Transcript Highlights:

• We need the help.
• The special force is the one department that we need. HPD is shorthanded. Don't take away the care.
• We need the help.
• The special force is the one department that we need. HPD is shorthanded. Don't take away the care.
• c> need<00:34:49.720> HPD that we need HPD that we need HPD shorthanded<00:34:52.679> do

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They hired a special master because the state of Alabama defied and refused to redraw the maps.
• So, and the court did not use the special master's plan. >> And the court did not use the special master's
• >> Both. >> No, we were not. >> They hired a special master. >> Exactly.
• They hired a special master because the State of Alabama defied and refused to redraw the maps.
• And the court did not use the special master's plan. So, tell me about this injunction.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are so happy to have her join us to celebrate in our special... ...to celebrate in our special...
• I mean, if a juror needs to have a lactation space, you know, if a clerk needs it, it's there for everybody
• You did what needed to be done.
• it to us when we needed it.
• it to us when we needed it.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opening prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions, including guests from the press, Florida State women’s soccer, and former Senator Janet Cruz. Members also announced there would be no conference that weekend. The chamber then moved to the special order calendar and began taking up a series of bills, often substituting House companions and proceeding quickly to third reading and final passage. Among the measures approved were bills modernizing trust settlement and trustee discharge procedures; revising military affairs laws, including leave protections, retirement eligibility, and assistance programs; creating uniform cash-rounding rules as Florida prepares for the end of the penny; refining podiatric medicine rules on cellular/tissue-based products and informed consent; expanding veterans’ court access statewide; clarifying RV park special assessments; establishing concurrent state-federal jurisdiction for juveniles on military installations; reauthorizing alcoholic beverage loss deductions; and revising bail bond and pretrial release laws, including training, electronic notices, forfeiture timing, and related procedures. Members also passed bills on eyewear insurance licensing, expanding the Linking Industry to Nursing Education Fund into health science education, streamlining recovery residence regulation, enhancing felony battery penalties, and updating child welfare rules to reduce repeated background checks, make the Step Into Success program permanent, and create a best-practices program. Several bills drew brief supportive remarks, especially those affecting veterans, the National Guard, foster youth, and military families. One bail bond bill prompted questions about charitable bail bonds, with the sponsor stating the current statute would remain unchanged. Most bills passed unanimously or near-unanimously; the bail bond measure passed 36-1, while the others noted here passed with no or minimal opposition. The Senate also adopted an amendment to the military affairs bill and a delete-all amendment to the military-installation jurisdiction bill before final passage. A major portion of the meeting was devoted to honoring Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman on her farewell. Members from both parties offered extended remarks praising her leadership, preparation, collegiality, advocacy on issues such as voting rights, women’s rights, Israel, anti-Semitism, breast cancer, school safety, and family law, and her effectiveness in committee and on the floor. Berman delivered an extended farewell speech reflecting on her 16 years in the Legislature, her family, her district, and her legislative priorities, and the Senate ordered her remarks spread upon the journal before recessing and later returning to continue the calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• The fees collected shall be deposited into a special account of the OHA special fund, and disbursements
• The fees collected shall be deposited into a special account of the OHA special fund, and disbursements
• The fees collected shall be deposited into a special account of the OHA special fund, and disbursements
• The fees collected shall be deposited into a special account of the OHA special fund, and disbursements
• need we need you saying mostly that we need we need you to<01:08:23.679> put<01:08:23.960>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee first took up SB 534, a measure concerning development in Kakaʻako Makai involving the Hawaii Community Development Authority and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The chairs explained that the hearing was decision-making only and no testimony would be accepted, though members could ask clarifying questions. The chair outlined amendments to clarify HCDA’s approval process, require an environmental impact statement before residential development proposals are submitted, require Department of Health documentation on hazardous substances, and specify that only OHA-owned parcels would be eligible for certain residential development with a 400-foot height limit and maximum floor area ratio of 10.0. The amendments also addressed affordability, owner-occupancy, association fees, and a special fund, while noting Attorney General concerns that the fee could be construed as a tax and suggesting further review by Judiciary and Ways and Means. Members discussed the affordability threshold, with one senator suggesting 160% AMI instead of 140% due to high housing costs and concern that essential workers could be priced out. Others raised concerns about Native Hawaiian affordability, the long-term effect of perpetuity restrictions, and whether the process would protect OHA’s interests. An HCDA representative said 140% AMI was used in existing reserve housing rules and that lower thresholds could make development economically infeasible. OHA and other supporters said the proposal was still early in planning and emphasized the need for public hearings, community input, and compliance with environmental and remediation standards. The committees voted to pass SB 534 with amendments: Water and Land approved it 4-1, and Hawaiian Affairs also adopted the chair’s recommendation, with one member excused and one voting no. The meeting then moved to SB 3, relating to water resource management. The bill would authorize the Commission on Water Resource Management to retain independent legal counsel, create an executive director position, allow challenges to emergency orders under certain conditions, establish fines for water use offenses, and revise emergency and shortage declaration procedures; Red Hill-related provisions were noted as removed from this version. Testimony was largely supportive, including from DLNR, the Board of Water Supply, OHA, and Sierra Club, with OHA stressing the measure’s importance to Native Hawaiian water rights and past litigation. A Department of Hawaiian Home Lands representative supported the bill with amendments and recommended explicit language directing the commission chair or designee to advocate for water rights and reservations for homelands. The chair indicated the committees would use the prior Senate-passed version as the basis for further action, and the discussion then moved on to SB 130, a search-and-rescue reimbursement bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Small businesses don't need special treatment.
• Small businesses don't need special treatment.
• We need a little love today. We need a little light in the darkness.
• We need a little love today. We need a little light in the darkness.
• We need a little love today. We need a little light in the darkness.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They could put it into special programs.
• I'm going to need to follow up with you on that.
• I'm going to need to follow up with you on that.
• It also allows for special millages to be adopted by voter referendum for debt and other special purposes
• CDDs or... ...special districts in the state when you include CDDs or special improvement districts.

Summary: The Select Committee on Property Taxes met for an educational session focused on how Florida funds public schools and how property taxes are assessed and levied. Dr. Jim Zengali of the Department of Revenue explained the FEFP school funding formula, noting that it is built on weighted student counts, a base student allocation, and programmatic add-ons such as transportation, exceptional student education, school safety, and mental health. He said school funding is roughly split between state general revenue and local property taxes through required local effort, with additional discretionary and capital outlay millages contributing to total school funding. He also described the Department of Revenue’s role in certifying property rolls at fair market value and reviewing them for substantial compliance, including the so-called “nuclear option” if a roll is not approved. Members asked about trends in millage rates, county-by-county funding differences, the effect of growth and enrollment changes, and how property appraisals are reviewed. Zengali said aggregate millage for school funding has declined over the last decade while revenues have still increased, and he agreed to provide additional data on county trends, parcel strata, student growth, and enrollment impacts. He also clarified that school funding is equalized so students receive similar resources regardless of county wealth, and that federal funding plays only a small role in the FEFP. Amy Baker of the Joint Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research then discussed existing homestead benefits. She said about half of Florida’s parcels are homestead properties, most fall in the $250,000 to $500,000 value range, and many seniors without mortgages pay property taxes in lump sums rather than through escrow. Baker explained that Florida’s homestead tax burden is middle-of-the-pack nationally and that the main benefits are Save Our Homes and portability on the differential side, plus the $25,000 homestead exemption and related exemptions on the exemption side. She said these benefits reduce taxable value substantially, with homestead properties receiving a large share of the reductions, and noted that the committee requested follow-up data on exemption usage, portability timing, senior exemptions, and county-level patterns. The final presentation, by Lizette Kelly of the Department of Revenue, covered millage rates and the TRIM process. She reviewed the history of truth-in-millage notices, required taxpayer mailings, public hearing notices, and later changes that tied local millage resets to rollback and majority-vote rates. Kelly explained the difference between proposed and adopted millage, the rollback rate, and the majority-vote rate, and described how taxing authorities include counties, cities, special districts, and MSTUs. She also outlined how county taxable value is calculated from just value through assessment differentials and exemptions, and how certain exemptions, such as the additional senior exemption, apply only to the taxing authority that adopted them. No votes were taken during the meeting, but members requested several follow-up data reports for later discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• I just think it needs to be goodter. Uh so um [laughter] I'd be happy to special order.
• I was intending to talk about it now and not special order both of the layovers, but I could special
• I just think it needs to be amendment.
• I I was I'd be happy to special order.
• objection, uh the bill will be special objection, uh the bill will be special ordered<00:13:35.680

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Maryland Senate met on Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026, with a quorum present. The session opened with an invocation by Chaplain David Stadler, followed by journalization of his remarks and several introductions recognizing guests in the chamber, including dentists, an intern, a former legislative staffer, and representatives from the University System of Maryland and other groups. Senators also noted upcoming committee meetings and a Legislative Black Caucus photo the next day. The main floor action centered on a resolution honoring Maryland Career and Technical Student Organizations for Career and Technical Student Organization Week. The sponsor described the role of CTSOs in serving more than 12,000 students statewide and in building leadership, professional, and career skills. The resolution was read in full and adopted unanimously, with the Senate expressing congratulations and appreciation for the organizations’ work with young people. The Senate then took up layover items and calendar bills. Senate Bill 56, concerning Maryland Longitudinal Data Center external data sharing for multi-state reporting, was special ordered for one day after members raised privacy-related questions. Senate Bill 99, the Open Meetings Act/Local Board of Education Transparency Act measure, was also special ordered for one day after discussion of its committee amendment. The chamber also received administrative corrections from the Governor and referred them to the Executive Nominations Committee, and the majority leader later moved adjournment until February 19 at 10:00 a.m., which was adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• This special session should be about.
• This special session should be about cleaning up corruption.
• For a Texas veteran who needs help from their congress member.
• Social Security is needed. Our people need it. By the way, people of all hues need it.
• We need to fight back and fight back hard. We must press on.

Transcript Highlights:

• care as any other child in need.
• She has special immigrant juvenile status.
• We need that system of foster parents.
• But yet the need for these changes was evident.
• But also when there's medical evidence and we need to hear that we need to hear the genetic testing.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, that's the piece I needed. Thank you, that's the piece I needed. Thank you.
• <01:04:48.480> of Sol needs of Sol needs of any<01:04:50.359> this<01:04:50.520>
• <01:11:35.400> for really need to understand the need for really need to understand the need
• explored that's uh really what I needed explored that's uh really what I needed to<01:12:48.400>
• Is that happening, or what brought about the need for that language, or perceived need for it?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to meet other compensation needs.
• I don't know special session one so important we needed to do it and so I don't want well I have some
• .. needs depending on the amount.
• It certainly makes it clear that our special education teachers and teachers of special populations are
• You need to stop, take a pause, and be bold. in that you'll have the words when you need them because

Bills: SB26, SB28, SJR36, SB26, SB616, SB565, SB384, SB28

Keywords: teacher compensation, education funding, public school educators, teacher retention, teacher designation, lottery, gambling, internet gaming, mobile application, criminal offenses, aquifer, water management, Edwards Aquifer, sustainability, regulatory framework, SB 565, Texas Water Code, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, compliance agreement

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman and members of the committee, as we are all very sympathetic to the needs of special needs children
• We, one parish alone, have approximately 1,400 special needs students that I think our parish—and other
• If a special needs...
• If a special needs student is recommended for expulsion, there's a hearing that happens, or a review
• Just to give you the scale, Jefferson Parish Schools has approximately 6,800 students with special needs

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Would that be if you’re needing special—for a critical shortage area?”
• According to DESE rules governing special needs funding, categorical...
• To be an eligible student, DESE rules governing special needs funding outline the 12 characteristics
• So our first one that we'll review is for isolated and special needs isolated funds.
• You'll see that spending for the first two, isolated and special needs isolated, is combined.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that they need when they return home. that they need when they return home.
• needs to stop. No more secret arrests. needs to stop. No more secret arrests.
• You need a 7-day can't come in anymore. You need a 7-day notice.
• President, you need to know this. Mr. President, you need to know this.
• needs students.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, June 26, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All bills during a special session need to have an effective date included in any bill to specify when
• It's not reducing any of the requirements that might be needed.
• So I think we still need to tweak the bill as we do in regular session.
• So that's one I think we might need to consider. Good suggestion.
• the special session or even after that. ...because this committee may need to stay in formation for

