Transcript Highlights:

• I guess this is a matter of statutory I guess this is a matter of statutory interpretation,<00:23
• Um, this is reviewing the medical conditions is the number one statutory job of the TCO.
• statutory job of the TCO. statutory job of the TCO.
• <04:34:47.920> scheme the electricians board statutory scheme the electricians board statutory
• So it's no longer uh statutory scheme.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's because they prefer the rule promulgation process over statutory changes.
• considerably more time to implement our new building codes here in Michigan, we elected to go through a statutory
• It's because they prefer the rule promulgation process over statutory changes.
• legislation has the sun setting provision that once Laura, should they promulgate rules to allow this, the statutory
• considerable more time to implement our new building codes here in Michigan, we elected to go through a statutory

Summary: The Senate Committee on Housing and Human Services met with a quorum, adopted the June 16, 2026 minutes, and then unanimously adopted S-1 substitutes for House Bills 5570 and 5571. The chair said the committee would take testimony and likely not move to final passage that day, in order to allow more discussion and questions. The bills, as substituted, would allow local governments to permit certain multifamily buildings up to four stories to be built or converted with a single staircase, subject to conditions such as limits on units per floor, floor size, and existing fire safety requirements. A sunset provision was described as ending the statute once LARA adopts corresponding building code rules. Representatives Fairbairn and Wooden testified in support, saying the bills are intended to address Michigan’s housing shortage by making smaller infill and “missing middle” projects more feasible and less costly. They argued the current two-stair requirement drives up costs, makes land assembly harder, and limits development on narrow or irregular lots. Senators asked about stair width, emergency safety, the choice of four stories instead of six, and why the American Institute of Architects opposed the approach; the sponsors said the 48-inch stair width was intended to allow two-way movement, four stories was a compromise aligned with expected code changes, and the architects preferred rulemaking over statutory change. Supportive testimony came from Pew Charitable Trusts, which said research from New York City, Seattle, and other places found fire death rates in modern single-stair buildings to be indistinguishable from other multifamily buildings, and that modern safety features such as sprinklers, alarms, and fire-rated construction make these buildings safe. A developer from Ann Arbor and the Michigan Home Builders Association said the reform would improve floor-plan efficiency, reduce wasted circulation space, lower construction costs, and help smaller projects pencil out. Abundant Housing Michigan also supported the bills, estimating they could reduce apartment construction costs by nearly 13%. The clerk read in numerous written cards in support from business, housing, municipal, and advocacy groups, while the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs and the Michigan Professional Firefighters Union were listed as neutral. The committee adjourned without further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• framework, emphasizing science and Of course, literacy is extremely large right now, and the rebook and statutory
• We will advance CEQA and OEQA statutory cleanups and make sure all that's right.
• disciplined fiscal management by absorbing new responsibilities where possible, scaling staffing to meet statutory
• absorption, process improvements, and efficiency This vacancy management strategy allows OEQA to meet statutory
• First, OEQA consistently uses appropriated funds to support ongoing statutory responsibilities. rather

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Resolve that the speaker makes the following joint statutory committee appointments.
• Oh, I'm sorry. >> Resolve that the speaker makes the following joint statutory committee appointments
• gt;> Resolve that the speaker makes the following<00:03:15.440> joint<00:03:15.680> statutory
• <00:03:16.239> committee following joint statutory committee following joint statutory committee

Keywords: House streaming session for Thursday, January 22, 2026, 957, house, all

Summary: The House met in session with 127 members initially present, opened with prayer and the journal reading, and then took up introductory business. House Bills 394 through 444 were read the first time and referred to the appropriate committees, and Introductory House Bond Initiatives Number Two was referred to Appropriations. The Speaker also announced and the House adopted appointments to the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics and the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee. Most of the meeting consisted of committee and delegation announcements. Appropriations, Environment and Transportation, Health, Judiciary, and Ways and Means all announced briefings later that day, while several other committees said they would not meet. Delegations from Frederick, Anne Arundel, the Eastern Shore, Prince George’s, Montgomery, Charles, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Southern Maryland announced upcoming meetings, many by Zoom. A Montgomery County delegate also announced a Public Safety and Administration Subcommittee briefing on the Department of Social and Economic Mobility. The floor included multiple guest and caucus recognitions. The Women’s Caucus promoted a service drive for hygiene, baby, and women’s products for the YMCA Druid Hill pantry, and the Legislative Black Caucus announced new leadership, with Chair N. Scott Phillips and Senate Vice Chair Shaneka Henson. The House welcomed visitors for Maryland Bankers Association Day, Transportation Association of Maryland advocacy day, the Maryland chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies, CPA Day, and sportsmen and sportswomen day, along with student visitors and a guest of a Prince George’s County delegate. No substantive debate or recorded votes occurred beyond the adoption of committee appointments, and the House adjourned until Friday, January 23 at 11:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and Senator, they will have the statutory right to appeal even if that statute that you're referring
• to 3911, I think it is, isn't referred to it as long as the statute itself provides a statutory right
• OK, what, what's the Supreme Court 1074, and that is the right to an appeal when there is a statutory
• 1994, 31 years ago, Attorney General Tom Udall wrote, No state agency has the express or implied statutory
• This bill has no statutory basis under the law and is unconstitutional.

Transcript Highlights:

• yes they also have a statutory yes they also have a statutory responsibility<03:23:02.279> so
• <03:54:17.640> changes changes yes the statutory changes changes yes the statutory changes
• uh there might need to be a statutory uh there might need to be a statutory Amendment<05:20:55.040
• My fees are $25; that's statutory.
• There, it's a statutory fee. Oh, I see.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first reviewed House Bill 1, focusing on the legislative branch budget, especially the Senate and House lines. Members discussed that the Senate’s fiscal year 2025 adjusted authorized amount was higher than 2024 actual spending, largely due to personnel, benefits, and travel, and one member proposed a $500,000 annual cut. Staff explained that any reduction would need to be allocated across specific line items such as personnel, benefits, and travel, and noted that the Senate budget is entirely General Funds. After discussion of how the adjusted authorized figures were calculated and why the branch no longer staffs some joint committees as it once did, the committee moved on without taking a vote on that section. The committee then heard a detailed presentation from the New Hampshire Retirement System. NHRS officials described their statutory administrative budget, which is funded through the retirement trust rather than the General Fund, and said the FY 2026-2027 increase is driven by IT modernization, cybersecurity, a new strategic plan, and additional staff positions. They also reviewed the system’s funding progress, clean audit opinions, investment performance, and changes to asset allocation, while noting that several recent pension-related laws required major database changes. Members questioned the large increase in salaries and benefits, the need for new employees versus contractors, the purpose of training costs, and the source of the Group Two benefit funding. NHRS said the governor’s budget includes General Funds for Group Two benefit changes, with $5 million in FY 2026 and $27.9 million in FY 2027, and that the figures reflect the governor’s recommendation and related HB 2 provisions. Committee members also asked about employer and employee contribution rates for Group Two police and fire members, which NHRS said were not included in the budget document but were about 31.2% for police and 30.35% for fire, with employee shares around 11.55% and 11.8%. The committee did not make a decision on the NHRS budget during this exchange and indicated it would review the details further before returning to it later. The committee then heard from the Community Development Finance Authority on the State Treasury Department budget line for the required state match to administer the federal Community Development Block Grant program. CDFA explained that its $280,000 annual request for FY 2026 and FY 2027, totaling $560,000, supports administration, technical assistance, contracting, and monitoring of roughly $19 million in annual federal CDBG funds. Members asked about the leverage of the state match, oversight of projects, staffing, and grant prioritization. CDFA said it has 18 employees, uses public hearings and a scoring system to prioritize awards, and conducts both desk and on-site monitoring, with annual audits to ensure compliance. No vote was taken on the CDFA item in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• uh approached its launch in a very novel way in that we are preemptively uh uh uh bringing some statutory
• novel way in that we are preemptively uh uh uh bringing<00:03:26.000> some<00:03:26.600> statutory
• <00:03:27.280> changes<00:03:27.920> to<00:03:28.280> how bringing some statutory
• changes to how bringing some statutory changes to how those<00:03:29.080> dollars<00:03:29.519

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 3426, the annual LCCMR appropriation bill funding projects from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF), which is supported by state lottery proceeds and does not affect the general fund. The bill was described as containing 108 appropriations totaling $102.036 million, including 11 extensions of prior appropriations, and a new community grants program funded at $28.18 million under the constitutional limit. The author noted the bill is the second year of funding after the 2024 voter-approved amendment renewing the ENRTF and community grants program. Members discussed the bill’s scope and purpose, including projects for scientific research, PFAS mitigation and testing, rapid testing for chronic wasting disease, parks and trails, outdoor recreation, and solid waste/recycling innovation. Co-Chair Heintzeman said the bill had involved many conversations, thanked the author for working with the caucus, and noted that a missing project issue had been addressed to improve the bill’s path forward. He also said statutory changes were being made to the community grants program to reduce fraud risk and incorporate suggestions from the Office of the Legislative Auditor. Co-Chair Koznick asked about whether lottery-funded ENRTF dollars had ever been considered for proportional returns to districts, but the author said he was not aware of such discussions and emphasized that the fund benefits all Minnesotans through projects across the state. After no further questions, the chair renewed the motion to recommend House File 3426 for placement on the general register, and the committee approved it by voice vote with no opposition recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• they committees that are statutory members and other people?
• We have 24 statutory members Hampshire.
• They're always not statutory members.
• committees composed of the statutory committees composed of the statutory members<01:22:15.360><
• > each There's statutory members on each There's statutory members on each committee<01:22:24.480

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met with DHS Chief Financial Officer Nathan White to receive an update on the department’s budget lapse and vacancy rates. White explained the difference between the “back-of-the-budget” reduction and lapse assumptions, saying DHS is facing a current biennium reduction of about $23 million and estimating roughly a $60 million general fund lapse in state fiscal year 2025, compared with about $13.5 million the prior year. He said DHS’s lapse is driven largely by program utilization, labor market conditions, contract spending, and statutory carry-forwards in areas such as Medicaid and developmental disabilities, which tend to produce a smaller lapse in the first year of the biennium and a larger one in the second year. He also noted that the House and Senate budgets differ on some operating items, including Medicaid rates, with the Senate having struck a House proposal to reduce rates by 3%. Members questioned White about whether DHS ever spends down lapse money on last-minute purchases. He said the department does not engage in that practice, though it does retain some flexibility in its facilities budget for emergencies. He also described the process for transferring funds within and between class lines, including the need for fiscal committee approval above statutory thresholds, and gave examples such as moving funds to cover overtime in the SYSC budget and to ensure Medicaid payments for nursing facilities. White said such transfers are public and transparent and are reviewed by the governor and Executive Council. The committee then discussed DHS staffing. White said the department has a little over 3,200 authorized positions, with a vacancy rate around 14.5%, and that a hiring freeze had been imposed a few months earlier while exempting direct care positions. He said DHS is planning for about a $30 million general fund reduction to personnel, equivalent to just under 400 positions, and is managing postings centrally to stay within budget by July 1. In response to questions about the loss of about $80 million in federal funds, White and Associate Commissioner Patricia Tilly said DHS avoided layoffs by shifting staff into vacant positions, but that the cuts affected community contracts, public health workers, laboratory work, and some IT/data projects. Tilly said roughly 20 positions were affected, most were reassigned, a few staff left voluntarily, and the department has less flexibility going forward if more federal funding ends.

Transcript Highlights:

• But in that interim, when there isn't anybody there, do you know if there's a statutory provision for
• No. statutory provision for someone to act statutory provision for someone to act >> in<00:26:18.400
• power to engage in possess the statutory power to engage in election<00:29:24.480> activity.
• And the clear statutory guidance that you do not have to prove that you are actually innocent but that
• If the victim's claim is successful, they may recover statutory damages of $10,000 at a minimum and,

