Transcript Highlights:

• leaves out of the equation is that the moot court team is the team UNM sends around the country to compete
• In, so not too much farther down the road from the House, I think centered around the criminal competency
• If you asked me to do it, I wouldn't know how to do a competent job of it.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other competency areas are in medical.
• The other competency areas are in medical.
• opportunity for us, along with full-time medical professionals, to allow our emergency medics, The other competency

Summary: The Transportation and Economic Development Budget Subcommittee met to organize for the session, take roll, and hear introductory remarks from members and agency heads. Members briefly introduced themselves and their districts, with several noting transportation, economic development, emergency response, military, and hurricane recovery issues in their areas. Chair Shove then outlined the subcommittee’s jurisdiction and current-year budget, noting a total of about $20.3 billion, with most funding coming from trust funds and only a small share from general revenue. The committee also heard that upcoming meetings would include presentations from major agencies in the subcommittee’s purview. The first agency presentation was from the Department of Military Affairs and the Florida National Guard. Major General John Haas described the Guard’s three missions—supporting national security, responding to state emergencies, and adding value to the state—and highlighted deployments for hurricanes, border security support, and ongoing support to the Department of Corrections. He emphasized that the Guard is understrength relative to Florida’s size and demand, said recruiting is strong, and identified force structure growth as the main challenge. Members asked about aircraft, funding sources, and recruiting; Haas explained the Guard’s helicopter and fixed-wing fleet, said aircraft purchases are funded through legislative appropriations, and reported strong interest in the Florida State Guard’s recruiting pipeline. Executive Director Mark Thieme then described the Florida State Guard’s expansion into air, ground, and maritime capabilities, including Black Hawks, boats, drones, canine search-and-rescue teams, and ground support units. He said the agency supported immigration enforcement and hurricane response, and asked for continued legislative support to expand aviation, maritime, and medical capabilities. Members praised the Guard’s disaster response work and asked about aircraft, funding, and staffing. Secretary Cord Byrd of the Department of State followed, focusing on election administration, election security, the SunBiz and voter registration IT systems, arts and culture, corporations, libraries, and historical resources. He said Florida’s election system remains a national model, reported two prosecutions for non-citizen voting, and discussed modernization needs for legacy IT systems. The committee also asked about voter lookup tools, password privacy for SunBiz, and arts funding vetoes. Secretary Alex Kelly of the Department of Commerce described the agency’s broad portfolio, including workforce, economic, community, and international commerce functions, plus housing recovery, broadband, small business support, rural infrastructure, defense-community grants, and law enforcement recruitment bonuses. He said access to capital is the biggest barrier for small businesses and noted ongoing work with CareerSource, the Department of Corrections, and other partners on workforce and reentry. Secretary Jared Perdue of the Department of Transportation then outlined FDOT’s record budget and five-year work program, emphasizing emergency response, preservation and maintenance, safety, and major investments in roads, ports, airports, transit, and spaceport infrastructure. He said the department has removed millions of cubic yards of storm debris, is ahead of schedule on the Moving Florida Forward initiative, and faces a large unfunded project backlog. Members asked about supply chain issues, project priorities, and workforce needs, and Perdue said FDOT is open to collaboration on recruitment and retention.

Transcript Highlights:

• basic English fluency, or you may have someone who has immigrated to the United States and has competency
• in English, but maybe not competency in their technical vocation.
• The universities compete for those funds.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee met for an introductory overview of the higher education programs under its jurisdiction. After roll call and member introductions, Chair Busatta outlined that the subcommittee oversees programs in the Department of Education and the State University System, including vocational rehabilitation, blind services, private postsecondary licensure, student financial aid, career and adult education, the Florida College System, and the Board of Governors. The chair and staff also noted that these areas represent roughly $9 billion in current-year funding. Officials from the Department of Education presented on several programs. Vocational Rehabilitation Director Kelly Rogers described services for adults and youth with disabilities, including pre-employment transition services, job coaching, assistive technology, and employer support; she said the program served more than 55,000 people last year, has no wait list, and reported a return of $7.61 to the economy for every $1 invested. Division of Blind Services Director Robert Doyle explained services from birth through older adulthood, including early intervention, school-age support, vocational rehabilitation, independent living, the Business Enterprise Program for blind vendors, and the Braille and Talking Book Library; he said the division serves about 12,000 people annually and also has no wait list, though some community rehab providers may have one. Tiffany Hurst of the Commission for Independent Education described licensure and consumer protection for independent postsecondary institutions, reporting oversight of about 1,100 institutions and 721 non-degree schools, along with enforcement actions against unlicensed operators. Sean Haskin of Student Financial Assistance reviewed 22 scholarship and grant programs totaling about $1 billion for more than 200,000 students, including Bright Futures, Benacquisto, need-based grants, EASE, EASE Plus, veterans’ scholarships, dual enrollment reimbursement, first responder scholarships, and the Ocoee and Rosewood scholarships. Members asked about surplus funds, marketing, Bright Futures eligibility requirements, and whether EASE awards had changed; Haskin said any unused funds are reverted to the Legislature, that the department markets through schools and the Florida Lottery, and that EASE remained at $3,500 per FTE for the last two fiscal years. Several members raised concerns that students and parents may not learn about aid programs early enough, especially in economically disadvantaged communities. Chancellor Kevin O’Farrell then presented on Career and Adult Education, highlighting record participation in career and technical education, adult education, and apprenticeship. He said about 800,000 secondary students and 480,000 postsecondary students are in CTE, adult education serves about 183,000 learners, and apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship programs include more than 22,000 participants. He also described the workforce development fund, Perkins, WIOA Title II, the Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant, workforce capitalization grants, CAPE performance funding, and the Pipeline nursing initiative, noting strong NCLEX outcomes and expanded outreach through the Get There, Your Way, Future of Work Florida, and Zello platforms. Kathy Hebda began the Florida College System presentation by emphasizing open access, workforce preparation, statewide reach, and strong enrollment and completion growth, including more than 672,000 students, over 131,000 degrees and certificates, and significant dual enrollment savings for students and families.

Transcript Highlights:

• you're going to make a recommendation, you only make recommendations, first of all, that you are competent
• You're having to compete against people that are undercutting, discounting your interpretation.
• What are you seeing as far as competence, your peers, not to rat anybody out, but is it a serious concern

Summary: The committee on Regulated Industries convened with a quorum and began a panel discussion focused on condominium milestone inspections and structural integrity reserve studies (SIRS), with members framing the topic as part of Florida’s post-Surfside condo safety reforms. The chair and panelists reviewed how the state got here, emphasizing that the problems predated Surfside and were driven by long-term deferred maintenance, underfunded reserves, and aging buildings. Panelists included representatives from Florida Realtors, engineering and reserve-study firms, a CPA, a community association attorney, and Broward County’s building safety official, all of whom described their roles in inspections, reserve planning, and code enforcement. Testimony centered on what inspectors are finding in the field. Panelists said the most common problems are not subsidence but wear-and-tear and maintenance failures, especially in stairways, balconies, roofs, parapet walls, waterproofing, and corrosion. They described examples of buildings with hidden deterioration, hurricane-exposed damage, and associations that were underfunded despite prior inspection regimes in Miami-Dade and Broward. Dr. Barbosa explained that Miami-Dade’s recertification program began in the 1970s and Broward’s in 2005, with current timelines generally requiring notice, a first milestone review, and then time to begin substantial repairs; she said the program has improved compliance but that SIRS has added confusion. Members also raised concerns about the cost and implementation of SIRS, including whether reports are being used to generate unnecessary work, whether contractors or firms have conflicts of interest, and whether the law’s use of “fully funded” is being misunderstood. Panelists said the statutory reserve requirement is better understood as baseline funding, not having all money in the bank immediately, and suggested clearer definitions and possibly changing the terminology to “adequately funded.” They also discussed the need to separate required structural items from optional or cosmetic items in reserve reports, improve transparency for buyers and lenders, and ensure associations provide documents through websites and other portals. No votes were taken. The committee used the meeting as an information-gathering session and signaled that more panels and discussion would follow, with members and witnesses agreeing that the state may need further clarification, education, and possible statutory adjustments to reduce confusion while preserving building safety.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1618 is about positioning Arizona to compete and win in the rapidly evolving defense and aerospace
• If other groups can meet it, they should compete. But I'm proud to move it forward, and I vote yes.
• This is another bill that we have two competing strike everything amendments.
• They cannot compete with the speculative development pressures, but they can ask for your support.
• They cannot compete with the speculative development pressures, but they can ask for your support.

Bills: SB1041, SB1088, SB1118, SB1128, SB1168, SB1176, SB1189, SB1207, SB1250, SB1272, SB1274, SB1286, SB1428, SB1457, SB1461, SB1503, SB1519, SB1537, SB1582, SB1618, SB1654, SB1713, SB1827, SCR1012, SCR1020

Keywords: electronic monitoring, nursing care, assisted living, resident rights, privacy, consent, surveillance, cybersecurity, homeland security, artificial intelligence, state appropriation, VPN security, zero trust, housing, zoning, middle housing, urban development, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes

Summary: The committee began with Senate Bill 1272, which would provide $5 million for the City of Douglas as a state match for the Douglas Port of Entry project. The chair adopted a Livingston amendment changing the funding source from the General Fund to the Water Supply Development Revolving Fund. Senator Gowen, Douglas Mayor Jose Grijalva, and city staff testified that the project could unlock $678 million in federal funding, create jobs, improve trade and national security, and generate future tax revenue. The bill passed 15-0 with three present and one not voting. Senate Bill 1503 was then amended with a strike-everything to expand the state death benefit for first responders to include pilots employed by law enforcement agencies, retroactive to January 1, 2026, and subject to voter approval. Senator Gowen and DPS Director Colonel Jeffrey Glover said the change would ensure the family of a DPS aviation supervisor killed in a helicopter crash would qualify for the benefit. The committee approved the bill 18-0 with one not voting. Senate Bill 1274 was converted by strike-everything amendment into a timeshare salesperson licensing measure, creating a separate license and training path focused on timeshare sales. Supporters said the change would better prepare salespeople and streamline licensing, while the sponsor said it would make government more efficient. The bill passed 17-1 with one not voting. Senate Bill 1286, dealing with veterinary telemedicine, was also approved after negotiated changes extended most telemedicine prescription periods to 30 days, kept antimicrobials at 14 days with no renewal, and allowed longer flea-and-tick prescriptions; supporters said it would help rural and disabled pet owners. It passed 18-0 with one not voting. The committee next considered Senate Bill 1519 on off-highway vehicles. A hostile strike-everything amendment proposing paid family and medical leave failed 7-11 with one not voting. The committee then adopted a Lopez amendment and advanced the underlying bill, which raises the OHV weight threshold from 2,500 to 3,500 pounds and adjusts registration and funding provisions. Supporters said it reflects newer enclosed and electric vehicles and helps trail funding, while opponents warned of trail damage and said the issue should wait for the study committee. The bill passed 10-7 with one present and one not voting. Senate Bill 1618, which updates the Military Affairs Commission, expands its membership and duties, and creates a military affairs fund, drew mixed testimony about whether it would strengthen Arizona’s ability to attract and retain military missions or shift the commission away from its traditional support role; it passed 10-6 with two present and one not voting. Finally, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1020, which would send to voters a CPI-based annual adjustment to legislative salaries, passed 9-8 with one present and one not voting after members debated legislative compensation, citizen-legislator concerns, and whether the change would broaden access to public service.

Transcript Highlights:

• The intent of these laws was to give preservation-minded buyers a chance to compete when communities
• preservation-minded buyers a chance give preservation-minded buyers a chance to<00:47:41.359> compete
• c> communities<00:47:42.560> are<00:47:42.720> for<00:47:42.960> sale to compete
• when communities are for sale to compete when communities are for sale and<00:47:43.599> to<00
• So, yes, it would be great to be able to compete with private equity here, and I think opportunity to

Bills: HF4234, HF484, HF483, HF2614

Keywords: HF4234, Minnesota private activity bonds, tax-exempt bonds, bond cap, aggregate bond limitation, residential rental projects, multifamily housing, affordable housing finance, housing bonds, public finance, bond allocation, private activity bond cap, Minnesota Statutes 474A.02, tax committee, natural gas, gas hookups, residential construction, energy policy, local control, state preemption

Transcript Highlights:

• The witness responded that there are a lot of competing pressures on physicians between their clinical
• much of people here in Minnesota, we should take care of that, not set up our mortans to have to compete
• of that, not set up our motans to have of that, not set up our motans to have to<01:31:32.800> compete
• 33.760> who<01:31:34.159> come<01:31:34.320> in<01:31:34.560> with to compete
• with people who come in with to compete with people who come in with an<01:31:34.960> easier<

Bills: HF4438, HF4467, HF4379, SF3402, HF4349, HF4064, HF84, HF85, HF3804

Keywords: healthcare, WIC, community health, licensing, speech-language pathology, audiology, contract term limits, healthcare services, provider enrollment, disenrollment, premium payments, medical assistance, substance use disorders, mental health, children's mental health, early childhood, early intervention, consultation grants, Head Start, child care

Transcript Highlights:

• It would have to be competed for. It could not be an appointment.
• It would have to be competed for. It could not be an appointment.
• It would have to be competed for. It could not be an appointment.
• <00:43:42.840> It<00:43:43.000> could would have to be competed for.
• It could would have to be competed for.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Monday, March 23, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, opened with an invocation, and welcomed guests including the doctor of the day, a Johns Hopkins student, and visiting scouts. The chamber then moved through first-reading introductions of several House bills, including measures on bullying and harassment reporting, the Family and Law Enforcement Protection Act, Baltimore County nuisance actions, parole hearing commission procedures, a blockchain technology task force, and a task force on deed fraud, all of which were referred to standing committees. The main floor action centered on layover bills. Senate Bill 932, concerning social media platforms displaying a user’s usual location, was amended to broaden the protected location reference and to protect participants in the Secretary of State’s address confidentiality program; after discussion about whether minors and child-abuse victims were covered, the amended bill was ordered printed for third reading. Senate Bill 623, creating a premium cigar lounge alcoholic beverage license, drew multiple county-specific amendments. Howard County and Baltimore County amendments sought to give priority to existing local tobacco businesses for the new licenses. Supporters said the changes would protect established local shops from out-of-state entities, while opponents argued the bill should remain statewide and not be amended county by county. A motion to special order the bill failed, and the amendments were adopted before the bill was ordered printed for third reading. Senate Bill 84, on collective bargaining for graduate assistants, also advanced after a committee amendment was adopted. A District 2 amendment was offered to clarify that graduate assistants are employed as teaching, administrative, or research assistants, but the floor leader opposed it, saying the bill’s definition was already clear and the change would create confusion. The minority leader questioned the definition and the relationship between graduate assistants and employees, prompting discussion of collective bargaining as bargaining by employees through representatives. The transcript cuts off before final disposition of that amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• She would find pedophiles on Tinder, and she would compete with the pedophile to see who he would have
• factions were a necessary requirement in a representative republic, and that those factions needed competing
• factions were a necessary requirement in a representative republic, and that those factions needed competing
• factions were a necessary requirement in a representative republic, and that those factions needed competing
• factions needed competing interests. factions needed competing interests.

Bills: HB0083, HB0102, HB0178

Keywords: subpoena, legislative authority, penalty, compliance, law enforcement, artificial intelligence, synthetic sexual material, child protection, self-harm, criminal liability, public employment, labor organization, dues withdrawal, collective bargaining, public funding, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He's paying attention to a lot of competing priorities. You heard Chair Hutchinson say it herself.
• He had to compete. He had to balance needs and prioritize other things.
• attention to a lot of competing attention to a lot of competing priorities.<01:50:04.480> You
• He<01:50:07.920> had<01:50:08.080> to<01:50:08.200> compete.
• He had to balance He had to compete.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• discussions around who should competing discussions around who should get<00:34:44.159> to<00
• But we're not—unless we get them and we go like, okay, we've got two and they're competing and there's
• But we're not—unless we get them and we go like, okay, we've got two and they're competing and there's
• But we're not—unless we get them and we go like, okay, we've got two and they're competing and there's
• But we're not—unless we get them and we go like, okay, we've got two and they're competing and there's

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• competition in all creation, from nature's seeds to human needs, be pleased to dwell among us as we compete
• /c><00:04:35.680> we be pleased to dwell among us as we be pleased to dwell among us as we compete
• 37.919> to<00:04:38.240> complete<00:04:39.520> your<00:04:39.840> will compete
• in order to complete your will compete in order to complete your will for<00:04:40.479> all<00
• our education to become more competent our education to become more competent in<00:05:25.520>

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's sort of like Director Lambert talking about how hard it is to be able to compete when, at the next
• when at the next booth, you to compete when at the next booth, you know,<00:37:24.000> in<00:
• sure that our agriculture community is not getting ripped off, they can reduce product and we can compete
• c><01:27:52.159> can they can reduce product and we can they can reduce product and we can compete
• compete with our mainland competitors. compete with our mainland competitors.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It gave proposed nutrition competencies, excuse me, for medical students and physician trainees.
• There's a list of 30 different competencies related to nutrition education.
• , gave proposed nutrition op competencies, gave proposed nutrition op competencies, excuse<01:49:
• There's a list of 30 different<01:49:47.199> competencies<01:49:47.920> related<01:49:48.239
• > to different competencies related to different competencies related to nutrition<01:49:48.880