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Health Care Task Force reconvened to hear reports from its divisions. The Appropriations Division reviewed a draft bill appropriating $198 million in federal grant funds for the current year and another $198 million for the next grant year, authorizing DHS to transfer funds within its budget, allowing OMB to adjust federal fund authority for related grants, speeding procurement and bulk purchasing, requiring grant recipients to acknowledge the temporary nature of the funding, and mandating periodic reporting. After questions were answered to the division’s satisfaction, the committee voted to forward the appropriations bill draft to Legislative Management. The Policy Division then reviewed four bills. One would require the presidential physical fitness test to be included in high school physical education; another would require physicians to complete one hour of continuing education on nutrition and metabolic health each renewal cycle; a third would add physician assistants to the interstate licensure compact framework; and a fourth would authorize limited pharmacist prescriptive authority and therapeutic substitution. Members generally supported the first three measures and noted that the pharmacist bill had been amended in discussion but was left in its current form so stakeholders could comment before the special session. The division also discussed that all four policy bills were tied to the federal grant funding and that failure to pass them, or changing them in a way that reduced CMS scoring, could reduce or eliminate funding. Department officials confirmed that if any of the bills failed or were altered in a way that lowered the score, the state could lose money and could not make up the points elsewhere. Members raised concerns about the physical fitness bill, including possible exemptions for students with severe illnesses or physical limitations, and noted the need for DPI input. Leadership indicated the special session hearings would likely begin Wednesday morning. The committee then approved a motion for Legislative Council to prepare a committee report for Legislative Management and adjourned, noting the task force may need to remain available during the special session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Especially or specially? It's a special assessment. Very special. Yeah.
• specially to refer to the special specially to refer to the special assessment<00:16:44.000>
• read as specially, not specifically. read as specially, not specifically.
• It's a special. It's called a >> specially. It's a special.
• special assessment. very special. special assessment. very special.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So special observances as general...
• There's no need for this at all.
• fixed dates for a special primary election and special election.
• fixed dates for a special primary election and special election.
• Without a set timeline for calling special elections, dramatic inconsistencies in scheduling special

Summary: The committee first considered CS/SB 1434 on infill redevelopment. A late-filed strike-all amendment narrowed eligibility to certain contaminated or brownfield properties in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, added adjacency and density/intensity limits, and excluded agricultural land, park land, land outside the urban growth boundary, and land near military installations. The amendment was adopted without opposition, and the bill was reported favorably on an 8-0 vote, with limited support and opposition noted in waived appearance forms. Members then took up CS/CS/SB 212 on sexual offenders and sexual predators. The strike-all added public swimming pools and related child-centered locations to residency and presence restrictions. Testimony was sharply divided: proponents argued the bill would help protect children and law enforcement, while opponents, including treatment experts and homelessness advocates, said there was no empirical evidence the restrictions reduce abuse and warned of retroactive punishment and increased homelessness. The amendment was adopted, and the bill passed 8-1. The committee also approved CS/CS/SB 686 on agricultural enclaves after an amendment allowing certain enclaves adjacent to interstates to be developed for commercial, industrial, or single-family residential uses and clarifying exclusions for protected areas. Opponents argued it would weaken zoning and comprehensive plans, while supporters framed it as a property-rights measure; the bill was reported favorably 10-0. SB 554 on nonprofit corporations, a technical update to nonprofit law modeled on prior for-profit corporate revisions, also passed unanimously after supportive waived testimony. Later, the committee approved SB 1338 on charitable giving, which creates a donor remedy for endowment restrictions and limits state reporting burdens on certain regulated or exempt organizations; members discussed cy pres and the sponsor said further changes would be worked out later. CS/SB 532 on court fees was amended to let clerks retain all collections above revenue projections rather than half, with supporters saying clerks have been underfunded for years; it passed 10-0. The committee also favorably reported SB 218 on land use regulations, which restores normal land-use authority to counties not affected by recent hurricanes, and CS/SB 692 on cybersecurity standards and liability, which creates a presumption against liability for entities that comply with cybersecurity frameworks and reporting requirements; the cybersecurity bill drew concerns about retroactivity and the adequacy of compliance incentives but passed 9-2.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you have a dependent special district, library, If you have a dependent special district, library,
• levy a special assessment.
• You'll need a majority vote.
• You either need a unanimous vote, you need a referendum, or if you've got a nine-member or more governing
• body, you need a three-fourths vote.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Finance and Tax met for its first meeting of the session, with a quorum present and several members excused. Chair Avila opened by framing the committee’s main focus as property tax relief and housing affordability, noting the complexity of any changes to Florida’s long-standing property tax structure and emphasizing the need to preserve funding for schools and local public safety. He also introduced new committee staff member Tamisha Black and thanked staff for summer work supporting analysis of potential proposals, including constitutional amendment concepts and other property tax relief ideas. Staff director Azar Khan then presented an update on the General Revenue forecast, explaining that collections remained above estimate but at a slower pace than the prior year, with recent economic indicators slightly weaker than earlier forecasts. He said the new forecast mostly reflected modest adjustments, with a notable share of the increase coming from earnings on investment rather than the usual drivers such as sales tax or corporate income tax. Khan also gave a detailed presentation on ad valorem millages, explaining the different millage types used by school districts, counties, municipalities, special districts, and water management districts; the rollback rate; TRIM notice and hearing timelines; voting thresholds for adopting higher millages; and long-term trends showing millage rates declining over time even as total taxes levied have increased. Members used the presentations to discuss property tax relief options and the relationship between local property taxes and state revenue. President Passidomo praised staff and Senator Bernard’s summer work on proposals. President Gaetz asked about converting homestead property tax revenue to sales tax and was told the rough equivalent could be around a 2.8-cent sales tax increase, though with important behavioral and distributional caveats. Senator Rouson asked about the decline in corporate income tax estimates, and Khan said it likely reflected changes in national corporate profit expectations and collection patterns, promising a follow-up. The Department of Revenue’s Lizette Kelly confirmed that TRIM data, including adopted millages, rollback rates, and maximum millage calculations, are collected by jurisdiction and can be provided to the committee. No bills were taken up and no votes occurred beyond adjournment, which was adopted by motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Would that be if you’re needing special, for a critical shortage area?”
• According to DESE rules governing special needs funding, categorical funds for ALE are used to provide
• To be an eligible student, DESE rules governing special needs funding outline the 12 characteristics
• So our first one that we'll review is for isolated and special needs isolated funds.
• So these are isolated, special needs isolated, and I'll say S&I for short going forward, and then small

Summary: The committee approved the March 9 and 10 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Arkansas Department of Education on the Arkansas Excellence in Teaching Fellowship, featuring three third-grade teachers from Cabot, Poyen, and Drew Central who are also teacher merit pay recipients. The teachers described the fellowship as a year-long Zoom-based collaboration with about 23 educators statewide, focused on sharing classroom strategies, data use, and professional support. Members asked about the teachers’ experience, how they share what they learn with their districts, the range of grades represented in the fellowship, and the relationship between the fellowship and merit pay. The teachers emphasized building relationships with students, using data to drive instruction, early intervention, and collaboration across grade levels, while the secretary said the program is intended to identify and elevate high-performing teachers and spread their practices. A major portion of the discussion focused on third-grade reading, retention, and the new ATLAS testing system. Teachers and the secretary said students are screened and progress monitored throughout the year, families are notified early if students are at risk, and schools are using interventions, tutoring, and individualized reading plans. They said ATLAS results are now available much faster than in the past, often within 24 hours or a few days, allowing teachers and parents to respond quickly. Members asked about the impact of poverty, trauma, foster care, DHS involvement, IEPs, and critical shortage areas; teachers said relationship-building, small-group instruction, and coordination with counselors and special education staff are key. The secretary said the fellowship is a small subset of a broader merit pay program, that participation was voluntary, and that the state is trying to build a coherent system with literacy coaches, high-impact tutoring, and clearer standards rather than teaching to the test. Members also discussed broader policy issues, including the need for more positive public messaging about public education, teacher input in decision-making, and support for early childhood education. Several legislators asked whether the state should expand funding for early learning and whether more literacy or academic coaches are needed in districts that improve and then lose eligibility for state support. The secretary said the state has committed literacy coaches to D and F schools and is still working through how to sustain support as schools improve. He also said the administration would look at data and return on investment before supporting additional funding, and he encouraged legislators to help recruit eligible teachers into future fellowship cohorts. After the teacher panel concluded, the committee moved on to the adequacy resource allocation study, where Bureau of Legislative Research staff began a presentation on state and local education funding sources, categorical funds, and district spending patterns.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it just because of the need is there?
• Each state has its own different realm that they need to be working on, and we definitely need to work
• You know, we need probably as we, as we go through the interim, we need focus and updates on, on the
• Our special education leadership has changed a lot.
• But we need to acknowledge that we have a pool.