SB 7030 Florida Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Public Records/Investigations by the Department of Legal Affairs

Summary

Public Records/Investigations by the Department of Legal Affairs; Providing an exemption from public records requirements for information held by the Department of Legal Affairs relating to notifications or investigations of certain companion chatbot violations; providing an exemption from public records requirements for information held by the department relating to notifications or investigations of certain bot-related consumer protection violations; requiring that certain information remain confidential and exempt upon the completion or cessation of an investigation; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.

Issues: ✓ Technology

Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 29, 2026 Last action Mar 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

S 7030 c1 → S 7030 pb · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reformatted from a committee version (c1) to a proposed bill version (pb) with significant substantive changes to definitions and scope. The most important changes expand the definition of proprietary information for companion chatbots to include information intended to be private that disclosure would harm business operations, and broaden the definition to include competitive interests that could impair competitive advantage. The bill also adds a sunset provision requiring repeal on October 2, 2031 unless reviewed and saved, and includes a contingent effective date tied to the passage of related legislation.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from narrowly defined companion chatbot violations to include broader categories of bot-related consumer protection violations and deidentified data-related violations, with expanded definitions of proprietary information that better protect business interests.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of proprietary information for companion chatbots to include information intended to be private that disclosure would harm business operations, and added provisions protecting competitive interests.

TIMELINE

Added a sunset provision requiring the exemption to be repealed on October 2, 2031 unless reviewed and saved through reenactment by the Legislature.

Added a contingent effective date that ties the bill's implementation to the passage of related legislation (SB 482 or similar) in the same legislative session.

SCOPE

Broadened the bill's language from specific 'companion chatbot' violations to include 'bot-related consumer protection violations' and 'deidentified data-related consumer protection violations' to cover a wider range of AI technologies.

REQUIREMENT

Added detailed findings explaining why the exemptions are necessary, including protection against identity theft, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and unfair competitive advantages.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 4, 2026

How they voted

35–3

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 40

Mar 4, 2026

D Democratic11

9 Yea 1 Nay 1

81% Yea

I Independent1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican28

25 Yea 2 Nay 1

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 4, 2026

Upper · Passed

CS passed; YEAS 34 NAYS 3

upper

Feb 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Feb 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Appropriations, 02/18/26, 1:30 pm, 412 Knott Building

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Introduced

upper

Jan 22, 2026

Committee

Referred to Appropriations

upper

Jan 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Submitted as Committee Bill and Reported Favorably by Commerce and Tourism; YEAS 10 NAYS 0

upper

Jan 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Commerce and Tourism, 01/21/26, 8:30 am, 110 Senate Building

upper

0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors