Transcript Highlights:

• colleges and universities to adopt active assailant response plans, conduct regular security risk assessments
• When Kansas attempted to arm school staff, commercial insurers refused to cover the liability.
• Senators, next, let's take up tab 1, CS for CS for SB 118, assessment on RV parks by Senator Trumbull
• Senate Bill 118 relates to non-ad valorem special assessments, like fire assessments, against recreational
• In law enforcement, we call that threat assessment. You identify the risk, you mitigate it.

Bills: S0118, S0896, S1690, S1756

Keywords: recreational vehicle parks, special assessments, property tax, occupancy rates, commercial assessment, school safety, guardian program, firearms, crimes near schools, security assessments, public postsecondary education, medical freedom, vaccination, ivermectin, healthcare practitioner liability, immunization exemptions

Summary: The committee first took up CS for SB 896, a school safety bill expanding the Guardian program to public postsecondary institutions. The bill requires active assailant response plans, security risk assessments, threat-management protocols, use of the suspicious activity reporting tool, and allows voluntary participation in Guardian for colleges and universities. A late-file amendment by Senator Polsky was adopted to clarify that students who are also employees or faculty are not eligible for Guardian. Members debated campus carry concerns, storage of firearms, and whether the bill could lead to broader gun access on campuses. Several faculty and gun-safety advocates testified against the bill, while supporters argued trained guardians can deter violence. The committee reported the bill favorably by roll call vote. The committee then approved CS for CS for CS for SB 1690 on child care and early learning services. The bill updates child care laws, clarifies regulations, and reduces overregulation of before- and after-school programs. An amendment expanded authority for the Florida Education Foundation to fundraise for early learning from birth to VPK. Testimony was largely supportive, emphasizing affordability, access to quality child care, and relief for working families, though one speaker opposed the bill as an expansion of government. The bill was reported favorably. Next, the committee passed CS for CS for SB 118, which clarifies how non-ad valorem special assessments are applied to recreational vehicle parks and limits the square footage used for assessment purposes to the maximum size of an RV space. The committee also approved CS for CS for SB 1220, the Department of Transportation package, which addresses seaport and airport planning, personal delivery devices, autonomous vehicles, advanced air mobility, toll programming, and other transportation-related changes. Amendments modified provisions on personal delivery devices, utility permits, autonomous vehicle penalties, and law-enforcement cruiser lights. Both bills were reported favorably. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1756, the medical freedom bill, which proposes new vaccine information requirements, conscience-based school immunization exemptions, limits on compelled vaccination during public health emergencies, and behind-the-counter access to ivermectin for adults. The sponsor and supporters framed the bill as strengthening informed consent and parental rights, while opponents and some senators raised concerns about vaccine hesitancy, herd immunity, and the inclusion of ivermectin. Public testimony was extensive and sharply divided. The transcript ends during continued testimony and debate on SB 1756, before a final vote is taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• a more accurate assessment.
• a more accurate assessment.
• Um, so for a commercial property, we'll talk about a commercial high-end property.
• </c> about how the assessment process works? about how the assessment process works?
• </c> a tax assessment. a tax assessment.

Bills: HF3676, HF2959, HF3233

Keywords: Safe at Home, address confidentiality, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, victim privacy, survivor protection, confidential address, protected address, secret address, identity protection, residential confidentiality, program participant, nondiscrimination, court disclosure, protective order, service of process, driver's license, state ID

Transcript Highlights:

• regulations and parameters for the data those assessments must collect and the bars those assessments
• This just changes the Read by Grade 3 assessment from one assessment to another.
• in addition to the state assessment, and then they could turn off the state assessment, let's say mid-year
• pre-assessment, plus a midpoint assessment.
• the it counts assessment.

Bills: AB386

Keywords: AB386, Washoe County School District, reading assessment, literacy, elementary school, pupil assessment, statewide assessment, alternative assessment, reading proficiency, standards-based testing, valid and reliable test, State Board of Education, Department of Education, pilot program, school testing, assessment equivalency, education grant, Nevada education, NRS 388.157, school accountability

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 2143 updates how Oklahoma counties assess properties for ad valorem taxes.
• We have seen changes in properties that are being assessed over the last couple of years, marijuana being
• How do you answer those critics who would be concerned about privacy and assessment that you know we've
• Depending on how the county is assessing at that time, they realize that they may come back and have
• Are you talking about for assessment? So I'm assuming that this would be for-profit owners.

Bills: SB1280, SB1392, SB1393, SB1395, SB1400, SB1405, SB1832, SB1839, SB1989, SB2001, SB2143

Keywords: excise tax, oil tax, natural gas tax, state revenue, Oklahoma Corporation Commission, income tax, tax credit, aerospace sector, employment, economic development, adaptive reuse, affordable housing, urban renewal, economic impact, program, housing, revitalization, urban development, income tax credit, manufacturing

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2019, the governor's child sex trafficking team, which does phenomenal work, identifies commercial
• They use known data that are in their case files, and it is not meant to be a one-time assessment.
• Since 2016, Lighthouse has facilitated the collection of commercial sexual exploitation Identification

Bills: HB 451, HB 645, HB 1041, HB 1151, HB 1155, HB 1536, HCR 12

Keywords: commercial sexual exploitation, child sex trafficking, human trafficking, child welfare, foster care, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, juvenile probation, risk assessment, needs assessment, trauma screening, child abuse prevention, exploitation screening, validated screening tool, evidence-informed tool, conservatorship, juvenile justice, at-risk youth, trafficking prevention, Child Sex Trafficking Prevention Unit

Bills: HB 12, HB 149, SB 229, SB 1361, SB 1749, SB 1897, SB 2113, SB 2566, SB 2677, SB 1652, SB 2327, SB 2344, SB 2696

Keywords: artificial intelligence, regulation, biometric data, ethical AI, consumer protection, AI governance, automobile sales, finance, retail seller, motor vehicle purchase, motor vehicle sales, pricing restrictions, third-party financing, education, funding, student assessment, accountability, standards, motor vehicle, financing

Transcript Highlights:

• And simply, what we found was that the tarpon, being that it has no commercial value and is considered
• It’s either managed on a commercial basis or it’s managed on the edible nature of the recreational fish
• We have alligator egg contracts on these areas where people go and commercially pick up eggs.
• The act would recognize commercial fishermen, seafood processors, and operators as essential food producers

Bills: SCR54, SCR59, HCR5, HCR62, HCR78, HCR86, HB595, HB688, HB802, HB841, HB1161, HB1171, HB1189, HB1248, HB1258

Keywords: Mississippi River Basin, fishery commission, invasive species, sustainability, economic impact, red drum, fishing regulations, tournament permits, wildlife management, recreational fishing, flood management, FEMA, floodplain maps, environmental risks, Louisiana, flood insurance, risk assessment, community planning, seafood, commercial fishing

Transcript Highlights:

• Visit to a property if it jumps a certain level or is it just they can strictly make that assessment
• low-income housing tax credit from that and requires the new developments for the purposes of tax assessment

Bills: SB44, SB134, SB1378, SB1400, SB1403, SB1832, SB2018, SB2143

Keywords: sales tax exemption, nonprofit organizations, contractors, charitable purposes, state law, retirement, public employees, reemployment, benefit adjustment, Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, Olympics, funding, Oklahoma Department of Commerce, local businesses, revolving fund, event hosting, sales tax, tax exemption, tax refund, Oklahoma Sales Tax Code

Transcript Highlights:

• In particular, it makes sure that all assessments, including the alternative assessments that districts
• Prior to using standard-referenced assessments and criterion-referenced assessments, states across the
• We're required to have assessments to assess the reading and language arts standards of the State Board
• change the assessments.
• The distinction between written assessments and overall assessments is there is none because if you're

Bills: HB8

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround

Transcript Highlights:

• year assessments is normed, but their summative assessment is their state summative assessment that
• The shorter assessments ensure that the assessments are shorter and they will produce less pressure,
• If you're in the middle of your assessments, they take two assessments and we know where they are, and
• of assessment systems.
• assessments.

Bills: HB8

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, HB 8 improves the end-of-year assessment by developing a new shorter standards-based assessment
• So, um, I think it's really important that we stick to an assessment that assesses the 115 Texas essential
• In particular, it makes sure that all assessments, including the alternative assessments that districts
• Prior to using standard-referenced—” “assessments and criterion-referenced assessments, states across
• The distinction between written assessments and overall assessments is there is none, because if you're

Bills: HB8

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround

Summary: The House Committee on Public Education met to hear House Bill 8, which would replace STAAR with a new assessment and accountability system beginning in the 2027-28 school year. The chair described the bill as reducing testing time, limiting benchmark tests, adding beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year assessments, requiring faster score turnaround, involving Texas teachers in test development, and tightening accountability timelines and transparency rules. Members also discussed provisions on A-F ratings, cut scores, CCMR, local accountability plans, and TEA reporting requirements. Committee members and invited witnesses split sharply on the bill’s approach. Supporters, including the chair, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, and Ed Trust’s Nicholas Munyon Penny, argued the bill would reduce high-stakes pressure, provide quicker and more actionable data, limit over-testing, and better align assessments to Texas standards while preserving criterion-referenced accountability. They said the new system would help teachers and parents intervene sooner and would improve transparency, including parent access to student responses and automatic rescoring in some writing cases. Opponents, including Rep. Hinojosa and student witness Ella Moran, argued the bill still increases testing and replaces one high-stakes test with multiple TEA-created tests. Moran testified that STAAR creates anxiety, disrupts instruction, and does not reflect real learning, while Hinojosa said the House had previously passed a better bill based on a nationally norm-referenced model and criticized the new proposal as a concession to the Senate. Questions also focused on AI scoring of writing, rescoring rates, and whether the bill’s new accountability rules would be reliable and fair. The committee did not take a final vote during the portion provided, but the chair said a vote on HB 8 would be called after public testimony later in the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, Senate Bill 118 relates to non-ad valorem special assessments, like fire assessments, against
• For 25 years, Florida law mandated that local governments levy a special assessment against RV parks
• Then such special assessment Regulated under Chapter 513.
• Then such special assessment must be collected in the same manner as hotel, motel, and similar facilities
• This legislation clarifies that a local government levies a special assessment against an RV parking

Bills: S0118, S0450, S0678, S0680, S1074, S1520

Keywords: recreational vehicle parks, special assessments, property tax, occupancy rates, commercial assessment, ad valorem, homestead exemption, disabled veteran, veteran surviving spouse, first responder, line of duty, service-connected death, tax exemption transfer, remarriage, primary residence, Florida Statutes 196.081, property appraiser, local government revenue, surviving spouse tax relief, alcohol distribution

Summary: The Committee on Finance and Tax met with a quorum present and heard several bills, most of them focused on tax policy and property-related exemptions. CS/SB 118 clarified how non-ad valorem special assessments apply to recreational vehicle parks, and an amendment removed a requirement that local governments consider RV park occupancy rates when apportioning assessments. The bill was supported by a Florida Retail Federation representative and was reported favorably. The committee also reported favorably on SB 1520, which modifies Live Local Act property tax exemption provisions by extending the vesting period for the missing middle exemption and expanding the data used for local government opt-outs; SB 678, which reestablishes the framework allowing distributors to deduct unsellable alcohol from monthly excise tax; and CS/SB 680, which creates a sales tax exemption to address double taxation on electricity used at EV charging stations. Each of these bills had support from industry or trade groups, and CS/SB 680 drew comments from Senator Gaetz praising the bill as a solution to prior tax collection confusion. The committee then approved CS/SB 450, which updates property tax exemption rules for surviving spouses of permanently and totally disabled veterans by allowing transfer of a larger portion of the exemption to a new homestead; an amendment raised the transferable amount to up to 120% of the prior exemption. The final bill, CS/SB 1074, was amended to establish uniform rules for rounding cash transactions to the nearest nickel in light of the Federal Reserve’s suspension of penny distribution, while preserving tax calculations and providing liability protections; it also included safeguards for pawn and recycling transactions. All bills considered were reported favorably, Senator Gaetz asked to be recorded as voting yes on all bills, and the committee adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, as far as commercial property, I'm not quite sure, honestly.
• the ratio of commercial property to residential here in Austin is probably like 60% commercial and 40%
• I mean, the commercial sector is going to see more property tax relief than.
• how the assessment and the value- can be wrong, and what that was like for you.
• Cost of insurance, we've got business liability, commercial. things very much increased.

Bills: HB8, HB9, HJR1, HB22, HB8, HB9, HJR1, HB22

Keywords: HB 8, school finance, compressed tax rate, maximum compressed tax rate, MCR, PYMCR, property tax, school district taxes, Education Code, Tax Code, state aid, school funding formula, local school taxes, Texas school finance, tax rate compression, public education funding, ad valorem tax, tangible personal property, income-producing property, business personal property

Bills: SB9, SB 9

Keywords: property tax, ad valorem tax, voter-approval tax rate, no-new-revenue tax rate, tax rate calculation, Tax Code, local government finance, municipality, county, special taxing unit, sales and use tax, property tax cap, tax rollback, tax levy, maintenance and operations, debt rate, disaster relief rate, Texas Legislature, local taxing unit, school assessment

Transcript Highlights:

• this coverage as well for Medicaid users, but this legislation would focus on our state-regulated commercial
• All right, we are on House Bill 165, Payment of Certain IRB Special Assessments.
• businesses that are under an IRB with a county or locality to be able to also enter into this special assessment
• HB 165 provides a simple but important clarification to ensure that commercial properties operating under
• conserve valuable resources, reduce operating costs, and strengthen the competitiveness of our commercial

Bills: HB99, HB38, HB165, HB127, HB72, HB151, SB40, SB104, SB136, SB164

Keywords: medical malpractice, malpractice reform, patient's compensation fund, PCF, health care liability, tort reform, damage caps, punitive damages, hospital liability, physician liability, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, outpatient facility, ambulatory surgical center, urgent care, free-standing emergency room, insurance surcharge, superintendent of insurance, New Mexico hospitals, medical review process

Transcript Highlights:

• This will ultimately result in more uniform assessments.
• The protections afforded to commercial real estate data have remained largely unchanged for 46 years,
• Under current law, a person may obtain income property assessment data, but only if they demonstrate
• Any petitioner can request any and all income property assessment data from any property, and assessors
• Income and expense data is the primary information that we use to try to set that equitable assessment

Bills: HF2233, HF1524, HF1893, HF1396, HF2456, HF2959, HF2300, HF2412, HF3022, HF2825, HF1862, HF1373, HF1039, HF3070

Keywords: Uniform Special Deposits Act, special deposit, banking law, financial institutions, escrow, escrow account, trust account, security deposit, beneficiary, depositor, creditor process, garnishment, attachment, levy, setoff, recoupment, financial market infrastructure, retirement benefits, compensation, earnest money

Bills: HF2233, HF1524, HF1893, HF1396, HF2456, HF2959, HF2300, HF2412, HF3022, HF2825, HF1862, HF1373, HF1039, HF3070

Keywords: Uniform Special Deposits Act, special deposit, banking law, financial institutions, escrow, escrow account, trust account, security deposit, beneficiary, depositor, creditor process, garnishment, attachment, levy, setoff, recoupment, financial market infrastructure, retirement benefits, compensation, earnest money

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:58:30.119><c> property</c><00:58:30.559><c> tax</c> commercial property tax commercial property tax
• real estate data of B and C commercial real estate data of B and C become<00:58:46.039><c> public</c
• </c><01:04:39.359><c> real</c> the protections afforded commercial real the protections afforded commercial
• </c><01:04:54.520><c> are</c> sources to ensure that assessments are sources to ensure that assessments
• </c><01:08:25.759><c> records</c> framework one is the assess records framework one is the assess records

Bills: HF2233, HF1524, HF1893, HF1396, HF2456, HF2959, HF2300, HF2412, HF3022, HF2825, HF1862, HF1373, HF1039, HF3070

Keywords: Uniform Special Deposits Act, special deposit, banking law, financial institutions, escrow, escrow account, trust account, security deposit, beneficiary, depositor, creditor process, garnishment, attachment, levy, setoff, recoupment, financial market infrastructure, retirement benefits, compensation, earnest money

Transcript Highlights:

• tax assessment adjusted by their<00:28:51.440><c> local</c><00:28:51.799><c> County</c><00:28:52.200
• </c> to have their property fairly assessed to have their property fairly assessed based<00:29:57.200
• at the full land are being assessed at the full land value<00:31:24.240><c> and</c><00:31:24.399><c>
• </c> generators and 177% for commercial generators and 177% for commercial generators<00:45:06.040><c
• Currently, nonprofit thrift providers are taxed at the higher commercial rate.

Bills: HF1698, HF632, HF1352, HF2197, HF618, HF1248, HF1697

Keywords: property tax, exemption, leased land, public use, commercial property, HF632, Minnesota property tax, conservation easement, conservation restriction, assessed value, property valuation, tax assessment, real property, land conservation, farmland preservation, natural areas, riparian buffer, water quality, water quantity, county assessor

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 8 improves the end-of-year assessment by developing a new shorter... standards-based assessment
• It also separates the writing assessment from the end-of-year assessment so that the test is more consistent
• Well, I... a smart assessment system, one that requires alignment to the standards, one that assesses
• term, assessment vendors that are currently selling to our RSDs right now will produce those assessments
• This is simply assessments that assess whether or not our students are achieving acceptable learning

Bills: HB8, HB12, SB 3, HJR1, SB 11, SB 16, SB 14, HB 8, HB 12, SB 3, HJR 1, SB 11, SB 16, SB 14

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround