Transcript Highlights:

• diverse, and healthy natural resources diverse, and healthy natural resources define<00:02:46.400
• Um, we know more resources as well.
• resources fund. resources fund.
• resources to cover those in perpetuity. resources to cover those in perpetuity.
• We are in ongoing Resources.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:10:17.519> to<00:10:18.399> statutory million is allocated to statutory million
• is allocated to statutory programs<00:10:19.440> such<00:10:19.600> as<00:10:19.760>
• We went live on December 21st with Workday, a new enterprise resource planning system infrastructure.
• resource resource planning<00:27:12.919> um<00:27:13.919> system planning um system planning
• a bit more towards the tuition allocate a bit more towards the tuition Aid<00:45:29.680> just

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee received an orientation from University System of New Hampshire Chancellor Katherine Preventure and Senior Director of Government Relations Lauren Banker on the system’s enrollment, finances, workforce role, and academic programs. They described the system as consisting of UNH, Keene State, and Plymouth State, with about 23,000 students, $928 million in FY24 operating expenses, a $3.7 billion economic impact, and UNH’s R1 research status. They emphasized the system’s role in graduating students into the New Hampshire workforce, its statewide Cooperative Extension and regional campus presence, and its alignment of degree offerings with top occupations identified by New Hampshire Employment Security. The presentation also highlighted partnerships with businesses, internships, and collaboration with the community college system, including 100 transfer pathways and a direct-admit program. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on tuition, state support, and student costs. The chancellor said the state invested $95 million in FY25, with about $81 million used to reduce resident tuition and about $14 million for statutory programs such as Cooperative Extension and the Agricultural Experiment Station. She said the state subsidy is about $7,300 per New Hampshire student, and that resident net tuition averages about $7,000, while nonresident net tuition averages about $16,600. She provided published tuition figures for UNH, Plymouth State, and Keene State, and explained that resident tuition has been held flat for five years while financial aid has increased, reducing average net tuition and fees for New Hampshire students from about $10,500 in 2020 to $9,800. Members asked for clarification on how residency and workforce-retention percentages were calculated, and the chancellor said she would follow up. Members also asked about comparisons with peer institutions, housing and meal costs, research funding, and the reasons for declining enrollment and staffing reductions. The chancellor said peer comparisons were based on flagship universities for UNH and smaller regional publics for Plymouth and Keene, and noted that out-of-state tuition has risen about 2.5% annually. She said housing for a UNH double room is $8,536 and a meal plan is $5,100, and offered to provide a consolidated cost document. On research, she said the system’s direct research spending includes federal funding and that indirect costs were about $34 million last year, with a follow-up promised on the federal/state and direct/indirect split. She attributed enrollment declines largely to demographics and said the system is responding by reducing costs, selling buildings, exiting leases, moving the system office to NHTI, and implementing Workday. She also noted that Plymouth received approval for five three-year bachelor’s degree programs and that members praised the shorter, workforce-focused pathways, especially for manufacturing and other in-demand fields.

Transcript Highlights:

• The idea that families are encouraged to utilize resources for their children’s education that best serves
• allow those families and encourage them, as the sponsor of this amendment said, to steward those resources
• allow those families and encourage them, as the sponsor of this amendment said, to steward those resources
• They consciously decided to leave them in as a piggy bank to be able to take their resources away from
• He has time that we allocated to him. The questions are acceptable afterwards.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Appropriations, Transportation and Technology heard HCR 2048, as amended by a strike-everything amendment. The amendment would constitutionally prohibit the state from confiscating scholarship account monies from children of military families who are eligible for education scholarship accounts (ESAs) and can use the funds for tuition and fees at eligible postsecondary institutions. It also would make any later bill or voter-approved measure that violates that prohibition void in its entirety, with no severability, for measures enacted or approved on or after November 1, 2026. Representative Way, the sponsor, said the measure was intended to protect military families from having education funds taken away and argued that military children face unique disruptions because of deployments and frequent moves. Supporters including Matt Beinberg of the Goldwater Institute, Kevin Beasty of the Arizona Christian Education Coalition, Peter Gentala of the Center for Arizona Policy, and Senator Rogers said the amendment was needed to safeguard military families and preserve their ability to use ESA funds flexibly, including for college savings. Opponents, including Senators Alston, Fernandez, Kuby, and Epstein, argued the proposal was unnecessary, overly broad, and an attempt to preempt or invalidate a pending ESA-related citizen initiative. They also raised concerns about ESA accountability, public school funding, and constitutional issues involving voter initiatives and judicial review. After debate, the committee adopted the strike-everything amendment and then voted on HCR 2048 as amended. The final committee vote was 6 ayes, 4 noes, and 1 not voting, giving the measure a do-pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• and Natural Resource Agriculture and Natural Resource Mediation<00:46:11.520> Board<00:46:12.320
• Energy Resources Council: Donald Burkhart, Cindy Crane.
• [PRESIDENT clears throat] Parks and Cultural Resources Commission: Michael Bond, Robert King, Jill Benson
• So nine million is to go to the Wyoming Natural Resource Trust Fund for the purpose of invasive species
• in both the budget and Senate allocated in both the budget and Senate File<01:20:00.920> 123<

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They don't know which entity has the funds that is supposed to be allocated for them.
• So the first two deal with the cost of rebuilding a park and the resources available to rebuild a park
• So the first two deal with the cost of rebuilding a park and the resources available to rebuild a park
• So the first two deal with the cost of rebuilding a park and the resources available to rebuild a park
• We've already competed for and have secured scarce bond allocations, completed extensive due diligence

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our Emergency Solutions Grant annual allocation is about $484,000.
• We want to be known as a resource, whether you just want to have a conversation with someone, whether
• Senator Dever, I am not certain of what the federal allocation has been over the years.
• I'm not certain of what the federal allocation has been over the years. I believe it's been flat.
• It might be helpful for us to begin to look at that as we collect all the resources.

Summary: The committee first approved the February 11, 2026 minutes and then received an update from the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency on the interagency council on homelessness and continuum of care funding. Testimony described rising homelessness tied to tight housing markets, low incomes, aging homelessness, barriers to rental assistance and public benefits, and limited shelter and case-management capacity. Members discussed the need for more affordable housing, continued one-time funding for the North Dakota Homeless Grant and Housing Incentive Fund, better coordination with Health and Human Services on economic assistance and human service zones, landlord engagement, recovery housing, and reentry housing. The committee also heard that federal continuum of care funding remains uncertain, with possible shifts away from permanent supportive housing and housing-first models; members asked for a future update on the impact if federal rules reduce the share available for permanent housing. The committee then took testimony on accessibility of government services for people who are blind or visually impaired. Paul Olson of North Dakota Vision Services School for the Blind described current screening and service delivery, including infant referrals, regional staff, short-term programs, and collaboration with vocational rehabilitation. He said the targeted screening system is working, recommended maintaining the current model, and noted ongoing challenges with staffing, public awareness, and accessible state websites and documents. Public testimony from a visually impaired resident and a deaf resident emphasized barriers such as CAPTCHAs, inaccessible PDFs, employment forms that screen out applicants based on driver’s license status, shortages of interpreters, and the need for video remote interpreting and video relay services, along with training for users and agencies. Finally, the committee heard a final report on the study of child care provider licensing from HHS Early Childhood Director Kay Larson. The report summarized provider input and committee discussion on simplifying North Dakota’s child care licensing structure, reducing administrative burden, and balancing that with health and safety standards. Key topics included licensing categories, child care assistance eligibility, food program sponsorship, staff qualifications, training requirements, ratios and group size, age bands, and preschool exemptions. The committee’s recommendations included streamlining to three provider types plus a preschool designation, revising ratio and age-band rules, and carrying forward certain preschool outdoor-space exemptions. Larson noted that any changes would require statutory changes, rulemaking, and a transition period before new licensing rules could take effect.

Transcript Highlights:

• Williams, I said this is the correct allocation. Um Mr. Chair, members, I'm Helen Roberts Um Mr.
• The amendment is adopted. said this is the correct allocation. said this is the correct allocation.
• There is an advanced deposit wagering provision to help keep our resourcing industry free of drugs.
• provision to help keep our resourcing provision to help keep our resourcing industry<00:44:02.079
• <00:56:33.520> The allocated to what agency. The allocated to what agency.

Bills: HF2431, HF2438, HF2783, HF1943

Keywords: higher education, college affordability, student aid, state grants, North Star Promise, scholarships, financial aid, Minnesota State, University of Minnesota, Office of Higher Education, tuition relief, work-study, child care grants, hunger-free campus, food insecurity, student parents, pregnant students, parenting students, sexual misconduct, Title IX

Transcript Highlights:

• Are school resources school resources.
• it's being done right now that resources it's being done right now that resources are<01:42:33.440
• resources that are available. resources that are available.
• <01:46:33.040> and department needs these resources and department needs these resources and
• these resources. these resources.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's page 9, line 10, after 'a,' insert 'using existing resources.' Thank you.
• using page nine line 10 after a insert using page nine line 10 after a insert using existing resources
• thank you uh generally an resources thank you uh generally an author's<00:02:24.319> amendment
• <00:08:23.199> available<00:08:24.199> Transportation resources available Transportation
• resources available Transportation projects<00:08:25.599> are<00:08:26.120> expensive<

Bills: HF5

Keywords: tax modification, transportation funding, electric vehicle tax, Social Security subtraction, retail delivery fee, motor vehicle registration, state budget, transportation policy, 1183, house

Summary: The Transportation Committee resumed consideration of House File 5, which would reduce transportation-related revenues while also providing tax relief, including a subtraction for Social Security income, elimination of the delivery fee, and a cap on automatic gas tax indexing. The committee adopted the A1 author’s amendment, which added the phrase “using existing resources,” and then proceeded to public testimony. Representative Joy described the bill as making Minnesota more affordable, while several members and testifiers raised concerns about the impact on transportation funding and road maintenance. MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Doppenberg testified that reductions in planned transportation investments would worsen pavement, bridge, and roadway conditions, reduce construction projects and jobs, and add to an already large funding gap. Committee discussion focused on the estimated revenue losses from the bill, including about $45 million in fiscal year 2026 and $55 million annually from repealing the delivery fee, plus additional losses from capping gas tax indexing, for a combined transportation revenue reduction of about $131 million in the 2026-27 biennium. Members also asked about bridge aesthetics, paint, transit impacts, and whether other mandates and cost increases should be considered alongside revenue reductions. Supporters of the delivery fee repeal, including the Minnesota Grocers Association and Minnesota Retailers Association, argued the fee is costly to administer, confusing to consumers, and disproportionately burdens small businesses and lower-income or disabled consumers who rely on delivery. The Minnesota Association of Townships and the Minnesota Transportation Alliance emphasized that rural and local governments face major road and bridge funding needs and warned that reducing revenue would shift costs to property taxpayers or leave projects unfunded. No final vote on the bill was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the committee continued with testimony and member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• , we are doing some great things just with the limited resources that we have.
• Earlier we heard a lot about restricted funds and restricted funds are resources whose use is limited
• are doing some great things just with the limited resources that we have.
• So we're continuing to earn investment dollars on those resources.
• When the university starts construction, ...investment dollars on those resources.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee met to hear an overview of State University System finances from the Board of Governors and detailed budget presentations from Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of North Florida. The witnesses explained how university budgets are organized into fund categories such as education and general, contracts and grants, auxiliaries, local/designated funds, capital projects, and component units such as direct support organizations. They also described carry forward funds, the statutory reserve and spending-plan requirements, the PICO/HECO capital outlay process, and how universities use investment accounts, audits, and board oversight to manage restricted and unspent funds. The universities emphasized that most operating dollars are restricted to specific uses and that state support helps keep tuition low. Members asked about differences in funding levels among institutions, especially why FSU receives more funding than UCF despite lower enrollment. Officials said preeminence funding, performance funding, and special legislative appropriations explain much of the difference, and the Board of Governors noted that Florida now has four preeminent universities, with UCF nearing that status. Questions also focused on what happens to unspent carry forward money, how it is invested, and whether the Board of Governors or Legislature can require funds to be returned; officials said the money is invested conservatively, subject to board and audit oversight, and can roll forward under a detailed spending plan, though the Legislature can change funding levels. The committee also discussed capital projects, with members asking about delays, inflation, and whether more projects should be phased or funded faster; witnesses said PICO funds remain with the state until needed and are reimbursed as construction proceeds. A substantial portion of the discussion covered athletics, research, student fees, and endowments. The universities said athletics is generally expected to be self-supporting, though limited use of auxiliary or carry forward funds may be allowed for projects benefiting the broader student body. They also described the financial pressures from name, image, and likeness changes and new NCAA-related costs, and said institutions are planning for those changes now. On research, the universities explained sponsored research funding, indirect cost recovery, compliance obligations, and tech transfer, but did not provide specific commercialization revenue figures and said they would follow up. Members also asked about student fee increases, student input, counseling and wellness funding, and how housing costs affect affordability; the universities said student committees and boards review fees, and aid packaging is intended to keep student debt low. Endowments were described as being held in separate foundations/DSOs with independent investment committees and used mainly for scholarships, faculty support, and research.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:02:42.240> plans, multiple rate cases and resource plans, multiple rate cases and resource
• <00:14:07.840> planning through our integrated resource planning through our integrated resource
• resources and delivering resources<00:14:37.839> uh<00:14:37.920> to<00:14:39.000>
• our resource planning process. our resource planning process.
• <00:27:34.840> by that was appropriately allocated by that was appropriately allocated by

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It would also prohibit the allocation of enrollment growth units for distance learning students in both
• most public schools can't, such as updated classroom resources, labs, and workbooks.
• Such as updated classroom resources, labs, workbooks, and one-to-one tutoring.
• to... ...is going to have to lower their SCG allocation to get to a net zero cost there.
• So your per-student allocation is going to drop by about $37.40 per student.

Bills: HB2, SB204, SB241, HB34

Keywords: general appropriation, budget, Medicaid, education funding, public safety, higher education, research funding, federal funding, New Mexico, appropriation, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, child care, child care assistance, child care subsidy, early childhood education, early childhood care, daycare, preschool

Transcript Highlights:

• They've got their financials unified so that they're sharing resources.
• able to hire people, develop programs, and move on to areas like AI quickly, because we have had resources
• The allocation will be dedicated to planning, designing, constructing, and equipping the early childhood
• The funding allocation is for Planning, Designing, Constructing, and Equipment Phase 2 of the Shiprock
• There's monies. that we've allocated to the economic development department that work in that space.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, next slide, Ashley. resources if they were contained how resources if they were contained how would
• <01:09:31.199> nine<01:09:31.520> teachers, allocate nine teachers, allocate nine teachers
• million being allocated for salaries. million being allocated for salaries.
• We need to be able to allocate the resources to support the needs of Powell students.
• We need to be able to allocate the resources to support the needs of Powell students.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That doesn't make a lot of sense in the same state with the same resources. So, let's address that.
• same state with the same resources. same state with the same resources.
• Chairman, members, thanks for allocating me some time to speak on this bill today.
• Chairman, members, thanks for allocating me some time to speak on this bill today.
• Chairman, members, thanks for allocating me some time to speak on this bill today.

Bills: HB475

Keywords: 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So those faculty come in case of the students and then of course, the resources and advancement of fee
• The next question aside, there are a lot of tools and resources you have for your students that they
• Most recently, 20 million was allocated to develop or expand registered apprenticeship, replenish it
• It is not OK and how how do you allocate because it systemwide.
• So how do you allocate, you know, this institution? You get one percent.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're increasing the base student allocation by $66, or 1.25%.
• We're increasing the base student allocation by $66, or 1.25%.
• We're increasing the base student allocation by $66, or 1.25%.
• If you're trying to find out where a student is to make sure that the resources that student needs are
• in the case that you've described, has spent all kinds of money educating that student but had no resources

Summary: The committee first heard the proposed Pre-K-12 education budget for fiscal year 2025-26, totaling $34.7 billion. The chair highlighted major increases for the FEFP, including $29.6 billion for public schools and K-12 scholarships, a $984 million year-over-year increase, along with higher per-FTE funding, $4 billion for the Family Empowerment Scholarship, $431.4 million for VPK, funding for school safety, the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, school hardening, Jewish day school security, and an education enrollment stabilization fund. With no public comment, the committee adopted a motion for staff technical corrections and then approved the budget proposal as a recommendation to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The committee then considered SB 1402 on dropout retrieval programs. The bill expands eligibility so any individual who has withdrawn from high school may enroll in dropout retrieval services and clarifies how school grades are calculated for virtual instruction providers that offer those services. An amendment clarifying the grading calculation was adopted, and the committee reported the bill favorably. Next, the committee took up SPB 7030 on educational scholarship programs, a broad measure addressing school choice funding and administration. The bill would fund the Family Empowerment Scholarship as a separate categorical, expand the education stabilization fund, create fall and spring application windows, require a single scholarship application and more documentation, assign student IDs, standardize payment timing to monthly installments, require continued eligibility verification, and add Level 2 background checks for providers receiving state funds. Members raised questions about background-check enforcement, payment timing, data sharing, and the impact on homeschool and private-school families. Public testimony included support from school-choice advocates and concerns from private-school representatives about added regulatory burdens and deadlines. The committee adopted the bill as a committee bill and reported it favorably, with Senator Osgood voting no. Finally, the committee considered SB 508 on the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, which requires private schools to disclose in writing what accommodations, modifications, and services they will provide to students with existing plans such as IEPs, EEPs, 504 plans, or ELL plans before enrollment. An amendment was adopted to require public schools to consult with private schools about equitable services. Testimony was mixed: supporters said the bill would give parents needed information for informed choice, while private-school representatives said the language could be burdensome and vague. The committee reported the bill favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• part to require that the PUC establish standards for each electric utility to replace fossil fuel resources
• <00:15:05.320> with<00:15:05.480> firm fossil fuel Resources with firm fossil fuel
• Resources with firm renewable<00:15:07.000> sources<00:15:07.480> in<00:15:07.600> the
• Recommendation is to pass with amendments, on page three remove lines 1, 2, and 3, and delete and allocate
• I have Kim and Enoi. delete and allocate a portion of the tax delete and allocate a portion of the tax

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Ways and Means and Judiciary committee met in decision-making mode and took up a long list of measures, mostly recommending passage with or without amendments. Early actions included S.B. 414, which was amended to blank the appropriation, draw funds from the major disaster fund, and change the effective date to 2050, and S.B. 223, which would require fire breaks in hazardous fire areas and create or expand wildland fire prevention and protection programs with blank appropriations for FY 2026 and 2027. The committee also advanced S.B. 1009 on state reserve parking space enforcement, S.B. 1149 on reported hate crime definitions and reporting, S.B. 402 on mooring-line requirements for certain vessels, S.B. 1441 on the Oahu regional health care system transfer, S.B. 1442 on child and adolescent mental health responsibilities, S.B. 1478 on harbor evacuation orders, and S.B. 493 on written notice for emotional support animal sales or verifications. Members generally raised little opposition, and most measures were adopted without reservations. Some bills drew brief discussion or committee-report notes, including S.B. 1149, which referenced a Hawaii Civil Rights Commission report encouraging policy-level hate crime data reporting, and S.B. 1442, which was amended with a far-future effective date and a committee-report note about whether mental health services should be expressly subject to funding. S.B. 1441 was substantially revised to require a memorandum of agreement between the Oahu Regional Health Care System and the Department of Health by November 30, 2025, with patient care to begin by December 31, 2025, and a report to the legislature before the 2026 session. The committee also considered several finance and energy-related measures. S.B. 897 on the wildfire liability trust fund prompted questions about whether costs would be passed to consumers; the response was that the proposal contemplated cost sharing and that some amounts were still blank. S.B. 1395 and S.B. 1396 were amended to remove special-fund structures, direct revenues into the general fund, and require the governor to include equivalent amounts in the executive budget for climate-related projects. S.B. 501 was amended to expand step-in agreement provisions for future PPAs and establish a fund outside the State Treasury, and S.B. 1589 was amended so private donations to the stadium authority would go into the NID special fund for stadium infrastructure and sod, with members discussing accountability and the source of stadium-related consultant spending. The committee adopted the recommendations on all measures considered, with some members noting reservations on a few bills, and one item, S.B. 1418, was deferred.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are in a multi-year process working to get resources for offices around the state. Yeah.
• Have we allocated funds? What he meant by that was: is it in the budget?
• Have we allocated funds for this as the budget's moved through the Senate now?
• exactly where those areas are needed for any particular funding or any particular information for resources
• Now, finding the dollars and allocating that, I know it’s been a challenging year for resources, and

Summary: The Finance Committee met on May 27, 2026, with six members present and took up a series of House bills, most of them dealing with education funding, criminal justice staffing, transportation, health care access, and economic development. HB 325 was reported favorably after testimony that it would expand TOPS eligibility by allowing dual-enrollment credits to satisfy eligibility criteria and by making part-time students eligible for TOPS Tech, with supporters saying the program has been underused and the change would help working students. HB 719 was amended and reported favorably to increase assistant district attorney positions in various judicial districts; the Louisiana District Attorneys Association said the changes were based on workload data and local input, and members discussed the need to coordinate any expansion with public defender funding. The committee also reported HB 749 favorably, which would move Louisiana’s 529 savings accounts to a more secure online platform after a cyber incident, and HB 1028 favorably, which concerns transportation reimbursement for providers and was described as already subject to appropriation. Several bills focused on food access and local economic development. HB 1222, the Grocery Initiative Act, was reported favorably to let LED use existing grant resources to map food deserts and develop a program, with members noting it could return for funding later if needed. HB 1194 was amended and reported favorably to define food deserts and direct the LSU AgCenter and the Department of Agriculture and Forestry to identify and map them, with authors emphasizing it was a study and not a government-run grocery program. HB 755, which would create IDIQ contracting for architects and engineers on smaller state projects, was reported favorably with no fiscal impact. HB 823, a local diversion pilot for Orleans Parish, was also reported favorably after the fiscal note was revised to remove state impact and reflect only local costs. The committee spent substantial time on HB 488, a proposal from Plaquemines Parish to use severance-tax revenue to help buy out a private toll concession on the parish’s bridge. The author and local officials described severe toll burdens, economic harm to local businesses, and what they called an unfair contract, but members noted the bill was not funded and ultimately deferred it without a motion. HB 797, the Bayou Gold/Louisiana Sound Money Act, was amended to make implementation subject to appropriation and then reported favorably. The committee also took up HB 198, which would raise Medicaid reimbursement for ambulatory surgery centers for certain outpatient procedures; after extensive discussion about fiscal notes, access to care, and potential long-term savings, the bill was amended to narrow its scope and make implementation subject to appropriation, then reported favorably as amended. The meeting ended with the chair noting it would be the committee’s last meeting and asking members to spread the word.

Transcript Highlights:

• in these areas are hard to come by because of limited funding, which can lead to lower salaries, resources
• That parallels larger districts with more resources and capacity.
• We also like that the Senate matched the amount of new money that the House allocated, providing significant
• We also like that the Senate matched the amount of new money that the House allocated providing significant
• funding for special ed, teacher preparation, current house allocated providing significant funding for

Bills: HB2

Keywords: disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace, medical examiner, county judge, sheriff, mayor, emergency coordinator, emergency manager license, volunteer management system, volunteer registration, criminal history check, background check, Texas Division of Emergency Management

Summary: The Senate Education K-16 Committee met to consider HB 2, the major school finance bill, with the chair explaining that the committee substitute would provide about $8 billion in new public education funding. The bill was described as including permanent teacher compensation increases, expanded teacher incentive allotment funding, support for early literacy and numeracy, teacher certification and residency pathways, special education funding, career and technical education, school safety dollars, and facilities support for charter schools. The committee adopted the committee substitute without objection after roll was called and a quorum was present. Members questioned the bill’s structure, especially the balance between across-the-board teacher pay and the teacher incentive allotment, the treatment of uncertified teachers, and differences in requirements between traditional public schools and charter schools. Senator Menendez and Senator West raised concerns about equity, charter-school parity, facilities funding, inflation, and whether the bill should include more support for fine arts and extracurricular programs. The chair responded that the bill was designed to direct most new money to traditional public schools while also preserving flexibility and that charter-school and public-school alignment would need further work. Invited witnesses Dr. Imelda De La Rosa and Val Acri testified in support of the bill, emphasizing that the Teacher Incentive Allotment helps recruit and retain teachers in rural districts and supports mentorship and certification pathways. Public witnesses also supported the bill but urged more funding for fine arts, local flexibility, and full restoration of House-proposed funding levels. Dr. Josh Jones supported year-long teacher residencies, Dr. Philip Morgan asked for more local control and restoration of fine arts funding, Rich Saina supported the bill but warned about hold-harmless reductions, and Dr. Greg Poole supported the bill while asking for flexibility for high-performing districts that already pay high salaries. After the invited testimony and some public testimony, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair so members could attend the Senate floor.