performed, clear documentation supporting recommendations, and careful oversight of fees charged
• Susan and I put 924 probate cases into a database, and I performed analytics on this.
• Susan and I put 924 probate cases into a database, and I performed analytics on them.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those downstream impacts will affect school attendance and academic performance.
• Are we not aware of what the high-performing states are doing to have low error rates. Mr.
• How do they monitor the performance of those workers? Thank you, Mr. Chair and Secretary.
• I'm sure it's time to audit your processes to make sure that you're checking all the right boxes.
• What type of... what does that audit show? Um, Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know there were numerous issues that came up on the audit.
• I just had so much involvement in dealing with the audit. But I see that they've turned the corner.
• But septic systems don't often get to perform with the same efficiency.
• Jeff Littlejohn on style performance. Chair: For information only.
• That 80% is the performance criteria.

Transcript Highlights:

• I have with me today, Andrea Macera, our chief of regulatory affairs who oversees licensing and audit
• Our audit department is made up of civilians.
• We are having a hard time at the moment meeting our performance measures because we're short-handed.
• If the perception of our games is key to their performance, if we're going to be returning revenue to
• And can you go back and audit that machine and see how many tickets were printed out of that machine?

Transcript Highlights:

• review by the Legislative audit review by the Legislative audit commission<00:16:21.920> uh
• legislative uh audit legislative uh audit uh<00:19:30.200> office<00:19:30.799> and
• members on the legislative audit members on the legislative audit commission<00:31:18.679> um
• similar uh with the legislative audit similar uh with the legislative audit office<01:07:50.039>
• thank you um the legislative audit thank you um the legislative audit commission<01:11:36.320>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It was a color-coded red-and-blue map to detail how red-performing this map is.
• Did you yourself or the staff analyze partisan performance metrics when drawing these lines?
• Did your staff analyze partisan performance metrics? Senator Gates. Thank you, Mr. President. No.
• When I say to you that this map performs poorly, it does.
• It performs poorly. It's going to perform worse than the current map.

Summary: The Senate convened in special session and took up Senate Bill 8D, later substituting identical House Bill 1D, to establish Florida’s congressional districts. The opening prayer and Pledge of Allegiance were followed by procedural remarks, then extensive floor discussion focused almost entirely on the redistricting proposal, its timing, and its legal basis. Senator Gaetz, explaining the bill, said the Governor had transmitted the map two days earlier, argued that mid-decade congressional redistricting is not prohibited by law, and said the Governor’s stated reasons were to address population growth and to draw race-neutral districts. He also said the legislature could accept, reject, or amend the proposal. Much of the debate centered on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Louisiana decision and whether it affected Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment and the Voting Rights Act. Senators Smith, Rouson, Sharief, Polsky, Arrington, Bracey Davis, Bernard, Nathan, and others questioned the short notice, lack of public hearings, the use of partisan data, the absence of sworn testimony, and whether the map diluted minority voting strength or fragmented communities of interest. Gaetz repeatedly said he was not offering legal opinions, that the Governor’s counsel believed the Fair Districts race-based provisions were inconsistent with federal law, and that any legal challenge would be for the courts. He also said the Governor’s mapmaker reported using census and demographic data, along with political data as one of many inputs, and claimed the map’s compactness was comparable to the current map. A motion by Senator Smith to temporarily postpone consideration of the bill failed on a 12-23 vote. After the Senate returned from a 30-minute break to review the new Supreme Court decision, debate continued. The chamber then substituted HB 1D for SB 8D, read the House bill, and advanced it to third reading. The transcript ends during debate on final passage, with Senators Rouson and Bernard speaking in opposition and arguing the map was procedurally rushed, legally vulnerable, and politically motivated.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other is our Asset Management, Asset Performance, and Strategy Office, and they really help make
• sure that we are focused on the performance of your transportation system, of our roads and bridges,
• <00:29:24.840> and management um asset performance and management um asset performance and
• <00:29:32.200> of<00:29:32.360> your<00:29:32.640> transportation performance of
• <00:35:47.400> our have human resources internal audit our have human resources internal audit

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Public Works and Highways Committee held an orientation meeting focused on introducing members, outlining committee norms, and hearing an overview from the Department of Transportation. Chair David Mills emphasized the committee’s long-standing bipartisan working style, asked members to share contact information for short-notice scheduling, and noted that the committee would need to complete as much work as possible before the building is vacated later in the year. Members introduced themselves and described backgrounds in engineering, construction, planning, local government, military service, education, and business. Several members highlighted prior service on planning boards, school boards, zoning boards, or in transportation-related fields as relevant to the committee’s work. Members repeatedly described the committee as collegial and nonpartisan, with most bills going to the consent calendar. The chair also noted that the committee’s work centers on state infrastructure, including roads, bridges, highways, and buildings. Representative Cluder, the ranking member, and others echoed that the committee is effective because it talks issues through and resolves disagreements collaboratively. One member mentioned a recent trip that reinforced the importance of infrastructure resilience after storms and rebuilding efforts in other states. Department of Transportation officials, led by Assistant Commissioner and Chief Engineer David Rodrig, gave a detailed organizational and operational overview. They described DOT’s structure, mission of “transportation excellence,” and major responsibilities across highways, bridges, rail, transit, aeronautics, maintenance, and administration. Rodrig reported 1,651 permanent positions and 404 vacancies, 2,160 state bridges with 115 on the Red List, 4,600 centerline miles of roadway, 25 public airports, 11 transit systems, and 194 active state-owned rail lines. He also outlined FY 2024 spending, project development activity, highway maintenance operations, fleet and fuel systems, and the distinction between the highway fund and DOT’s budget, including the role of federal funds and the turnpike enterprise fund. No votes were taken and no bills were acted on during this orientation meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• I wasn't aware that there was an audit that found this. >> Well, it's not our audit.
• I wasn't aware that there was an audit that found this. >> Well, it's not our audit.
• I wasn't aware that there was an audit that found this. >> Well, it's not our audit.
• I wasn't aware that there was an audit that found this. >> Well, it's not our audit.
• <01:59:09.119> of question, we continue to do an audit of question, we continue to do an audit

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee first adopted amendment 2026-2021S to correct a drafting issue in the budget language so that the $2.5 million appropriation for Medicaid per diem rate stabilization at county nursing homes can be spent during the biennium rather than lapsing at the end of the fiscal year. Senator Lang explained that the funds are matched with federal dollars for a total of $5 million and are intended to prevent rate reductions that could shift costs to county property taxpayers. The amendment was adopted unanimously by both chambers, and the committee proceeded on the bill as amended by the Senate. The main discussion then focused on HB 155 and a proposed amendment to the business enterprise tax. The House proposal would lower the BET rate in stages when combined business tax revenues exceed certain thresholds, while the Senate opposed an immediate rate reduction and argued that tax changes should be handled in a budget year. Senators emphasized that raising the filing threshold to $375,000 had already removed about 3,500 small businesses from filing requirements, and they preferred further relief through threshold changes rather than rate cuts. House members argued that the trigger-based reduction was a reasonable, tested mechanism and would provide future tax relief without taking effect unless revenues rose enough. Members debated whether the trigger could be distorted by one-time revenue spikes, such as the recent tax amnesty receipts and prior federal repatriation-related revenue, and Representative Sweeney said he was willing to adjust the effective date or carve out amnesty revenue. The committee did not reach agreement on the BET reduction, and the chair called a break and then continued the meeting later with a new proposal to delay the trigger’s effective date to January 1, 2028. Senator Lang rejected that version but offered a counterproposal to raise the filing threshold to $400,000, and the parties ultimately agreed to continue discussions and reconvene later. The meeting also took up HB 1102, concerning the research and development tax credit and state park fees. The House position was to support the R&D tax credit but remove the park-fee provisions, citing testimony from the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources that it did not need the increase and concerns about discouraging tourism, especially at border parks. Supporters of the park-fee language argued that the department had not raised rates in years, could set its own rates, and should be able to charge nonresidents more while keeping New Hampshire residents’ fees lower. The discussion remained unresolved, with members debating the likely effect on tourism and fairness to residents versus the need for additional revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• willed body programs, accredited NATOs undergo a rigorous accreditation process and are subject to audit
• Does a funeral home perform any of the disassembly of the body? They should not.
• or patient outcomes. performance or patient outcomes.
• Finances are online, they're audited by external CPAs, and we are recognized non-profits.
• But we are constantly auditing and reviewing that.

Bills: SB2024, SB227, SB268, SB1467, SB1580, HB5537, SB1313, SB1677, SB918, SB331, SB2207, SB2721

Keywords: e-cigarettes, marketing prohibition, youth protection, criminal penalties, public health, school funding, education reform, state budget, property taxes, equity in education, health care, licensing, complaint procedure, disciplinary action, law enforcement, death records, vital statistics, healthcare, trauma facility, Medicaid

Transcript Highlights:

• We have, uh, made 28 awards to date and so we're ready to do our Ashra level audit, engineering, audit
• Uh, we're also responsible for updating building energy codes and high-performance building standards
• Um, sounds like we gave you a lot of work to do in the interim and you've, you've faithfully performed
• Um, I'll close by saying, uh, rather than focusing on how individual resources perform in a silo.
• This energy resource will perform well, right, because it's underground producing. Uh, energy.

Transcript Highlights:

• employer reasonable discretion to determine an applicant's rehabilitation and present fitness to perform
• They are hired to perform, and the investments that all taxpayers make in these programs, and that they
• If they refuse, then this statute says that they are performing their ministerial duties and could be
• If they refuse, then this statute says that they are performing their ministerial duties and could be
• Abuse of a minor in a sexual performance is a crime that falls into the category of crimes and we need

Bills: HF3489, HF3990, HF3825, HF3826, HF3827, HF3822

Keywords: grooming, child protection, student safety, sexual exploitation, educator licensing, teacher discipline, mandatory reporting, mandated reporter training, school misconduct, predatory offender, child abuse, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, child sexual abuse material, child pornography, position of authority, school employee, school administrator, license revocation, license suspension

Transcript Highlights:

• Slide 8 shows what Sunset staff had to say about this issue. because they conducted an unprecedented audit
• A lot of them had to do with reforming our audit practices. and had some statutory recommendations on
• not adopted by the Sunset Commission, so we haven't made any changes. is there, but with respect to audits
• things that we're trying to automate a little bit more, because really what our. facial compliance audits
• I mean by facial, rather than auditing, rather than requesting documents or backup information.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• agencies to present to our committee, and their presentations will address key issues, including performance
• measures, data collections, and their presentations will address key issues, including performance measures
• And the program descriptions offer an overview of the activities performed by the agency and the base
• This is a, I call this the fiscal performance measure if you want to look at that.
• I call this the fiscal performance measure, if you want to look at that.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services heard a base budget overview for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which was presented as a $46.8 billion starting point for the silo. Staff explained that HHS accounts for about half of the state base budget and roughly 36% of general revenue, with AHCA and Medicaid making up the largest share. The committee then reviewed the PACE program for the elderly, including its eligibility, service model, growth in applications, slot funding and reversions, and the agency’s plan to move from the federal three-way agreement to a more detailed two-party contract to improve accountability, transparency, and reporting. Members raised concerns about unfilled slots, reversions, rural access, and the need for clearer return-on-investment data; the agency said it would follow up on some of those questions. The committee also heard from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities on its statewide dental program. APD described its history of appropriations, the failed January 2024 solicitation, and a new up-to-$11.5 million solicitation focused on preventive care, community partnerships, teledentistry, and coordination with other services. Members questioned overlap with Medicaid dental coverage, the effect of Medicaid unwinding on APD clients, and whether state dollars were duplicating federally supported services; APD said it tries to act as payer of last resort and that services would continue during procurement. Public testimony from an APD stakeholder and the Florida Dental Association emphasized Medicaid eligibility problems for waiver recipients, low reimbursement rates, limited access to anesthesia and hospital-based dental care, and concerns that proposed Medicaid changes could reduce access for special-needs patients. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs then presented on state veterans service officers and benefits assistance. FDVA highlighted its role in helping veterans access federal benefits, reporting about $27.9 billion in federal dollars flowing into Florida and a high return on state investment. The department said it has increased outreach, claims processing, and services, and has trained staff to identify mental health concerns through its Overwatch program. In response to questions, FDVA discussed plans to expand adult day health care at a new veterans nursing home and possibly at existing locations with additional state funding. At the end of the meeting, the committee completed its presentations and adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• is part of a gift to them that enables them to write their own new lease without an appraisal or an audit
• do so as part of sending this bill to study, and I thank you all for your time. an appraisal or an audit
• We need a complete and thorough audit. There was one audit performed in 2009, 16 years ago.
• The city resisted all requests for an audit, and we still do not have a complete audit.
• That audit indicated that we were not receiving our payments.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee opened its hearing with procedural remarks, including a strict three-minute testimony limit, livestream instructions, and a July 1 deadline for written testimony. Chairs Lewis and Rauch then heard testimony on a wide range of municipal home rule petitions and related bills, with many local officials and advocates being taken out of order because of the large turnout. A major topic was firefighter residency. Representatives of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts and Sen. Keenan supported H. 2260/S. 1449, which would replace the current 15-mile residency rule for non-civil-service fire departments with a negotiable standard, generally allowing residency within 15 miles and permitting expansion through collective bargaining. Supporters said the change would improve recruitment and retention amid the housing crisis and create parity with civil-service departments. Acton Fire Chief Anita Arnhum and Sen. Senna also backed H. 4168 for Acton, making similar arguments about recruitment, paramedics, and the need for local flexibility. The committee also heard strong support for charter overhaul petitions for Somerville and Lynn. Somerville officials, including Rep. Barber, Mayor Ballantyne, Councilor Jake Wilson, and charter committee member Beverly Schwartz, described a years-long public process to replace an 1890s-era charter with a modern document emphasizing transparency, public participation, clearer governance, and a possible change to the mayor’s term length. Lynn Mayor Nicholson similarly supported a charter update to modernize city operations and financial procedures. Cambridge-related charter and procurement reforms were also briefly endorsed by Rep. Cabral. Other bills discussed included a proposal by Sen. Eldridge and Rep. Scarsdale to create a state grant program for municipal sustainability directors, and regional school finance bills supported by Rep. Lanatra and Jason Frazier to expand special education reserve funds and create a regional school assessment reserve fund. Acton witnesses also supported library governance changes and a checkout bag charge proposal. The committee heard sharply divided testimony on Quincy’s H. 3897, a 50-year lease extension for Quarry Hills/Granite Links: Quincy officials and business supporters praised the public-private partnership and future investment potential, while residents argued the lease was too long, should be competitively bid, and deserved more oversight and auditing. The hearing also included testimony on Boston trash truck noise restrictions and a PEG access/cable funds bill supported by Mass Access, as well as a Southwick petition to elect part of the Conservation Commission, which one select board member opposed as contrary to current law and good governance.

Transcript Highlights:

• First, you will see a request of $4.5 million for a voting system automated independent audit program
• Most counties in Florida are conducting a 100% post-election audit, but about two dozen, mostly small
• counties, still conduct manual audits, which only involve a 20% audit of the precincts.
• , same as the ones that are currently using it, allowing them to conduct a 100% post-election audit.
• No, these funds will only be for a grant to procure the automated audit system.

Bills: S0048

Keywords: housing, accessory dwelling units, affordable housing, local government, zoning regulations, military families, density bonus, homeownership, property taxes

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development heard presentations on the Governor’s recommended budget for fiscal year 2026-27 and then considered one bill, CS/SB 48 on accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The Governor’s office outlined a $117.4 billion overall budget, with transportation and economic development receiving about $18 billion statewide and $601 million in general revenue. Agency heads then presented priorities for Commerce, Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Military Affairs, State, Transportation, Emergency Management, and the Florida State Guard, emphasizing workforce development, housing, tourism marketing, aviation and space infrastructure, law enforcement recruitment, emergency preparedness, and military readiness. In the Commerce presentation, Secretary Kelly highlighted funding for housing programs, the Hometown Heroes program, the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, rural infrastructure and workforce grants, Reconnect and Florida WINS systems, law enforcement and firefighter recruitment bonuses, defense support, Visit Florida, Space Florida, and SelectFlorida. Senators asked about Visit Florida’s private match requirements and whether the agency fully leveraged prior appropriations; Visit Florida’s CEO said the match was met and exceeded, though it is difficult but important. The Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles presentation focused on trooper pay, pursuit vehicles, aviation assets, and enterprise data systems, with questions about immigration enforcement and body cameras. Military Affairs requested funding for readiness centers, training facilities, education and health benefits for Guardsmen, and maintenance of existing armories; members discussed Guard deployments, staffing levels, and a proposed firing range project. The Department of State requested funds for automated election audits, a conservation lab, and historic preservation, and defended its arts grant process and rule changes. Transportation’s budget emphasized a $14.3 billion work program, road and bridge maintenance, aviation and aerospace, safety initiatives, and seaport investments, while Emergency Management requested funding for preparedness, flood mitigation, WebEOC, grants management, and alert systems; senators also asked about the Alligator Alcatraz detention facility. For CS/SB 48, Senator Gates explained that the bill would require local governments to allow property owners to voluntarily create ADUs, while preserving local authority over setbacks, construction, and permitting. An amendment removed reusable tenant screening reports and clarified that conforming ADUs would be allowed by right without a separate hearing. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association supported the bill, saying ADUs could help provide long-term housing for service workers. After questions about local government and HOA authority, the committee adopted the amendment and then reported CS/SB 48 favorably by roll call vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• On line 111 and 112, you add in persistently low-performing schools for the definition of what would
• On line 111 and 112, you add in persistently low performance 112, you add in persistently low-performing
• What is the reason for adding in persistently low-performing schools when we already have F&D schools
• A budget that cannot be understood cannot be audited by the public.
• A budget that cannot be understood cannot be audited by the public.

Bills: S0824, S1170, S1620, S1738, S7036

Keywords: school district, real property, inventory, land use, education, video monitoring, safety, special education, parental rights, public education, school board rights, transparency, employment conditions, nondisclosure agreements, educational facilities, student safety, teacher accountability, physical plant, school design, construction standards

Summary: The Education Pre-K-12 Committee considered several K-12 bills and resolutions. SJR 1104, by Senator Massullo, would place on the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment protecting voluntary religious expression in public schools; supporters said it simply codifies existing law and protects student and employee rights, while opponents warned it could entrench religious pressure and exclusion. The resolution was reported favorably. The committee also heard SB 1738, by Senator Yarborough, on educational facilities; an amendment removed crime-prevention-through-environmental-design language and adjusted transparency/safe-space provisions, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. SB 824, by Senator Truenow, was amended into a transparency measure requiring districts to submit annual reports on unimproved land holdings to DOE, and it was reported favorably. Appointments in tabs 7 and 8 were recommended for confirmation. The committee then took up SPB 7036, a comprehensive education package by Chair Simon. The bill would expand educational emergency triggers, adjust Title I withholding uses, align charter school rules with school improvement processes, update safety and early learning provisions, expand literacy and math interventions, and revise educator pipeline policies. Members raised concerns about a provision that could allow the state to develop instructional materials; Simon said that section was still being considered and would need guardrails. The committee adopted a motion to submit the bill as a committee bill, and it was reported favorably. SB 1620, by Senator Leak, proposed a “school board members’ bill of rights” giving board members direct access to district documents and staff, limiting district attorneys’ dual representation, strengthening nepotism rules, and prohibiting nondisclosure agreements. Volusia County school board members and others testified both for and against the bill, with supporters citing transparency and accountability and opponents warning about confidentiality, staff pressure, and undermining the superintendent’s authority. The bill was reported favorably. Finally, SB 1170, by Senator Calatayud, as amended, would allow parents of students in self-contained ESE classrooms to request cameras, with district policies governing review, notice, timelines, and appeals. Parents, advocates, and educators testified strongly in support, while one witness opposed it as an unfunded mandate. The committee reported the bill favorably.