Transcript Highlights:

• fund.
• fund.
• ><c> I</c><01:49:08.599><c> think</c><01:49:08.800><c> at</c> a trust fund was established I think at
• a trust fund was established I think at the<01:49:09.000><c> time</c><01:49:09.119><c> $100</c><01:49
• In a prior legislative session, a trust fund was established.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Division 3 House Finance Committee opened a work session and announced scheduling updates, including a second Medicaid work session on March 5 at 9:00 a.m. and a reminder that recommendations or budget amendments must be moved to the full finance committee by the end of March. Members were told no motions, roll calls, or votes would be taken, and the chair also reviewed upcoming meeting dates and weather-related cancellation procedures. The day’s presentation was a budget work session on the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), with officials Marie Nunan and Nathan White introducing the agency’s budget materials and mission. DCYF’s presentation focused on its core mandates and recent operational changes. Officials described child protective services, juvenile justice services, and the Sununu Youth Services Center, then highlighted workforce improvements, including reduced vacancy rates for assessment caseworkers, juvenile justice officers, and youth counselors. They attributed the staffing gains to legislative pay raises, mass recruitment posting changes, a more stable and trauma-informed model at SYC, and broader flexibility after prior budget cuts and hiring freezes. Members asked about full-time versus part-time staffing, and DCYF said most positions discussed were full-time, with some harder-to-fill part-time youth counselor roles at SYC. The committee also discussed DCYF’s emphasis on serving families earlier through its Community Navigator hotline referrals and community-based voluntary services, which are intended to connect families to supports before abuse or neglect escalates. Officials said the Community Navigator program had received 807 referrals since August 2023. On juvenile justice, DCYF described its assessment and diversion process and said it had reduced juvenile probation involvement by 30% from 2019 to 2023; members were directed to slide 17 for 2024 data, and officials said the trend continued toward fewer in-home juvenile justice cases. The agency also reported progress in kinship care, saying initial out-of-home placements with kin now occur 74% of the time and that kinship placements are associated with more reunification. Officials said kinship caregivers are being licensed and paid similarly to foster parents, and that the legislature’s kinship law has helped. Finally, DCYF outlined transition-age youth supports, including the HOPE program, Youth Villages LifeSet, and housing vouchers. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• source, right, for a funding mechanism to be deposited into the Stadium Development Special Fund.
• the state's funding structure.
• trust it is a trust within the state's<01:17:14.480><c> um</c><01:17:15.040><c> funding</c><01:17:16.040
• trust funds so um interests and also um trust funds so um the<01:17:32.880><c> Attorney</c><01:17:33.239
• dollars from funding abortions.

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Revenue is what the department collects for the general fund, revenue to fund the state budget.
• We are a self-funded department.
• That's revenue and funding.
• Um, I thought I heard you mention that you're doing courses for the trustees of trust funds.
• Um, I thought I heard you mention that you're doing courses for the trustees of trust funds.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with introductory remarks for new and returning members of the House Commerce Committee, led by Chairman John Hunt. Members briefly introduced themselves and their backgrounds, and several noted the committee’s bipartisan, collegial tone. Hunt explained the committee’s structure and traditions, including the division into three subcommittees: banking and business, consumer protection, and liquor commission matters, with insurance now handled as a single area. He also reviewed basic hearing procedures, including decorum, questions for information only, and the committee’s practice of moving bills through subcommittees before full committee executive sessions. The committee then heard an overview from the New Hampshire Insurance Department, led by Commissioner DJ Bettencourt and staff. The department described its mission as promoting a safe and competitive insurance marketplace and emphasized consumer protection, market competition, and affordability. Officials outlined the department’s responsibilities, including licensing insurers, producers, adjusters, and TPAs; reviewing insurance forms; regulating companies and market conduct; overseeing financial solvency; and investigating insurance fraud. They also noted that the department is self-funded through assessments on insurers, collects premium taxes and fees for the state, and returned more than $2.7 million to companies in fiscal year 2024 due to underspending. The presentation also covered the broader regulatory framework for insurance, including the role of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in promoting uniform standards across states and territories. Officials said New Hampshire licenses about 1,200 insurance companies and roughly 245,000 producers and adjusters, and that the department’s financial examinations are part of an accreditation system used nationwide. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the portion provided; the session was primarily organizational and informational, with the insurance department presentation beginning the committee’s substantive work for the term.

Transcript Highlights:

• Tab 3, CS for CS for SB 262 on trust by Senator Berman. You are recognized to explain the bill.
• One, it clarifies the law relating to decanting, which is when you pour trust assets into a new trust
• So what we say is that a trustee is authorized to modify the terms of a first trust to create or fund
• a settlor of the second trust, and therefore they can be a trustee of the second trust.
• by satisfaction will apply to revocable trust.

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules met and considered a series of bills, beginning with CS/CS/SB 282 on home and service warranty association financial requirements. The bill would allow more than one collateral liability insurance policy to back a warranty license and make related financial requirement changes; an amendment clarifying policy options was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee also approved CS/SB 280 on candidate qualification, which creates an enforceable requirement and private right of action for party-affiliation qualification rules, and SB 7004, an open government sunset review bill that continues a public records exemption related to housing assistance program applicants or participants after disasters. The committee then took up several member bills. CS/CS/CS/SB 88 would create an opt-in framework for local governments to allow utility terrain vehicles on certain roads, with safety requirements and insurance clarification added by amendment; supporters emphasized local transportation benefits and law enforcement tools, while several senators raised concerns about misuse in urban areas, and the bill was reported favorably. CS/SB 106 would allow substitute service through the same electronic platform used by scammers in vulnerable adult exploitation cases, with a 30-day hold clarified by amendment; it received support from elder law and advocacy groups and was reported favorably. CS/CS/SB 262 made technical changes to the Florida Trust Code, including decanting, trustee actions, ademption by satisfaction, and homestead/community property trust treatment, and was also reported favorably. Additional bills approved included SB 402, which updates the unlawful use of uniforms, medals, or insignia statute by referring to armed forces as defined elsewhere in law; SB 700, which continues the public records exemption for site-specific location information for threatened and endangered species; and SB 7006, which preserves public records and meeting exemptions for building plans and related documents depicting 911, E911, and public safety radio communication infrastructure, including next-generation 911 systems. At the end of the meeting, senators requested to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on certain bills, and the committee adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• , which is a joint powers authority, and the intention for the trust was to fund planning and construction
• It ensures that the housing trust board members are selected pursuant to their joint powers agreement
• And as the senator kind of touched on, SB 799 gives some important flexibility to the trust board.
• So that the city still is represented at the trust, can still be informed on what's going on at the trust
• To be able to generate the revenue necessary to fund essential services.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Local Government heard six bills. SB 828 by Senator Cabaldon would require fireworks license applicants to disclose storage locations and prove they have local permits, with the state fire marshal notifying local agencies when permits are denied or revoked. Supporters, including fire chiefs and fire marshals, said it would close dangerous enforcement gaps exposed by recent fireworks explosions; there was no opposition, and the bill passed 7-0 to Appropriations. SB 799 by Senator Allen would make technical and governance changes to the South Bay Regional Housing Trust, including more flexibility on board leadership and allowing non-elected alternates under certain conditions. Supporters said the changes would help the new housing trust function more effectively; questions focused on accountability for non-elected alternates, and the bill passed 6-0 to the Senate Floor. SB 762 by Senator Arreguín would authorize the city of Hercules to ask voters to approve up to a 1% sales tax increase to fund local services and infrastructure. Supporters said Hercules has limited revenue options, while some senators cautioned about how such measures are presented to voters; the bill passed 5-2 to the Senate Floor. SB 722 by Senator Wahab would add protections for mobile home residents from displacement tied to transit-oriented development and redevelopment, with supporters describing it as an urgent cleanup to protect vulnerable seniors, veterans, and low-income residents. There was broad support and no opposition, and it passed 7-0 to Appropriations. SB 222 by Senator Wiener would streamline permitting for heat pump water heaters and HVAC systems, with supporters arguing it would reduce costs and speed electrification, and opponents raising concerns about local control, fees, liability, and HOA authority. After extended debate, it passed 4-1 to Appropriations. SB 677 by Senator Wiener would make technical clarifications to SB 79’s transit-oriented housing provisions; local government groups opposed or opposed unless amended, warning it could expand SB 79’s scope, but the bill passed 5-2 to Appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• funds.
• By Appropriations, Senate Bill 7040, a bill to be entitled an act relating to trust funds.
• If the fund is terminated, the only funds available for emergency spending would be funds specifically
• Senate Bill 7040, a bill to be entitled an act relating to trust funds. Are there any amendments?
• We were told that if you allow the governor to be able to have this trust fund and to be able to create