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The task force met for its third meeting, approved the minutes, and heard testimony from Dr. Jack on behalf of the American Beverage Association and Kentucky Beverage Association. Dr. Jack argued that the “totality of the science” supports low- and no-calorie sweeteners as safe and useful tools for reducing sugar and calories, citing FDA and other domestic and international reviews, clinical trials, and the FDA’s recent healthy-label rule. He also described the industry’s transparency efforts, including a “Good to Know” database compiling ingredient and safety information, and said the beverage industry has voluntarily worked to offer more choices with less sugar. Members questioned him about whether beverage ingredients are restricted in other countries, possible health effects beyond weight and cancer, concerns about metabolic issues and gut microbiome effects, whether sweeteners are addictive, and why companies do not simply remove sweeteners. Dr. Jack responded that most ingredients are permitted in many jurisdictions, that broad food-safety reviews have looked at multiple endpoints and found the ingredients safe, that the gut microbiome is still being studied, and that recent clinical evidence does not show increased sweetness preference. He also said business decisions about formulations are up to companies and noted that cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are metabolically similar. The committee also discussed consumer apps and ingredient-scoring tools; Dr. Jack said the industry’s website presents facts without interpretation and is based on food-safety agency assessments. At the end of his testimony, the chair accepted additional fact sheets for the committee. The meeting then moved on to introduce Dr. Gary Huber, who began testimony by emphasizing integrative medicine, metabolic syndrome, and the role of diet, exercise, sleep, and stress in health, but his full presentation was not included in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• equipment and resources needed for large-scale sustainable farming, which limits their ability to compete
• equipment and resources needed for large-scale sustainable farming, which limits their ability to compete
• equipment and resources needed for large-scale sustainable farming, which limits their ability to compete
• equipment and resources needed for large-scale sustainable farming, which limits their ability to compete
• <00:48:33.040> in agriculture so that we can compete in agriculture so that we can compete

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:35:06.480> for<00:35:06.640> competitive nonprofit to uh compete for competitive
• nonprofit to uh compete for competitive grants.<00:35:07.760> How<00:35:07.920> do<00:
• Um, and so it's difficult to compete with those bigger organizations who have those people to do all
• <00:37:52.079> with<00:37:52.960> um and so it's difficult to compete with um and so
• it's difficult to compete with um with<00:37:53.440> those<00:37:53.760> bigger<00:37:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:04:19.280> Um,<01:04:19.520> and often competing interests.
• Um, and often competing interests.
• Um, I think I know there were a couple of uh competing uh bills uh in the House that dealt with this
• Um, I think I know there were a couple of uh competing uh bills uh in the House that dealt with this
• Um, I think I know there were a couple of uh competing uh bills uh in the House that dealt with this

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then they're using that rebate revenue to buy down their premiums because they compete with each
• And then they're using that rebate revenue to buy down their premiums because they compete with each
• And then they're using that rebate revenue to buy down their premiums because they compete with each
• And then they're using that rebate revenue to buy down their premiums because they compete with each
• And then they're using that rebate revenue to buy down their premiums because they compete with each

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It works, and it helps balance the competing interests that I know you all have.
• <00:30:50.640> interest<00:30:51.120> that<00:30:51.360> I balance the competing
• interest that I balance the competing interest that I know<00:30:51.720> you<00:30:52.000>
• I just also know that, you know, there are so many other competing interests right now that I mean, how
• I appreciate the competing interest that you're trying to balance, and I think it's a serious question

Bills: HF1124, HF1457, HF1803

Keywords: school calendar, education, school year, Labor Day, state law, school construction, landfill, dump site, closed landfill, contaminated site, pollution control agency, school siting, public school, charter school, environmental health, student safety, brownfield, solid waste, waste disposal site, site contamination

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a tug-of-war, and we have to do what we can to be reasonable by balancing the multiple competing
• It's a tug-of-war, and we have to do what we can to be reasonable by balancing the multiple competing
• It's a tug-of-war, and we have to do what we can to be reasonable by balancing the multiple competing
• It's a tug-of-war, and we have to do what we can to be reasonable by balancing the multiple competing
• It's a tug-of-war, and we have to do what we can to be reasonable by balancing the multiple competing

Keywords: 1187, senate, all