Transcript Highlights:

• The 11th Circuit's already ruled that this is constitutional.
• They don't come when we chip away at our Fifth Amendment rights.
• They don't come when we chip away at our First Amendment rights.
• I see no amendments. We'll now move to public testimony.
• Please excuse my language, but amend the hell out of this bill.

Summary: The committee first heard HB 133, which would lower the minimum age to purchase a long gun from 21 to 18. The sponsor said the bill restores the rights of law-abiding 18-year-olds. Public testimony was sharply divided, with supporters from Gun Owners of America and Florida Carry arguing that adults 18 and older should have equal Second Amendment rights and that current law is inconsistent with other adult responsibilities, while opponents, including gun violence prevention advocates, students, parents, and Parkland-related speakers, said the bill would reverse a post-Parkland safety measure and increase risks of suicide, accidental shootings, and school violence. Several members debated the bill, with opponents emphasizing Parkland, the Florida State shooting, and public polling showing broad opposition; supporters stressed parental responsibility, mental health, and constitutional rights. HB 133 was then reported favorably on a roll call vote of 13 yeas, with several members voting no. The committee then took up CS/HB 289, which would revise Florida’s wrongful death law to allow parents to recover damages for the death of an unborn child. The sponsor said the bill is intended to let grieving parents seek civil remedies, and members questioned how it would apply in situations involving surrogacy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, medical care, and damages calculations. The sponsor said the bill would not allow suits against the mother, would not apply to lawful non-negligent medical care, and would be handled through ordinary wrongful death damage proof before a jury. Public testimony was again split: supporters from pro-life and faith groups said the bill recognizes unborn children and aligns Florida with many other states, while opponents from civil liberties, reproductive rights, and advocacy groups warned it could be used to target abortion providers, helpers, and even families or businesses in miscarriage-related cases, and could be weaponized by abusive partners. The transcript ends during testimony on HB 289, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• A joint resolution proposing an amendment or revision to Sections 4, 6, and 9 of Article 7 and to Article
• 12 of the State Constitution. 2.
• Senate Joint Resolution 2F by Senator Avila, a joint resolution proposing amendments to Sections 4, 6
• , and 9 of Article 7 and the creation of a new section in Article 12 of the State Constitution to revise
• Senate Joint Resolution 2F by Senator Avila, a joint resolution proposing amendments to sections 4, 6

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All those in favor of the amendment adoption signify All those in favor of the amendment adoption signify
• The amendment has been adopted. So, we're back on HB521 as amended or the substitute.
• That would be Article 4, Section 70 of the constitution.
• We do have an amendment.
• If you'd like to offer your amendment, Representative Hollis, and amendment, Representative Hollis.

Bills: SB268, SB262

Keywords: mixed spirit beverages, alcohol regulation, licensing, excise tax, distribution agreements, retail sales, wholesalers, SB262, White Hall, Lowndes County, pari-mutuel wagering, simulcast, historical racing, historical horse racing, dog racing, horse racing, charitable bingo, off-track betting, OTB, gambling

Transcript Highlights:

• Bondi claimed to be unfamiliar with the 14th Amendment and the Citizenship Clause within it.
• The Constitution is clear.
• , defend the 14th Amendment, and defend Americans when the President instructs otherwise.
• the Constitution, we must hold the executive branch accountable.
• But then I'm sure Donald Trump would say he is following the law when he tries to amend the Constitution

Transcript Highlights:

• Artlett said this would raise serious constitutional questions.
• under the Voting Rights Act, as it was amended in 1982.
• And it's against the Constitution to do it within 10 years.
• and the United States Constitution.
• It is not something mandated by our Constitution.

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll have the constitutional duties. We have the case law, which is Dupree v.
• First and foremost, we have the constitutional duties.
• Amendment 74 to the Arkansas Constitution was enacted.
• Constitutional compliance ultimately requires an ongoing study.
• The 2007 amendments provided specific steps for accomplishing those requirements.