Summary: The House convened with a prayer, pledge, quorum call, and recognition of Officer Cody Popple of the FSU Police Department for his actions during the April campus shooting. Members also observed a moment of silence for former Lee County Judge John Carlin. The Rules and Ethics Committee report setting the special order calendar was adopted, and the Speaker outlined the final week of session, noting that budget negotiations were still ongoing and that the House would continue taking up Senate bills and returning messages. The chamber then considered a series of mostly technical or sunset-review bills, including SB 100, SB 104, and SB 102 on the Florida Statutes, all of which passed unanimously. Several Open Government Sunset Review bills were also approved, extending or preserving public records and meeting exemptions for the Public Service Commission, the Department of Military Affairs, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, cybersecurity records, emergency shelter information, conviction integrity units, the Florida Gaming Control Commission, and school testing materials; most passed with little opposition, though SB 7006, SB 7026, and SB 7022 drew some dissenting votes. The House also passed SB 7016 on small business loan records, SB 7008 on gaming commission records, SB 7000 on emergency shelter information, and SB 7004 on conviction integrity unit records. Members then moved into farewell remarks and recognitions, including an extended farewell speech by Representative Hart-Lowman reflecting on her service, family, district, and policy priorities such as criminal justice, housing, health care, and labor issues. The House also recognized visiting students from Osceola County and other guests in the galleries. Later, the House took up more substantive measures. SB 7040 recreated the emergency preparedness and response trust fund; after a lengthy debate over an amendment to let the fund expire and a strike-all restoring the House position, the bill passed 82-25. The chamber then passed CS/CS/SB 302 on coastal resiliency, CS/CS/SB 984 on firefighter cancer benefits, and CS/SB 474 on military affairs, all with broad support. The final portion of the transcript shifted to SB 488 on Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, where members debated vehicle registration requirements, license plate frames, and related amendments, including provisions for disabled veterans and dealer allocation rules, before the transcript ended mid-debate.

Transcript Highlights:

• request and our trust fund request.
• trust</c><00:07:06.400><c> funds.
• Uh what we will not be and trust funds.
• Thank you. >> Moving on to the trust fund request.
• Moving on to the the trust fund &gt;&gt; Okay.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met for its fifth and final Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Education meeting, but did not initially have a quorum and approved the minutes later when enough members were present. The Council on Postsecondary Education, represented by President Aaron Thompson and Vice President Bill Payne, opened with condolences for the UPS crash victims and then presented higher education budget recommendations for the 2026-2028 biennium. Thompson emphasized the return on investment from state support for higher education, citing gains in retention, enrollment, persistence, graduation, reduced time to degree, lower student debt, and expanded dual credit participation, while noting that affordability and access remain priorities. Payne outlined CPE’s operating funds request, including $43.3 million in the first year and $86.6 million in the second year for inflation adjustments, plus $30 million and $45 million for performance funding. He said the inflation request would apply across the board to institutions to offset rising costs, and that the KSU land grant match would not need additional funding because the state has already met the matching requirement. He also explained that state support for educating students has not kept pace with inflation over time, creating pressure on institutional budgets and tuition, though tuition increases have been held to historic lows in recent years. A major portion of the discussion focused on the performance funding model and how it affects smaller institutions. CPE proposed two approaches to address institutions that have received little or no performance funding, especially Kentucky State University and Morehead State University. The first approach would create a $20 million minimum distribution pool, providing $1.95 million to each university and $4.4 million to KCTCS, with the goal of giving smaller and rural institutions a base level of support. The second approach would provide direct appropriations totaling a little over $5.6 million to Kentucky State, Morehead State, and five community colleges that have not been receiving performance funding. Members, especially Representative Tipton and Senator West, questioned how the model had treated small schools over time, and CPE officials explained that the original small school adjustment was not large enough to prevent KSU and Morehead from effectively being left out of the distribution. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 926 provides a reasonable funding methodology for providing local governments with funding to provide
• Diverting General Fund resources at this time is unsustainable, particularly when those funds are funneled
• Third, redundant funding.
• In addition to funding treatment, this bill delivers a massive influx of funding to incarcerate people
• asking for funding.

