Video & Transcript Research : 'deputization'

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NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

Senate Finance (02/18/2025)

Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:23:05.600> counties It's my understanding that under federal law, sheriffs can be deputized
  • c><00:25:20.720> to have the they have the capacity to have the they have the capacity to deputize
  • and deputize County Sheriffs and require require require detes<00:25:27.080> that<00:25:27.360
  • /c><00:26:35.480> can<00:26:36.279> take<00:26:36.480> and<00:26:36.760> deputize
  • <00:26:37.480> the that they can take and deputize the that they can take and deputize the
Keywords: 1191, senate, all
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

FL House Floor Session - 2025-02-13 (12:00PM Session)

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • So I'm asking, based on your bill, it seems like FHP can be deputized beyond jail, right?
  • So my question for you is, you know, who else can be deputized?
  • So I'm asking, based on your bill, it seems like FHP can be deputized beyond jail, right?
  • So my question for you is, you know, who else can be deputized?
  • And under this language, local law enforcement will be deputized as 287(g) task force under the 287(g
Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for the Parkland shooting victims, quorum call, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The Rules and Ethics Committee special order report for February 13, 2025 was adopted, setting the day’s special order calendar and debate times. The chamber then took up immigration-related special order items, beginning with Senate Memorial 6C, which urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide guidance and training for 287(g) agreements. Members debated federal immigration policy and state cooperation with DHS, and the memorial passed 85-27. The House next considered Senate Bill 4C, an immigration bill creating new state offenses related to unlawful entry and reentry into Florida and requiring a mandatory death sentence for an unauthorized alien convicted of a capital felony. Members questioned the bill’s constitutionality, including Supremacy Clause, due process, and Eighth Amendment concerns, and several speakers argued it would create separate classes of people and invite litigation. Multiple amendments were offered to narrow or expand exemptions, including protections for Venezuelans on TPS, certain Haitian TPS and humanitarian parole recipients, undocumented people brought to Florida as children working in critical professions, and a proposal to delay action pending court rulings; all of those amendments were rejected. The bill passed 85-29. The chamber then took up Senate Bill 2C, which would create a State Board of Immigration Enforcement led by the Governor and Cabinet, establish a local law enforcement immigration grant program and advisory council, repeal the undocumented-student fee waiver, and appropriate more than $300 million for immigration enforcement. The sponsor described it as supporting cooperation with federal immigration agencies and ending the in-state tuition incentive for undocumented students. Early questioning focused on the impact on “dreamers” and whether the bill would effectively raise their tuition costs; the sponsor said it removed the incentive of in-state tuition but did not bar attendance. The transcript cuts off during that exchange, before final action on SB 2C is shown.
FL

Florida 2026 5th Special Session

FL House Floor Session - 2025-02-13 (12:00PM Session)

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • So how much does this deputization process apply beyond those in the jail context?
  • So I'm asking, based on your bill, it seems like FHP can be deputized beyond jail, right?
  • So my question for you is, who else can be deputized?
  • Could this lead to the deputization of school resource officers in our schools to check for students'
  • And under this language, local law enforcement will be deputized as 287(g) task force under the 287(g
Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for the Parkland shooting victims, the Pledge of Allegiance, and adoption of the special order report for the day. The chamber then moved into a special-order agenda focused almost entirely on immigration-related measures, beginning with Senate Memorial 6C urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide guidance and training for 287(g) agreements. The memorial was adopted 85-27 after brief debate, with supporters arguing Florida should help maximize federal immigration enforcement and opponents saying Congress, not the state, should fix immigration policy. The House next took up Senate Bill 4C, an immigration bill creating new state offenses for illegal entry and reentry by adult unauthorized aliens and requiring a mandatory death sentence for an unauthorized alien convicted of a capital felony. Members debated constitutional concerns, due process, racial profiling, fiscal impacts, and whether the bill intruded on federal immigration authority. Several amendments were offered and defeated, including proposals to extend protections to Venezuelans with TPS, to remove the mandatory death penalty, to protect certain long-term immigrant workers and teachers, to expand exemptions for Haitians and humanitarian parole recipients, and to create a task force on best practices for immigration enforcement in schools and other sensitive locations. A final amendment to strip the bill as unconstitutional was also rejected. The bill then passed 85-29. The final measure discussed was Senate Bill 2C, which creates a State Board of Immigration Enforcement led by the Governor and Cabinet, establishes grants and incentive bonuses for local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, repeals the fee waiver for undocumented students beginning July 1, 2025, and appropriates more than $300 million for immigration enforcement. The sponsor described it as a broad enforcement package, while questions from members focused on the impact on current students who receive in-state tuition and whether the bill would remove incentives for those already enrolled. The transcript ends during that exchange, before final action on SB 2C is shown.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Judiciary Jan 28th, 2026 at 03:17 pm