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the previous minutes and then focused on an update from the Department of Education on early childhood programs, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ongoing work to review ABC slots, which have been flat for years at about 23,800 slots and roughly $114 million. They said about 1,000 slots statewide are currently unfilled despite a waiting list of more than 2,000 families, and the department is shifting toward paying based on enrollment rather than guaranteed slots. Members asked about school choice, income eligibility, year-round access, curriculum flexibility, transportation, and whether funding should be increased or rebalanced; the department said it is collecting data, may survey providers more formally, and is considering whether to modernize income thresholds, daily rates, and other program rules. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical information on income limits and other program details. The second major portion of the meeting was a legal presentation on the framework for Arkansas school adequacy by BLR education attorney Taylor Lloyd. She reviewed the constitutional basis for a “general, suitable, and efficient” public school system, the Dupree and Lake View cases, and the principle that adequacy and equity are different but related: adequacy asks what resources are needed, while equity asks whether those resources are distributed fairly. She explained that the General Assembly must define adequacy, study it, and react to evidence over time, and that the current adequacy definition includes curriculum and career/technical frameworks, the 38 mandatory Carnegie units, state testing standards, and sufficient funding. She also described the matrix as a funding tool, not a spending mandate, and noted that categorical funds are separate from the matrix. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum then gave the historical framework, tracing legislative responses from Dupree through Lake View and into the present. She highlighted major changes such as the creation of equalization funding, fiscal distress and academic distress laws, the adequacy study process, the Educational Adequacy Fund, facilities and transportation changes, declining enrollment and student growth funding, and later adjustments to teacher salaries, isolated funding, and categorical programs. She explained that the adequacy study has evolved through committee hearings, surveys, site visits, and outside consultants, and that recent changes include updates to accountability references and the addition or removal of certain funding categories. Members asked follow-up questions about how the matrix is used, whether homeschool or private-school funding raises comparable issues, whether stakeholders include private and homeschool participants, whether school board members should be surveyed, and whether the state should revisit average daily membership versus attendance-based funding. No votes were taken on the adequacy presentations, but the committee did agree to continue the early childhood discussion in a future subcommittee meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• this constitutional amendment.
• WITHOUT ABSENT A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
• Well, here today we have that constitutional amendment. We're going through the process.
• or proposed amendment to the Constitution, the process that is to be followed.
• amendment, the amendment to the Constitution of our state.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate met on June 3, 2026, approved the prior day’s journal, and then moved through a long list of discharge motions and substitutions to place many bills on the third reading calendar. The chamber also adopted Resolution J.2314 honoring the New York chapter of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, with remarks emphasizing domestic workers’ role in care work, labor organizing, and protections such as paid sick leave and family leave. Another adopted resolution, J.2298, mourned labor and social justice advocate Minerva Solla, with senators highlighting her work with 1199, the Young Lords, Puerto Rican solidarity efforts, and women’s organizing. A third resolution recognized Olympic curler Daniel Casper for representing the United States at the 2026 Winter Games. The Senate then confirmed a large slate of judicial and executive nominations. It accepted the Judiciary Committee report and confirmed four interim Supreme Court justices, seven Court of Claims judges, and 21 reappointments/extensions by a vote of 44-12. The Finance Committee report was also accepted, and the Senate confirmed a broad set of appointments to state boards and authorities, including the MTA, State Commission of Correction, Power Authority, NYSERDA, Financial Control Board, public health councils, SUNY and Cornell boards, gaming and bridge