Transcript Highlights:

• I believe the amendment mitigates any sort of impact that I know you're referring to.
• In fact, that last amendment that we put in place is really to try to mitigate any of that and really
• And then, at the end, obviously see if there's still any sort of shortfalls and how that can be mitigated
• I don't, Miami-Dade County government is an absolute disaster. I'll say it on the Florida Channel.
• It's an absolute disaster.

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Summary: The Committee on Appropriations took up SJR 2-F, the proposed constitutional amendment on property tax relief, which would reduce assessment growth on non-homestead property, expand homestead exemptions, create a new exemption for new homesteaders, and direct counties, cities, and school districts to use property tax revenues for specified core services. Senator Avila presented the measure as the governor’s plan to provide historic relief and argued that local governments should tighten budgets and prioritize core functions. Senators raised concerns about the lack of fiscal scoring, the breadth and ambiguity of the permitted uses, the effect on special districts and local services, and whether the proposal would shift costs to fees or other taxes. The committee adopted several amendments, including Avila’s amendment clarifying that ad valorem revenues could be used for county and municipal operations and administration and other expenditures not prohibited by law, and Trumbull’s amendment removing school board ad valorem taxes from the proposal. Other amendments failed, including proposals to allow user fees and non-ad valorem assessments, add a sunset, redirect tourism development taxes, narrow the small-business provision, and change the ballot title to reference local service reductions. Grall’s amendment removing the constitutional trust fund requirement was adopted, while the committee also rejected Berman’s title-change amendment and Smith’s sunset and tourism-tax amendments. The committee then returned to the bill as amended for questions, including extended debate over whether the proposal would affect noncitizen residents, the impact on local government finances, and whether local governments would respond with higher fees or special assessments. The meeting ended with the bill still under discussion after the final round of questions, with Avila saying he would continue working with the governor’s office on the language before the next vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 26 amends eligibility for the disaster recovery loan program to require that a borrower's total
• </c><00:37:23.200><c> recovery</c> eligibility for the disaster recovery eligibility for the disaster
• , uh, I'm here to urge you to reconsider inclusion of Senate File 1183 for nitrate private well mitigation
• solution will require both immediate public health measures and long-term source reduction. well mitigation
• Uh there's been well mitigation.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Transcript Highlights:

• We are receiving insurance proceeds from the wildfire disaster.
• But they're the disaster response arm. They're not the planning rebuild arm.
• But they're the disaster response arm. They're not the planning rebuild arm.
• But they're the disaster response arm. They're not the planning rebuild arm.
• </c><02:33:17.520><c> where</c> COVID and other natural disasters where COVID and other natural disasters

Transcript Highlights:

• President, Senator, could you describe any mitigating circumstances that might come into play in the
• So Senate Bill 18 works to ensure that climate disasters are lessened in our state.
• Natural disaster devastation on our communities isn't a matter of if; it's a matter of when.
• The new norm of natural disasters is why we're spending so much time as a body to find ways to fund disaster
• Fund, and authorizing expenditures from that fund for a natural disaster or a state of martial law,

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 595 helps property owners address the critical improvements needed for flooding mitigation
• House Bill 595 helps property owners address the critical improvements needed for flooding mitigation
• So we're looking at having to mitigate those in the long term, but we haven't been able to even have
• It will be mitigated.
• It will be mitigated.

Summary: The committee first discussed scheduling and notice for upcoming executive sessions on a larger slate of bills, including plans to take up eight bills in the morning and possibly the last three bills in the afternoon, with caucus time provided if needed. The chair emphasized advance notice, publication, and flexibility if more bills are added later. The hearing then opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and proceeded to HB 568, a bill allowing local planning boards to request water supply studies for subdivisions to ensure water adequacy as housing density increases. Representative Kat McGee, the prime sponsor, said HB 568 was developed after constituent concerns about private wells being affected by nearby development. She described the bill as narrowly tailored, non-mandatory, and intended to preserve local control while clarifying that planning boards may request studies under local regulations. She noted bipartisan support, an exclusion for community water systems and larger groundwater withdrawals regulated elsewhere, and said the bill would help prevent water shortages and related problems for new and existing homes. Questions from members focused on whether the bill should specify that it applies to subdivisions of four or more lots, since that language had been in an earlier version. Testimony on HB 568 was mixed. Bob Quinn of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors opposed the bill, arguing it lacked a definition of “water supply study,” could lead to expensive hydrology studies, and might raise housing costs; he suggested more work with DES or a study committee. DES administrator Brandon Kernin said the department had worked from a 2010 groundwater commission report, that such problems arise only intermittently in certain areas, and that the bill would make explicit local authority to adopt such ordinances. He also said DES data and homeowner surveys can help identify problem areas and that more robust wells could be considered in the long term. The committee noted 10 online submissions in favor and 3 opposed, plus blue-sheet testimony of 2 in favor and 1 neutral, and then closed the hearing on HB 568. The committee immediately opened HB 582, a bill on safety requirements for operation of personal watercraft. Representative Darby, the sponsor, said the bill responds to the speed and maneuverability of modern personal watercraft, which he described as more like motorcycles on water than traditional boats, and cited a fatal accident on Lake Monomonac as an example of the risks. He said the bill is not intended to restrict ordinary recreation or wake surfing, but to update safety standards for a newer class of larger, quieter three-person PWCs. The hearing began with Darby’s presentation, and no vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:29:00.559><c> and</c><00:29:00.880><c> complicating</c><00:29:01.840><c> factors,</c> mitigating
• and complicating factors, mitigating and complicating factors, imposing<00:29:03.120><c> a</c><00:29:
• enough other things long enough, the clock will run out, and the American people will forget the disaster
• </c> governor has requested a major disaster governor has requested a major disaster declaration<02:29
• , a request disaster declaration, a request supported<02:29:50.640><c> by</c><02:29:50.880><c> the</c

Bills: HB3944 , HB3486

Keywords: appropriations, military construction, veterans affairs, VA funding, USDA, agriculture appropriations, legislative branch appropriations, fiscal year 2026, omnibus, spending bill, rural development, rural housing, broadband, SNAP, WIC, school lunch, food safety, FDA user fees, veterans health care, toxic exposure

Transcript Highlights:

• We did find approximately $1.5 million of ARPA funds back in February to try to mitigate some of that
• bathroom, to wheelchairs, essentially for their safety, but also for the safety of staff to reduce and mitigate
• will be a more secure, resilient, and scalable platform that improves service delivery, strengthens disaster
• Strengthens disaster recovery capabilities, and provides enhanced reporting tools to support operational

Transcript Highlights:

• discuss reserves at a high level and illustrative level, including how reserves can help the state mitigate
• discuss reserves at a high level and illustrative level, including how reserves can help the state mitigate
• By emergency, do you mean for, like, natural disasters?
• spend the next two years trying to sue whoever we can find that we can try to pin the cause of the disaster

Committee: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review

Transcript Highlights:

• mandatory minimum, mandating a life sentence means a judge cannot take any circumstance or any mitigating
• against a member of law enforcement with no ability for any judge to take any circumstance or any mitigating
• against a member of law enforcement with no ability for any judge to take any circumstance or any mitigating
• forward a meaningful piece of legislation to address all the concerns that we've heard that does not mitigate
• forward a meaningful piece of legislation to address all the concerns that we've heard that does not mitigate

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opening prayer, pledge, and several member introductions and recognitions, including resolutions and visiting groups. The chamber then moved to a special order calendar and took up a series of bills, beginning with SB 88 on utility terrain vehicles, which would allow local governments to opt in to street use of UTVs under specified safety conditions; it passed 32-5 after debate over safety concerns. SB 102 on exceptional student education created a workforce credential/badge program for students with autism or on modified curricula; despite concerns about unfunded mandates, it passed 36-0. SB 106 on exploitation of vulnerable adults authorized alternative service methods for scammers through the apps they used to contact victims and passed 37-0. SB 130 expanded and eased procedures for compensation of victims of wrongful incarceration, including extending filing deadlines and removing restrictive bars; it passed 38-0. SB 158 eliminated cost sharing for diagnostic and supplemental breast exams under the state employee health plan and passed 38-0. The Senate then considered SB 234 on crimes against law enforcement officers, prompted by the killing of Officer Jason Raynor. The bill clarified that a person may not resist an officer with violence and added a mandatory life sentence for manslaughter of a law enforcement officer. A late amendment to restore “good faith” language failed, and after extensive debate over due process, racial profiling, and sentencing concerns, the bill was temporarily postponed rather than brought to a final vote. SB 262 on trust code technical changes passed 36-0. SB 274 designated portions of roads in Orlando as Harris Rosen Way and Geraldine Thompson Way; it passed 38-0 and then received 37 co-sponsors. SB 280 created an enforcement mechanism for candidate party-affiliation qualification requirements and passed 38-0. SB 296 repealed the statewide middle and high school start-time mandate and returned the issue to local districts with reporting requirements; it passed 38-0. Later, SB 356 designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Florida, with the sponsor emphasizing anti-Semitism and the need for education and remembrance. The transcript also included additional ceremonial remarks and recognition of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity members in the gallery. Throughout the meeting, most measures advanced with unanimous or near-unanimous support, while SB 234 generated the most substantive disagreement and was set aside for later consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is true for natural disasters like floods, but it's also for everyday needs of more than two and a
• for the urgent repair fund while asking you to include language creating flexibility to fund risk mitigation
• At the time, I showed how a project could help mitigate severe flooding in the area.
• pleased to see the additional investments in housing and clean energy and climate resilience and mitigation

Bills: SB6003 , HB2353 , HB2431 , HB1983

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: capital budget, funding, infrastructure, state projects, budget allocation, HB 2353, predesign thresholds, capital construction, major capital projects, Office of Financial Management, OFM, Washington state, state agencies, infrastructure planning, construction costs, inflation adjustment, capital facilities, project review, allotments, lease approval

Transcript Highlights:

• mandates institutional-grade custody solutions with hardware security, multi-party governance, and disaster
• For example, the bill creates mandatory discounts for property mitigation measures that exceed the Florida
• reduce property insurance rates and require insurers to notify the policyholder of those additional mitigations
• It also allows for the 1802 uniform mitigation inspection forms to be stored by OIR, so property owners

Summary: The Insurance and Banking Subcommittee met to hear and vote on several bills, with all measures reported favorably. The first major item was PCS for HB 175 on payment stablecoins, which would create a Florida regulatory framework aligned with the federal GENIUS Act so issuers can choose state regulation instead of federal licensing. Members asked extensive questions about how stablecoins differ from other digital assets, whether Florida would need federal approval, and what impact the bill would have on the Office of Financial Regulation; the sponsor and OFR said the state framework would mirror federal standards and that any workload increase was currently indeterminate. The PCS passed unanimously after testimony from OFR and the Florida Blockchain Business Association in support. The committee then approved CS for HB 961, which streamlines electronic signature requirements for salvage titles and certificates of destruction, and HB 1415, a DFS stablecoin pilot program allowing certain stablecoins to be used for licensing and regulatory fees. HB 1415 was amended to remove authority for a Florida coin, limit the pilot to established stablecoins with at least $1 billion market cap, and require secure custody through a public depository or custodial bank. Members discussed how any interest or revenue would be used, with sponsors saying the pilot was still exploratory and intended mainly to cover program costs. Both bills passed favorably. HB 1039, establishing a state cryptocurrency reserve, also passed after a strike-all amendment moved administration of the reserve from the CFO’s office to the State Board of Administration and tightened eligibility to cryptocurrencies with a $100 billion market cap over the prior 12 months. Supporters argued the bill would create a framework for future diversification and investment in established digital assets, while several members raised concerns about volatility, reporting frequency, and the meaning of new terms such as qualified liquidity provider and secure custody solution. The committee also passed CS for HB 951 on penny rounding for cash transactions, with an amendment clarifying cash transaction definitions and treating money orders and gift cards like credit-card transactions for rounding purposes.

Transcript Highlights:

• So those impacts to state and local government, are they going to be mitigated by the increase in expected
• retirement... ...are they going to be mitigated by the increase in expected return that we passed, and
• Department of Retirement Systems kind of stepping into that ongoing COLA to help mitigate some of those
• In other words, my own pension investments had been making me doubly unsafe, fueling climate disasters

Committee: Joint Select Committee on Pension Policy

Summary: The committee approved the July minutes and then received an informational presentation from the Office of the State Actuary on the financial condition of the state retirement systems. The actuary reported that employer contribution rates are generally declining, helped by strong investment returns and reduced funding for PERS 1 and TERS 1, while funded ratios have continued to improve; on a combined basis the plans were reported at 100% funded in 2024, with open plans above 95% and legacy plans varying by system. The presentation also reviewed projected rates and funded ratios under current assumptions, noted that pension costs are taking a smaller share of the state general fund, and discussed risks from investment volatility, policy changes, and demographic experience. Committee members asked about savings from lower rates, deferred asset smoothing, and how Washington compares with other states. The committee then considered the state actuary’s recommendation on long-term economic assumptions and adopted all four recommendations by roll call votes: inflation at 3.0%, general salary growth at 3.5%, membership growth for Plan 1 funding at 1.0%, and investment rate of return at 7.25%. The actuaries explained that the inflation and salary growth increases were driven largely by higher long-term inflation expectations, while the investment return recommendation matched the current statutory assumption. Members discussed the timing of the Pension Funding Council’s decision, the effect of tariffs and inflation uncertainty, and how assumption changes would affect future contribution rates and budgets, particularly for open plans. Staff then gave an update on the LEOFF 1 study, explaining the difference between being “ahead of schedule” and truly overfunded, and summarizing responses received from DRS, the State Treasurer, and the State Investment Board on the merger and restatement proposals. DRS said both bills could be administered, though the merger bill’s COLA banking provision would be challenging until its new system is ready; the Treasurer urged caution, especially about the restatement bill and the use of one-time funds; and the Investment Board said removing assets from the trust would have some transaction costs but likely small impacts. The committee discussed whether to invite additional agencies and local government groups to testify, and staff said more responses, including from Ice Miller and the State Actuary, were expected for the October meeting. Finally, the committee heard a briefing on PERS 1/TERS 1 COLA policy and related bills from the last session. Staff reviewed the committee’s prior ongoing COLA recommendation, the SCPP-endorsed bills that would have created a one-time 3% COLA followed by an ongoing COLA, the Senate merger bill, and a separate ad hoc COLA bill. Public testimony largely supported Plan 1 COLAs and stable contribution rates, while several speakers urged caution about transferring LEOFF 1 surplus assets or merging legacy plans, and others raised concerns about climate risk and the pension fund’s investments. No further committee action was taken on the COLA item during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• communication services, and they are especially important during hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters
• And these reforms to the vexatious litigant law will better enable Florida courts to mitigate the impact
• resolving legitimate legal disputes. ...vexatious litigant law will better enable Florida courts to mitigate
• preponderance of evidence, that the child would not have made it, maybe that would factor in and mitigate

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice

Summary: The committee heard and voted on a long agenda of criminal justice, public safety, victims’ rights, and related bills. SB 984 on aggravating factors in capital cases was reported favorably after debate over its focus on religious, school, and government gatherings; the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops opposed expanding the death penalty, while supporters said it was about accountability rather than deterrence. CS for SB 1140 creating a Hillsborough County substance abuse pilot program for offenders, CS for SB 1180 broadening child sexual image protections, CS for SB 10 compensating Sidney Holmes for a wrongful conviction, CS for SB 500 creating a Spectrum Alert system for missing children with autism, and SB 1054 on tampering with electronic monitoring devices all passed favorably, with the substance abuse bill drawing supportive testimony about treatment and recovery and the Holmes bill receiving emotional support from Holmes himself. The committee also approved SB 1072 on expedited DNA testing grants, CS for SB 240 on domestic and dating violence victims, CS for SB 494 creating a statewide animal abuse database, and CS for SB 1422 on unmanned aircraft over critical infrastructure and weaponized drones. SB 240 drew extensive testimony from advocates describing a feasibility study for a discreet emergency alert system and the need to align domestic and dating violence protections; SB 494 drew strong support from animal welfare groups and county officials who described local registries and the link between animal abuse and violence toward people, while members discussed whether the bill should also bar known abusers from adopting animals. SB 1422 passed after questions about “reasonable force” against drones and concerns about firearms use, with the sponsor saying the bill was meant to protect privacy and property rights. Additional measures reported favorably included SB 1268 updating Department of Law Enforcement statutes and increasing reimbursement for retired police dogs, CS for SB 1344 revising juvenile status-offender procedures, CS for SB 1252 creating a feasibility study for a statewide pawn data database, CS for SB 1386 increasing penalties for assault and battery on utility workers, CS for SB 1084 strengthening sexual cyber harassment laws for intimate and digitally forged images, CS for SB 1654 revising sex offender/predator registration and reporting rules, CS for SB 1650 expanding the vexatious litigant law, and CS for SB 1652 creating a public records exemption for stricken court filings. The final and most heavily debated bill, CS for SB 1284 on wrongful death of an unborn child, drew extensive testimony from supporters who framed it as recognizing unborn life and opponents who warned it could be used to harass abortion patients, providers, and supporters and could increase malpractice exposure; the sponsor said the bill would allow parents to recover damages while protecting mothers and lawful medical care. The transcript ends before the roll call on SB 1284 is completed, but the committee had already reported the other measures favorably by recorded votes, generally along party lines with broad support from members present.

Transcript Highlights:

• for a block grant because of what's been happening since January and also because of the natural disaster
• Mitigation in financial aid systems, real-time student data showing if a student Is disengaging or struggling
• Like I mentioned before, some examples include better fraud monitoring and mitigation in financial systems
• This will help mitigate hunger. And food insecurity issues that our classified staff are facing.

Transcript Highlights:

• of our IT findings or our reports, you'll see that we oftentimes look at incident management and disaster
• </c> look at Incident Management and Disaster look at Incident Management and Disaster Recovery<00:58
• We expect to remediate the four findings related to compliance with IT policies and disaster recovery
• </c><01:10:11.760><c> Recovery</c><01:10:12.320><c> by</c> with it policies in Disaster Recovery by with
• it policies in Disaster Recovery by the<01:10:12.560><c> end</c><01:10:12.760><c> of</c><01:10:12.960

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:54:03.599><c> and</c> safety emergency preparedness and safety emergency preparedness and Disaster
• Response</c><00:54:05.160><c> and</c><00:54:05.319><c> maintaining</c><00:54:05.839><c> our</c> Disaster
• Response and maintaining our Disaster Response and maintaining our Fleet<00:54:06.319><c> buildings<
• that and and I guess what point mitigate that and and I guess what point do<01:10:11.760><c> you</c>
• He said that previous to that they had seen the electric school bus program, mitigating climate change

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• also need to demonstrate that their town or city is getting ahead of the required planning for mitigation
• And we learned that mitigation and forward-reaching plans should be considered in master plans to address
• and for resilience and or for mitigation and for resilience and the<00:42:19.040><c> state</c><00:42
• ><c> and</c> we learned that mitigation and we learned that mitigation and forward-reaching<00:42:53.119
• Potential downstream savings, as improved planning can reduce future disaster repair costs for those

Committee: Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, the governor has talked about a housing bond, VMT mitigation.
• Housing body authority offer of cost effective way to mitigate VMT.
• Mitigation Program, our concerns center around potential impact that this could have on the existing
• or emerging regional VMT mitigation programs.
• And also competitive bid approach can mitigate public's perception of favoritism.

Transcript Highlights:

• We think communities throughout the state shouldn't necessarily need a disaster to implement smart policy
• Importantly, local jurisdictions maintain control over building code standards for wildfire risk mitigation
• and also for flood risk mitigation, with the amendments I am accepting today.
• related to specific materials or design features, such as solar and battery storage, wildfire risk mitigation
• And if speculative acquisition threatens vulnerable homeowners after a California disaster, shouldn't

Summary: The committee began without a quorum and first heard AB 748, which would create pre-approved housing plans for single-family homes and small multifamily projects under 10 units, with delayed implementation for smaller cities and counties. The author said the bill is modeled on the state’s ADU preapproval process and is intended to make housing approvals ministerial and faster. Support came from housing and business groups, while several cities opposed it. Senators raised concerns about local control and whether small or rural jurisdictions have the staff and infrastructure to implement the program, but the author emphasized that local agencies would still control the plans and land-use decisions. No vote was taken because there was no quorum. The committee then heard AB 1621, which would tighten timelines and accountability for post-entitlement permits, limit plan-check resubmittals, and restrict field changes unless needed for health and safety. The California Building Industry Association and many housing groups supported the bill, arguing that permitting delays raise costs and slow housing production. The League of California Cities, counties, and several local governments opposed it, saying the two-plan-check limit is too rigid and that the bill could create litigation risk and reduce local flexibility to ensure code compliance. Members debated the proper standard for additional review and whether the bill should allow exceptions for state mandates; the author said the bill was meant to stop endless back-and-forth while preserving health-and-safety exceptions. The bill was recommended for a due-pass motion to Appropriations when quorum is reached. AB 2748 was next, proposing a three-year delay in the new electric-vehicle readiness requirements for 100% affordable housing projects, keeping the older 40% standard during that period. The author and affordable housing advocates said the change would reduce costs and help scarce housing dollars go further, while opponents from environmental, transportation, and clean-energy groups argued the current code is already cost-effective and that the bill would create a double standard and reduce EV access for low-income residents. Senators discussed whether the bill should require additional EV-capable infrastructure if projects use the older standard, and several members said they supported the bill but urged continued work on amendments. The committee also heard AB 1732, which would expand CEQA streamlining to student housing projects at public universities and community colleges with long-range plans. The author and student housing advocates said campus housing shortages are driving student homelessness and that the bill would help projects move faster; some senators supported the concept but questioned the bill’s geographic limits and whether labor standards or rural-campus criteria might be too restrictive. The meeting also included AB 1738, which would require jurisdictions to offer virtual inspections for certain simple home inspections. Supporters said remote inspections save time and money and have been used safely in California, while one senator said she could not support virtual inspections for more complex items like roofs and solar work. No final votes were taken during the transcript, and several bills were held pending quorum or further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also need a market incentive to do the waste management and wildfire mitigation necessary to get biomass
• It's causing wildfires and natural disasters that are displacing millions of people, and it's sending
• Wildfires and natural disasters that are displacing millions of people, and it's sending the state's
• It's easy to forget that the Tesla factory was once a symbol for economic disaster and California's inability
• It's easy to forget that the Tesla factory was once a symbol for economic disaster and California's inability

Summary: The Select Committee on Economic Development and Technological Innovation held a hearing on California’s industrial policy and manufacturing competitiveness. In opening remarks, the chair and Senator Wahab emphasized manufacturing’s role in good jobs, climate leadership, and regional economic growth, while noting barriers such as regulatory uncertainty, energy costs, permitting delays, and the loss of manufacturing jobs over time. They highlighted California Jobs First, workforce development, and the need to keep innovation and manufacturing in-state rather than losing scale-up opportunities to other states. The first panel featured California Forward and the Center for Manufacturing a Green Economy, along with an industry representative. Witnesses argued that California needs a durable, regionally based economic development system with ongoing funding, stronger state coordination, and sector-specific industrial roadmaps. They focused on advanced manufacturing and clean industry, especially batteries, bioeconomy, offshore wind, and heat pumps, and said industrial policy should help bridge the “missing middle” between research and commercial production. The industry witness stressed that power reliability, time to power, and coordinated utility engagement are decisive in site selection, and that California must better align utilities, state agencies, universities, and labs to compete for major projects. Senator Niello raised concerns about California’s business climate, including regulations, labor laws, energy reliability, K–12 education outcomes, and the cost impacts of climate policy. Panelists responded that California can compete by improving coordination, packaging existing state resources, and targeting strategic industries rather than racing to the bottom on taxes or wages. The second panel, from labor organizations, supported a worker-led industrial policy with strong labor and environmental standards, public financing, procurement, and targeted support for manufacturing firms. They cited examples such as union apprenticeship pathways, revolving loan funds, and programs with labor standards, and argued that manufacturing jobs can support both climate goals and middle-class employment. The final panel began with Fremont city officials, who described Fremont as the state’s leading manufacturing city and a model of intentional local policy. They said the city has protected industrial land, streamlined support for manufacturers, and doubled its manufacturing technician workforce over the past decade. The hearing concluded with discussion of how state and local governments can better coordinate to attract and retain manufacturing investment, with members and witnesses agreeing that California has strong assets but needs more proactive, integrated economic development tools.