Transcript Highlights:

• By Appropriations, Senate Bill 2506.
• By the Committee on Appropriations, SB 2500, a bill to be entitled an act making appropriations.
• By the Committee on Appropriations, SB-2500, a bill to be entitled an act-making appropriations.
• General Appropriations Act.
• General Appropriations Act.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present, then adopted the special order report and moved into a series of budget-related bills. The chamber first took up HB 5011/SB 2506 on environmental resource management and natural resources funding, where Democrats argued the bill would reduce recurring support for the Resilient Florida program, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, invasive species removal, and other conservation efforts. Supporters said the change would shift money from recurring to nonrecurring funding so the Legislature could reassess priorities each year and rely more on private-sector stewardship. After a strike-all amendment and conference posture change, SB 2506 passed 97-12. HB 5013, reducing state-funded property reinsurance reserves, passed 108-0, and HB 5501, redirecting documentary stamp tax distributions from housing and transportation trust funds into general revenue, passed 82-26 after extended debate over its impact on affordable housing and transportation funding. The House also passed HB 5015 on state group insurance, which requires DMS to develop a formulary management system and was described as producing significant savings; members raised concerns about prescription access and implementation, but the bill passed 109-0. HB 5201 on state financial accounting and HB 5203 on the Capitol Center both passed unanimously, as did HB 5009, which creates a Florida Accountability Office and reorganizes audit functions. The chamber then passed HB 7031, a major sales tax reduction bill lowering the state sales tax rate and several related rates; supporters framed it as permanent relief for all Floridians, while opponents said property tax relief would be more meaningful and that the sales tax cut would also benefit tourists and out-of-state visitors. HB 7031 passed 112-0. The House then began consideration of HB 501, the proposed fiscal year 2025-26 budget, totaling $112.9 billion and emphasizing reduced recurring spending and large reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined their budget silos: K-12 education at $20.6 billion with teacher raises, school hardening, literacy, transportation stipends, and security funding for Jewish day schools; health care at $47 billion with full Medicaid and KidCare funding, opioid settlement spending, mental health beds, and senior services; transportation/economic development at $18.5 billion; agriculture and natural resources at $5.8 billion with reduced Everglades spending but continued water, resiliency, and land management funding; higher education at $8.7 billion; state administration at $2.9 billion; justice at $7.3 billion; and IT at $529 million for Florida PALM, FX, and other systems. Members then began questioning the K-12 budget, focusing on FEFP funding, proration, voucher growth, stabilization dollars, mental health and school safety funding, and whether districts would be held harmless under the proposed allocations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 67 be amended as follows and, if so amended, be referred to the Committee on Appropriations
• Committee on Judiciary, after consideration of the mayor's committee, recommends the following.
• So amended, be referred to the Committee on Appropriations with favorable recommendation.
• <00:31:25.279><c> with</c><00:31:25.520><c> favorable</c> appropriations with favorable appropriations
• </c> Judiciary after commission comm Judiciary after commission comm consideration<00:32:01.760><c> of

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum, approved the February 23, 2026 journal, and received several committee reports. Education recommended Senate Bill 67 be amended and sent to Appropriations, and Judiciary recommended Senate Bill 70 be amended and sent to Appropriations. The Education Committee also recommended confirmation of several Institute of Cannabis Research Governing Board appointments, and later the chamber confirmed a consent calendar of governor’s appointments, including members of the GOCO Trust Fund board, the Colorado Agriculture Development Authority, and the Wildlife Habitat Stamp Committee. On the floor, the Senate passed several bills. Senate Bill 85 and Senate Bill 25, both on the consent calendar, passed unanimously. Senate Bill 5, concerning state court remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights during immigration enforcement, passed on a 20-11 vote after a brief reconsideration mix-up and was then repassed. Senate Bill 18, concerning legal protections for a minor and sealing a related name-change record, passed 20-11. Senate Bill 31, concerning lawful use of a prescription drug product containing a Schedule I controlled substance, passed 29-2. The chamber then resolved into Committee of the Whole and took up Senate Bill 46, a property tax administration cleanup bill. After a Finance Committee report and adoption of amendment L003, the bill passed second reading and was ordered engrossed. The committee also laid over Senate Bills 53, 43, and 84 until February 25. Later, the Senate concurred with House amendments to Senate Bill 52, concerning coal transition communities and just transition money, and then repassed it. The Senate adopted the Committee of the Whole report and recessed until 11:00 a.m. after announcements and personal privilege remarks recognizing the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District and Musical Therapist Day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1580 is withdrawn from the Committee on Appropriations.
• Senate Bill 1602 is withdrawn from the Committee on Appropriations.
• Senate Bill 1602 is withdrawn from the Committee on Appropriations.
• on Appropriations.
• Senate Bill 1826 is withdrawn from the Committee on Appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Committee on Appropriations.
• And then we also sat in judiciary And then we also sat in judiciary together because we both were in
• Committee on Appropriations.
• </c> in appropriations, but then we didn't. in appropriations, but then we didn't.
• We never heard it in appropriations. You held it up. Never heard it in appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bills before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. We are officially called to order.
• Chair, White Chair, and members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
• Thank you to the members of the Committee on the Judiciary.
• Esteemed members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
• Good morning, members of the Judiciary Committee. My name is Dan Gagnon.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on the Judiciary

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a lengthy public hearing on a wide range of civil rights, immigration, hate crimes, and reparations bills. Chair Edwards and Chair Day opened with strict testimony rules, including two-minute limits, written testimony options, and decorum requirements. Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell testified in strong support of S. 1126/H. 1920, the Combating Hate in the Commonwealth bill, saying Massachusetts needs stronger tools to address rising hate and bias incidents. Her Civil Rights Division chief explained that the bill would give the division civil investigative demand/subpoena power, expand civil rights enforcement, close loopholes in the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, add protected classes to the hate crimes law, and require better hate-crime data reporting. The committee also heard support for H. 1954 on access to counsel in immigration proceedings, H. 4684 on law enforcement identification and public trust, and H. 1927 to exonerate individuals accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. Several bills focused on discrimination and civil rights enforcement. Supporters of S. 1248 on organizational standing said fair housing nonprofits need explicit authority to bring discrimination complaints in their own names, especially as federal protections are under attack. On H. 1246, advocates urged adding sex and gender as protected classes in the hate crimes statute, arguing women are not protected under current state law. H. 1820 drew testimony for protections against height and weight discrimination. H. 1995 would regularize sentencing for hate crimes by requiring diversity awareness training for both convictions and continuances without a finding, and H. 1056/H. 1589 would broaden hate-crime victim standing and require restitution to be used to repair harm. H. 1886 would clarify that defense-based social service staff are exempt from mandated reporter obligations when working under attorney-client privilege. The committee also heard testimony on H. 1889/S. 1064, a bill to eliminate disparate impact. Environmental justice advocates, fair housing attorneys, and community members argued that neutral policies can still produce discriminatory outcomes and that Massachusetts should allow state-court claims and a private right of action to address them. Committee members raised concerns about litigation floodgates, punitive damages, and the scope of protected classes, while supporters said the bill would mainly target systemic harms and injunctive relief. Additional testimony supported H. 1922/S. 119, the Fair Investment Act, which would create civil rights protections in venture capital and other investment settings for founders and investors, especially women and minority entrepreneurs. The hearing also included testimony on H. 1683, the Sex Trade Survivor Act, which would expand vacatur and expungement relief for trafficking survivors, remove archaic offenses from the code, and create an interagency commission; supporters emphasized reducing barriers to housing, employment, and reentry. Finally, the committee heard extensive support for H. 1753/S. 1181, establishing a commission to study reparations in Massachusetts. Testifiers described the state’s history of slavery, redlining, and ongoing racial disparities, and urged the committee to report the bill favorably. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Go ahead and call the Committee on Judiciary to Order.
• I know this is the Judiciary Committee, but for those of us who are involved in healthcare, especially
• Yarborough and members of the Judiciary Committee. My name, of course, a star Frankie.
• Chairman Yarborough and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• Chairman Yarborough members of the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2022, four years ago, I passed the Age-Appropriate Design Code.
• A Judiciary Committee bill does two things.
• We've had good conversation in Judiciary Committee, I appreciate our Judiciary Chair, giving me the can
• We've had good conversation in Judiciary Committee, I appreciate our Judiciary Chair, giving me the We've
• had good conversation in Judiciary Committee.

Summary: The Assembly convened, established a quorum, and proceeded through a large House of Origin floor file, with the Speaker repeatedly urging members to be at their desks and keep support bills brief. Early actions included dispensing with the journal, re-referring AB 2285 to the Banking and Finance Committee, and then taking up dozens of third-reading items, with many bills passed by voice or recorded vote and others passed temporarily or retained on file. The floor debated and passed a wide range of measures on land use, housing, labor, public safety, health care, utilities, taxation, and consumer protection. Among the bills approved were measures on land surveyor review (AB 1933), nurse midwife access for pregnant and postpartum patients (AB 1696), historic-district transit zoning flexibility (AB 2415), EV charging infrastructure fees and timelines (AB 1820), foreclosure bidding protections (AB 1957), tribal cannabis commerce (AB 2506), outdoor advertising permitting (AB 2024), commercial building permit timelines and third-party plan checkers (AB 2418), DUI penalties (AB 1685 and AB 1687), utility rate transparency (AB 1715), CalWORKs work-penalty changes (AB 1755), dynamic electricity rates (AB 1787), interior designer licensure (AB 1796), compost labeling and contamination rules (AB 1812), modular housing standardization (AB 1815), small claims limits for businesses (AB 1827), Native American Day as a paid state holiday (AB 1841), hospital staffing and maternity access bills (AB 1868 and AB 1882), protective orders tied to release dates (AB 1889), and a series of public health, missing persons, and teacher credentialing measures later in the file. Several high-profile bills drew extended debate. AB 2624, expanding Safe at Home privacy protections to immigrant service providers, prompted sharp disagreement over free speech and alleged limits on online posting, but supporters said it protected workers facing threats and doxing; it ultimately passed 49-19. AB 2023, creating a framework for regulating AI chatbots used by children, was framed as a child-safety measure after testimony about chatbot-related harms and suicide risks, and passed 58-8. Other notable votes included AB 2208 on Medi-Cal protections against federal cuts, AB 2299 on CalFresh/SNAP losses, AB 2115 apologizing to California Native peoples for historic state harms, and AB 2311 on public hospital physician employment; the transcript ends as the Assembly continues working through the remaining file.

Transcript Highlights:

• The motion is due pass as amended to the Judiciary Committee. Secretary, please.
• The motion is do pass to the Appropriations Committee. Secretary, please call the roll.
• The motion is do pass to Appropriations. Carrillo? Aye. Correo, aye. Taub not voting.
• SB 346, the motion is do pass as amended to Judiciary. Ransom? Yes. Ransom, aye. Wilson.
• The motion is due pass to the Appropriations Committee. Secretary, please call the roll.

Summary: The committee heard multiple bills, with extensive discussion focused on short-term rental regulation, street vending, park/public safety financing, transit-oriented housing fees, and demographic data collection. SB 346 would require short-term rental platforms to provide local governments with listing addresses and related information to help collect transient occupancy taxes and enforce local ordinances; supporters argued cities and counties need the data to identify unlicensed operators and recover taxes, while opposition from platforms raised privacy and due process concerns and said administrative subpoenas already exist. The bill was amended and passed 7-0 to the Judiciary Committee. SB 635, the Street Vendor Business Protection Act, sought to protect street vendors’ personal information from being shared in ways that could expose them to federal immigration enforcement; supporters described raids and fear in vendor communities, and the bill passed 6-1 to Public Safety. SB 499 would clarify that certain park and recreation facilities designated in local safety or hazard mitigation plans can qualify for fee deferral exemptions when they serve emergency or public safety functions; supporters said parks can serve as fire buffers, evacuation sites, and recovery hubs, while some housing advocates sought a clearer nexus to development impacts. The bill passed as amended 6-0 to Appropriations. SB 358, which would modernize traffic impact fee rules to better reflect lower automobile trip generation for walkable, transit-oriented housing, drew support from housing and transportation advocates and passed 8-0 to Appropriations. SB 515, aimed at improving demographic data collection and reporting by local governments and state entities, passed to Appropriations on a 4-0 vote. The committee also took up SB 276, presented by Assembly Member Stefani on behalf of Senator Wiener, which would allow San Francisco to create a permit-and-enforcement system for the sale of commonly stolen goods on sidewalks. Supporters said the measure is needed to address fencing operations and protect legitimate vendors, while emphasizing it is narrowly targeted and not aimed at food vendors or permitted sellers. The transcript ends during testimony on SB 276, with supporters from the Mission street vendor community and San Francisco Public Works describing enforcement problems and the need for clearer rules and city resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• This meeting of our House Judiciary Committee is called to order. Would you call the roll, please?
• Um, yes, there is a Senate Judiciary substitute. We dig back, so I guess I do not pass on.
• Madam Chair, you have a do pass on Senate Judiciary Committee substitute for Senate Bill 507 as twice
• The challenge to this law is for preserving all the appropriate other provisions. That's right.
• Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the Judiciary Committee.

Committee: House House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• Persons disrupting legislative proceedings are subject to removal, arrest, or other appropriate legal
• re-refer the following bills to committee: AB 1650, Kaloza, from the Transportation Committee to the Judiciary
• Local Government Committee; AB 2262, Michelle Rodriguez, from the Public Safety Committee to the Judiciary
• AB 2262, Michelle Rodriguez, from the Public Safety Committee to the Judiciary Committee; AB 2483, El

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance, then handled a series of procedural motions including suspending rules, re-referring several bills to committees, and allowing committee notices for pending re-referrals. Members also received guest introductions, including LA28 leadership for an informational hearing on preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, and advocacy groups focused on reproductive health and equity. On the floor, the Assembly took up several third-reading bills. AB 1944 by Assembly Member Lee, which would delay implementation of lower axle weight limits for zero-emission buses to give transit agencies more time to adapt to battery technology limits, passed 49-1. AB 2305 by Assembly Member Caloza, prohibiting private equity and other corporate investors from controlling or influencing litigation decisions, passed 55-0. AB 2004 by Assembly Member Al-Annees, authorizing Fresno and San Joaquin counties to designate county correctional officers as peace officers if locally agreed, passed 52-0 after supportive remarks from Assembly Member Tangipa about a Fresno County correctional officer who died after being injured in a jail shooting. The Assembly also adopted the second-day consent calendar, including ACR 161 on Special Districts Week and HR 87 on school accountability, with 57 co-authors added to the resolutions and unanimous votes on the consent items. The session concluded with an adjournment in memory for Marcella Villanueva, a longtime California Commission on Aging employee remembered for her service and compassion, followed by announcements of upcoming committee hearings and the next floor session before adjournment until Thursday, April 9 at 9 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Persons disrupting legislative proceedings are subject to removal, arrest, or other appropriate legal
• re-refer the following bills to committee: AB 1650, Kalra, from the Transportation Committee to the Judiciary
• Local Government Committee; and AB 2262, Michelle Rodriguez, from the Public Safety Committee to the Judiciary
• AB 2262, Michelle Rodriguez, from the Public Safety Committee to the Judiciary Committee; AB 2483, Elhawary

Transcript Highlights:

• Let the record reflect that this is the time and place, pursuant to notice, for the Idaho Judiciary and
• too quick, in my opinion, and it doesn't, I don't know, it just doesn't amuse me as much as the Judiciary
• It just doesn't amuse me as much as the Judiciary Committee does. I want to go to school for law.
• The bill requires placement... ...The bill requires placement in the least restrictive appropriate setting

Committee: House Judiciary, Rules and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• Now you've heard the first reading of the bill, and it is referred to the committee on judiciary.
• referred to the the bill, and it is referred to the committee<00:07:11.680><c> on</c><00:07:12.000><c> judiciary
• </c><00:07:13.199><c> There</c><00:07:13.440><c> are</c><00:07:13.599><c> no</c> Committee on Judiciary
• Senate Finance will meet at 1:30. >> Senator from Washington. >> Senate Appropriations will meet at 1

Transcript Highlights:

• The motion is do pass and be re-referred to the committee on appropriations. With recommendation.
• On Assembly Bill 459 the motion is do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
• And be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. Pellerin? Pellerin? Aye. Macedo? No. Macedo?
• And be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. Hellerin? No. Hellerin? No. Macedo?
• This was heard in judiciary and I voted aye.

Committee: House Elections

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll call Judiciary A to order.
• Again, we're going to skip around, but first I want to go to take up the first we did in appropriations
• We had already passed it; it went to appropriations. Now it's back to us.
• That's what they did, and so we're on the strike-all from appropriations.
• </c><00:06:44.600><c> A</c> and and judiciary A and and judiciary A not<00:06:46.040><c> ahead</c><00

Committee: Joint Judiciary, Division A

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm pointing Senator Shamp to the Committee on Judiciary Elections to temporarily replace Senator Bolick
• So are we gonna have people in grocery stores, like, have lists of here's the appropriate, you know,
• Snickers... ...people in grocery stores, like, have lists of here's the appropriate, you know, Snickers
• I think this idea was not fully vetted with the appropriate stakeholders, and speaking up for people
• President Pro Tem, your Committee on Judiciary and Elections recommends to the Senate the confirmation

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> addressing</c> appropriate process for addressing appropriate process for addressing judicial<01
• So while there is a judiciary before.
• I believe in an independent judiciary, but I believe in an independent judiciary that is solely bound
• Doug Botkins only appropriate solution.
• </c> Appropriations and Revenue. Appropriations and Revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:30:29.159><c> without</c> not maybe moving it to Judiciary without not maybe moving it to Judiciary
• </c><01:50:23.440><c> Senator</c> if a committee on Judiciary Senator if a committee on Judiciary Senator
• </c> whether the uh committee on Judiciary whether the uh committee on Judiciary wants<01:50:32.719><
• </c><02:06:45.040><c> funds</c> 2016 but they did not appropriate funds 2016 but they did not appropriate
• </c> in 201 22 they appropriated in 201 22 they appropriated funds<02:06:55.320><c> and</c><02:06:55.440

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• The Judiciary Committee drafts language that works. And we have not even attempted to do that.
• And it do pass for the House Judiciary.
• And a do pass for the House Judiciary Committee substitute for House Bill 99.
• There is no anticipated need for an additional state fund or appropriation.
• There is no anticipated need for an additional state fund or appropriation.

Bills: HB99 , HJR5 , HM39 , HB206 , HB213 , SB41 , SB153 , SB165 , SB261 , SB264

Committee: House House Judiciary

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 99, a medical malpractice reform measure. Sponsor Chair Chandler and Minority Leader Armstrong described months of stakeholder negotiations aimed at balancing patient compensation with concerns from physicians, hospitals, and insurers about litigation costs, punitive damages, and access to care. The committee substitute kept the existing monetary damage caps but changed several provisions, including definitions of “occurrence” and “value of medical care,” treatment of future medical expenses, a higher clear-and-convincing standard for punitive damages, a two-step process before punitive damages can be pled, and a lower punitive-damages cap for smaller providers versus a higher cap for large hospital systems. Supporters said the bill would help recruit and retain doctors and stabilize the malpractice market; opponents argued it weakens accountability, especially for corporate and out-of-state hospital systems, and several speakers urged a stronger amendment to preserve patient rights. After debate, the committee voted 10-0 to give the House Judiciary Committee substitute for HB 99 a do-pass recommendation. The committee then heard House Joint Resolution 5, which would amend the state constitution to allow legislative compensation. Sponsors and supporters said paying legislators would make service more accessible to working people, parents, rural residents, and others without independent wealth, and would broaden representation. Several advocacy groups and individual commenters backed the proposal, while members raised questions about the pay formula, with the resolution tying compensation to the state median income. Some members supported the idea but preferred a salary commission or a different mechanism. The committee approved HJR 5 on a 7-3 vote. Finally, the committee began hearing House Memorial 39, which calls for a task force to study the current state of sexual assault examination kits and report on backlog progress. Sponsor Rep. Ferrari and the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs explained that a prior task force a decade ago found more than 5,000 untested kits and led to policy changes, including the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights and a statewide tracking system. The memorial is intended to reassess whether backlogs remain and recommend further fixes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Select HB number five by Bonnen relates to making supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and
• giving direction and adjustment authority regarding those appropriations for the Committee on Disaster
• This bill also addresses increasing criminal penalties and authorizing fees for the Committee on Judiciary
• a temporary reduction in the maximum compressed tax rate of a school district, making an... ...appropriation
• When we adjourn today, the doors to this chamber shall remain locked and only those members with appropriate