authorities, and others. One notable confirmation was Alexander Dockery to the State Commission of Correction; supporters called it the first time a formerly incarcerated person had been confirmed to that commission, while Senator Murray criticized the practice of voting on large nomination blocks rather than individually. The chamber then took up and passed many bills, mostly by wide margins, covering labor, health, education, transportation, public service, criminal justice, municipal, tax, insurance, and environmental topics. Several members explained their votes on major measures: Senator Ramos supported a bill modernizing temporary disability benefits and another protecting construction workers from lost pay when jobs are canceled; Senator Baskin spoke about a correction bill tied to the death of India Cummings; Senator Skoufis described a family-court custody bill intended to prioritize child safety; Senator Mayer backed a proposal to reimburse parents of medically fragile children for providing care; and Senator Hinchey defended a bill requiring employers to report AI-related job impacts, while Senator Borrello opposed it as burdensome. Most bills were passed, some were laid aside, and the session concluded with multiple roll-call votes and confirmations before adjournment-related business.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:16:25.920> 22-4-101 committees 2 um amended 22-4-101 committees 2 um amended 22-4-101
• Senator Dockstader, I think, brought a couple of amendments, or at least conceptual amendments, that
• Senator Dockstader, I think, brought a couple of amendments, or at least conceptual amendments, that
• Uh the Wyoming state constitution.
• . constitution. constitution.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Please read the first amendment to the amendment. Amendment to the amendment, barcode 854068.
• Please read the first amendment to the amendment. Amendment to the amendment, barcode 854068.
• Show the amendment to the amendment adopted. Please read the next amendment to the amendment.
• The law establishing that 10-day requirement is statutory and not a constitutional amendment.
• The law establishing that 10-day requirement is statutory and not a constitutional amendment.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several member introductions recognizing interns, guests, and advocates. The Rules Chair added CS for CS for SB 622 to the special order calendar, and SB 80 on state land management was temporarily postponed. The chamber then moved through a series of bills, often substituting House companions for Senate bills when the measures were identical or nearly identical. The Senate passed SB 200/HB 295 on a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan, requiring DEP to develop a recycling and waste diversion roadmap by 2026; SB 492 on land development and mitigation banking, after adopting amendments related to mitigation credit use and former phosphate mine lands; and SB 494/HB 255 on aggravated animal cruelty, which increases sentencing consequences and creates a searchable FDLE database of convicted animal abusers, with an amendment clarifying the database language. The Senate also passed SB 500/HB 711 establishing the Spectrum Alert for missing children with autism, SB 524/HB 1089 adding Duchenne muscular dystrophy to newborn screening, SB 592/HB 393 revising the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program, SB 742/HB 1145 on workforce education, SB 936/HB 827 on a statewide study of automation and workforce impact, SB 964/HB 181 on parole guidelines, SB 976/HB 901 on court-appointed psychologists, SB 1084/HB 1451 on sexual cyber harassment, and SB 1156 on a home health aid program for medically fragile children. Most of these bills were adopted after brief sponsor explanations, questions, and in some cases amendments or House-substitute motions. Debate centered on several policy issues. Senators raised concerns about the constitutional and environmental implications of mitigation banking credits in SB 492, the scope and privacy implications of the animal abuse database in SB 494, the funding and eligibility details of the condo resilience program in SB 592, and the public-school/charter-school balance in SB 822, which drew extensive questioning about enrollment, governance, discipline, accountability, and data sharing before being placed on the third-reading calendar after amendments. The Spectrum Alert bill drew support from members who compared it to the Purple Alert and emphasized the risks faced by children with ASD. The medically fragile children home health aid bill also drew strong support, with senators describing it as a long-needed fix to help families provide in-home care without losing Medicaid coverage. Votes on the measures reported in the transcript were overwhelmingly favorable, with bills passing by margins such as 38-0, 35-3, 37-0, 36-0, and 35-0.

Transcript Highlights:

• without amendments, 112 with amendments, 12 with amendments, 124 without amendments, 134 without amendments
• , 174. 111 without amendments, 112 with amendments, 124 without amendments, 134 without amendments, 174
• Senate Bill 189 without amendments, 190 without amendments, 201 without amendments, 233 without amendments
• Senate Bill 419 without amendments, 426 without amendments, 435 without amendment, 397, 390, Senate Bill
• So you're talking about Amendment 4? This would be Amendment 845. Amendment set.

Bills: HR275, HR276, HR277, HR278, HR279, HR280, HR281, HR282, HR283, HR284, HCR112, HCR113, HR265, HR266, HR267, HR268, HR269, HR270, HR271, HR272, HR273, HCR107, HCR108, HCR109, HCR110, HCR111, SCR63, SCR66, SCR67, SB414, SB484, SB513, HR168, HR174, HR194, HR216, HR264, HCR54, HCR74, HCR79, HCR85, HCR87, HCR94, HCR95, HCR97, HCR98, HCR104, SCR23, SCR29, SCR33, SCR38, HB75, HB705, SB54, SB56, SB72, SB79, SB97, SB105, SB123, SB125, SB129, SB163, SB171, SB252, SB287, SB375, SB386, SB461, SB466, HR84, HR188, HR205, HR3, HR197, HR243, SCR19, SCR3, SCR6, SCR18, SCR11, SCR22, SCR2, SCR20, SCR24, SCR35, HCR6, HB301, HB359, HB657, HB675, HB680, HB727, HB39, HB58, HB112, HB134, HB155, HB187, HB287, HB462, HB782, HB825, HB846, HB903, HB904, HB929, HB941, HB962, HB1200, HB4, HB623, HB944, HB986, HB1098, HB1222, SB45, SB58, SB71, SB81, SB92, SB100, SB109, SB141, SB156, SB181, SB203, SB204, SB205, SB207, SB213, SB214, SB216, SB229, SB257, SB274, SB290, SB304, SB374, SB379, SB396, SB410, SB425, SB427, SB429, SB479, SB522, SB34, SB164, SB172, SB198, SB208, SB232, SB281, SB286, SB317, SB322, SB334, SB380, SB385, SB409, SB417, SB421, SB430, SB439, SB447, SB458, SB510, HB842, HB633, HB1191, HB625, HB1255, HB251, HB582, HB646, HB819, HB998, HB1257, SB197, SB436, SB78, HB901, HR20, HR74, HCR65, HCR71, HB284, HB302, HB306, HB341, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB603, HB605, HB614, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB798, HB911, HB955, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1240, SB82, SB89, HB258, SB149, SB382, SB441

Keywords: highway maintenance, signage, transportation safety, DOTD, infrastructure, public safety, federal grants, job creation, carbon storage, carbon dioxide storage, carbon capture and storage, CCS, mineral rights, mineral owners, oil and gas, disposal wells, injection wells, advanced drilling, carbon sequestration, Louisiana energy policy

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe you have a delete all amendment to your bill.
• Just want to make sure is that was a Good Amendment.
• The amendment is adopted. We're back on the bill as amended. We can take any questions.
• We carefully study the constitutional law.
• Constitution. Article 5 Section 15 in the case.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Constitution, 10th Amendment, says that the federal government gets to control certain things and is
• amendments to the amendment that's amendments to the amendment that's before<01:01:17.000> us
• amendment does. amendment does.
• The Fourth Amendment is at the heart of our constitutional protections.
• The Fourth Amendment is at the heart of our constitutional protections.

Bills: HF2354, HF3621, HF3429, HF3483

Keywords: medical assistance, fraud prevention, subpoena authority, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud, payment withholding, withheld payments, program integrity, public funds, state agency, program participant, credible allegation of fraud, administrative reconsideration, contested case, chapter 14, data practices, confidential data, protected nonpublic data, anti-fraud

Summary: The committee approved the minutes from March 5 by voice vote and welcomed new member Representative Van Binsbergen. It then took up House File 2354, which Chair Liebling moved to re-refer to the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee. Representative Norris presented the bill as an updated version of the Medical Assistance Protection Act, aimed at strengthening the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, closing loopholes, equalizing fraud penalties, and increasing penalties for large-scale Medicaid fraud. Attorney General Ellison said the bill would add 18 specialized staff to the unit, moving it from 32 to 50 positions, and argued the federal-state matching structure makes the Attorney General’s office the proper home for the funding because the unit is dedicated to Medicaid fraud work. Nick Wonka, director of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, explained the bill’s provisions affecting committee jurisdiction: expanded subpoena authority to obtain financial account contents in provider-fraud investigations, conforming legal representation language to preserve the unit’s authority, venue changes to allow charging in counties where parts of the offense occurred, and a restitution change to let courts order restitution for related conduct in the same scheme. He said the subpoena change would speed investigations and align the Attorney General’s authority with other agencies, and that the restitution change would help recover more fraudulently obtained Medicaid funds. No public testimony was offered. Members questioned why the funding should go to the Attorney General’s office rather than the BCA, whether the new records authority was federally required, how the venue language would work across state lines, and whether the added FTEs indicated the fraud problem was larger than expected. Ellison and Wonka responded that the federal grant requires the work to stay within the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, that the unit’s investigators are specialized and work with, but separate from, law enforcement, and that the venue provision applies only within Minnesota while out-of-state matters would be referred to the appropriate authorities. The amendment that had been posted was withdrawn and not offered.

Transcript Highlights:

• Destined to depend on their political constitutions on accident and force.
• Convention, having worked in Philadelphia to craft a proposed constitution.
• The best declaration of independence and constitution Public if you can keep it.
• The best declaration of independence and constitution in the world do not run on autopilot.
• Tax relief is at the discretion of the people acting through our constitutional amendment process.

Summary: The House and Senate met in joint session to receive the Governor’s annual message. After the customary opening, prayer, pledge, and motions to notify the Governor, the Governor and First Lady were received and the Governor delivered a lengthy address reviewing his administration’s record and outlining priorities for the coming session. The Governor highlighted what he described as major accomplishments over the past seven years, including stronger state reserves, debt reduction, tax relief, economic growth, school choice expansion, higher teacher pay, civics education, higher education reforms, Everglades restoration, hurricane response improvements, public safety measures, and immigration enforcement. He also discussed affordability concerns, especially rising local property taxes, and urged lawmakers to pursue a ballot measure for property tax relief. He called for legislation on informed consent in medical decisions, regulation of artificial intelligence, and bills already filed on issues such as eliminating DEI in local governments, further restricting illegal immigration, expanding Second Amendment rights, and blocking Sharia law. No substantive votes were taken on legislation during the address. After the Governor concluded, the joint session approved a motion to dissolve, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the First Amendment is a tricky thing. It's a reason it's the first one in our Constitution.
• I waive the reading of the amendments and move the amendments.
• I waive the reading of the amendments and move the amendments.
• I waive the reading of the amendments and move the amendments.
• I waive the reading of the amendments and move the amendments.

Keywords: 1146, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This would be a constitutional amendment to take out the one sentence in the Constitution that prohibits
• Yeah, they could, without a constitutional amendment, because, again, school boards are the only body
• If the constitutional amendment was all school board, inserting, wait, except for school boards, I don't
• There were amendments. There were amendments to the amendments.
• , because we don't amend an amendment.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to today's Joint Committee on Housing hearing regarding proposals for amendments to the Massachusetts
• Constitution.
• to the Constitution for a constitutional right to housing.
• , a constitutional right to employable skills training, and a constitutional right to housing, and then
• And this was one of the first meetings about this amendment going forward.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Housing held its first meeting of the session to hear testimony on House Bill 65, a proposed constitutional amendment establishing a right to housing in Massachusetts. Co-chairs Senator Julian Cyr and Representative Richard Haggerty opened the hearing, outlined the hybrid format and testimony time limits, and noted the presence of several House members. The discussion centered on the broader housing crisis and the idea that housing should be treated as a constitutional right, with the hearing framed as the start of a series of housing-related meetings this session. Public testimony was brief but strongly supportive. Vincent Lawrence Dixon urged the committee to advance H.65, arguing that housing is a basic necessity and that the amendment could help strengthen and clarify housing policy in the Commonwealth. Erica Tetsuique, speaking from lived experience with homelessness, described time spent at Pine Street and Bridge Over Troubled Waters and said a Housing First approach and constitutional recognition of housing could help address homelessness, crime, mental health, and substance use challenges. She also criticized the Johnson v. Grant decision and called for Massachusetts to set an example nationally. Committee members thanked the speakers and acknowledged the importance of personal testimony. No votes were taken and no formal action on the bill was reported during the hearing. The meeting ended after a brief opportunity for additional comments, with the committee adjourning by motion and second.

Transcript Highlights:

• Amendment.”
• Constitutional rights.
• >> Preamble to the Constitution. >> Preamble to the Constitution.
• >> We still have the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and the 15th
• Amendment.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One, that the Senate received from its Amendment 629710.
• And I think the broader philosophical reason is we had a constitutional amendment on the ballot to enshrine
• Despite the passage of a constitutional amendment more than a decade ago affirming overwhelming support
• It is a U.S. constitutional right under the Sixth Amendment. And the Gideon v. W. W. W. W. W. W. R.
• So this amendment authorizes the State Board of Education and Board of Governors to amend the list of

