Transcript Highlights:

• after taking office as president, I convened a committee of JCTA leaders to lead our organization, revising
• And so we took all of the data, we saw patterns, and these repeated answers informed our revised organizational
• </c> patterns informed our revised patterns informed our revised organizational<00:27:14.960><c> platform
• </c><00:59:15.040><c> fiscal</c><00:59:15.599><c> risk</c> magnifying the statewide fiscal risk magnifying
• the statewide fiscal risk associated<00:59:16.799><c> with</c><00:59:17.040><c> governance</c><00:59

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Today we have statewide officers and leadership representatives and state sponsors of the Beta Club that
• The reason for this is because statewide there has never been sufficient funding.
• The reason for this is because, you know, statewide there has never been sufficient funding.
• And then Revised Statute 16:6 says that the local government pays for everything else for the district
• I just want to ask you, now sheriff, that when you were superintendent and a big job statewide running

Committee: House Administration of Criminal Justice

Summary: The committee first took up HB 74, which would create a Louisiana Spectrum Alert for missing persons with autism spectrum disorder. Representative Eccles said the alert would be modeled on Amber and senior alerts and could be absorbed within existing resources. The committee heard emotional support testimony from a parent describing the dangers of elopement and drowning risks for autistic children, and several members voiced support. HB 74 was reported favorably. Members then considered HB 1033 and HB 1034 by Chairman Bacala. HB 1033 expands the statutory definition of critical infrastructure to include additional facilities such as airports, spaceports, aerospace facilities, mass transit, government facilities, military installations, and oil and gas exploration platforms. It drew mostly support from economic development and law enforcement groups, with one opposition card from the Sierra Club, and was reported favorably. HB 1034 authorizes parish presidents, mayors, sheriffs, police chiefs, and chief executive officers to establish temporary protection zones for public safety for up to 72 hours, with a warning before criminal penalties attach. The committee adopted an amendment clarifying that the bill cannot be used in a manner inconsistent with state firearms preemption law, heard concerns from the ACLU about vagueness and possible overreach, and then reported the bill favorably as amended. HB 59, by Representative Marcel, would require East Baton Rouge Parish and its municipalities to fund the 19th Judicial District public defender’s office in a manner parallel to the district attorney funding structure. The bill drew support from the public defender, the district attorney, and the state public defender, but several members raised concerns that the language could create an unfunded mandate or litigation risk for local governments. Despite those concerns, the committee reported HB 59 favorably. HB 175, as amended, redirected $500,000 annually from Louisiana Lottery net proceeds into a Veterans Service Grant Fund administered by a new board in the Department of Veterans Affairs; testimony emphasized support for veterans programs, treatment courts, homelessness services, and community organizations, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. The committee also advanced HB 568, which increases penalties for drug-free school zone violations involving open marijuana use and other drug activity. Supporters said the bill would give law enforcement and prosecutors a clearer tool to address visible drug use near schools and large events, while opponents warned it could over-criminalize marijuana and create proof problems. The committee reported HB 568 favorably. Finally, HB 525, which requires DPS&C to publish certain incarceration data online, was amended to remove parish jail census data after DPS&C said it would not post that portion; the department said it would publish the remaining data and codebook online. The committee then reported HB 525 favorably as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Last year, we made substantial needed revisions to the condominium laws.
• So the revisions in the bill clarify that Chapter 721, Florida Statutes, which govern timeshares and
• Last year, we made substantial needed revisions to the condominational. Thank you, Mr. President.
• Last year we made substantial needed revisions to the condominium laws.
• So the revisions in the bill clarify that Chapter 721 Florida statutes which govern timeshares and have

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including remarks from Senator Berman outlining Democratic priorities such as education, health care, environmental protection, and opposition to rollbacks on child labor, book access, and gun safety. The chamber also recognized military guests and an intern before moving to the special order calendar. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including measures on human trafficking, waste management, Bright Futures, Medicaid oversight at one point in the flow, and mammogram coverage, though the Medicaid oversight bill was later taken up and passed. The Senate passed a series of bills, often after substituting House companions and adopting technical amendments. Among the major measures approved were the dangerous dogs bill (the Pam Rock Act), which tightened penalties and procedures after fatal attacks; a local government land regulation bill that streamlined comp plan review and defined impact-fee circumstances, though members raised concerns about quasi-judicial hearing limits and local costs; a vessel-related bill combining boating safety and voter-freedom provisions; a blood clot screening and treatment bill creating the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act; fleeing and eluding penalties; concealed carry and firearm possession rules for certain officers and service members; timeshare management reforms; and public education on background screening requirements. The chamber also approved bills on disability history and awareness instruction, manufacturing and a related fee bill, utility service restrictions, educational opportunities for military children, health facilities authorities, and veteran and spouse nursing home beds. The disability instruction bill drew extended debate about the use of the term “disability,” inclusion, and whether the measure was consistent with broader DEI debates; it passed unanimously after emotional testimony from the sponsor and families. The manufacturing and utility bills focused on statewide economic policy and preemption of local restrictions, while the military children bill was presented as a student-driven proposal. Most measures passed with strong bipartisan support, with recorded votes ranging from unanimous to 33-3 on the firearm bill and 26-8 on the land regulation bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Statewide policies and procedures<02:26:34.520><c> for</c><02:26:34.760><c> law</c><02:26:35.200><c>
• </c><02:27:25.000><c> law</c> reviewing and recommending Statewide law reviewing and recommending Statewide
• He added that the testimony and opposition heard today agree that statewide standards are appropriate
• </c> we've heard today agrees that Statewide we've heard today agrees that Statewide standards<02:30:
• to adopt particular use of Statewide to adopt particular use of force<02:31:22.720><c> standards</c>

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several housing, land use, and preservation bills. HB 1008 HD2 would require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to complete historic preservation determinations for state affordable housing projects within 90 days and create sensitivity-based review pathways. HHFDC, DLNR’s State Historic Preservation Division, and written testimony from DBEDT supported the bill as an expedited process for projects unlikely to affect significant historic resources. Members asked how the bill would define significant versus non-significant historic properties, how it would interact with Kapakai analysis, and whether burial councils had been consulted; SHPD said the bill would not replace Kapakai review and that burial councils had not been included. Written support also came from OHA, Hawaii Realtors, and the Maui Chamber of Commerce. HB 1093 would clarify the Hawaii Public Housing Authority’s powers relating to housing projects. HPHA supported the measure, saying it would align definitions with prior law and help deconcentrate poverty by allowing mixed-income rebuilding. The director also said the bill was increasingly urgent because of reported federal HUD priorities that could affect public housing and Section 8 funding. HB 1096 HD1 would repeal state low-income housing preferences for disabled veterans and spouses of deceased veterans, with HPHA saying federal veteran programs such as VASH are a better mechanism and that the state preference has not been used in years. HB 1411 would allow HHFDC projects to give sale or lease preferences to applicants who live or work within five miles of a project; HHFDC and the Hawaii Chapter of NAIOP supported it as a way to keep residents connected to their communities, while members raised constitutional concerns about broader local-preference policies. The committee also heard HB 367 HD1, which would create county permit exemptions for certain agricultural and maintenance activities. Written testimony included opposition from the Department of Planning and Permitting and support from the Hawaii Farm Bureau, Grassroot Institute, and others. A public testifier opposed the bill, arguing that permit exemptions could worsen safety and compliance problems. Finally, HB 826 HD1 would allow county planning commissions, by special permit, to authorize residential housing in agricultural districts for agricultural workforce housing, long-term rental, or fee simple ownership under certain conditions. HHFDC supported it as a faster alternative to lengthy state land-use redistricting, but the Department of Agriculture, Land Use Commission, and Office of Planning and Sustainable Development raised concerns about food production impacts, due process, service provision, jurisdictional conflicts, and the use of special permits for what could amount to district boundary changes. Public testimony was mixed, with some support and some opposition. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The benefits are stronger enforcement, clarity for employers, consistency statewide, efficiency, fairness
• Senate Bill 214 will amend statute 288 to revise the definition of rural community for the purposes of
• While they're coordinating their comments and suggested revisions, we'll hopefully move this bill today
• While they're coordinating their comments and suggested revisions, we'll hopefully move this bill today

