Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:07:05.639><c> on</c> the committee on the committee on ethics<00:07:08.120><c> a</c><00:07:08.280
• </c> prevails reports of standing committees prevails reports of standing committees and<00:09:18.680
• </c><00:37:03.480><c> on</c> re referred to the committee on re referred to the committee on elections
• </c><00:38:04.760><c> on</c> 1136 be recalled from the committee on 1136 be recalled from the committee
• all both committees and um chairs of all both committees and um they're<00:39:41.640><c> okay</c><00

Transcript Highlights:

• I hope that makes sense.
• It also, because it is a legislative process, it'll run through several committees, maybe die in a committee
• So I hope we can get there.
• So I have no idea how a committee, how we as a committee, could review any bill that was prepared pursuant
• Madam Chair, members of the committee.

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from its fourth meeting, held October 27-28 in Santa Fe, with Representative Duncan moving approval and no opposition. The chair then introduced a panel on the cost of providing medical care in New Mexico, focusing on physician shortages, rising practice costs, and access problems, especially in southern New Mexico and Las Cruces. Panelists included family physicians, a pediatrician, a cardiologist/electrophysiologist, and a community health center medical director, who described their backgrounds and practices before turning to the policy discussion. The doctors argued that New Mexico is losing physicians because of three main pressures: medical malpractice exposure, gross receipts tax on medical services, and low Medicaid reimbursement. They said malpractice premiums are much higher than in neighboring states, punitive damages and venue shopping increase risk, and the patient compensation fund and attorney fee structure create additional costs. They also described administrative burdens from insurance billing and referrals, the high debt and long training period for physicians, and the effect of corporate medicine and private equity on practice decisions. One panelist emphasized the economic impact of each physician on jobs and local spending, while another noted that shortages force patients into emergency rooms and delay specialty care. The panel presented a list of proposed solutions: reform punitive damages, limit venue shopping and stacking, restore lifetime medical payments from the patient compensation fund, enact apology protections, cap attorney fees, continue Medicaid funding improvements, and eliminate gross receipts tax on medical and dental services. Committee members generally agreed the presentation was thorough and useful, but several noted that some proposals fall outside this committee’s jurisdiction and would likely need to move through other committees, especially judiciary and tax. Some members supported drafting legislation or working on separate bills, while others urged caution, requested more input from hospitals and economists, and raised concerns about local government revenue impacts from GRT changes. The chair concluded by encouraging members to continue discussions offline and noted that the tax-related issue would be taken up further in the next day’s work.

Transcript Highlights:

• Committee Substitute Senate Bill 614.
• Committee Substitute House Bill 2525.
• Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1525.
• Committee Substitute Senate Bill 865.
• This came up in the committee.

Bills: HJR98 , HB142 , HB912 , HB2525 , SCR19 , SB66 , SB128 , SB209 , SB250 , SB317 , SB383 , SB393 , SB397 , SB517 , SB571 , SB612 , SB614 , SB715 , SB731 , SB801 , SB865 , SB867 , SB872 , SB905 , SB913 , SB945 , SB946 , SB986 , SB1013 , SB1015 , SB1071 , SB1086 , SB1087 , SB1113 , SB1117 , SB1181 , SB1212 , SB1241 , SB1250 , SB1263 , SB1278 , SB1285 , SB1444 , SB1483 , SB1525 , SB1528 , SB1553 , SB1556 , SB1588 , SB1660 , SB1708 , SB1802 , SB1833 , SB1844 , SB1854 , SB1957 , SB1965 , SB1999 , SB2056 , SB2082 , SB2119 , SB2133 , SB2138 , SB2203 , SB2221 , SB2337 , SB2340 , SB2373 , SB2419 , SB2422 , SB2452 , SB2477 , SB2487 , SB2501 , SB2533 , SB2586 , SB2587 , SB2615 , SB2622 , SB2633 , SB2675 , SB2681 , SB2690 , SB2713 , SB2717 , SB2753 , SB2781 , SB2782 , SB2835 , SB2841 , SB2857 , SB2891 , SB2929 , SB2933 , SB2994 , SB3016 , SJR3 , SB5 , SB29 , SB72 , SB326 , SB494 , SB509 , SB530 , SB616 , SB769 , SB783 , SB963 , SB985 , SB1143 , SB1172 , SB1238 , SB1267 , SB1271 , SB1273 , SB1506 , SB1759 , SB1786 , SB1967 , SB2312 , SB2361 , SB1 , SB260 , SB1506 , SB1637 , HJR98 , HJR99 , HJR2 , HJR1 , HB 1109 , HB1392 , HB22 , HB2525 , HB3093 , HB517 , HB912 , HB 1130 , HB142 , HB1689 , HB2018 , HB136 , HB2884 , HB1393 , HB2730 , HB1399 , HB 1244 , HB467 , HB331 , HB2559 , HB29 , HB26 , HB166 , HB353 , HB2000 , HB2756 , HB3248 , HB3513 , HB3204 , HB3135 , HB3012 , HB2763 , HB2523 , HB2457 , HB2415 , HB2198 , HB2143 , HB1708 , HB1672 , HB767 , HB1327 , HB2723 , HB451 , HB140 , HB 109 , HB3096 , HCR6 , HCR12 , HCR29 , HCR50 , HCR55 , HCR56 , HCR58 , HCR70 , HCR71 , HCR74 , HCR78 , HCR80 , HCR107 , HCR116 , HCR117 , SJR36 , SJR50 , SJR63 , SJR59 , SCR12 , SCR39 , SCR48 , SCR19 , SB2023 , SB1844 , SB2533 , SB62 , SB666 , SB847 , SB284 , SB854 , SB1073 , SB810 , SB1505 , SB583 , SB507 , SB1434 , SB1772 , SB2016 , SB1163 , SB1122 , SB731 , SB397 , SB508 , SB1436 , SB287 , SB261 , SB1882 , SB393 , SB1791 , SB209 , SB2429 , SB1999 , SB511 , SB2309 , SB510 , SB1085 , SB1975 , SB2717 , SB1262 , SB636 , SB2056 , SB884 , SB517 , SB1200 , SB1845 , SB2681 , SB2458 , SB801 , SB3014 , SB3013 , SB758 , SB1013 , SB2797 , SB2076 , SB2876 , SB2929 , SB715 , SB1640 , SB2538 , SB1449 , SB986 , SB1181 , SB1359 , SB410 , SB1234 , SB2926 , SB2138 , SB2615 , SB2972 , SB2841 , SB3016 , SB1856 , SB1528 , SB1373 , SB672 , SB2891 , SB1854 , SB317 , SB2539 , SB2532 , SB1250 , SB2082 , SB2203 , SB1285 , SB1454 , SB2520 , SB1237 , SB1586 , SB2819 , SB629 , SB2342 , SB2903 , SB2477 , SB3029 , SB1957 , SB375 , SB250 , SB777 , SB2367 , SB2703 , SB2608 , SB2965 , SB2521 , SB865 , SB2165 , SB2501 , SB2675 , SB2452 , SB2835 , SB872 , SB1212 , SB1278 , SB1588 , SB1602 , SB1704 , SB1723 , SB1833 , SB1858 , SB1946 , SB2009 , SB2177 , SB2460 , SB2785 , SB2373 , SB1660 , SB614 , SB867 , SB1608 , SB1525 , SB905 , SB640 , SB2487 , SB1698 , SB383 , SB705 , SB748 , SB1113 , SB1117 , SB1802 , SB2340 , SB2586 , SB2680 , SB2690 , SB2994 , SB2747 , SB1950 , SB913 , SB1071 , SB1086 , SB1087 , SB1483 , SB1444 , SB1553 , SB1556 , SB1703 , SB2133 , SB2297 , SB2298 , SB2622 , SB2955 , SB3059 , SB2782 , SB2781 , SB2637 , SB2633 , SB2337 , SB2334 , SB1861 , SB2043 , SB1367 , SB946 , SB945 , SB2857 , SB128 , SB571 , SB1263 , SB3058 , SB612 , SB2221 , SB2587 , SB2044 , SB2363 , SB2713 , SB2311 , SB1986 , SB2565 , SB2943 , SB1888 , SB2417 , SB3048 , SB3052 , SB3053 , SB3036 , SB3057 , SB3056 , SB3043 , SB3037 , SB3050 , SB3063 , SB3047 , SB3035 , SB2446 , SB466 , SB2611 , SB2794 , SB2105 , SB2017 , SB1790 , SB1778 , SB1730 , SB2995 , SB2847 , SB205 , SB2619 , SB1903 , SB203 , SB3061 , SB1581 , SB2600 , SB2799 , SB2790 , SB2688 , SB2515 , SB1230 , SB876 , SB2522 , SB2639 , SB2137 , SB2519 , SB2403 , SB2459 , SB3051 , SB2655 , SB2251 , SB2764 , SB2878 , SB1884 , SB111 , SB582 , SB2617 , SB1835 , SB2751 , SB2959 , SB250 , SB614 , SB865 , SB872 , SB905 , SB986 , SB1113 , SB1212 , SB1278 , SB1525 , SB1588 , SB1660 , SB1802 , SB1833 , SB2487 , SB2586 , SB2675 , SB2690 , SB2929 , HB912 , HB2525 , SB1844 , SB2533 , SB1957 , SB1999 , SB2138 , SB2615 , SB3016 , SR469 , SB29 , SB326 , SB494 , SB530 , SB769 , SB783 , SB1238 , SB1967 , SB2312 , SB1506 , HJR34 , HB42 , HB198 , HB247 , HB367 , HB449 , HB632 , HB668 , HB677 , HB766 , HB 1105 , HB 1160 , HB 1169 , HB1592 , HB1778 , HB1781 , HB1868 , HB2017 , HB2038 , HB2128 , HB2240 , HB2316 , HB2510 , HB2516 , HB2563 , HB2582 , HB2663 , HB2712 , HB2715 , HB2760 , HB2788 , HB3010 , HB3069 , HB3112 , HB3120 , HB3146 , HB3157 , HB3305 , HB3348 , HB3464 , HB3474 , HB3505 , HB3512 , HB3560 , HB3597 , HB3686 , HB3783 , HB3860 , HB4063 , HB4081 , HB4214 , HB4215 , HB4224 , HB4273 , HB4325 , HB4361 , HB4386 , HB4395 , HB4665 , HB4783 , HB5032 , HB5180 , HJR34 , HB42 , HB198 , HB247 , HB367 , HB449 , HB632 , HB668 , HB677 , HB766 , HB 1105 , HB 1160 , HB 1169 , HB1592 , HB1778 , HB1781 , HB1868 , HB2017 , HB2038 , HB2128 , HB2240 , HB2316 , HB2510 , HB2516 , HB2563 , HB2582 , HB2663 , HB2712 , HB2715 , HB2760 , HB2788 , HB3010 , HB3069 , HB3112 , HB3120 , HB3146 , HB3157 , HB3305 , HB3348 , HB3464 , HB3474 , HB3505 , HB3512 , HB3560 , HB3597 , HB3686 , HB3783 , HB3860 , HB4063 , HB4081 , HB4214 , HB4215 , HB4224 , HB4273 , HB4325 , HB4361 , HB4386 , HB4395 , HB4665 , HB4783 , HB5032 , HB5180

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, heard an invocation, adopted the prior day’s journal, received House messages, and adopted several resolutions and recognitions, including Senate Resolution 496 honoring Leadership Garland and resolutions 503 and 504. The chamber also recognized guests, including a North Dakota senator and the Doctor of the Day, and received gubernatorial nominations for the Texas Economic Development Corporation Board and the Nueces River Authority Board. The Senate then took up and passed a series of bills, often by suspending the regular order and the constitutional three-day rule. Measures approved included SB 614 on Texas Forensic Science Commission referrals to the Office of Capital and Forensic Writs; SB 250 on municipal annexation across railroad rights-of-way; SB 1660 on toxicological evidence retention and destruction procedures; SB 2586 requiring property owners associations to file governing documents with the Texas Real Estate Commission; SB 1588 increasing penalties for certain failures to report child sexual abuse; HB 912 on compensation for distributed renewable generation outside ERCOT; SB 1957 setting eligibility standards for civilian oversight boards; HB 2525 clarifying a charitable property tax exemption; SB 1525 limiting repeated prior authorization for neurodegenerative disease drugs; SB 865 requiring CPR/AED training and cardiac emergency response planning in schools; SB 1212 elevating human trafficking penalties; SB 2690 on solicitations for Secretary of State documents; SB 1802 on landlord repair duties for ramps, elevators, and handrails; SB 905 on licensing rules for speech-language pathologists and audiologists; SB 2929 allowing removal of disruptive spectators at school athletic events; SB 2675 creating a narrow McAllen-specific parkland conveyance exception; SB 872 increasing punishment for burglary of a vehicle involving firearm theft; and SB 1113 clarifying sales rules for certain converter-license holders. Several bills drew extended debate. SB 2487, dealing with crisis and mental health services for homelessness, was amended to make the county model permissive rather than mandatory and to remove state funding/assistance requirements before passing 28-3. SB 2138, barring higher education funds from contracting with firms that boycott fossil fuels through ESG policies, also passed after questions about fiscal effects and First Amendment concerns. SB 2615, restricting remote work at public institutions of higher education, advanced 22-9. The Senate also began consideration of SB 3016, which would expand enforcement tools against local governments that fail to comply with state law, but the transcript cuts off before action on that bill is completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Should an author agree to committee amendment? Bills have recommended committee amendments.
• Good morning, committee members.
• Good morning, committee members. I'm Pamela Flick.
• I hope we get there.
• Good morning, Chair and committee members.

Summary: The committee heard SB 1135, which would reestablish the California Wildlife Coexistence Program to reduce human-wildlife conflict through nonlethal strategies such as deterrents, conflict reporting, and outreach. The author and supporters said the program had been effective but lost funding in 2024, and they argued it would help communities, ranchers, and wildlife by preventing conflicts before they escalate. Support came from conservation, animal welfare, local government, and county groups, while the California Cattlemen’s Association and California Farm Bureau opposed unless amended, saying the bill needed clearer limits on when nonlethal measures are practicable and protections so compensation funds for livestock losses are not reduced. Members discussed wolf-livestock conflicts, compensation, and the need for continued collaboration. The committee voted 2-0 on call to send the bill to Appropriations. The committee then heard SB 1085, which would preserve water supply assessments for large housing and development projects even when those projects are exempt from CEQA. The author and sponsor EBMUD said the bill is needed to keep water planning tied to land-use planning and avoid “paper water” problems, especially as climate and drought conditions worsen. Supporters included water agencies, environmental groups, labor, and local governments. The California Building Industry Association opposed the bill, arguing that current law already requires verified water supplies, that the bill could add unnecessary process and litigation risk, and that it could slow housing production. Members raised concerns about duplication in cities that also operate their own water systems, but the author said the goal was better coordination, not more bureaucracy. The committee voted 4-1 on call to send the bill to Local Government. The committee also heard SB 1270, which would expand the state wildfire mitigation home-hardening pilot to the top 10 counties by wildfire risk and social vulnerability, adding Riverside, Calaveras, Los Angeles, and Tehama counties and prioritizing future funds for those areas. The author said the bill responds to recent destructive fires and aims to extend home-hardening assistance to more high-risk communities. There was no opposition, and members discussed how to scale funding, whether the program should be broader than the listed counties, and how to focus on cost-effective mitigation. The committee voted 5-0 on call to send the bill to Emergency Management. Finally, the committee heard SB 895, a major science funding measure that would place a $23 billion bond on the ballot and create a California Foundation for Science and Health Research to support research in the state. The author and supporters said California’s research sector is a major economic engine and that federal funding cuts and instability threaten jobs, talent retention, and scientific progress. There was broad support from UC, CSU, labor, health, and research organizations, with no formal opposition. Some members raised concerns about the role of sponsoring unions and the potential for politicization, but the author said the new foundation would operate under California law and that the measure is meant to protect science funding and collaboration. The committee discussion continued, but the transcript excerpt ends before a final vote on SB 895.

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, as the Committee Secretary for the Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism Committee, Tabitha
• Who has served as the Committee Secretary for the Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism Committee.
• committee work.
• Many of us who have chaired committees know that it is the committee staff that keeps our hearings on
• I hope you see the members of this Legislative Black Caucus, and I hope you know that the biggest state

Transcript Highlights:

• Should an author agree to committee amendment? Bills have recommended committee amendments.
• Good morning, committee members. I'm Pamela Flick.
• Good morning, committee members. I'm Pamela Flick.
• I hope we get there.
• Good morning, Chair and committee members.

