Transcript Highlights:

• Would this be in competition, or is this just another alternative program?
• Would<00:30:11.360> this<00:30:11.679> be<00:30:12.559> in<00:30:12.880> competition
• Would this be in competition Would this be in competition or<00:30:14.640> is<00:30:14.799

Keywords: MS House Floor - 9 February, 2026; 4:00 PM, 925, all

Summary: The House opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then established a quorum, dispensed with reading the journal, and welcomed several guests, including Dr. Richard Calderon and medical student Sam Buckley, along with hospital and judicial visitors in the gallery. The chamber then moved to floor action on several bills, mostly from the Workforce Committee. House Bill 622 was brought back on reconsideration, amended to align code sections with changes made by House Bill 3, and passed 119-0. House Bill 329, a reverse-auction option for local school boards and local governments, passed 113-1. House Bills 1401 and 1588, both workforce-related measures extending repeal or exemption dates and adjusting reporting requirements, passed 121-0 and 118-0, respectively. House Bill 562 created the Mississippi Career and Technical Education tuition guarantee program for CTE students and passed 116-0. House Bill 1696 transferred apprenticeship program oversight to a state advisory structure; members questioned how it would work, whether it would affect existing programs, and how it related to specific trades, but the bill passed 113-4 after an amendment to conform to federal requirements. House Bill 338 established a construction training assistant fund supported by a reduced designated contractor contribution rate; members asked about the funding source, whether it was state money, and how it would interact with existing training efforts such as Build Mississippi and Habitat for Humanity. After adopting a committee amendment reducing the contribution percentage, the bill passed 128-0. The House also concurred in a Senate amendment on another bill, making it effective immediately so a state health department hygienist could begin work right away; that motion passed 128-0. The session ended with memorial announcements for several individuals, a request for a rules meeting after adjournment, and adjournment until 10:00 a.m. the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• planning has led to increased graduation rates, more opportunities for post-secondary enrollment and competitive
• 2027 and each year thereafter through 2030, the goal is to prepare students with disabilities for competitive
• for jobs and demonstrating readiness can prove challenging, especially as we look at the goal of competitive
• collaborating with Florida ready to work on ensuring these badges are credible and meaningful for those competitive

Transcript Highlights:

• When I was at New College, it was considered competitive with the Ivy League schools, the Harvards, the
• In a highly competitive job market, these experiences will give our students a competitive edge. ...are
• Florida’s taxpayers are not subsidizing out-of-state students, while allowing universities to set competitive

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education first took up a block of confirmation hearings for trustees and board members at several public universities and state colleges. Appointees from Florida A&M University, Florida International University, New College of Florida, Pasco-Hernando State College, South Florida State College, Valencia College, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Florida described their backgrounds and emphasized themes such as governance, student success, workforce alignment, fiscal stewardship, research growth, and institutional reputation. Members asked a few questions, but most nominees received no substantive opposition. The committee then voted unanimously to recommend confirmation of the group of appointees on tabs 3 through 18 and forwarded them to Ethics and Elections. The committee next heard Senate Bill 114 by Senator Trumbull, which would create the Florida Center of Excellence in Insurance and Risk Management at Florida State University, move the public hurricane loss projection model from FIU to FSU, and provide funding for the effort. Trumbull said the bill is intended to strengthen the state’s insurance research capacity and broaden study of insurance lines beyond wind risk. Senators asked about the impact on FIU and the distinction between the new center and existing FIU work; Trumbull said FIU’s Wall of Wind would remain and that the state-owned model would simply be contracted to FSU instead of FIU. The committee reported the bill favorably. The committee then considered Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1624 by Senator Calatayud, a wide-ranging higher education bill addressing tuition, workforce programs, institutional operations, and naming changes. Amendments were adopted to create state college regional consortium service organizations for rural colleges, remove a proposed out-of-state fee change for nonresident online students, extend university master plan update cycles from five to 10 years, and rename Hillsborough Community College as Hillsborough College. The bill also changed several references from specific minority categories to “underrepresented,” revised aid and waiver provisions, adjusted adult education and career program rules, and made other technical changes. Senators Smith and Davis questioned the shift away from enumerated categories, arguing it could obscure disparities affecting groups such as Black students, women in STEM, and students with disabilities; Calatayud said the intent was to focus on socioeconomic access and flexibility for institutions. After debate, the committee voted 6-2 to report the bill favorably, with Senators Davis and Smith voting no, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, a large green slice, about 60 percent of the funds are available for us to use in our competitive
• I'm going to talk about those competitive grants, that larger green slice you saw a second ago on the
• Executive Director, I'm just curious to see how competitive the selection process is.
• This grant line was a competitive grant program for $2.2 million for other children's museums within

Transcript Highlights:

• residential construction, which is a hindrance to new... project feasibility and ultimately to capital competitiveness
• HB 325 will help lower the cost of construction, thus making New Mexico a more competitive environment
• Ana Medical Society, but truly statewide, I think we all have. come to believe that we have a bad competitive
• that will benefit and help retain providers in the state by making New Mexico more attractive and competitive

Transcript Highlights:

• skilled workforce, supporting high-demand industries, and ensuring that Florida's industries remain competitive
• You can see in our competitive effective rank, we're ranked number two, which is really kind of a composite
• We know that's where the real competition is going to come with those particular students in those programs
• We boast, we're very competitive.

Summary: The Education Postsecondary Committee met to hear an overview of Florida career and technical education (CTE) from Chancellor Kevin O’Farrell and presentations from Big Bend Technical College and Santa Fe College. O’Farrell described Florida’s CTE structure, including career clusters, postsecondary program types, enrollment and completion growth, apprenticeship expansion, and the state’s credentials review process. He said postsecondary CTE enrollment is near 480,000 students and completions reached a record 76,806, with strong growth in nursing, law enforcement, EMT, and other public-safety credentials. He also discussed the CTE audit, which uses retention/success, employment or continued education, and labor-market demand metrics; programs not meeting thresholds would eventually require phase-out plans beginning in 2026. He highlighted the workforce development capitalization grant as a major driver of program expansion and facility renovation, and answered questions about business outreach, construction trades, apprenticeships, and space-industry training. Shelby McCall of Big Bend Technical College described how the college responded to hurricanes, mill closures, and regional economic disruption by expanding rural workforce training. She highlighted aluminum welding, millwright, welding technology, health sciences, and a new advanced manufacturing facility funded by state grants and local partnerships, along with a new LPN-to-RN bridge program. She said the college has strong placement and certification results and is working with employers such as Lippert, NAMO, and others to align training with local demand. Senator Simon praised the college’s role in Taylor County’s recovery and workforce development. Dr. Paul Brody of Santa Fe College said state workforce grants have helped the college expand nursing, skilled trades, apprenticeship, automotive, diesel, and manufacturing programs, including partnerships with Bradford County Technical College, UF Health, Habitat for Humanity, and local employers. He reported growth in CTE enrollment, nursing credentials, apprenticeship enrollment, and job placement rates, and described new efforts in semiconductor training, CDL training, and a charter school model that combines high school, an AS degree, and industry credentials. The committee took no formal action beyond hearing the presentations and adjourned after Senator Berman moved to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of concerts because the competition is a little bit different.
• We need competition. Horse racing is based on the spirit of competition.
• performance measures could be affected as soon as next fiscal year due to the decline in testing and competition

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, they also have competition, which does further, you know, force down prices.
• to look in the books of the ATCs, of the sole-source companies that they are allowing, with no competition
• <00:29:40.000> to<00:29:40.320> operate allowing with no competition to operate allowing
• with no competition to operate in<00:29:40.799> the<00:29:40.880> state<00:29:41.039><
• from Vermont, Maine and competition from Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've been able to remain regionally and I think nationally competitive in tourism because of a very
• Competitive in tourism because of a very strong brand and very strong industry partnerships, but also
• What this shows is that we have a competitive advantage within the state of New Mexico to continue to
• As long as we engage in a transparent and competitive grant-making process, we can grant to non-profits
• So it's really trying to make sure that we start them at a good competitive salary and are able to keep

Transcript Highlights:

• the staff to do the work, but we don't have the people because the money isn't there to pay them competitive
• the staff to do the work, but we don't have the people because the money isn't there to pay them competitive
• on was the fact that one of the reasons that our offices are struggling is because of the online competition
• <00:57:44.000> Thank<00:57:44.160> you a competitive funding process.
• Thank you a competitive funding process.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Having it open without the benefits maybe allows a better competitive environment.
• system, and therefore it will save the state money, save HTA money, or also be able to be more competitive
• c> the<00:04:10.720> salary<00:04:11.200> itself<00:04:12.040> without competitive
• in the salary itself without competitive in the salary itself without that<00:04:12.640> having
• to do the cost analysis of a competitive to do the cost analysis of a competitive position<00:04

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Senate hearing covered Senate Bill 1536 and Senate Bill 1571. SB 1536 concerned the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s CEO position and whether the exemption from retirement benefits should be changed. Testimony and committee discussion focused on the estimated cost, the current budgeted amount, whether the change would make the position more competitive, and whether alternatives such as a portable retirement plan had been considered. The witness said the proposal came from HTA’s legislative committee and that the position’s salary and benefits would still likely fit within the budgeted amount. No vote was taken on SB 1536 during the excerpted discussion. The hearing then moved to SB 1571, relating to tourism. Debed and HTA representatives said they supported the bill in written testimony, but HTA’s witness said the measure had not been discussed or voted on by the full board and recommended deferring action until the board could clarify its position. Several members of the public testified both in support and opposition. Opponents raised concerns about changing “Hawaiian sense of place” to “Hawaii sense of place,” warning it could weaken protections for Hawaiian culture and invite broader interpretations that might affect places like the Hawaii Convention Center. Others opposed a provision removing a two-year waiting period for HBCB board members before serving on the HTA board, citing conflict-of-interest concerns. Committee discussion centered on the meaning and practical effect of the bill’s language, especially the distinction between “Hawaiian” and “Hawaii,” the scope of HTA’s tourism and destination-management role, and whether translation and language policy were being applied too broadly or too narrowly. Some members argued the bill could help preserve Hawaiian culture and place, while others worried about exclusionary interpretations, costs, and whether resources would be better spent on programs rather than expanded translation. The hearing ended with the chair announcing a short break and moving toward decision-making, but no final action on the bill was shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• The introduction of SB1 changed the wages from $10.60 to $12, but it's simply not enough to be competitive
• Please increase the wage to something that is competitive with the market. Thank you so much.
• new staff, yet we struggle to cover the hours needed because the current wage rate is simply not competitive
• Disabilities deserve a livable and competitive wage. Thank you. All right, thank you.
• Now, $12 is not very competitive, and there are PDN rates and so many other items that need to be addressed

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:

• The Adair Warriors have demonstrated sustained dominance by remaining undefeated in the district competition
• extraordinary three consecutive district championships, establishing a legacy of consistency and competitive

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• California agriculture faces increasing pest pressures, invasive species, and intense competition from
• California agriculture faces increasing pest pressures, invasive species, and intense competition from
• states and countries that don't come close. increasing pest pressures, invasive species, and intense competition
• It could reduce competition, increase costs, and make it harder, not easier, to deliver fire station
• Regardless of cost and competition, right now the demand is growing.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of our membership, the number one issue they come back with is unlicensed contractors or unfair competition
• to level the playing field and provide those folks trying to purchase their first home with less competition
• home with trying to purchase their first home with uh<00:23:28.080> less<00:23:28.320> competition
• uh less competition, if you will. Okay. uh less competition, if you will. Okay.

Bills: HB1743, HB2122, HB1756, HB1837, HB1729, HB2559

Keywords: owner-builder, exemption, housing crisis, contractor, leasing restrictions, affordable housing, construction, regulations, teacher housing, housing vouchers, teacher retention, Hawaii Department of Education, hard-to-staff schools, housing, first-time home buyers, savings account, tax deductions, homeownership, savings accounts, tax deduction

Summary: The House Housing Committee heard testimony on several housing-related bills. HB 1743 would expand the owner-builder exemption by repealing a leasing restriction and requiring notice when a leased residential structure was built by an unlicensed contractor. Subcontractors Association of Hawaii and the Contractors Licensing Board opposed the bill, warning it could encourage unlicensed contracting and weaken consumer protections, while Hawaii Realtors, Housing Hawaii’s Future, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, BIA Hawaii, and others supported it as a way to increase housing flexibility. After questions about whether licensed electrical and plumbing work would still be required, the committee voted to pass HB 1743 with amendments and a defective date. The committee also heard and advanced HB 2122 HD1 on teacher housing, which would create a teacher housing assistance program using vouchers from the teachers housing revolving fund. Testimony included support from the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Housing Hawaii’s Future, the Democratic Party of Hawaii Education Caucus, and individuals, with the Office of Collective Bargaining in opposition and the Department of Education offering comments. The bill was voted out as is. The committee then considered HB 1756 and HB 1837, both updating the individual housing account program to reflect current housing prices; supporters including Housing Hawaii’s Future and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs said the limits were outdated and needed inflation adjustments, and HB 1756 was passed with amendments while HB 1837 was deferred as nearly identical. HB 1729 would disallow the state home mortgage interest deduction for second homes. Hawaii Realtors opposed it, while Housing Hawaii’s Future supported it as a way to prioritize first-time homebuyers and reduce competition from second-home buyers. The chair noted a possible revenue savings estimate and the committee passed the bill with amendments, with several reservations. Finally, HB 2559 would prohibit real estate brokers from marketing residential property to limited exclusive groups of buyers, which the Office of Consumer Protection said needed an enforcement clarification and the Realtors said could affect some legitimate private-listing situations. The chair proposed replacing the outright ban with a disclosure requirement for private listings, and the committee passed HB 2559 with amendments. The hearing then adjourned after the chair thanked members, staff, and the public.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're working to expand STEM competitions across the state and also providing resources to local agencies
• For its first year, the STEM Innovation Network has awarded 23 competitive mini-grants to schools and
• Martinez-Yazi student groups and creating dynamic career pathways that will ensure New Mexico remains competitive
• We are also supporting STEM competitions focused on STEM issues, such as the New Mexico Governor's STEM
• and student STEM learning through the hub system. $300,000 would go toward funds to support STEM competitions

Bills: HB40, HB100, HJR1, SB64, SB19, SB44, SB83

Keywords: educational retirement, annuity adjustments, cost of living, non-compounding payments, retirement benefits, STEM funding, education, innovation, public education, New Mexico, nominating committees, boards of regents, student representation, political party registration, New Mexico constitution, special education, office of special education, deputy secretary, public education department, IEP

Transcript Highlights:

• Competitive compensation improves policing by attracting higher-quality applicants, boosting officer
• critically needed to maintain parity with other law enforcement agencies and ensure Arizona remains competitive
• Competitive compensation improves policing by attracting higher-quality applicants, boosting officer
• critically needed to maintain parity with other law enforcement agencies and ensure Arizona remains competitive
• critically needed to maintain parity with other law enforcement agencies and ensure Arizona remains competitive

Bills: HB2207, HB2225, HB2602, HB2641

Keywords: braille, disability access, education funding, state corrections, inclusion, HB 2225, Yavapai County, northern Arizona regional training academy, training academy, public safety training, law enforcement training, police academy, first responder training, capital appropriation, state general fund, state treasurer, lapsing appropriation, section 35-190, capital costs, regional training facility

Transcript Highlights:

• And then switching gears a little, I want to talk about competition from autonomous vehicles.
• How is Uber and Lyft positioning itself from a competitive angle compared to AVs?
• I think we second a lot of those comments, but you're actually highlighting something that is a competition
• With regard to addressing data concerns with exposure of competitive information, de-identified trip
• address these questions while significantly mitigating the risk associated with PII and exposure of competitive

Summary: The hearing focused on transportation network companies in California, with the chair framing it as an informational hearing on the history, regulation, safety, climate, accessibility, and data issues surrounding Uber, Lyft, and smaller or autonomous TNC services. The CPUC described its decade-long regulatory role, including safety rules, background checks, insurance requirements, reporting obligations, and two major legislative programs from 2018: the Clean Miles Standard and the Access for All program. Members asked about complaint trends, data collection and disclosure, program implementation, and how the CPUC uses annual reports for policymaking, compliance, and program oversight. Uber and Lyft said the statewide framework has supported growth while providing safety and access benefits, but both companies emphasized that insurance is a major cost driver and argued that California’s UM/UIM requirement is unusually high compared with other vehicles. They said the Clean Miles Standard is pushing electrification but faces headwinds from EV affordability and charging infrastructure, while Access for All has expanded wheelchair-accessible service but still needs continued support. They also discussed transit partnerships, wildfire response, and the potential role of autonomous vehicles, with both companies saying human drivers will remain important and that future regulation should account for new technology. The final panel, including the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and UC Berkeley researchers, presented evidence that TNCs have increased congestion and reduced transit ridership, especially in dense urban areas. They described prior research showing TNCs contributed to congestion growth in San Francisco and noted that this work helped spur local taxes on ride-hailing trips to fund safety and transit improvements. The panel also discussed the CPUC’s evolving data-disclosure decisions, arguing that public access to TNC trip data is important for understanding transportation impacts and informing local policy.

Transcript Highlights:

• Progress, albeit slow, still provides hope that California will return to a competitive and healthy insurance
• In fact, these fires underscore the urgency for implementing the strategy, as a competitive and fair
• will be because more companies will be writing and expanding coverage in the areas, thus fostering competition
• will be because more companies will be writing and expanding coverage in the areas, thus fostering competition
• before State Farm made the announcement, and they hope, you know, this market will return to a competitive

Summary: The committee first heard AB 597, a bill to strengthen consumer protections for disaster survivors who use public adjusters. The author and the Department of Insurance said the measure would cap public adjuster fees at 15% for claims tied to declared disasters, require clearer contracts, prohibit solicitation during emergency conditions, and allow consumers to rescind contracts that were solicited during prohibited periods. Insurance industry groups supported the bill, while public adjuster representatives opposed it as written but said they were willing to work on revisions. The committee approved the bill and re-referred it to Appropriations; the roll call was ultimately recorded as 16-0. The committee then held its fourth oversight hearing on the Department of Insurance’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy, with Commissioner Ricardo Lara giving an extensive update on wildfire-related market reforms and consumer protections. He said the recent Southern California wildfires had not derailed the strategy and described actions including advance claim payments, a one-year moratorium on residential non-renewals in affected areas, a new fraud strike team, smoke-damage claim guidance, additional living expense protections, and a consumer claims tracker. He reported more than $12.1 billion in claims paid, over 37,000 claims filed, and more than 7,000 survivors assisted directly. He also discussed related bills and reforms, including AB 597, SB 495, SB 547, SB 429, SB 616, AB 888, and AB 2026. Members questioned the commissioner about the Fair Plan’s growing exposure, the $1 billion assessment, rate increases, non-renewals, underinsurance, and whether the reforms would actually stabilize the market. Lara said the assessment was already approved, that policyholders would not be hit with one large bill because insurers have two years to recover costs, and that the department was pushing insurers to use catastrophe modeling and reinsurance tools in exchange for commitments to write more policies in wildfire-distressed areas. He said the department expects to see market stabilization by 2026, though he emphasized the timeline depends on insurer participation, implementation of the new regulations, and future disaster activity. Members generally expressed support for the goals of the strategy while pressing for clearer expectations for consumers and faster action on mitigation and market reform.

Transcript Highlights:

• It sounds like a lot, and it is a lot for state work, but the competitiveness factor of that talent base
• It sounds like a lot, and it is a lot for state work, but the competitiveness factor of that talent base
• to see what we need to be doing as far as what we offer people in pay and make sure that we're competitive
• to see what we need to be doing as far as what we offer people in pay and make sure that we're competitive
• And also there was some need to have some competitive pay increases.

Summary: The subcommittee met to review agency travel, budget reduction exercises, and member reports from agency meetings. Early discussion focused on the Department of Management Services (DMS), where members questioned the cost of travel for four out-of-state data/cyber staff and the secretary’s absence. DMS defended the hires as highly specialized enterprise cybersecurity and data personnel, said the positions were lawfully paid and posted, and explained that the staff work on statewide data cataloging and cyber risk reduction rather than agency-by-agency systems. Members also raised concerns about fleet inventory discrepancies and requested follow-up information on hiring, travel, and data inventory timelines. The chair said she would consider travel guardrails and possible reductions, and noted that DMS, the Lottery, and the Florida Commission on Human Relations did not meet the requested reduction target, while the Public Employee Relations Commission did not submit reductions. The committee then heard from the Florida Lottery about the secretary’s trip to Paris for the World Lottery Convention. Lottery staff said the trip was reimbursed through the multi-state lottery organization and was intended to share best practices and improve operations, though members questioned the value of the travel and requested reimbursement records and the trip agenda. The subcommittee also reviewed agency reduction exercises from several agencies. The Department of Revenue exceeded its target and was praised for frugality; DFS, the Florida Gaming Control Commission, the Office of Financial Regulation, the Office of Insurance Regulation, the Public Service Commission, the Division of Administrative Hearings, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation each described how they met or approached their reduction goals, often through vacancies, reversions, or expense cuts. OIR warned that further reductions could hurt insurance regulation capacity, while OFR and PSC said their reductions were based on historical reversions and lower post-COVID travel or vacancy levels. Members then reported back on agency meetings. DMS members raised fleet tracking, real property audits, salary studies, and health plan savings ideas, and asked for follow-up on the Florida PALM project, cybersecurity grants, and state IT modernization. DFS members said the agency was efficient and that its Palm-related work and insurance consumer programs were important. Lottery members emphasized the agency’s revenue generation for education and its low administrative overhead. Gaming Control members highlighted storage costs for seized gaming equipment and suggested technology-based alternatives. PERC members said a union-related law had doubled their workload and asked for more staffing and possible AI assistance. OIR members stressed the need for a Tampa satellite office and more resources to recruit and retain specialized staff. The chair closed by saying the committee would continue reviewing travel, staffing, and reductions with an eye toward taxpayer value and transparency.