Summary: The Committee on Commerce and Tourism considered a series of bills affecting tax policy, workforce development, business regulation, consumer protection, rural development, and artificial intelligence. 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. CS/SB 1266 would create a cybersecurity experiential internship and clearance-readiness program with the Department of Commerce and Cyber Florida; an amendment removed an appropriation from the bill, and the committee reported it favorably. SB 554, a broad update to Florida’s not-for-profit corporation law, was also reported favorably after supportive testimony from Florida Bar representatives. SB 1004, aimed at protecting buyers of dogs and cats from deceptive sales and predatory financing practices, received strong support from animal welfare advocates and was reported favorably. SB 1074, which provides rounding rules for cash transactions if pennies are unavailable, was likewise reported favorably. SB 214, expanding the rural community definition to include special districts in rural counties for economic development purposes, was reported favorably. SPB 7030, a public records exemption tied to Department of Legal Affairs investigations, was adopted as a committee bill and favorably reported. The committee also heard extensive discussion on SB 998, the Department of Commerce package. The bill would modernize the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant program, clarify rural community eligibility for certain unincorporated areas, exempt military entities from a reverter clause on land conveyances, and revise E-Verify enforcement procedures. Members questioned the E-Verify provisions, including penalties, protections for workers incorrectly flagged, and the treatment of gig workers. Senator Smith opposed the bill, arguing it creates unequal treatment between employers and immigrant workers, while Senator Wright supported the military-related provisions. Despite the debate, SB 998 was reported favorably, with Senators Bracy Davis, Smith, and Errington voting no. The committee also took up SB 482, an “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights” that would create consumer protections for companion chatbots, require parental consent and access for minors, mandate periodic disclosures that users are interacting with AI, restrict certain uses of personal data and likenesses, and give the Attorney General enforcement authority. The bill drew both support and criticism: supporters emphasized child safety, transparency, and consumer protection, while opponents raised concerns about privacy, broad definitions, lack of audit mechanisms, and the absence of a private right of action for adults. Senators Smith and Davis urged clearer definitions and stronger accountability, but both said the bill was a starting point. The committee reported SB 482 favorably. The meeting ended with recorded affirmative votes requested by Senators Yarbrough, Wright, and Davis on selected tabs, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• delete Section 10 of the bill as it incorrectly subjects access to nursing home facility records and revises
• During my prior tenure has served as a lead negotiator for the first 2 statewide, Medicaid managed care
• It also revises training requirements, specifying train training on various skills specific to the medically
• Additionally, the amendment removes removes the direction for the division of lot revision to add the

Transcript Highlights:

• I was fortunate enough to have served on the 2018 Constitution Revision Commission.
• I currently serve as the chair of the board of a statewide organization called Leadership Florida.
• there, I met with members of the House and Senate to advocate for Valencia College and push for a revised
• We’ve also amended the definition of an opioid antagonist, revised from naloxone to an emergency opioid

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education first took up a block of confirmation hearings for trustees and board members at several public universities and state colleges. Appointees from Florida A&M University, Florida International University, New College of Florida, Pasco-Hernando State College, South Florida State College, Valencia College, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Florida described their backgrounds and emphasized themes such as governance, student success, workforce alignment, fiscal stewardship, research growth, and institutional reputation. Members asked a few questions, but most nominees received no substantive opposition. The committee then voted unanimously to recommend confirmation of the group of appointees on tabs 3 through 18 and forwarded them to Ethics and Elections. The committee next heard Senate Bill 114 by Senator Trumbull, which would create the Florida Center of Excellence in Insurance and Risk Management at Florida State University, move the public hurricane loss projection model from FIU to FSU, and provide funding for the effort. Trumbull said the bill is intended to strengthen the state’s insurance research capacity and broaden study of insurance lines beyond wind risk. Senators asked about the impact on FIU and the distinction between the new center and existing FIU work; Trumbull said FIU’s Wall of Wind would remain and that the state-owned model would simply be contracted to FSU instead of FIU. The committee reported the bill favorably. The committee then considered Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1624 by Senator Calatayud, a wide-ranging higher education bill addressing tuition, workforce programs, institutional operations, and naming changes. Amendments were adopted to create state college regional consortium service organizations for rural colleges, remove a proposed out-of-state fee change for nonresident online students, extend university master plan update cycles from five to 10 years, and rename Hillsborough Community College as Hillsborough College. The bill also changed several references from specific minority categories to “underrepresented,” revised aid and waiver provisions, adjusted adult education and career program rules, and made other technical changes. Senators Smith and Davis questioned the shift away from enumerated categories, arguing it could obscure disparities affecting groups such as Black students, women in STEM, and students with disabilities; Calatayud said the intent was to focus on socioeconomic access and flexibility for institutions. After debate, the committee voted 6-2 to report the bill favorably, with Senators Davis and Smith voting no, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh I could go down the revision items that are in the substitute and these are the things that we worked
• </c><00:09:08.320><c> go</c><00:09:08.399><c> down</c><00:09:08.560><c> the</c><00:09:08.720><c> revision
• </c><00:09:09.200><c> items</c><00:09:09.519><c> that</c> &gt;&gt; I could go down the revision items
• that &gt;&gt; I could go down the revision items that are<00:09:09.839><c> in</c><00:09:10.160><c> the
• our 14 public universities, and with the help through Innovate Alabama, we were able to add six statewide

Bills: SB342 , HB379 , HB326 , HB233 , HB388 , SB342 , HB379 , HB326 , HB233 , HB388

Committee: Senate Finance and Taxation Education

Keywords: land bank, land bank authority, local land bank authority, Alabama Land Bank Authority, tax delinquent property, tax sale, tax lien, redemption period, quiet title, blight remediation, vacant property, foreclosure, ad valorem tax, property tax exemption, intergovernmental agreement, county government, municipal government, redevelopment, brownfields, floodplain management

Transcript Highlights:

• members of the public that we support more than 100,000 barbering and cosmetology professionals statewide
• So can you please give us an understanding when there is something identified, Statewide with just 26
• If there is one tribe that signs onto the amended and revised 2021 Compact, they would be entitled to
• First, we have revised and implemented standard licensing policies.
• event revenues, Management oversight procedures to ensure it receives accurate event revenues and revise

Committee: Senate Senate Regulatory Affairs & Government Efficiency Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• we would have a downward revision to our greenhouse gas reduction fund revenues.
• We're looking at a May Revision, a budget by June. How do you, how would you do it? We're in April?
• And then all of those findings will be uplifted into a statewide report as well.
• And then all of those findings will be uplifted into a statewide report as well.
• We support a revised budget that maintains the Legislature's discretion in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Summary: The subcommittee heard testimony on the governor’s proposed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credit, which would provide a $1 to $2 per gallon credit against the diesel excise tax for SAF sold for use in California from 2026 to 2036. The Department of Finance and CARB argued the credit would help decarbonize aviation, support refinery transitions, and keep fuel production and jobs in California. The Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended rejecting the proposal, saying it is a relatively expensive way to reduce greenhouse gases, could have uncertain or limited climate benefits, and would reduce diesel excise tax revenue that supports highways, local streets and roads, and other transportation programs. A major point of debate was whether the credit would simply shift limited feedstocks from renewable diesel to SAF rather than create new low-carbon fuel supply. Professor Aaron Smith and the LAO said that because feedstocks such as used cooking oil, tallow, and vegetable oils are limited and already used in other fuel markets, the policy could increase SAF at the expense of renewable diesel, with possible increases in fuel prices and little net emissions benefit. Administration and CARB staff disputed that outcome, saying additional waste-based feedstocks are available and that the policy would not meaningfully raise gasoline or diesel prices. Senators focused on feedstock availability, impacts on road funding, fairness to consumers, and whether the proposal was really aimed at preserving specific refineries such as Phillips 66. Public comment was sharply divided. Labor representatives, refinery workers, airlines, Boeing, airports, and some local residents supported the proposal, emphasizing jobs, refinery investment, and aviation’s need for a liquid-fuel decarbonization pathway. Environmental and transportation groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, World Resources Institute, Earthjustice, California Environmental Voters, counties, cities, and trucking and asphalt associations, opposed it, citing weak net climate benefits, possible fuel-price impacts, and losses to transportation funding. No vote was taken; the chair announced all items would be held open for a future hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It creates two sections of law for an electronic monitoring pilot rather than a statewide system for
• The House bill amends a domestic and repeat violence injunction statewide verification system to include
• The House bill does not revise various provisions relating to auditing and reviewing septic tank permits
• The House bill does not contain the provision revising building height maximums for multi-family projects
• The revised rule provides new MFLs and a strategy to implement them.

Transcript Highlights:

• Health, sadly, has not provided any epidemiological modeling to estimate what this policy change statewide
• It creates two sections of law for an electronic monitoring pilot rather than a statewide system for
• The House bill amends a domestic and repeat violence injunction statewide verification system to include
• The House bill does not revise various provisions relating to auditing and reviewing septic tank permits
• The revised rule provides new MFELs and a strategy to implement them.

Transcript Highlights:

• These are the statewide results at the end of the year for K 2.
• There are other statewide assessments.
• And that was first administered statewide last spring.
• Terms of the uses of statewide assessments.
• It's given that we have a statewide toll now.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is the essential step toward setting a clear statewide standard for safety.
• The amendment revises the section that allows the Board of Nursing to consider adverse actions taken
• The staff summary says Senate Bill 254 as amended revises regulatory oversight of pre-licensed nursing

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• upcoming monitoring that they're conducting right now in relation to that rule will provide clear statewide
• contaminant standards that have been promulgated but remain subject to ongoing judicial review and federal revision
• . ...remain subject to ongoing judicial review and federal revision, leaving the final scope of those

Committee: Senate Resources and Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• The most recent NAAQS revision.
• The most recent NAAQS revision for ozone, completed in 2015, took seven years for EPA to complete.
• prohibition on cosmetic animal testing and deems the regulation of the sale of cosmetics as a matter of statewide

Committee: Senate Senate Natural Resources Committee of Reference

Summary: The Natural Resources Committee approved the minutes from January 20 and January 27, 2026, and then heard several bills dealing with water policy, environmental regulation, wildlife management, and cosmetics testing. SB 1278 would ban intentional solar radiation management activities in Arizona and bar public entities and recipients of public funds from supporting such technologies; supporters argued it was needed to stop geoengineering, while opponents said it would block research and distract from real pollution problems. The committee voted 5-2 to give SB 1278 a do pass recommendation. The committee then considered SB 1279, which updates Arizona’s weather modification/cloud seeding permitting process by adding ADWR and ADEQ review, public notice and meetings, and a licensing database. A nine-page amendment shifted complaint enforcement to ADWR, added cease-and-desist and fine authority, and changed rulemaking timelines; the amendment was adopted, and the bill passed 5-2. Testimony was mixed: supporters emphasized transparency and safety, Salt River Project was neutral after stakeholder work, and ADEQ said it was neutral but warned it lacked standards, resources, and time to develop the required chemical limits and rules. SB 1005, which would prohibit the sale of cosmetics developed with animal testing beginning in 2027, received a do pass recommendation 4-2 after supporters cited cruelty concerns and the availability of non-animal testing methods. SB 1202, requiring ADWR to include outline data in five-year groundwater supply-and-demand assessments, also passed 4-2 despite agency concerns that the bill would require extensive hydrologic modeling, significant resources, and could produce misleading conclusions about available water. SB 1280, barring state transport or use of public resources to move Mexican gray wolf pups into Arizona, passed 4-2 after testimony split between conservation advocates, who said it would hinder recovery, and supporters concerned about livestock impacts; Game and Fish was neutral. Finally, SB 1287, with a conforming amendment, passed 5-1 to extend a groundwater-use provision for irrigation grandfathered rights from initial AMAs to subsequent AMAs, which ADWR said would reduce burden and create parity across management areas.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we will start with House Bill 2468, correcting terminology to align the Revised Code of Washington
• House Bill 2468, correcting terminology to align the Revised Code of Washington with recent reorganization
• Communities and Schools of Washington works statewide to ensure that young adults have the stability

Bills: HB2455 , HB2468 , HB2529

Committee: House Early Learning & Human Services

Keywords: housing assistance, youth, foster care, pilot program, social services, terminology correction, healthcare, regulatory compliance, department reorganization, Washington, DCYF, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, accountability board, oversight board, child welfare, juvenile rehabilitation, juvenile justice, early learning, family preservation, children and families

Transcript Highlights:

• In the context of this amendment, this bill essentially sets a standard statewide so that people know
• Ladies and gentlemen, Senate Bill 474 revises provisions of Florida law relating to military service
• Ladies and gentlemen, Senate Bill 474 revises provisions of Florida law relating to military service

Committee: Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability

Transcript Highlights:

• So you're revising the program but extending an existing program that expires at the end of 20.
• The revised program is going to cost approximately the same as the existing program does in its last
• The Opioid Abatement Fund Council was created to ensure that money recovered through statewide opioid

Bills: SB214 , SB935 , SB1030 , SB1901 , SB2018 , SB2020 , SB2066 , SB2206

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Specifically, we'll be looking at some critical issues involving the state's women's prisons and a revised
• Our lieutenant and executive leadership trainings are also being revised.
• We also maintain a statewide complaint intake process where anyone can raise to us their concerns of