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Senator Donnell C. Childers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of Officer Antonio Richardson as law enforcement officer of the day. A quorum was announced, the journal was approved, and the Speaker said the chamber would take up 11 budget conference reports, with debate and final votes on each report. The first report considered was HB 7031E, the tax package, followed by HB 501E, the state budget appropriations bill. On HB 7031E, Chair Duggan explained that the conference report included a range of tax reductions and tax-related changes, including sales tax holidays, property tax and homestead-related provisions, reductions in certain taxes and fees, and new exemptions or administrative clarifications. He said the package also added items such as sales tax relief for certain university construction projects, a tennis admissions exemption, and changes to agricultural property tax treatment, and that the amendment reduced state and local tax revenues by $272.2 million. Members questioned the bill about the child care tax credit reduction from three years to one, the homestead exemption provision for certain diplomats and foreign service personnel, the absence of gas tax relief and combined reporting, and the inclusion of firearm accessories and tennis tickets in sales tax holidays. After structured debate, the House adopted the conference report and passed HB 7031E by a vote of 88-11. The House then began the conference report on HB 501E, the $114.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-2027, which was described as below the prior year’s spending level and leaving more than $14 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined major allocations across education, higher education, IT, health care, transportation and economic development, justice, state administration, and agriculture/natural resources. Highlights included increased FEFP funding and veteran teacher raises, full funding for Bright Futures, major IT modernization projects, Medicaid and behavioral health funding, transportation and local infrastructure spending, correctional and law enforcement investments, fire station and emergency response funding, and large environmental and water-quality appropriations. Members asked detailed questions about school voucher fraud oversight, scholarship funding, teacher raises, preeminence funding, ADAP changes, SNAP data tools and error rates, Medicaid rate changes, prison wastewater monitoring, and other budget items, but the transcript ends during the budget questions before final action on HB 501E is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• A1 amendment.
• Who will be moving that amendment. Who will be moving that amendment? amendment? amendment?
• get to the A3 amendment to the A1<00:26:36.600> amendment.
• <00:26:37.680> Um A1 amendment. Um A1 amendment.
• amendment? amendment?

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• There is one amendment.
• All in favor of the amendment, signify by saying yay. All opposed, no. Show the amendment.
• Show the amendment is adopted. We're back on the bill as amended.
• Are there questions on the bill as amended?
• Seeing no debate on the bill as amended. You're recognized to close on the bill as amended.

Bills: S0214, S0482, S7030, S0554, S0994, S0998, S1004, S1074, S1076, S1266

Keywords: special districts, funding, financial assistance, rural community, state agency, economic development, artificial intelligence, personal data protection, consumer rights, chatbot, deceptive practices, government contracts, public records, consumer protection, data privacy, investigations, proprietary information, chatbots, Florida statutes, nonprofit

Summary: The Committee on Commerce and Tourism heard and advanced several bills focused on economic development, consumer protection, workforce issues, and technology. SB 1076 would raise Florida’s research and development tax credit cap from $9 million to $50 million beginning with the 2027 allocation, and it was reported favorably. SB 1266, as amended, creates a cybersecurity experiential internship and clearance-readiness program with Cyber Florida and was also reported favorably. SB 554, a Florida Bar-backed update to the not-for-profit corporations statute, was approved without opposition. SB 1004, aimed at protecting buyers of dogs and cats from deceptive sales practices and predatory financing at retail pet stores, received supportive testimony from animal welfare advocates and was reported favorably. SB 1074, which sets rounding rules for cash transactions if pennies are unavailable, also passed favorably. The committee also considered SB 998, the Department of Commerce package, which combines updates to the Small Cities CDBG program, clarification of rural community eligibility, an exemption from a reverter clause for military-related land conveyances, and revisions to E-Verify enforcement. The E-Verify portion drew the most debate, with questions about employer cure periods, treatment of current investigations, and whether the bill creates a loophole for independent contractors. Senator Smith opposed the bill, arguing it creates unequal enforcement between employers and immigrant workers, while Senator Wright supported the military-related provisions. SB 998 was reported favorably on a divided vote. SB 214, which expands the rural community definition to include special districts in rural counties, was reported favorably. The committee then took up SB 482, an artificial intelligence consumer-protection bill that creates an “AI bill of rights” covering companion chatbots, parental controls for minors, data privacy, de-identified data, unauthorized use of likeness, and enforcement by the Attorney General, with a limited private cause of action for minors. The bill drew extensive testimony both in support and in opposition, including concerns about privacy, age verification, and enforcement, but it was reported favorably. Finally, the committee approved SPB 7030, a public-records exemption tied to Department of Legal Affairs investigations under the AI bill, and adjourned after members requested to be recorded on certain votes.