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 1552, which would make the attorney general the interim chief election officer if that office becomes vacant until the Elections Commission appoints a replacement. The Department of the Attorney General opposed the bill, saying it could create a conflict of interest if the attorney general were both the state’s lawyer and the chief elections officer in any related litigation. The League of Women Voters supported having some interim backup for the office, but said it was not necessarily advocating that the attorney general fill the role. Several other testifiers, including the Hawaiian Islands Republican Women, opposed the bill, arguing the current law already provides for a prompt commission appointment and warning about partisan bias and concentration of power. Supporters, including Indivisible Hawaii, said an interim mechanism is needed to ensure election certification in a crisis. The chair also asked whether any statutory acting capacity already exists, and the attorney general said none was known. The committee then took up House Bill 2125, which would bar corporations operating under state law from engaging in election activity. The attorney general opposed the bill, citing Citizens United and arguing that corporations have First Amendment-protected political speech rights and that the bill would likely be unconstitutional. Indivisible Hawaii supported the measure, saying it would keep elections focused on the will of the people rather than corporate influence. Libertarian Party testimony was mixed: one witness supported the goal of reducing corruption but warned the bill could suppress organized dissent and sweep too broadly by treating many associations as corporations. The bill’s introducer asked whether the legislature could still enact it as a policy matter, but the attorney general maintained federal constitutional law would control. No vote was taken on either bill during the portion of the hearing provided. The committee also heard House Bill 2493 on wrongful imprisonment, which would set procedures and compensation for people whose convictions are reversed or vacated on grounds consistent with innocence and whose charges are dismissed. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation supported the bill’s intent but objected to language assigning it responsibility for helping released individuals secure housing, identification, health coverage, and other reentry needs, saying it no longer has jurisdiction after release and suggesting the courts or a community-based contractor handle that role. The Office of the Public Defender strongly supported the bill, emphasizing the harm of wrongful conviction and the need for compensation, case management, and medical coverage after release. No action or vote was reported on this measure in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and with a statutory cross reference and whether that's this committee or a different committee that
• Um, and with a statutory cross reference and whether that's this committee or a different committee that
• Couples and their educators have a difficult time meeting every statutory requirement to receive the
• difficult time meeting every statutory difficult time meeting every statutory requirement<00:46:
• also lacks at this time the statutory also lacks at this time the statutory ability<01:26:06.159

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• statutory prohibition? statutory prohibition?
• There is no statutory mechanism for counties to conduct those.
• mechanism<02:35:10.399> for There is no statutory mechanism for There is no statutory mechanism
• Are statutory caps on uh on borrowing.
• if it's a statutory budget committee. if it's a statutory budget committee.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We heard in February of last year, and although we did not pursue the statutory task force, I tasked
• So, I will not duplicate our previous extensive testimony on why there is a statutory need for fair,
• <00:05:12.000> need there is a statutory need there is a statutory need for<00:05:14.160><
• an agreed upon structure and statutory an agreed upon structure and statutory framework<00:15:23.199
• sheriffs to meet their statutory sheriffs to meet their statutory responsibility, responsibility

Bills: HF962, HF3541, HF2936, HF3762, HF2879

Keywords: Capitol security, public safety, emergency management, state buildings, law enforcement, corrections, legislative approval, rule-making, financial impact, jail regulations, expungement, firearm eligibility, criminal records, organized retail crime, retail theft, supply chain theft, theft enterprise, organized theft, cargo theft, shoplifting

Transcript Highlights:

• :39.040> for<00:04:39.280> how There are statutory requirements for how There are statutory
• timeline and the which is our statutory timeline and the 90<00:27:50.640> days.
• <00:28:00.000> Um going over the statutory timelines.
• Um going over the statutory timelines.
• It's just we don't statutory timelines.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House Bill 74, which would require agencies issuing certain real-property-related permits to track and report how many permits they issue and how long the process takes. Representative Carol McGuire introduced the bill and said the goal is to gather data on permit timing and fees, especially for DES and DOT permits involving wetlands, alteration of terrain, driveway permits, and similar approvals. Supporters argued the state needs better visibility into permitting delays and whether statutory deadlines are realistic; they also noted the bill had passed the House on a voice vote with no debate. Adam Crapo of the Department of Environmental Services said DES is generally supportive of the reporting concept but warned that the agency’s data are spread across many separate, partly manual databases. He said DES can already do this for some land resources permits through its new system, but not across all of its more than 90 permit types without additional help. DES estimated it would need two part-time positions to compile the reports, especially for waste management and water programs, and said otherwise existing permitting staff would have to do the work, potentially slowing permit processing. He also said the agency is already working to simplify rules and move more permits onto a new online platform, but could not meet the bill’s 2026 reporting deadline with current staffing and systems. Committee members questioned whether delays are often caused by incomplete applications rather than agency inaction, and Crapo said that is frequently the case. He said DES already tracks timelines to some extent for management and statutory compliance, but not at the individual-permit detail the bill would require. He also said some letters and records are captured in One Stop, but not all are. Members expressed support for the bill’s transparency goals while also worrying about added workload and possible slowdowns. The discussion then moved to DOT, where Susan Clawson said DOT is neutral on the bill because it recently implemented Salesforce and now has good data for reporting; DOT’s fiscal note reflects software-related costs, but the agency can already track the required information in its system.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is also a proposed increase in total special revenue fund statutory appropriations and revenues
• There is also a proposed increase in total special revenue fund statutory appropriations and revenues
• um which has a corresponding statutory um which has a corresponding statutory change<00:09:07.279
• also has a corresponding statutory also has a corresponding statutory change<00:09:50.880> in
• > language Paragraph C repeals statutory language Paragraph C repeals statutory language requiring

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's statutory by design.
• Um, so and that's statutory by design.
• <00:58:37.599> that's is that's statutory as well. that's is that's statutory as well. that's
• One is constitutional, one is statutory.
• constitutional, one is statutory. Yeah. constitutional, one is statutory. Yeah.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee met to continue its review of recommendations for New Hampshire’s family court, with the chair emphasizing a collaborative approach and noting that the group would focus on the origins of the family division, recurring problems identified in earlier reports, and comparisons with other states. Members discussed organizing testimony into three broad topics: the court hearing process and pro se litigant preparation, mediation/arbitration/counseling, and the interaction of domestic violence issues with family court and related criminal proceedings. The chair also noted that the subcommittee would not meet again for two weeks and encouraged members to review materials from Judge Michael Mace and NCSL research on other states’ family court systems. Attorney Heather Culp, senior administrator for the judicial branch’s circuit court, testified about New Hampshire’s ADR programs. She explained that the Office of Mediation and Arbitration, created by statute in 2007, oversees more than 12 statewide ADR programs across the Supreme, Superior, and Circuit Courts, including family division programs such as divorce-parenting mediation, neutral case evaluation, guardianship, termination of parental rights, and voluntary adoption mediation. She said the divorce-parenting mediation program is the largest family division ADR program, with about 3,400 mediation sessions in 2023 out of roughly 6,700 cases, and that most cases involving minor children are referred to mediation soon after the first appearance session. Culp described the family division process as beginning with a first appearance session led by a case manager, who provides information, helps with paperwork, and schedules mediation, usually within 30 to 45 days. She said mediation is strongly encouraged in parenting and divorce cases, but there is no requirement to reach agreement, and parties may settle some issues while leaving others for court. She also explained that mediation is prohibited or limited in certain domestic violence cases: cases with active civil protection orders may proceed only with both parties’ consent and possible safeguards, while cases involving criminal protective orders are not sent to mediation. Mediators in court-referred family cases are contracted with the court and must be certified by the executive branch’s mediator certification board; mediators do not communicate with judges, except through a brief ADR report noting whether the case settled or what the next procedural step is. Members asked about referrals, timing, and the meaning of “neutrals,” and Culp said the court uses in-house contracted neutrals for family division ADR and does not refer divorce-parenting cases to outside providers.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:02:55.520> Um<00:02:56.360> the And those penalties are statutory? Yes. Okay.
• 03:13.280> those<00:03:13.680> penalties<00:03:14.160> are<00:03:14.239> statutory
• >> And those penalties are statutory? >> And those penalties are statutory?
• And so, that's why I think this is the proper committee where we can actually discuss statutory changes
• we can actually discuss statutory we can actually discuss statutory changes,<01:29:26.520> but

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The chairman opened by explaining that the committee would hear proposed interim topics and then rank them by written submissions rather than debating them one by one. The Public Service Commission presented two topics: an educational session on small water utilities, citing maintenance needs, water-quality compliance, and difficulty accessing capital, and a review of civil penalties for pipeline safety violations because Wyoming’s statutory penalties are far below federal levels and could affect compliance and funding. Members and outside presenters then outlined a range of additional topics. Representative Campbell proposed work on fire protection districts and EMS districts, focusing on financial stability, mill levies, and possible county authority to combine districts and levies. He also raised public records at meetings, corporate filing fees, and fraudulent corporate filings. The Community College Commission proposed updating annexation statutes so communities can join community college districts more easily, especially where current mill-levy rules create funding issues. Senator Crago supported the fraudulent corporate filings topic and noted related technology-based solutions and overlap with blockchain issues. Other proposals included CPA “Pathways” licensing changes to address a shortage of accountants, a review of public meetings and public records laws, continuation of the electricity study with emphasis on grid reliability and large-load capacity constraints, and a broader review of the public meetings and records act. Ashley Harpstreith of the Wyoming Association of Municipalities supported extending municipal audit deadlines and described a statewide shortage of auditors and CPAs. Healthy Wyoming proposed studying health coverage options for low-income working adults, including state-sponsored or cooperative models. Representative Chestek proposed making most nonpartisan county offices elected on a nonpartisan basis. No votes or final selections were taken in the portion provided; the committee mainly heard testimony and discussed whether topics should be assigned to this committee or another one.

Transcript Highlights:

• Veterans Service Office grants veteran service organization grants since they each have their own statutory
• So House File 3467 provides clear statutory authority for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs
• So House File 3467 provides clear statutory authority for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs
• So House File 3467 provides clear statutory authority for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs
• House File 3467 provides clear statutory authority for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs to

Bills: HF3727, HF3684, HF3467

Keywords: veterans property tax, homestead exclusion, disabled veteran, totally and permanently disabled, service-connected disability, property tax relief, market value exclusion, surviving spouse, family caregiver, county veterans service officer, Minnesota property tax, assessment year 2027, homestead tax benefit, veterans tax exemption, DD214, VA disability rating, veterans, veterans affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs, grant standards

Transcript Highlights:

• or makes a mistake inadvertently, it allows a local government to cure that issue without missing statutory
• or makes a mistake inadvertently, it allows a local government to cure that issue without missing statutory
• or makes a mistake inadvertently, it allows a local government to cure that issue without missing statutory
• or makes a mistake inadvertently, it allows a local government to cure that issue without missing statutory
• Inadvertently, it allows a local government to cure that issue without missing statutory guidelines.

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:04 Attendance Roll Call: 00:08 SB 141 Discussion 00:58 SB 141 Vote 07:03 SB 9 Discussion 09:10 SB 9 Vote 19:47 Adjournment: 21:20, 958, all

Summary: The Senate State and Local Government Committee first took up Senate Bill 141, sponsored by Senator Given, which revises Kentucky’s public notice laws. Senator Given said the bill was the product of negotiations among the Kentucky Press Association, the Kentucky League of Cities, and the Kentucky Association of Counties, aiming to balance transparency with the cost of publication. Testimony described changes to clarify which newspapers may publish legal notices, address publication errors, ensure fair and reasonable rates, update ad size requirements, and provide more practical hearing timelines. Committee members praised the compromise and the bill’s modernization, including expanded online access to public notices. SB 141 passed 10-0 with favorable expression. The committee then considered Senate Bill 9, sponsored by Senator Mills, and first adopted a substitute that addressed concerns from Farm Bureau and the Kentucky Bankers Association. Senator Mills said Kentucky faces a significant housing shortage and that the bill would give local governments two tools to encourage development without direct state cost: a residential infrastructure development district and a housing development district. He explained that the first tool would help finance infrastructure within a district through bonds repaid by special assessments, while the second would allow local governments to negotiate incentives and streamlined review for larger housing projects. Members asked about public participation, local control, infrastructure financing, and whether the bill required affordable housing set-asides; Mills said the bill leaves those decisions to local governments. SB 9 passed 9-0 with one pass and favorable expression.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the Florida Indoor Clean Air Act, our association worked with the legislature on the current statutory
• significant investments to make sure that those spaces on their properties were compliant with that statutory
• entire 11th Circuit, which each judge has on their docket, what percentage they are based on the statutory
• entire 11th Circuit, which each judge has on their docket, what percentage they are based on the statutory
• compensation or- ...on their docket, what percentage they are based on the statutory compensation or

Summary: The Committee on Regulated Industries heard and voted on several bills. SB 986 would prohibit smoking or vaping marijuana in public places and also restrict smoking in rooms and bars; the sponsor said it is intended to protect public health and outdoor spaces, while the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association supported the goal but raised concerns about impacts on designated smoking areas, and cannabis advocates warned about unintended effects on patients and property rights. The committee reported SB 986 favorably. The committee also passed SB 678, which restores statutory authority for DBPR’s long-standing rule allowing alcohol distributors to deduct unsellable alcohol from monthly excise taxes; a strike-all amendment was adopted, including retroactive application to January 1, 2025, and the bill was reported favorably. SB 800, which increases penalties for repeat unlicensed engineering practice and creates an engineering student loan assistance program for engineers working for state agencies and water management districts, was amended and reported favorably as well. Members then considered SB 408 on vaccine advertising and liability. The sponsor argued the bill would address declining public trust in vaccines by allowing claims against manufacturers that advertise in Florida, while opponents said the measure is preempted by federal law, raises First Amendment concerns, and would create unnecessary litigation. After extensive testimony and debate, the committee reported SB 408 favorably. The committee also heard SB 484 on data centers, which would set PSC tariff requirements so large load customers pay their own costs, preserve local planning authority, and limit water permits for large data centers; testimony was mixed, with supporters emphasizing ratepayer protections and economic benefits and critics warning about overregulation and confidentiality limits. The bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee approved SB 1118, which creates a time-limited public records exemption for certain data center development information held by local governments, after the sponsor said it was meant to prevent extended NDAs while still allowing local notice and input. SB 1050, requiring veterinarians to provide written prescriptions so pet owners can choose their pharmacy, was also reported favorably. The meeting ended after several members recorded votes on bills they had missed.

Transcript Highlights:

• eligibility criteria has been statutory eligibility criteria has been met<00:17:36.039> and<00
• For example, I think when this original statutory framework was adopted, these services would only be
• when when this uh original statutory when when this uh original statutory framework<00:37:42.680
• We've been working on other workarounds to streamline this using administrative orders, but a statutory
• administrative orders but a statutory administrative orders but a statutory change<00:38:38.520>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first discussed a proposed increase to the annual elevator certificate fee in the Department of Labor. The commissioner said the fee had been $50 for years and generated just under $300,000 annually, while the Inspection Division’s broader revenue far exceeded its expenses. Members noted the fee only covered the certificate, not the inspection itself, which is billed separately at $100 per hour. After comparing the fee to neighboring states and discussing the department’s revenue and staffing, the committee agreed to rewrite the language to set the fee at $75 and to vote on an amendment later. The committee then took up Section 139, which would expand the list of labor-law violations that can be penalized without first issuing a warning. The Department explained the change was meant to align House Bill 157 with other chapters, including youth employment and workers’ compensation provisions, where immediate civil penalties are already allowed. The section was accepted unanimously. A longer discussion followed on the Second Injury Fund. The commissioner explained that the fund reimburses insurers for certain workers’ compensation costs tied to claims involving pre-existing conditions, is financed by assessments on insurers, and requires notice within 100 weeks of injury plus a $10,000 deductible before reimbursement. He said the fund currently holds roughly $16 million to $22 million, one full-time employee administers it, and total staff involvement is about five to six people. Members questioned whether the fund should be sunset, but the department said the current House Bill 2 language does not propose a sunset; instead, it addresses increased hearing and litigation burdens after a recent Supreme Court decision. Sections 140 and 141, dealing with hearings, were then accepted unanimously. The committee also briefly discussed fines for late insurance coverage reporting, with the department noting the current rubric allows up to $50 per day but uses $112 per day, and members suggesting a lower amount.