Committee: Senate Natural Resources and Water

Transcript Highlights:

• I hope I've made them proud.
• Speaker, your Committee on Fiscal Review, to a first Senate substitute, Senate Committee Substitute to
• Committee Substitute, House Committee Substitute House Bill 1840, begs leave to report...
• Speaker, your Committee on Physical Review to its deferred House Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1019
• Substitute for House Committee Substitute for House Committee Substitute for House Committee Substitute

Transcript Highlights:

• The committee is at ease.
• The committee is going to take a 20 minute break, returning at 8:50. The committee is at ease.
• So I am hopeful the committee will be supporting me in this amendment tonight.
• So I am hopeful the committee will be supporting me in this amendment tonight.
• I am grateful to all the members of this committee and all the members of this committee.

Bills: HB2289

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: appropriations, budget, fiscal matters, state spending, general fund, supplemental budget, biennial budget, substitute bill, public defense, civil legal aid, courts, judicial branch, homelessness, supportive housing, affordable housing, behavioral health, juvenile rehabilitation, youth services, child welfare, foster care

Transcript Highlights:

• I hope so, I hope so, because those of us who have been here before know this is how it starts.
• And I hope, I hope when we all go and we We advocate to come back to this place for another term if you
• I hope you believe it. I hope you believe that people really got sick and many of them died.
• I hope that people understand that.
• of the Environment Committee, Steve Bannon.

Transcript Highlights:

• Committee questions.
• So, committee, I was hoping that I was going to get an opportunity to come in today to address HB 96
• So you’re impugning the character of committee members. Stop. Not on the committee.
• And I hope we do that and I hope we sustain them.
• I would hope.

Committee: House Judiciary, Rules and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• What I hope to have members understand by the end of the committee today is if the state is accomplishing
• What I hope to have members understand by the end of the committee today is if the state is accomplishing
• What I hope to have members understand by the end of the committee today is if the state is accomplishing
• <00:02:11.039><c> if</c> committee if committee if possible<00:02:13.160><c> what</c><00:02:13.319><c
• Welcome to the committee.

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the committee. Excellent. Welcome to the committee.
• She hoped the committee would work with the city as it considers legislation in this session.
• that we can work with you in and we hope that we can work with you in the<00:25:05.000><c> committee
• </c> committee. Please describe your bill. committee. Please describe your bill.
• </c> members of the committee. members of the committee.

Committee: House Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• Committee Substitute, for Committee Substitute, for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1742, a bill
• So our hope goes up and our hope goes down.
• President, and I'm anticipating and assuming and hoping, because we had this in our first committee that
• Committee Substitute. Committee Substitute. Bill.
• Substitute for Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Committee

Summary: The Florida Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including interns, Denim Day awareness for sexual assault survivors, a resolution honoring Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and a memorial proclamation for former Senator Karen Johnson Gendron. The chamber then moved to special-order bills, with senators also briefly discussing the session’s pace and thanking staff and colleagues for their work. The first major bill, on driving and boating offenses, was amended and passed 37-0. As amended, it increases penalties for repeat DUI/BUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide/vessel homicide offenses, and adds notice requirements and misdemeanor penalties for refusing lawful breath or urine tests. Senators also passed SB 306 on Medicaid providers 37-0, requiring Medicaid managed care plans to offer more after-hours and holiday access and ensuring more primary care appointment availability outside regular business hours. The Senate then passed a major condominium and cooperative associations bill, also 37-0, after extensive debate and multiple amendments. The measure extends deadlines for structural integrity reserve studies, adds flexibility for reserve funding and budgeting, tightens rules for managers and inspectors, limits certain requirements to buildings of three or more habitable stories, and extends the rescission period for condo purchases. Senators from both parties praised the bill’s sponsors for years of work responding to post-Surfside safety and affordability concerns. The longest and most contentious item was SB 7016/HB 1205 on constitutional amendment petition procedures. Sponsors said the bill responds to fraud and abuse in the citizen initiative process by tightening circulator rules, requiring faster submission of signed petitions, adding voter notification, increasing penalties, and shifting costs to sponsors. Opponents argued it would burden volunteers and make it harder for citizens to qualify initiatives. The chamber adopted a series of amendments, including changes to the petition-circulator threshold, volunteer protections, submission timing, invalid-signature investigation thresholds, and notice/cure provisions, while debate continued over whether the overall package would protect election integrity or suppress citizen-led amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the Committee of Appropriations. We are officially in order.
• I'm the research analyst for the Committee on Land, Agriculture, Rural Affairs, and the Committee on
• Chairman, committee members, for hearing this bill.
• I think other members of this committee have run this bill.
• And they're hoping by November that Prop. 1-2-3 is extended.

Committee: House House Appropriations Committee of Reference

Summary: The Committee of Appropriations met on January 21, 2026, and first considered House Bill 2116, which would appropriate $1 million in fiscal year 2027 to the Colorado River Litigation Fund. The sponsor and Arizona Department of Water Resources both supported the bill, describing it as a backup measure to protect Arizona’s Colorado River entitlements if post-2026 negotiations among the basin states fail. Members discussed how the bill relates to the governor’s separate Colorado River Protection Fund proposal, and staff clarified the two funds serve different purposes. The committee approved HB 2116 on a 17-1 roll call vote. The committee then took up House Bill 2053, which would provide $100,000 for updated stormwater recharge mapping and expand the work beyond state trust lands to private lands. An amendment in the chair’s name was adopted to extend the coordination timeline, broaden the agencies involved, and revise language about mapped sites and appropriable surface water. The sponsor said the bill is intended to identify more places to capture stormwater for recharge rather than letting most rainfall evaporate. ADWR testified neutrally, supporting the mapping effort but raising a concern about language that could be read as requiring the department to determine whether water is appropriable, which it said is a legal question for the courts. The amended bill passed 11-7. House Bill 2148, as amended, was then heard and approved 11-7. The bill would give the legislature authority to appropriate non-custodial federal monies and set requirements for those appropriations. The chair’s amendment excluded federal research grants to universities, university employees, and the Arizona Board of Regents. The sponsor framed the bill as a transparency measure, saying the legislature should know how federal funds are being spent. No outside testimony was offered, and the committee approved the measure after debate about legislative oversight of federal funds. After the bills, the committee received a lengthy JLBC presentation comparing the executive budget with the JLBC baseline. Discussion focused on revenue forecasts, tax conformity, sports betting, lottery and tourism revenue assumptions, SNAP administrative costs and error-rate penalties, developmental disability and Access caseload growth, and K-12 enrollment and ESA spending. Members repeatedly questioned the executive budget’s use of one-time funding for ongoing costs, especially for SNAP administration and DES staffing, and expressed concern about rising supplemental needs and the lack of long-term budget capacity. No votes were taken on the presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Chair Hurtado and committee members.
• We hope to have it done soon, and we hope to be able to move as quickly as we can because we can't afford
• I hope to I hope today just to humanize a little bit about how we do business and why we are so incredibly
• Thank you, Chair Hurtado, and committee members.
• Questions from committee members? No. Okay.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview from Go-Biz Director D.D. Myers on the administration’s economic development strategy, centered on the California Jobs First framework. Myers described regional planning across 13 regions, the Jobs First Council, and pilot sectors including ag-tech, space and defense, life sciences, and semiconductors. She also outlined budget requests for CalCompetes, CalExport, the California Film Commission, innovation/emerging technologies, and the California Civic Media Fund, along with the new California brand campaign. Committee members raised questions about misinformation about California, regulatory burdens, tourism versus broader economic messaging, and how the brand campaign would highlight underrepresented communities. No vote was taken; the item was informational. The committee then reviewed CalOSBA’s work on small business support, including California RISE, the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, and TAP/SIP technical assistance and capital infusion programs. CalOSBA reported that California RISE’s first cohort awarded $16.9 million to 61 employment social enterprises, with growth in revenue, contracts, and jobs; the performing arts payroll fund paid all 100 recipients but was heavily oversubscribed; and TAP supported more than 112,000 businesses in the past year, helping leverage federal and local funds. Testimony from program partners emphasized the importance of small business counseling, community-based outreach, and support for arts organizations facing post-pandemic and AB 5-related cost pressures. Senators pressed for more data on long-term job retention, better outreach to smaller and ethnic media, and possible program changes to speed grants and stretch funding further. Finally, the committee heard Go-Biz’s request for additional staff and funding for the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program. Staff said the request would support application review, DEIA implementation, and data tracking. The Film Commission reported that about 147 productions had been approved and roughly 90% were opting into the new diversity provisions, with career pathways reporting to include demographic and participation data and a future report expected in 2027. Senators asked about accountability, apprenticeship and internship hours, and whether the program was producing real career pathways and inclusive hiring outcomes. The item remained informational, with no vote or action taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, I hope to have the favorable support of the committee, and... ...bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
• I hope to have the favorable support of the committee and without a close. Okay.
• Thank you, committee members. Okay.
• Thank you, committee. All right.
• I thank the committee for your consideration and your support, and I hope we get your yes vote.

Summary: The Criminal Justice Subcommittee heard and advanced a series of bills on inmate medical billing, court-order transmission, animal abandonment during disasters, first responder peer support, firearm purchase waiting periods, capital felony aggravators, domestic violence protections, boating safety, restitution for leaving the scene of a crash, xylazine trafficking, and offenses against law enforcement officers. Testimony was generally supportive across the agenda, with some opposition or caution raised on the xylazine bill, the boating safety bill, and parts of the law-enforcement-officer bill. Several measures were presented as responses to specific tragedies, including the Martin County jail medical billing bill, the Baker Act transmission bill, Trooper’s Law for restrained dogs, the Jason Rayner Act, and Lucy’s Law. HB 407 would cap certain emergency medical charges for Martin County jail inmates at 110% of Medicare rates, mirroring Department of Corrections practice; it passed 15-0. HB 513 would require faster electronic transmission of certain court orders, including Baker Act orders, to law enforcement within six hours; it passed 15-0. HB 205, Trooper’s Law, creates a third-degree felony for abandoning a restrained dog during a natural disaster; it passed 15-0. HB 421, as amended, expands peer support for first responders to certain support personnel involved in crime scene work or evidence handling; it passed 16-0. PCS for HB 383 would let law enforcement, correctional officers, correctional probation officers, and active military service members bypass the three-day handgun waiting period without a concealed carry permit; it passed 18-0. HB 693 adds an aggravating factor in capital cases when the victim was gathered with others for a school, religious, or public government meeting; it passed 17-1 after opposition testimony from Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. PCS for HB 19 and HB 41, the Haven Act, would expand domestic and dating violence protections, including a feasibility study for a web-based 911 alert system and confidentiality/public-records protections for victims; both passed 18-0. PCS for HB 289, Lucy’s Law, would align boating penalties with driving offenses and expand boating safety card requirements; it passed 18-0 despite concerns from one witness that the bill should go further. HB 479 would allow courts to order restitution in leaving-the-scene property-damage cases; an amendment changing mandatory to discretionary restitution was adopted, and the bill passed 18-0. PCS for HB 57 would regulate xylazine, add trafficking penalties, and include veterinary-use exceptions; it passed 17-0 after one witness opposed mandatory minimums. HB 175, the Jason Rayner Act, clarifies that officers are protected when acting within the scope of their duties and adds manslaughter of a law enforcement officer to offenses requiring life imprisonment; it passed 17-0 after debate over self-defense and unlawful police conduct.

Transcript Highlights:

• This committee, the joint Ways and Means Committee, is called to order.
• And thanks for letting us crash your committee hearing.
• That's not what this committee hearing is about.
• We frankly did that, hoping that we would have a lot more yes votes in this committee and on the floor
• here on the tax policy: the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee... ...on

Summary: The joint House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees met to hear identical Arizona tax conformity bills, HB 2153 and SB 1106, which would conform state tax law to the federal Internal Revenue Code as of Jan. 1, 2026, with some provisions applied retroactively to tax year 2025. Staff explained that the bills exclude the federal senior deduction for those 65 and older, the higher state and local tax deduction, and the new car loan interest deduction, while including a $6,000 retirement-income deduction for taxpayers 60 and older, a $6,000 Roth IRA contribution deduction, a higher dependent tax credit, and a deduction for child and dependent care expenses above the federal credit. The JLBC fiscal note estimated a $441.3 million general fund revenue loss in FY 2026, and members discussed that this was roughly the same as full conformity because the bill’s adjustments offset some of the federal changes. Bill sponsors and supporters argued the measure should be enacted early to give taxpayers and tax preparers certainty before filing season, noting that the Department of Revenue had already issued forms assuming conformity and that delay could force amended returns. They said the bill reflects a negotiated package that preserves most of the federal tax relief while tailoring it for Arizona, especially by lowering the senior deduction age to 60 and replacing the auto loan deduction with family-focused provisions such as the higher child credit and child care deduction. The Arizona Society of CPAs and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club supported the bills, emphasizing the need for early conformity and fewer filing complications. Opponents, including Save Our Schools Arizona, the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, Opportunity Arizona, and several individuals, argued the package would reduce state revenue, worsen the structural deficit, and mainly benefit higher-income taxpayers and corporations. Some witnesses criticized the inclusion of federal school-choice-related provisions and warned about uncertainty around future federal guidance, while others said the bill should not move ahead before the budget process. Members also debated whether taxpayers would need to file amended returns if the state later diverged from the Department of Revenue forms, and whether the senior and child care provisions were targeted or equitable. The transcript ends during public testimony, with no final committee vote or action shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair Knorr, members of the committee.
• Chair, members of the committee.
• I hope, and our members hope, that as we continue to work toward a final budget solution, these proposals
• Therefore, we urge this committee and members of this committee to support this initiative.
• Chair, members of the committee.

Bills: HF2434

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, this A3 amendment is a bill that we talked about, um, in committee that I think is an important one
• So, um, but it's probably a better conversation for elections committee.
• </c><00:04:58.600><c> I've</c><00:04:58.720><c> had</c><00:04:58.840><c> a</c> for elections committee
• I've had a for elections committee I've had a conversation<00:04:59.400><c> with</c><00:04:59.720><c
• This amendment also—we had a good discussion about it in committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• My hope is, together, we can bring change.
• And so the question I hope that you will answer in your close is, is ...And so the question I hope that
• Thank you, Chair and committee.
• Thank you, committee members.
• I hope today, because I hope that this bill passes today, and I hope that the folks in Walton County

Summary: The committee first took up CS for Senate Bill 304, which would address child protective investigations involving children with certain genetic or medical conditions that can mimic signs of abuse. Senator Sharif and several family members and advocates described cases in which children were removed after injuries were initially misread as abuse, and argued the bill would give parents more opportunity to obtain qualified medical opinions. The committee adopted a substitute amendment that removed language imposing analysis duties on certain medical professionals, then passed the bill favorably after testimony in support from the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and several affected families. The committee then considered SB 1430 on post-judgment execution proceedings for terrorism victims, SB 96 on relief for Jacob Rogers, SB 382 on affordable housing rent agreements, SB 4 and SB 6 on claims bills for Patricia Armini and Jose Correa, SB 1142 on release of conservation easements, SB 658 on waiver or release of liens, SB 28 and SB 30 on claims involving South Broward Hospital District and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, SB 24 on relief for Mandy Penny Lemon, SB 72 on campaign funds for child care expenses, and SB 1622 on recreational customary use of beaches. Most of these bills were explained by their sponsors as narrow relief or technical measures, and the committee heard a mix of support and opposition from claimants, local governments, industry groups, and advocacy organizations. Several bills drew substantive debate. On SB 382, members discussed rent stability and whether the bill should better address lease language and future rent increases; the amendment and bill were both reported favorably. On SB 1142, members raised concerns about environmental and drainage impacts and whether releases of conservation easements should be mandatory or discretionary, but the bill still passed favorably. On SB 72, members questioned the scope of allowable campaign child care expenses and the need for stronger guardrails against abuse; the bill nevertheless passed favorably. On SB 1622, testimony sharply divided between supporters of restoring public beach access and opponents defending private property rights; debate continued when the transcript ended, so no final vote on that bill is reflected here.