Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez

Public Records/Municipal Clerks; Providing a public records exemption for personal identifying and location information of current municipal clerks and their staff and the personal identifying and location information of the spouses and children of such municipal clerks and their staff; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemptions; providing for retroactive application of the exemptions; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.

Grandparent Visitation; Revising the criteria required for the grandparent of a minor child to petition the court for grandparent visitation; revising the purpose for which the court shall hold a certain preliminary hearing; revising the circumstances in which the court may appoint a guardian ad litem and must refer the matter to family mediation; revising the circumstances in which the court may award reasonable visitation to a grandparent, etc.

Maddy summarySB 134 exempts the sale of gold, silver, and platinum bullion from state sales tax. This directly affects individuals and businesses purchasing or selling physical bullion coins and bars within the state. The bill's key provision removes the standard sales tax obligation on these specific precious metal products at the point of sale. The policy change applies to all qualifying bullion transactions under the state's sales tax code.

Faith-based Activities in Batterers’ Intervention Programs; Authorizing batterers’ intervention programs to offer supplemental faith-based activities; prohibiting required participation in such activities, etc.

Nonpublic Religious Postsecondary Educational Institutions; Removing religious colleges from the list of institutions specified as not being under the jurisdiction or purview of the Commission for Independent Education; providing requirements that must be met by nonpublic religious postsecondary educational institutions that operate without being licensed by the commission; requiring the commission to provide such institutions annually with a written notice of exemption from licensure and of compliance with specified requirements; requiring noncompliant institutions to submit specified documentation, apply for a license, or cease operations within a specified timeframe, etc.

Local Government Code Enforcement; Authorizing a county or municipality to designate a special magistrate; authorizing an enforcement board to record an original order issued by the board in the public records of the county; revising the method by which certain notices may be provided to an alleged code violator; requiring a governmental entity that permits its code inspectors to wear body cameras to establish certain policies and procedures; requiring the reclassification of certain offenses committed against code enforcement officers while engaged in the performance of their duties, etc.

Patient-directed Medical Orders; Revising legislative findings and intent to include palliative care for progressive illnesses; providing a purpose and requirements for a patient-directed medical order; requiring that certain health care services be provided to the principal regardless of the decision to withhold or withdraw life-prolonging procedures; authorizing physicians, physician assistants, and certain advanced practice registered nurses to withhold or withdraw life-prolonging procedures under certain circumstances without penalty, etc.

Public Accountancy; Authorizing the Board of Accountancy to competitively procure contracted services with certain corporations not for profit for the performance of certain duties assigned to the Division of Certified Public Accounting of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation; revising the education and work experience requirements for a certified public accountant license; revising requirements for the approval of providers who administer continuing education on ethics for certified public accountants, etc.

Carbon Sequestration; Creating the Carbon Sequestration Task Force adjunct to the Department of Environmental Protection; providing for task force membership, meetings, and duties; requiring the task force to submit specified reports to the Secretary of Environmental Protection and to the Governor and the Legislature by specified dates, etc. APPROPRIATION: $350,000

Release of Conservation Easements; Requiring certain water management districts, upon application by the fee simple owner of a parcel subject to a conservation easement, to release the conservation easement if specified conditions are met; providing for the valuation of the property upon such release; specifying that land released from the conservation easement may be used for development consistent with certain zoning, etc.