House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • , or agents of the public body to perform a function of an immigration... ...agreement that deputizes
  • It also includes a catch-all to prohibit other types of state and local deputization as ICE officers
  • of civil immigration violations, they are authorized under that deputization to serve and execute ICE
  • ... ...of the bill prohibited 287(g) agreements and similar deputization agreements to the extent they
  • My understanding of the amendment is that it provides clarity to ensure that the types of deputization
Bills: SB100
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

House in Special Session C Feb 13th, 2025

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • THE BILL DEPUTIZES THE FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL, JUST AS YOU ALUDED TO.
  • HOW MUCH DOES THIS DEPUTIZATION PROCESS APPLY BEYOND THOSE IN THE JAIL CONTEXT?
  • I AM ASKING, BASED ON THE BILL, IT SEEMS LIKE FHP CAN BE DEPUTIZED BEYOND JAIL, RIGHT?
  • MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS WHO ELSE CAN BE DEPUTIZED?
  • You mentioned the deputized for local law enforcement.
Summary: The Florida House passed two immigration enforcement bills during a special session. Senate Bill 4C creates new state offenses for unauthorized alien entry/reentry into Florida and mandates the death penalty for unauthorized aliens convicted of capital felonies. Senate Bill 2C establishes a state immigration enforcement board, provides $300+ million for local law enforcement immigration cooperation, creates a $1,000 bonus program for officers participating in federal immigration enforcement, and repeals in-state tuition for undocumented students effective July 1, 2025. Multiple amendments were proposed but failed, including protections for Venezuelan TPS holders, DACA recipients, students in critical professions, and conscientious objection provisions for clergy and teachers. Debate included constitutional concerns about federal preemption, equal protection violations, and mandatory death penalty provisions. The session also included a memorial urging DHS to provide 287G agreement training opportunities.
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

PSM Public Hearing 02-19-2025

Public Safety and Military Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • So, for example, when Lina happened, right, there had to be cross-deputization to move people.
  • Actually, we're not deputized; we have law enforcement powers in all counties, so we should always be
  • So, for example, when Lina happened, right, there had to be cross-deputization to move people.
  • Actually, we're not deputized; we have law enforcement powers in all counties, so we should always be
  • deputized actually we're not deputized deputized actually we're not deputized we're<00:23:54.919
Keywords: 912, senate, all
Summary: The committees met on February 19, 2025, to hear advice-and-consent nominations, beginning with GM 645/GM 650 for Mike Lambert as Director of the Department of Law Enforcement. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support from state officials, community leaders, nonprofit representatives, and others, who praised Lambert’s collaboration with communities, communication skills, and practical approach to public safety. Several speakers highlighted his work on homelessness, game rooms, community policing, and his ability to work across public health and law enforcement lines. Lambert told the committee he has 22 years of law enforcement experience, including patrol, community policing, training, narcotics/vice, and work on fentanyl, internet crimes against children, and ghost guns, and said his priorities would include building community trust, improving training and discipline, and addressing fireworks and firearms enforcement. Senators asked about fireworks, federal collaboration, ports and airport screening, recruitment, pay parity, and whether the department should expand into a more formal state police force; Lambert said he would need time to learn the new port/shipping environment and would support a state police class and expanded enforcement capacity. The committee did not take a final vote in the portion of the transcript provided. The committee then heard GM 567 for Jean Dello Jr. as chairperson of the Hawaii Paroling Authority. Supporters, including Hawaii Friends of Restorative Justice and Hawaii Paroling Authority staff, described him as honest, ethical, fair, and experienced in balancing public safety with rehabilitation and re-entry. Dello said he came out of retirement in 2021 to serve on the board, and that his background in federal probation and state corrections led him to favor evidence-based practices over simple compliance monitoring. He emphasized the need to weigh public safety with giving inmates a real opportunity to transition successfully back into the community. No final action or vote was announced in the excerpt provided.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Senate in Special Session B Jan 27th, 2025

Florida Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • If we're going to be thrown around tens of millions of dollars to deputize people, let's put...
  • If we're going to be thrown around tens of millions of dollars to deputize people, let's put the arts
  • If we're going to be thrown around tens of millions of dollars to deputize people, let's put the arts
  • If we're going to be thrown around tens of millions of dollars to deputize people, let's put the arts
Summary: The Senate convened in special session with an opening prayer focused on Holocaust remembrance and a warning against antisemitism, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the reading of the joint proclamation calling the session. The proclamation said the special session was convened to consider immigration-related legislation and appropriations to support coordination with federal immigration enforcement, including a chief immigration officer, restrictions on benefits for undocumented immigrants, voting-related offenses, penalties for removed aliens who re-enter, bail and detention considerations, ID requirements, and support for local law enforcement. Senate Bill 2B on immigration was filed and placed on the special order calendar for the next day, with an amendment deadline set after the Appropriations Committee meeting. The Senate then took up veto overrides on House Bill 5001 from the 2024 regular session, which is the General Appropriations Act. Members discussed the governor’s vetoes of legislative support and transparency-related funding, including IT systems, research, oversight, and Florida Channel services. Senator Pizzo objected to waiving Rules on one item and argued the chamber should also address broader cuts, including arts funding, while the Rules Chair said the items under consideration were limited to support services and that broader funding concerns could be addressed separately. The Senate voted to override line item 2802, funding legislative support services, by 35 yeas and 1 name, and line item 2803, also for legislative support services, by 36 yeas and 1 nay, both passing by the required two-thirds vote. The Senate then adjourned until the next morning.
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

PSM-HHS, PSM-EIG, PSM DEFER, PSM Public Hearings 03-23-2026

Public Safety and Military Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • sign these agreements to be deputized. sign these agreements to be deputized.
  • <00:20:22.880> their Homeland Security to deputize their Homeland Security to deputize their
  • are already in place um to be deputized are already in place um to be deputized to<00:24:39.280>
  • So even if we're not giving our police officers to be deputized as ICE agents, they are hiring local
  • So even if we're not giving our police officers to be deputized as ICE agents, they are hiring local
Keywords: 912, senate, all
Summary: The joint hearing covered HB 1976, relating to dementia training for law enforcement, and HB 2443, relating to disaster services for people with disabilities and access or functional needs. For HB 1976, the Hawaii Law Enforcement Standards Board opposed the bill’s process and cost, arguing there was no documented training gap because existing CALEA accreditation already includes mental illness response training that covers dementia. Supporters, including the Alzheimer’s Association, AARP, disability advocates, caregivers, and several individuals, said dementia-specific training would help first responders better handle real-world encounters and avoid harmful misunderstandings. The committee later recommended passage with amendments, including changing mandatory language to permissive language in several places and removing a deadline for the first annual training cycle; the recommendation was adopted unanimously. For HB 2443, testimony was strongly supportive. The Disability Communication Access Board, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Wellness and Resilience, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and individual testifiers said the bill would strengthen emergency planning and response by adding a Disability Integration Specialist and better integrating people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs into disaster preparedness, sheltering, and FEMA coordination. Several speakers emphasized recent storms and rescues as evidence of the need. The committee recommended passage with amendments, including changes based on Attorney General comments and adding specialized communications and comprehensive communications planning provisions previously contained in another bill; that recommendation was also adopted unanimously. The transcript then moved to a separate mini hearing on HB 1768, relating to immigration enforcement. Supporters, including the ACLU of Hawaii, the Legal Clinic, the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, argued the bill would prevent local law enforcement from entering 287(g)-type agreements or otherwise participating in federal immigration enforcement, citing civil rights concerns, community trust, and the need for police to focus on local public safety. One testifier raised concerns that local cooperation could help avoid mistakes in enforcement, while supporters responded that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that local agencies should not be deputized for civil immigration arrests. The excerpt ends amid extended member questions and discussion, without showing a final vote on HB 1768.
US
Transcript Highlights:
  • The Marshal Service has reportedly deputized members of. unelected co-president Elon Musk private security
  • Musk requested that the Marshal Service deputize some of his private security to effectuate the... operations
  • And what criteria would you use to deputize... deputize anyone, a marshal, um, who does not occupy a
  • Within the marshal service, I believe what you're discussing is a special deputation, um, you know, which
  • Well, I, I hope you'll protect the Marshal's Service from any abuse of the powers of deputation, uh,
Summary: The committee meeting centered on the urgent crisis of fentanyl abuse and the government’s response to the drug trafficking epidemic. Key discussions revolved around the nomination of Terrence Cole as the Administrator of the DEA and Judea Serrata as Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. Cole emphasized his commitment to combating the fentanyl crisis, highlighting the rising number of overdose deaths and the necessity of bipartisan efforts to dismantle drug cartels. Members engaged in dialogue on the effectiveness of various strategies and the importance of education aimed at preventing drug-related deaths among youth. Additionally, the challenges of social media in drug trafficking were highlighted, indicating a need for greater accountability in how platforms handle such issues. Senators voiced concerns about the impact of administration policies on judicial security and the resources available for marshals to perform their critical roles.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Appropriations Jan 27th, 2025

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • How in your bill are we ensuring that local law enforcement agencies who are deputized to do the work
  • In fact— An enforcement agent who's been deputized to do the work of immigration enforcement to go beyond
  • there are conversations beginning at the federal level to talk about—am I understanding it to be deputizing
  • would be amenable to accepting language that puts guardrails around the ability of those who are deputized
  • Around the ability of those who are deputized in the future to be able to go into schools and churches
Summary: The Appropriations Committee took up SB 2B, a major immigration bill by Senator Gruters, described by supporters as a Trump-aligned package to strengthen Florida’s role in immigration enforcement. The bill would create a grant program for local law enforcement, expand jail-ICE agreements beyond sheriff-operated jails, establish a chief immigration officer and a state immigration enforcement council, require more coordination on E-Verify and detention-bed reporting, allow immigration status to be considered in bail decisions, increase penalties for certain offenses tied to illegal reentry and voting, and repeal in-state tuition waivers for undocumented students. Much of the sponsor’s presentation and debate emphasized focusing on criminal offenders, improving coordination with federal authorities, and using state resources to support detention and enforcement. Committee questioning focused heavily on the tuition-waiver repeal, reimbursement for jail costs, E-Verify coverage, and whether the bill could lead to street-level immigration enforcement in schools or churches. Senator Smith, Senator Pizzo, Senator Polsky, Senator Sharief, and others challenged the tuition repeal as unfair to students who were brought to Florida as children and argued for grandfathering current students or studying the fiscal impact first. Senator Fine defended the repeal as ending a state subsidy for people who are not lawfully present and argued the change would save tens of millions of dollars. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri testified that the bill was limited to jail-based enforcement, said there was no current street-level 287(g) program in Florida, and stated he did not believe the bill raised concerns for law enforcement or schools/churches. A representative of the Florida Supervisors of Elections supported the voting-related section, while a Florida Highway Patrol representative said state agencies would need additional funding if they were expected to take on more enforcement duties. The committee adopted Senator Gruters’ late-filed amendment correcting a drafting error. Senator Smith’s amendment to require an OPAGA study on the tuition-waiver policy was withdrawn after discussion, and his handwritten amendment to delete the repeal of in-state tuition for undocumented students failed on a roll-call vote. The bill then advanced as amended, with several members speaking in debate both for and against it. Supporters framed it as a focused public-safety and enforcement measure; opponents criticized the special-session process, the cost, and the tuition repeal’s impact on students already enrolled.
KY

Kentucky 2026 Regular Session

House Standing Committee on Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations.(2-11-26)

Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations

Transcript Highlights:
  • And the Kentucky Supreme Court can deputize KBA to do it, but I shouldn't have to be in association with
  • And the Kentucky Supreme Court can deputize KBA to do it, but I shouldn't have to be in association with
  • And the Kentucky Supreme Court can deputize KBA to do it, but I shouldn't have to be in association with
  • KBA is deputized by the Supreme Court. The KBA cannot disbar me. The Supreme Court must.
  • the KBA if they want to to do deputize the KBA if they want to to do the<00:35:48.880> things
Summary: The committee took up House Bill 526, while House Bill 254 was removed from the agenda at the sponsor’s request. HB 526 would make bar membership and dues voluntary for Kentucky attorneys, and the sponsor argued it protects constitutional rights, prevents compelled association, and would not stop the Kentucky Supreme Court or Kentucky Bar Association from offering services such as CLE, ethics support, and lawyer assistance programs. He also argued Kentucky lawyers should not be forced to fund speech or activities they may disagree with, and urged passage of the bill. Representatives of the Kentucky Bar Association, including its president and the chair of the Young Lawyers Division, opposed the bill. They said the KBA is an arm of the Supreme Court rather than a private association, and that mandatory dues support nonpolitical services such as free continuing legal education, legal research, the Kentucky Lawyers Assistance Program, ethics guidance, mentorship, disaster relief work, and the Legal Food Frenzy. They warned that changing to a voluntary system would reduce infrastructure, increase costs for lawyers, and potentially shift more regulatory and service burdens to the Supreme Court. Members questioned whether the bill would actually prevent the KBA from continuing its programs and asked about other states’ bar structures. The sponsor and supporters pointed to Indiana and other states with voluntary bar membership, while KBA witnesses said Kentucky’s current system is efficient and constitutional and that many services are not truly free but are funded through dues. The discussion became heated at points over whether KBA testimony itself constituted political speech, and the chair intervened to keep the meeting moving. The transcript ends during member questions, with no final vote on HB 526 shown.
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

House in Special Session B Jan 28th, 2025

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Would they be deputized to operate as immigration enforcers?
  • Would they be deputized to liaisons for ICE?
  • At this point, an SRO officer could become deputized potentially to immigration enforcement.
  • communities and law enforcement when we deputize even SROs in an intimate setting like a school.
  • It does allow for task force programs to be used and to deputize officers in the field.
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Appropriations Jan 27th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • HOW IN YOUR BILL ARE WE ENSURING LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WHO ARE DEPUTIZED TO DO THE WORK OF IMMIGRATION
  • AND ANYONE ELSE WHO IS NEWLY DEPUTIZED TO DO IMMIGRATION WORK WHETHER IT BE DETAINMENT, INVESTIGATION
  • BILL AS CURRENTLY WRITTEN DOES NOT EXPAND THE AUTHORITY OF ANY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENT WHO HAS BEEN DEPUTIZED
  • THE RESULT OF THIS CONVERSATION BE COMPELLED TO ALLOW THIS LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO ARE DEPUTIZED
  • WOULD BE AMENABLE TO ACCEPTING LANGUAGE THAT PUTS GUARDRAILS AROUND THE ABILITY OF THOSE WHO ARE DEPUTIZED
Keywords: 999, senate, all
FL

Florida 2026 5th Special Session

FL House Floor Session - 2025-01-28 (4:30PM Session)

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Would they be deputized, operate as immigration enforcers? Would they be liaisons for ICE?
  • So, you know, everything that comes within that, as it relates to deputizing and all of that, I don't
  • So, you know, everything that comes within that, as it relates to deputizing and all of that, I don't
  • Representative, if the Trump administration deputizes state and local law enforcement agencies, are the
  • It does allow for task force programs to be used and to deputize officers in the field.
Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the journal, and adoption of the special order calendar for the day. The chamber then took up House Bill 1B on immigration, along with discussion of anticipated Senate changes. The sponsor described the bill as creating a chief immigration officer housed in the Department of Agriculture, establishing an Office of State Immigration Enforcement, expanding cooperation with federal immigration authorities, increasing criminal penalties for certain offenses by unauthorized aliens, ending undocumented-student fee waivers, and providing substantial appropriations for enforcement and related programs. Members also questioned the Senate version’s proposed mandatory death penalty provision for certain capital offenses involving unauthorized aliens, as well as pretrial detention, 287(g) participation, DMV reporting requirements, and the bill’s effects on schools, teachers, social workers, and local agencies. The sponsor and supporting members repeatedly said the bill required broad cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and that existing federal law would control where conflicts arose. A major portion of the debate focused on whether the bill would allow or require immigration enforcement in schools and other sensitive settings, and whether teachers, school resource officers, and social workers could be placed in conflict with federal privacy or professional obligations. Members also raised concerns about detention based on suspected status, the standard of proof for immigration-status determinations, prison and jail impacts, workforce shortages, and the fiscal effects on counties and state agencies. The sponsor said the bill did not provide DMV funding, that the state would need to study some implementation questions, and that the appropriations included $25 million for a local law enforcement participation incentive program and up to $350 million for broader implementation and coordination. Several amendments were offered and failed. Representative Chambliss proposed protecting schools, churches, and places of worship from enforcement activity; Representative Escamani offered amendments to preserve in-state tuition for Dreamers and to grandfather currently eligible students; Representative Woodson offered a similar Dreamer-related amendment; and Representative Bartleman proposed barring local law enforcement from entering schools during school hours to detain children solely for immigration status. Supporters of these amendments argued they would protect children, preserve educational access, and prevent trauma in schools and houses of worship. The House rejected each amendment by voice vote, and the transcript ends during debate on the Bartleman school-safety amendment before final disposition is shown.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Chamber Meeting Jan 30th, 2026 at 12:05 pm

New Mexico House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • agreements at the earliest possible date, and it prohibits public bodies from entering into agreements to deputize
  • agreements at the earliest possible date, and it prohibits public bodies from entering into agreements to deputize
Bills: HM3, HM11, HM14, HM15, HM21, HM25, HB9, SB2, SB19
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • These officers are deputized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and they can only engage in this
  • But in addition, for every individual that is deputized, they receive $7,500 per year per officer, up
  • She said she had a lot of concern about giving individuals, deputizing individuals, to kind of take on
  • So, the individuals that we are deputizing here, they're not here to prioritize anything.
  • <01:13:38.239> here, individuals that we are deputizing here, individuals that we are deputizing
Keywords: 958, all
Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the October 21 minutes, and then heard a KO presentation focused on county jail funding pressures. KO leaders and county judges said jail costs have become a statewide crisis, noting that county general fund contributions to jail budgets have risen sharply since 2019. They said the organization’s sole legislative priority this session is to “reshape the shared responsibility” for county jails through three main proposals: incentivizing regional jails, clarifying responsibility for pre-trial felony detainees, and changing the model for housing state inmates. On regional jails, KO proposed one-time state construction help for new or expanded regional facilities, allowing former county jails to become 96-hour holdover facilities, changing regional jail authority boards so each participating county jailer can serve, increasing the closed-jail supplement, and offering a one-time payment to counties that close a jail and join a regional plan. On pre-trial felony detainees, Judge Mosley argued counties bear the full cost for people held before trial, sometimes for years, and said counties should be reimbursed for time served credit when those inmates are later sentenced. On state inmates, KO said the current per diem of $35.34 is below the average daily county jail cost of $63.44, and proposed a new contract model requiring the Department of Corrections to pay actual housing costs while counties provide agreed programming such as substance use treatment, cognitive behavioral programming, re-entry services, workforce training, and academic programming. Members asked about the fiscal impact of the package, the feasibility of regional jail population thresholds, and whether the proposal could affect counties’ ability to house federal inmates. KO said regionalization should remain a local decision, that a bill draft and fiscal note were being developed, and that only certain jails are eligible to house federal inmates under existing agreements. Representative Maddox also asked about social media comments by Judge Mosley regarding homeschooling; Mosley said the remarks were unrelated to KO and apologized for any offense. Senator Mills asked what counties would do with savings from jail costs, and judges said the money would likely go to local services such as roads, ambulance service, senior programs, parks, economic development, infrastructure, broadband, and water projects.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

FL House Floor Session - 2025-01-28 (4:30PM Session)

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Would they be deputized, operate as immigration enforcers? Would they be liaisons for ICE?
  • So, you know, everything that comes within that, as it relates to deputizing and all of that, I don't
  • So, you know, everything that comes within that, as it relates to deputizing and all of that, I don't
  • Representative, if the Trump administration deputizes state and local law enforcement agencies, are the
  • It does allow for task force programs to be used and to deputize officers in the field.
Summary: The House convened with prayer, pledge, quorum call, approval of the journal, and adoption of the Rules and Ethics Committee’s special order report for the day. The chamber then took up House Bill 1B, the immigration bill, and members were told they would have one opportunity to question the sponsor on both the House version and the anticipated Senate changes. Representative McClure described the bill as a major immigration-enforcement package creating a chief immigration officer housed in the Department of Agriculture, an Office of State Immigration Enforcement, a local law enforcement grant program, a state immigration council, and new penalties and enforcement tools. He also outlined anticipated Senate language, including stronger 287(g) participation requirements, enhanced penalties for unauthorized aliens, a mandatory death penalty provision for certain capital offenses, and additional coordination with federal agencies. The bill drew extensive questioning from Democrats about due process, constitutional issues, school and workplace impacts, and the treatment of people whose immigration status changes over time. Members asked about birthright citizenship, TPS, asylum seekers, pretrial detention standards, the lawful basis for detaining someone based on suspected status, and whether teachers, social workers, school resource officers, and even children could be required to cooperate with immigration enforcement. McClure and Representative Garrison repeatedly said the bill would require cooperation with federal authorities, that status determinations would be handled under existing court procedures, and that the Senate death-penalty language was intended to fit within Hurst by requiring a jury finding beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was an unauthorized alien. They also said the bill did not provide DMV funding, did not address teacher shortages, and included appropriations such as $25 million for the local law enforcement participation incentive program and broader funding for enforcement and training. Several amendments were considered. Representative Chambliss offered an amendment to protect schools, churches, and places of worship from enforcement activity; supporters argued it would preserve trust in sacred and educational spaces, but the amendment failed. Representative Escamani offered an amendment to preserve in-state tuition for Dreamers; supporters emphasized the educational and economic contributions of Dreamers and the hardship of higher tuition, but that amendment also failed. The debate ended with no bill vote in the excerpt, but the House completed the amendment votes and continued consideration of the immigration measure.