Transcript Highlights:

• programs.
• ) programs.
• ) program.
• tax rebate program for a good.
• , the qualified hotel program, and then an add-on to that program, right?

Bills: SB209, SB529, SB1265, SB1592, SB1728, SCR37, SCR38

Keywords: SB 529, Texas Tax Code, municipality, hotel and convention center, hotel convention center project, tourism development, economic development, tax revenue pledge, revenue commitment, qualified project, municipal finance, local government, special district, hotel occupancy tax, nearby establishments, convention center financing, city population 130000, Section 351.155, Section 351.157, child care

Transcript Highlights:

• Ambassador Program includes 391 school staff and educators throughout California.
• the program.
• The schedule program, and county offices then gave grants to local educational agencies in their counties
• program or a TK program, or where there is a preschool program on campus, we are supporting those programs
• As I said, they have 391 educator ambassadors that are a part of their educator ambassador program.

Summary: The hearing focused first on behavioral health, especially serious mental illness and anosognosia, a condition described by witnesses as a neurological symptom that prevents people from recognizing they are ill. The chair framed the issue around families cycling through emergency rooms, jails, conservatorships, and short-term stabilization without lasting treatment, and warned that federal changes under H.R. 1 could reduce Medi-Cal funding and worsen access. Dawn Marie Anderson gave a personal account of her son’s long history of psychosis, homelessness, arrests, repeated jail and state hospital stays, and eventual stability when he received sustained medication and coordinated support. She argued that the system often treats the problem as criminal rather than medical and that voluntary programs and short-term services are not enough for people who lack insight into their illness. Other panelists, including representatives from the California Behavioral Health Association, Santa Barbara County Behavioral Health, and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association, agreed that anosognosia is not denial or noncompliance and said the system needs long-term, coordinated care, including assertive community treatment, mobile crisis, supportive housing, medication support, and stronger handoffs between county and managed care systems. They said CalAIM and other reforms have improved some coordination, but significant gaps remain, especially for people with serious mental illness, for those in jail or locked settings, and for people with private insurance, which witnesses said often offers little meaningful coverage for early psychosis or intensive behavioral health services. Several witnesses urged the Legislature to protect Medi-Cal, shore up county safety-net services, and invest in training and family engagement. The committee then turned to the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, with a focus on the virtual services platforms BrightLife Kids and Soluna and the CYBHI fee schedule. DHCS reported strong growth in app registrations, coaching sessions, referrals, and positive user outcomes, saying the platforms provide free, culturally responsive, early-intervention support statewide and help connect users to higher levels of care when needed. On the fee schedule, DHCS said more than 500 LEAs, colleges, universities, and school-linked providers are participating, 181 LEAs have submitted claims, and $9.6 million has been reimbursed to date, with 41,556 students represented in claims. The chair and several members criticized the pace of implementation and the amount of money spent relative to reimbursement levels, saying the Legislature had requested data earlier and that the return on investment still appeared low. DHCS responded that many claims are still being submitted, that 70% of denials are correctable, that $400 million in capacity grants has been distributed locally, and that reimbursement is increasing rapidly as more districts come online. Public comment included a rural county behavioral health director who said private insurance denials leave counties with significant uncompensated work, especially for unlicensed staff providing case management and mobile crisis services.

Transcript Highlights:

• The second is the regionalization. How can projects be completed within Your region?
• NMSU has a wonderful program, San Juan College, and we have our tribal colleges that have excellent programs
• Program money.
• going to need to come up with the program.
• Repair program or division also? Yes, okay.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's Region 3.
• We have a drone program.
• Remember, I mentioned that we're broken up into four regions; each region has a fuels mitigation team
• This is a loan program for repayment. This is a loan program for repayment.
• This is a loan program for repayment. This is a loan program for repayment.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Agriculture received a presentation from Florida Forest Service Director Rick Dolan on the agency’s wildfire response, forest management, and emergency support roles. He described the service’s four regions and 14 districts, its year-round wildfire response, use of bulldozers, helicopters, and drones, and the current high fire danger due to drought conditions. Dolan also highlighted prescribed burning, fuels mitigation, state forest management, the pine seedling nursery, and the agency’s role in hurricane response and incident management. Members asked about equipment loans and whether more prescribed burning could reduce wildfire impacts; Dolan said Florida already leads the nation in prescribed fire and emphasized public education and fuels reduction. The committee then considered and unanimously reported favorably Senate Bill 386, which creates a farm-equipment consumer protection process similar to a lemon law, allowing purchasers to seek repair or replacement of defective major farm equipment at no cost. The committee also took up Senate Bill 290, the Agriculture and Consumer Services omnibus bill. The bill would modernize fair association rules, preempt local bans on gas- and diesel-powered farm and landscape equipment, allow surplus of certain state-owned lands for bona fide agricultural use while excluding parks, forests, and wildlife lands, create a veterinary loan repayment program, make Farmers Feeding Florida permanent, expand Forest Service training opportunities, criminalize signal-jamming devices, increase penalties for CDL and English-proficiency exam cheating, restrict certain door-to-door solicitation, protect food safety inspectors, clarify biosolids rules, and add criminal and vendor-list penalties for contractors who fail to pay subcontractors. The committee adopted three amendments to align dates and technical language and to authorize native seed research and marketing through the Florida Wildlife Foundation. Testimony on SB 290 included support from several industry groups, concerns from the Home Builders Association about the new contractor-payment criminal penalties, and opposition from a citizen worried about the new surplus-land process for conservation lands. Despite concerns, CS/SB 290 was reported favorably. Finally, the committee unanimously recommended confirmation of the appointees listed on tabs 4 and 5, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Until that point, school-based Pre-K programs were administered by the Public Education Department and
• with funding and program costs.
• at the Public Education Department.
• This program not only literally feeds our children, but it will also increase educational outcomes for
• The other program that we brought up kind of simultaneously is our Assertive Community Treatment Program

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• I also think it's a great program because it's zero dollars to the state.
• , which is the California State Accrediting Agency for Veteran Education.
• CSAVE monitors schools to ensure their education programs meet minimum comply with federal and state
• It's also one of the most fire prone regions in the nation.
• It is the only region of this size in the state of California without access to higher education.

Keywords: 988, house, all

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• over $2.6 billion in regional economic impact and expanded access to higher education in one of California's
• California enacted the cap-and-trade program with AB 32 in 2006.
• Although the program has not been perfect, it's been a flagship program for reducing greenhouse gases
• SB 840 only deals with one small part of the cap-and-trade program.
• like the safer water program, EBD, TCC, and CRC programs.

Summary: The committee first established a quorum, adopted the consent calendar for SB 423 and SB 581, and then heard a series of bills, most of which were presented as streamlining or safety measures tied to transportation, climate, public lands, health care, and higher education. SB 71 by Senator Wiener would extend and expand a CEQA exemption for sustainable transportation projects, adding modes such as microtransit, paratransit, shuttles, and ferries, while also accepting committee amendments that narrowed a Tier 4 diesel rail provision, restored existing right-of-way language with utility protections, and set a new sunset date. Support came from transit agencies, local governments, and advocacy groups; some members raised concerns about the diesel rail language and possible interactions with housing-related legislation, but the bill advanced on a due pass vote as amended. The committee then heard SB 614 by Senator Stern on carbon dioxide pipeline safety. The bill would direct the State Fire Marshal to adopt safety standards for intrastate CO2 pipelines, building from federal draft rules and adding state discretion and possible enhanced protections such as planning zones and more detailed exposure modeling. Supporters argued California needs to fill a federal regulatory gap to advance carbon capture and climate goals, while environmental justice and conservation groups opposed unless amended, citing risks from CO2 leaks and asking for stronger siting restrictions and more specificity. The bill passed on a due pass vote to Appropriations, with members noting the need for continued work on the safety provisions. Senator Arreguín also presented SB 304, which would temporarily lift public trust use restrictions on specific land at Jack London Square to allow the Port of Oakland more leasing flexibility under conditions and annual reporting. The measure was described as a limited, time-bound effort to address high vacancy and revitalize the waterfront, and it drew support from Oakland city and county representatives with no opposition in the room. The committee then approved SB 304 on a due pass vote. Arreguín’s SB 830 followed, creating CEQA streamlining for Sutter Health’s new Emeryville hospital campus and designating the City of Emeryville as lead agency; supporters said it would preserve East Bay hospital access before seismic deadlines, and the bill passed with broad support and no opposition. Finally, Senator Caballero presented SB 486, a higher education planning bill intended to align UC and CSU enrollment growth with regional sustainable communities plans and to remove the need to analyze a no-project alternative in certain long-range development plans. Supporters said the bill would better integrate university enrollment forecasting into regional planning, while opponents warned that eliminating the no-project analysis could weaken accountability for housing and infrastructure impacts around campuses. Committee members expressed mixed views and asked for further clarification, but the bill was moved out on a due pass as amended vote to Appropriations. The transcript then shifted to SB 629, a fire response and rebuilding bill, with the author describing amendments to apply fire safety requirements in wildfire-burned areas, update fire mapping, and require annual defensible space inspections, though the discussion was cut off before any final action was shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• rural regions?
• UNM was one of the leaders in that from the beginning and has all the programs and education.
• Programs so that those startup business programs, the JEDI program does an amazing job helping support
• program, and labor relations program.
• apprenticeship programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• to implement the program.
• The program says that the program served 150,000 unduplicated clients.
• All medical medical, not Treatment or education because you talked about educational beds.
• When we start, we change the program from an outpatient program to an inpatient program.
• There�s 20�you know, training one program, 20 programs, stay housed.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• program for free pre-kindergarten programs in public schools, to Education K-16.
• Senate Bill 2618 by Creighton, relating to an education savings account program, to Education K-16.
• Senate Bill 2695 by Colcourse, relating to education programs to enable certain students in advanced
• Senate Bill 2695 by Colcourse, relating to education programs to enable certain students in advanced
• students to enroll in certain courses to complete a certificate or degree program, to Education K-16

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, heard an invocation, and adopted the previous day’s journal. Members then adopted Senate Resolution 358 honoring the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on its 10th anniversary, with remarks highlighting UTRGV’s growth, degree production, research expansion, medical school, and role in serving the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas. The chamber also recognized the doctor of the day and adopted additional resolutions, including one for Denton County Days at the Capitol and another recognizing Texas HBCU Day. The Senate gave extensive recognition to outgoing Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp through Senate Resolution 368. Senators from both parties praised his long public career, leadership of the A&M System, support for regional universities, and bipartisan approach. The resolution was adopted after multiple members added their names. The chamber also heard from advocates with the Texas Streets Coalition, and received gubernatorial nominations for the State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors and the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. On legislation, the Senate passed several major bills. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 27, relating to rights and support for public school educators, was debated and amended to address teacher vacancies, bilingual certification testing, paid leave options, classroom removals, and appeal rights, then passed unanimously. Senate Joint Resolution 12, proposing a constitutional amendment on parents’ right to direct a child’s education, advanced on a 22-9 vote. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1741, aimed at preventing foreign influence and intellectual property theft at public institutions of higher education, passed unanimously. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 29, the business entities bill, also passed after debate over corporate governance and shareholder protections. Senate Bill 857, authorizing law enforcement to tow certain vehicles driven by unlicensed or uninsured drivers, passed despite some concern about towing abuses during disasters. The Senate also took up Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1536 on dementia and Alzheimer’s training for certain guardians, but the transcript ends as that bill is being laid out.

Transcript Highlights:

• His parents to give their children a chance at a real education.
• a program to provide student support programs to students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary
• a program to provide student support programs to students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary
• to assess the development of a certification program.
• House Bill 859, now before you, relates to the Department of Education Farm to School Program Task Force

Keywords: March 10, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all

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• And so we are coming to the close for the Doña Ana County program and just kicking off this program,
• this region.
• Programs (IEPs)?
• How do we compare regionally?
• Program, the Rapid Rehousing Homeless Prevention Program, the Home Supportive Services Program, and the

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• It funds the Heritage language educator pathway program.
• standards, quality educator preparation programs, and stakeholder engagement.
• quality educator preparation programs, and stakeholder engagement.
• programs and educator preparation programs and stakeholder<01:18:13.920> engagement<01:18:14.920
• I pursued the licensure via portfolio program as a mature educator.

Keywords: 1183, house

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• expired property tax programs and aids. expired property tax programs and aids.
• We support regional events.
• . regional. regional.
• trade center of our region.
• the regional trade center of our region. the regional trade center of our region.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Lisa last but not least Ryan does the Fefp Florida education finance programs.
• And you can talk about K 12 Pre K 12 education without talking about our scholarship programs.
• And also despite that program for education Finance program which are mention which ones are public schools
• We're going to move into Tab 2, which is a program review of the individuals with Disabilities Education
• Our project does work with our to death education programs in Florida to try to speak to the students

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so using this umbrella program to develop curriculum that they can add to their education portfolio
• impact in a positive way for that region.
• It would have been a second MPO in our region.
• And so a lot of our funding in the SCOP program, the SCRAP program, which you all provide as a legislative
• ... ...program, the SCRAP program, which you all provide as a legislative mandate, and then also the

Summary: The Transportation and Economic Development Budget Subcommittee heard an overview from FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue on the state’s transportation work program, with emphasis on the Moving Florida Forward initiative, major roadway projects, workforce needs, seaports, airports, spaceport infrastructure, and the role of MPOs/TPOs in planning. He said the $4 billion general revenue investment in Moving Florida Forward has been leveraged into a roughly $7 billion-plus program, with 20 projects underway and about 70% of the initiative expected to be under construction by year’s end. He highlighted I-4 as the centerpiece, describing a new procurement approach, phased delivery, and added lanes intended to provide congestion relief during construction. He also discussed a projected 38% growth in transportation workforce needs and proposed a Florida Transportation Academy and a research institute to support training and innovation. Tiffany King of the Florida Airports Council said Florida’s 128 public-use airports have about $5.7 billion in unfunded projects through 2029, and stressed that airport priorities include not only terminals and passenger capacity but also safety, security, gates, and environmental work. Michael Rubin of the Florida Ports Council said Florida’s 16 deepwater seaports now have a $195.9 billion economic impact, support about 1.2 million jobs, and generate $7.4 billion in state and local taxes; he noted that ports still have about $4 billion in project needs, including dredging and intermodal connections. Jeff Sheffield of the North Florida TPO described the value of regional, community-based planning and said his four-county TPO has helped align local priorities with FDOT funding. Members asked about whether the state is planning for advanced air mobility and “flying cars,” whether Moving Florida Forward bypassed MPOs, how long major projects take, cost escalation, regionalization of MPOs, port governance, airport governance, and the contractor qualification system. FDOT and the witnesses said the state is working on policy and planning for advanced air mobility, that Moving Florida Forward did not bypass MPOs because the projects were already locally prioritized, and that the main delay is funding rather than the planning process. They said long-range plans are updated regularly and can be amended when priorities change, and that regional MPO structures can improve coordination. The committee took no formal vote; the meeting concluded after questions and comments, including discussion of workforce training opportunities for incarcerated individuals and a motion to adjourn by the ranking member.

Transcript Highlights:

• Coordinating Board of a grant program to support the...
• Study of regenerative agriculture at public institutions of higher education.
• House Bill 5339 would establish the Higher Education Regenerative Agriculture Grant Program to fund institutions
• Texas A&M, West Texas A&M, and some pretty impressive programs that are working.
• We will enhance water security for the region.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

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• program, that self-attestation doesn't work.
• That's in this program. That's in this bill.
• This bill allows chief judges to assign capital cases to regional counsel offices outside of a regional
• This bill allows chief judges to assign capital cases to regional counsel offices outside of a regional
• counsel from another region.

Summary: The Senate began with opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognitions, including the doctor of the day and a lighthearted “Cannoli Day” introduction. The chamber then held an extended farewell celebration for Senator Joe Gruters, with numerous senators, colleagues, and family members praising his loyalty, political skill, family focus, and service in the Legislature and Republican Party. Gruters was presented with a commemorative gift recognizing his work on a 2019 public-safety and immigration bill that prohibited sanctuary cities and required local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The Senate adopted a motion to spread Gruters’s remarks upon the journal and then recessed briefly. After recess, the Senate returned to regular business and took up third-reading bills. Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 354, relating to blue ribbon projects, was temporarily postponed. The chamber then considered Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1758, relating to public assistance, with Senator Gates explaining that it contained five reforms to the public assistance system discussed earlier in session. During debate on SB 1758, Senator Berman opposed the bill, saying he could not support it in its current form because he believed the Medicaid-related provisions would create a coverage cliff after the one-year transition period and could leave people without care while increasing costs to hospitals and taxpayers. He also said SNAP error reduction should be a priority, but argued the state should focus on fixing administrative errors and fraud rather than imposing a work requirement whose costs and effects were uncertain.

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• the Coalition for Sustainable Communities, New Mexico, to do education and outreach about these programs
• So, you said that currently we're not requiring any kind of continuing education or certification program
• time to the program.
• We're underfunding that program almost 100%. You know, and I led a 12-year program.
• certain regions and tasks.

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• Looking at our investment portfolio and our work program regionally across the whole state to understand
• , those two-year programs, and even four-year degrees.
• , those two-year programs, and even four-year degrees.
• One of those is craft and trade programs.
• Program.

Summary: The Transportation Committee met and first considered SB 88, which would allow local governments to authorize utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) on certain low-speed county roads and municipal streets, with limits on who may operate them and where they may travel. An amendment from Sen. Wright was adopted to require minimum motor vehicle insurance, keep a registration certificate in the vehicle, and delay the effective date to January 1, 2026 for implementation. The bill drew mixed testimony: supporters said it would create a safe, locally controlled path for UTV use and reflect how the vehicles are already being used, while opponents from the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association and Florida Justice Association argued UTVs are designed for off-road use and lack the safety features needed for public roads. After debate, the committee reported CS/SB 88 favorably, with Sen. Davis voting no and several members expressing support while noting safety concerns for future work. The committee then heard SB 274, which designates a portion of International Drive in Orlando as Harris Rosen Way in honor of the late hotelier and philanthropist Harris Rosen. Sen. Arrington described Rosen’s business success and extensive charitable work in Central Florida, and the bill received supportive comments from committee members and a representative from UCF. The committee voted the bill favorably without opposition. The final item was a discussion on transportation workforce issues led by FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue, with remarks from Florida Transportation Builders Association president Dan Hurtado. Perdue said Florida’s growing transportation needs, an aging workforce, and projected retirements require a broader workforce strategy, including a proposed Transportation Academy, craft and trade programs, learning labs, and a transportation research institute. He said FDOT has already reduced vacancies through recruit-and-retain efforts and hiring events, but still needs more skilled workers. Hurtado said FTBA supports expanding workforce development efforts and noted the industry’s own Florida Connect Academy. No vote was taken on the workforce discussion, and the committee adjourned at the end of the meeting.