Bills: SB1041, SB1050, SB1131, SB1138, SB1249, SB1267, SB1272, SB1317, SB1461, SB1488, SB1504, SB1517, SB1523, SB1580, SB1582, SB1584, SB1585, SB1602, SB1630, SB1654, SB1672, SB1673, SB1718, SB1761, SB1819, SB1826, SB1827

Keywords: electronic monitoring, nursing care, assisted living, resident rights, privacy, consent, surveillance, veterans, lifetime pass, state parks, Arizona, access, disabled veterans, cardiac arrest, defibrillators, school safety, emergency response, CPR training, Arizona education funding, automated license plate readers

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:33:22.320><c> treat</c> aquaculture feed producers, pet treat aquaculture feed producers, pet
• </c> animals and um and the pet animals and um and the pet overpopulation. overpopulation. overpopulation
• ,</c><01:41:00.639><c> which</c> of cats being mainly fixed pets, which of cats being mainly fixed pets
• Thank bring an intact pet into Hawaii.
• </c> all know that free roaming feral and pet all know that free roaming feral and pet cats<01:45:45.440

Bills: SB2709, SB3154

Keywords: biosecurity, Department of Agriculture, quarantine, Akamai Arrival Program, importation regulations, pests control, plant health, animal health, compliance mechanisms, environmental review, transportation projects, NEPA, state sovereignty, federal compliance, streamlining, Hawaii Department of Transportation, 912, senate, all

Summary: The hearing began with SB 2709, which would require the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to establish rules to enforce the Okami arrival program and strengthen quarantine enforcement for plants, non-domestic animals, and microorganisms. The Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii Invasive Species Council supported the bill, as did DAB, saying it would improve biosecurity and make some provisions mandatory rather than optional. Alaska/Hawaiian Airlines supported the goal but raised concerns about language changing inspections from “may” to “shall” for aircraft, warning of possible federal preemption and operational conflicts unless the bill is clarified to align with federal aviation safety, security, and operational requirements. Committee members questioned DAB about inspection timing, scope, and compliance; DAB said the measure is intended to increase enforcement, improve form completion rates toward a 90% goal, and expand beyond airlines to other entry modes, while also noting plans to restore detector dog use and improve software/AI tools for processing forms. Decision-making on SB 2709 was deferred to February 17 at 3:02 p.m. in Room CR229. The committees then took up SB 3154, an administration measure authorizing the Department of Transportation to assume certain National Environmental Policy Act responsibilities for highway, rail, public transportation, and multimodal projects, with the aim of streamlining environmental review. DOT supported the bill and explained that it would allow the department to work directly with federal resource agencies such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife and SHPO rather than routing everything through federal highways. After brief discussion, the Committee on Transportation voted to pass SB 3154 with technical amendments, and the AEN committee followed with the same recommendation; the measure was adopted with five votes in favor. A later portion of the transcript shifted to SB 2374 on the blue economy. DBED said it supported the concept but noted that it already sits on many working groups and would need resources if a new working group is created. DBED suggested the committee could instead request research through a letter or memo, and said agencies including ADC, HTDC, and Agriculture had already begun internal discussions. Testimony in support came from IMUA Alliance, Hawaii Food Policy, and others, emphasizing the potential for blue economy ventures to support survivors, align with climate and cultural goals, and create economic opportunity. No final vote on SB 2374 appears in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Rules for pets and the list goes on.
• Rules for pets and the list goes on.
• Rules for pets and the list goes on.
• Rules for pets and the list goes on.
• Rules for pets and the list goes on.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 3459 by Jared Patterson relates to the sources of dogs and cats sold at pet stores, providing a civil
• HB 3497 by Richard Hayes relating to fees required to be provided by a tenant or prospective tenant in

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Home Landlord-Tenant Act from prohibiting or restricting a tenant from installing a portable cooling
• home landlord tenant act from prohibiting or restricting a tenant from installing a portable cooling
• As a tenants organizer, I routinely hear stories about people and their pets becoming sick, children
• , working to empower tenants and transform the housing industry.
• Yet landlords can do and prohibit cooling devices in tenants' leases.

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The Housing Committee heard public testimony on Senate Bill 5496, which would limit certain business and investment entities from buying additional single-family homes after reaching a 100-home threshold, with exemptions for some financial institutions, nonprofits, foreclosure-related acquisitions, and development-related activity. Senator Alvarado said the bill is intended to curb speculation and preserve homeownership opportunities for Washington families, while opponents argued it would interfere with the market, reduce rental supply, and could affect REITs and retirement investments. Supporters, including Habitat for Humanity, said investor purchases place working families at a disadvantage and that the bill would help keep homes available for owner-occupants. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6200, which would prohibit landlords from barring tenants from installing portable cooling devices, subject to safety, code, and operational exceptions. Senator Slatter and supporters described the bill as a public health response to deadly extreme heat, especially after the 2021 heat dome, and said it would help renters, seniors, and people with disabilities stay safe at home. Landlord representatives were generally neutral or cautiously supportive but raised concerns about lease changes, insurance issues, window-unit safety, and the treatment of evaporative coolers; advocates and medical witnesses supported the bill and noted ongoing negotiations on amendments. In executive session, the committee acted on several bills. It adopted an amendment to SB 5156 on elevator standards in smaller apartment buildings and reported the bill out do pass as amended. It adopted amendments to SB 5938 on the foreclosure prevention fee, rejected a proposal to repeal the fee, and reported the bill out do pass as amended. It adopted a technical amendment to SB 6054 on fire-hardened building materials and reported the bill out do pass as amended. It also reported out SB 6237B, related to flood disclosure, with a do pass recommendation. Afterward, the committee reopened testimony on SB 6200 and then on SB 5496, hearing additional support and opposition before ending the hearing for the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't see landlords trying to jam up a tenant grabbing their things as needed.

Bills: HB2028, HB2047, HB2136, HB2244, HB2364, HB2406, HB2415, HB2557, HB2573, HB2589, HB2720, HB2749, HB2825, HB2861, HB2862, HB2870, HB2970, HB4070, HB4117, HCR2004, HCR2051

Keywords: community restitution, homelessness, indigence, court assessments, monetary obligations, forcible entry, detainer, writ of restitution, criminal trespass, judgment enforcement, civil terrorism, disorderly conduct, vandalism, political activism, public order, subversion, government security, evictions, judgment satisfaction, tenant rights

Bills: HF3465, HF3782, HF4075, HF391, HF3946, HF2976, HF3350

Keywords: theft, vulnerable adults, public safety, penalties, Minnesota statutes, chemical irritants, law enforcement, transparency, building owners, tenant rights, notification, remediation, firearm restrictions, domestic violence, court orders, criminal convictions, firearms prohibition, gun surrender, order for protection, protective order

Transcript Highlights:

• This action raised some concern about the rights of tenants to protect themselves and their families,
• It extends the same protections to tenants in mobile home and manufactured home communities.
• This bill ensures that law-abiding tenants are afforded the same protections on leased property that
• There's a clear complaint process outlined where the tenant must provide the landlord with a written
• Every stage of the process allows the landlord to cure the violation by simply allowing the tenant to

Bills: HB1958, HB2031, HB2879, HB3285, HB3995, HB4487, HB4558, HB4560, HB4876, HB4899, HB5212, HB5317, HB5543, HB5567, SB1333

Keywords: firearm possession, tenant rights, landlord regulations, civil penalties, property code, justified use of force, deadly force, property rights, home defense, smart devices, data privacy, personal data collection, user consent, mobile application, data transparency, HOA, property owners association, property owners' association, Texas Property Code, Chapter 202

Transcript Highlights:

• First, the tenants have to fully pay their debt to the landlord.
• This is a common sense bill that ensures fairness for tenants who have taken accountability for their
• If a tenant is in... good standing with their current landlord, has signed a new lease, and has fully
• A residential tenant who, number one, was a defendant, and two, after inquiry of judgment.
• Assume the tenant moves out before either the case is filed.

Bills: HB3803, HB3804, HB3805, HB3806, HB3833, HB4134, HB4233, HB4238, HB4243

Keywords: HB 3803, Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 712, perpetual care cemetery, perpetual care trust fund, cemetery regulation, financial confidentiality, confidential records, regulatory examination, Texas Department of Banking, commissioner disclosure, interagency information sharing, state agency enforcement, federal agency disclosure, trust fund oversight, burial services, cemetery trust, consumer protection, state banks, Texas Finance Code

Transcript Highlights:

• We're a statewide coalition of tenant organizing groups, and I'm speaking today in support of H. 216.
• know, Homestral, Massachusetts, we're focused on the housing and displacement crisis, organizing tenants
• housing, there's a lot of discrimination because renters and landlords think that service dogs are pets
• They are service animals, and they're classified as that; they're not pets.
• This is not a pet.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a hybrid hearing on a range of bills affecting children, families, disability rights, homelessness, and social services. Early testimony focused on H.215, which would support children experiencing homelessness by speeding access to child care vouchers and early intervention screenings. Boston officials, Horizons for Homeless Children, Head Start, pediatric and early education advocates, and families described delays in child care and early intervention, the developmental risks of homelessness, and the need for automatic referrals and faster access to services. Testimony also supported H.216, which would improve emergency housing assistance by restoring presumptive eligibility, reducing documentation barriers, extending shelter stays from six to nine months, and creating an ombudsperson; providers and legal advocates said current rules leave families sleeping in cars or outside and create unnecessary administrative hurdles. The committee also heard strong support for H.210, which would repeal the “Learn Fair” school attendance sanction that cuts cash assistance to families when children miss school. Advocates from legal aid, education, and anti-poverty organizations argued the policy is punitive, burdensome, and ineffective, disproportionately affecting low-income, disabled, and Hispanic/Latino families. Several speakers said chronic absenteeism should be addressed through supports such as family outreach, wraparound services, and school engagement rather than benefit cuts. Legislators and school officials from Salem also testified that their districts reduced absenteeism through supportive strategies, not sanctions. Additional testimony addressed children’s vision bills H.202 and H.166, with optometrists and researchers urging better screening, data systems, and treatment access to close achievement gaps caused by untreated vision problems. Senator Lovely also presented S.2714, proposing a study of discrimination in public accommodations for people with service animals. Later, testimony on H.279 supported changing social work licensure rules to remove exam requirements that speakers said disproportionately exclude multilingual candidates and candidates of color. The hearing also included testimony on bills related to the Judge Rotenberg Center and electric shock devices, with disability rights advocates opposing continued use of the devices and urging the committee to reject licensing or authorization for them. No votes or committee actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• pets to shelters.
• A study of people surrendering pets to shelters found that 40% of people giving up their pets said that
• pets to shelters.
• A study of people surrendering pets to shelters found that 40% of people giving up their pets said that
• So I respectfully... for pets and animal shelters in Florida.

Summary: The committee took up several bills and reported each favorably after brief debate and roll call votes. SB 578 would allow wine to be sold in recyclable containers, aligning wine with beer container rules; it had support from Americans for Prosperity. SB 606 clarified when nonpaying guests may be removed from public lodging establishments, updated notice and checkout provisions, and removed a mandatory arrest requirement, with support from Florida Realtors, the Asian American Hotel Association, and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. SB 202 addressed a long-running dispute between Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach over a water utility surcharge, requiring the utility to charge residents in the city where the plant sits the same rate as its own residents; supporters argued it was a fairness issue, while North Miami Beach opposed it as a burden on its residents. All three bills were reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 570, which updates and clarifies the scope of work for swimming pool and spa contractors, and CS/SB 928, which targets non-approved disposable nicotine devices by restricting advertising and display visible to minors, increasing inspections and penalties, and adopting an amendment to clarify the bill does not cover fully unlawful products and to add a 500-foot school buffer for smoke shops. SB 346, dealing with state preemption of local regulation of hoisting equipment, was reported favorably after testimony about the St. Petersburg crane collapse during Hurricane Milton; supporters said local governments need authority to address hurricane-related crane safety, while builders and contractors warned against patchwork regulation and urged a more targeted approach. The committee then considered SB 652, creating Veterinary Professional Associates to perform certain tasks under veterinarian supervision, including limited surgical procedures after an amendment clarified those procedures are limited to spay/neuter and non-cavity surgeries. Supporters said the bill would expand access to veterinary care and help shelters, while some veterinarians expressed concern about training and safety; the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee took up SB 354 on the Public Service Commission, adopting a substitute amendment that would expand the commission, require stronger financial expertise and more detailed rate justifications, set rate-filing schedules, tighten storm-hardening review, and add transparency rules for nonprofit water and wastewater utilities; the bill drew support from consumer advocates and AARP, while Florida Rural Water warned of unintended consequences for nonprofit systems. The transcript ends while testimony on SB 354 is still underway, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 3458 by Patterson, relating to the source of dogs and cats sold at pet stores and providing a civil
• HB 3497 by Vo, relating to certain deposits or fees required to be paid by a tenant or prospective tenant

Summary: The House met briefly to read a large number of first-reading bills, joint resolutions, and concurrent resolutions and refer them to the appropriate committees. The measures covered a wide range of topics, including public health, education, criminal justice, taxation, transportation, water and natural resources, elections, housing, veterans issues, local government, and constitutional amendments. Several bills focused on school policy, health care regulation, property tax and sales tax changes, criminal penalties, and local or state agency authority. Among the notable items were proposals on name and sex changes on birth records, college admissions inquiries into criminal history, foster care contractor liability, school nutrition and assessment policy, election procedures, homestead and franchise tax exemptions, public retirement system reporting, and numerous transportation and infrastructure measures. The House also received resolutions designating local honors and observances, including Brownsville as the bicycling capital of the Rio Grande Valley, Port Aransas as the fishing capital of Texas, and Selena Quintanilla Perez Day. Some measures proposed constitutional amendments on legislative procedure, homestead taxation, and election-law enforcement authority. No debate or testimony occurred in this segment; the action was limited to first reading and referral. The session also referred several resolutions to the Local and Consent Calendars. At the end of the proceedings, the House adjourned without objection until 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Transcript Highlights:

• Florida's pet owners and animal shelters are struggling to access veterinary care research shows that
• at least a 3rd of pets to not Rhys regularly see a veterinarian as which has a tremendous impact and
• That Terry Care is one of the top reasons that pet owners surrender pets to shelters.
• The study of people surrendering pets to shelters found that 40% of people giving up their pet said that
• Innovation Act would help bridge that gap for pets in animal shelters in Florida.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• home landlord-tenant act from prohibiting or restricting a tenant from installing a portable cooling
• home landlord tenant act from prohibiting or restricting a tenant from installing a portable cooling
• As a tenants organizer, I routinely hear stories about people and their pets becoming sick, children
• This is especially true for the elderly and tenants with disabilities.
• Yet landlords can prohibit cooling devices in tenants' leases.

Summary: The Housing Committee heard public testimony on Senate Bill 5496, which would limit certain business and investment entities from buying additional single-family homes after reaching 100 holdings, with exemptions for banks, nonprofits making affordability-related improvements, and some development/foreclosure situations. Senator Alvarado said the bill is intended to curb speculation and help Washington families compete for homes, while opponents argued it would interfere with the market, reduce rental supply, and could affect REITs and retirement investments. Supporters, including Habitat for Humanity, said institutional buying has made homeownership harder and that the bill would create needed guardrails; opponents from the building and rental housing industries said the data did not justify the restriction and asked for clearer exemptions or data on impacts. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6200, which would prohibit landlords under the residential and manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant laws from banning tenants from installing portable cooling devices, subject to safety, code, egress, insurance, and damage-related exceptions. Senator Slatter and supporters framed the bill as a public health response to deadly heat events, especially the 2021 heat dome, and said it would help renters, seniors, and people with disabilities stay safe during extreme heat. Landlord and property management representatives were generally neutral or cautiously supportive, but asked for changes on notice, lease language, insurance, and window-unit safety; one testifier raised concerns about evaporative coolers and potential moisture damage. In executive session, the committee acted on several bills. It adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 5156 on elevator standards in smaller apartment buildings and reported the bill out with a due pass recommendation. It rejected amendments to Senate Bill 5938 on the foreclosure prevention fee, adopted an amendment removing a study requirement, and then reported the bill out as amended with a due pass recommendation. It also adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 6054 on fire-hardened building materials and reported that bill out as amended with a due pass recommendation. Finally, the committee reported out Senate Bill 6237B on flood disclosure with a due pass recommendation. After those votes, the committee reopened public hearing on SB 6200 and SB 5496 to hear additional testimony, then adjourned for the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• This includes blatant refusal from some landlords to rent units to tenants with a voucher.
• Units to tenants with a voucher.
• housing authorities, to establish a preference for rental assistance participants when selecting tenants
• and corporate investors increasingly target these properties, raising rents, displacing long-term tenants
• So even with shelters, there's other barriers, and we've heard about this, whether it's pets or partners

Summary: The committee heard a long agenda of housing-related bills, beginning with AB 249, which would require youth-specific coordinated entry assessments for homeless services. The author and supporters from Larkin Street Youth Services and the California Coalition for Youth argued that current vulnerability tools are adult-focused and can disadvantage young people; the bill was described as a developmentally appropriate fix to better connect youth to housing and prevention services. There was no opposition, and the bill passed 7-0 to Human Services. Members then heard AB 239 and AB 1206. AB 239 would create a state-led disaster housing task force, a state disaster housing coordinator, and regular legislative reporting to speed recovery after disasters; it passed 7-0 to Emergency Management. AB 1206 would let local agencies pre-approve plans for single-family and small multifamily homes of up to 10 units to reduce permitting delays and costs; the League of California Cities opposed it unless amended, citing local variation and staffing concerns, but the author and supporters said it would preserve local control and help speed housing production. The bill passed 9-0 to Local Government. The committee also took up AB 57, which would reserve at least 10% of California’s home purchase assistance funds for descendants of formerly enslaved people. Supporters framed it as reparative justice and a way to address longstanding racial disparities in homeownership, while Pacific Legal Foundation argued it likely violated constitutional limits on race-based government action and urged a race-neutral approach. After discussion about reparations criteria and the bill’s intent, it passed 6-0 to Judiciary. The consent calendar, including AB 480, AB 726, and AB 1154, was approved 8-0. Later, AB 282 was heard to allow housing providers to prefer applicants who participate in rental assistance programs, such as Housing Choice Vouchers, despite existing source-of-income discrimination law. Supporters said it would help voucher holders find units and improve affordable housing operations; no opposition testified, and the bill passed 6-1 to Judiciary. AB 1229 followed, restructuring the adult reentry grant program to focus on permanent housing for people leaving prison by moving administration to HCD and using regional administrators; supporters emphasized the link between housing stability and reduced recidivism, and the bill passed 7-0 to Public Safety. The committee then approved AB 670, which would let local governments count preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing toward housing element goals and require better demolition reporting, and AB 750, which would strengthen oversight and reporting for homeless shelters after a prior reporting law saw very low compliance. AB 670 passed 8-0 to Local Government, and AB 750 was presented with testimony from a shelter resident describing abuse and lack of accountability in shelters.

Transcript Highlights:

• So at the state level, no, there's very little enforcement relief to support tenants.
• And the AG would then have to... the tenant would have to be able to...
• Why they would choose a particular tenant. So, Mr.
• Most of these are already being used by the tenants who applied for them.
• If someone stops, if they were able to set their own rent, this tenant could afford...

Transcript Highlights:

• I always liked the tenants for company.'
• And I'm thinking about the tenants.
• Can you help remove this tenant? And there are services to do that.
• We only serve tenants.
• And also the tenant can bring the refrigerator with them.

Summary: The committee heard several bills, with the most detailed discussion focused on AB 316, AB 251, AB 474, AB 1201, AB 464, and AB 614. AB 316 would prevent AI developers or deployers from arguing in civil cases that an AI system’s alleged autonomy absolves them of responsibility. Supporters framed it as a narrow guardrail to protect families, especially children, from harms like dangerous chatbots and deepfakes; opponents, including TechNet and the Chamber of Progress, raised concerns about possible strict-liability implications. The bill was moved out of committee to Privacy and Consumer Protection. AB 251 would let judges lower the burden of proof in elder abuse cases when a skilled nursing facility or RCFE intentionally destroys evidence. Supporters said the measure is needed because elder abuse victims are often unable to testify and records are vulnerable to spoliation, while opponents argued existing sanctions are sufficient and warned of more litigation. The bill passed, with committee members emphasizing the vulnerability of elder abuse victims. AB 474 sought to expand nonprofit home-sharing programs, including tax incentives for low-income homeowners and changes to housing law and lodger rules. Supporters said it would help older adults and low-income Californians avoid homelessness, but several members and the California Apartment Association raised concerns about removing lodger-law protections for homeowners; the author committed to keep working on the issue. The bill passed to Human Services. AB 1201 would give courts discretion to provide family reunification services to parents with certain violent felony convictions, rather than applying an automatic bypass. Supporters from Starting Over Inc. described personal experiences with permanent family separation and argued the bill would give parents a fair chance when the conviction is unrelated to child safety. Some members supported the measure but questioned whether domestic violence histories should be treated differently; the author said the bill still allows courts to deny services when reunification would endanger a child. The bill passed to Human Services. AB 464 addressed sexual abuse and retaliation in state prisons by extending reporting time after release, adding 90-day monitoring after reports, barring rehiring of confirmed abusers, and strengthening reporting and anti-retaliation rules. Survivors testified about abuse, retaliation, and failures in CDCR’s response; the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 614 would standardize the Government Claims Act filing deadline at one year for all claims. The author and supporters argued the current six-month deadline for injury and wrongful death claims is too short for victims to learn the process, find counsel, and gather evidence, while businesses often get a full year. A civil rights attorney and a family member of a deceased jail detainee testified in support, describing how the current deadline can block meritorious claims. The bill was presented for committee consideration as the hearing continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> That is violations involving a tenants That is violations involving a tenants allowance<01:20:14.080
• > are</c><01:22:24.159><c> actively</c> In many cases, tenants are actively In many cases, tenants are
• When tenants have landlords as well.
• Chair. of a tenant and being able to hopefully of a tenant and being able to hopefully work<01:35:40.239
• And so tenant.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we get a lot of vacationers that bring their pets with them now and vacation in areas where this
• What are we doing to prevent that from hitchhiking back on pets or even travelers that are returning
• Mackey, um, you talked about the situation with tenants or tenants, uh, owners.
• 13:28.239><c> or</c><01:13:28.640><c> tenants,</c><01:13:29.280><c> uh,</c> situation with tenants or
• tenants, uh, situation with tenants or tenants, uh, owners.<01:13:30.080><c> If</c><01:13:30.320><c>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• provisions in Chapter 509, the public lodging establishment is forced to go through the landlord-tenant
• Florida's pet owners and animal shelters are struggling to access veterinary care.
• An inability to access affordable veterinary care is one of the top reasons that pet owners surrender
• pets to shelters.
• A study of people surrendering pets to shelters found that 40% of people giving up their pets said that

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and considered several bills, reporting each favorably after hearing sponsor presentations, public testimony, and member questions. SB 578 would allow wine to be sold in recyclable containers, aligning wine with beer container rules; it received support from Americans for Prosperity and passed without debate. SB 606 clarified when guests in public lodging or food service establishments may be removed for nonpayment, updated notice and checkout provisions, and removed a mandatory arrest requirement, with support from hotel and restaurant industry groups; it also passed favorably. Members then heard SB 202, which addresses a municipal water utility surcharge issue affecting Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach by requiring the utility to charge residents where the plant sits the same rate it charges its own residents. The sponsor and supporters described it as a fairness issue, while North Miami Beach argued it would shift costs and threaten utility finances; the bill was reported favorably. SB 570 modernized and clarified the scope of work for swimming pool and spa contractors, and SB 928, as amended, regulated non-approved disposable nicotine devices by restricting advertising and display, increasing inspections and penalties, and adding a school-buffer provision; both were reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 346, which repeals state preemption over local regulation of hoisting equipment and cranes, prompted by concerns after Hurricane Milton and a crane collapse in St. Petersburg. Supporters said local governments need authority to address storm-related crane safety, while industry representatives warned against patchwork regulation and said local oversight already exists in some areas. Finally, the committee took up SB 652, creating Veterinary Professional Associates to perform certain tasks, including limited surgeries under veterinarian supervision; animal welfare groups supported it as a way to expand access, while some veterinarians opposed the surgery provisions. The bill was reported favorably after amendment. The committee then began SB 354, a major overhaul of Public Service Commission oversight, including expanding the commission, adding financial expertise, tightening rate-setting and storm-hardening review, and increasing transparency for nonprofit water and wastewater utilities; the substitute amendment was adopted and public testimony was heard from consumer advocates and utility-related groups, but the transcript ends before final action on the bill.