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Chair lays out SB841 by Senator Hughes relating to the beneficiaries of trust fund pay received in
• Parker relating to the beneficiaries of trust funds paid or received in connection with an improvement
• The chair lays out SB1612 by Senator Johnson relating to construction contracts and trust funds.
• If this fund were to reach $25 million, whether funded by the legislature or by members of Congress.
• The professionalization of the process is unaffected; we trust the title companies and we trust the escrow

Bills: HB1958 , HB2031 , HB2879 , HB3285 , HB3995 , HB4487 , HB4558 , HB4560 , HB4876 , HB4899 , HB5212 , HB5317 , HB5543 , HB5567 , SB1333

Committee: House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Keywords: firearm possession, tenant rights, landlord regulations, civil penalties, property code, justified use of force, deadly force, property rights, home defense, smart devices, data privacy, personal data collection, user consent, mobile application, data transparency, HOA, property owners association, property owners' association, Texas Property Code, Chapter 202

Transcript Highlights:

• Fund.
• Funding into homeowners' hands.
• It's funded in part with a local tax measure, but also state funding, and incentivizes local residents
• This is a problem because today public trust in recycling is at an all-time low, and we need public trust
• Despite these benefits, funding for these programs has suffered from boom-and-bust funding cycles, and

Summary: The committee heard several bills and one resolution focused on recycling, housing affordability, air quality, coastal protection, wildfire resilience, and nuclear policy. AB 2559, by Assembly Member Ward, would require local governments to return refundable construction and demolition permit deposits if compliance documentation is submitted within three years of final inspection; supporters said it would prevent homeowners and developers from losing deposits due to mismatched local deadlines, and it passed unanimously as amended to Appropriations. AB 1704, by Assembly Member Gonzalez, would require CARB to assess the cost of lower-embodied-carbon building materials and pause the embodied-carbon program if cost parity is not reached; supporters framed it as a housing affordability safeguard, while environmental groups argued it would delay implementation of a key climate law. The bill passed on a party-line vote to Appropriations. AB 2349, by Assembly Member Solache, would create regional air quality incident response centers for emergency monitoring and coordination; it drew strong support from air district and local government representatives and passed unanimously to Appropriations. ACR 149, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Act and Coastal Conservancy, highlighted coastal access, habitat protection, and climate adaptation; it passed the committee, though some members voted no. AB 1960, by Assembly Member Bennett, would let Cal Fire fund community-level wildfire hardening projects through the Wildfire Prevention Grants Fund; members raised questions about funding and implementation, but it passed to Appropriations. AB 2254, the Coastal Monarchs Protection Act, would require coastal local governments to add monarch overwintering protections when updating local coastal plans; supporters cited steep monarch declines and economic benefits, while local government groups opposed the mandate as duplicative and burdensome, and it passed to Water, Parks and Wildlife. AB 2253 would restrict deceptive recycled-content claims and mass-balance accounting practices; supporters said it would protect consumers and real recyclers, while business groups argued it would conflict with recognized accounting systems and EPR programs. The transcript also included AB 1757, which would create a limited carve-out from California’s nuclear moratorium for microreactors; supporters said it could provide clean, local power and support data centers, while opponents warned of cost, waste, and safety risks. The committee ultimately rejected AB 1757 on a divided vote, then granted reconsideration, and the discussion continued without a final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• they're doing the self-funding.
• Yes, under federal ERISA law, the self-funded employers...
• So that sort of gets into land banks and land trusts, and land trusts are about permanent affordability
• preclude us from working with land trusts, and generally land trusts and land banks really work well
• We are about to enter what I like to call Fiscal Fund Week.

Summary: House Finance heard several bills and took no recorded votes. HB 2367 would end special tax and emissions exemptions for the Centralia coal plant by limiting its Climate Commitment Act exemption to pre-2026 emissions, removing limits on additional greenhouse gas requirements, and repealing coal sales and use tax exemptions. The sponsor, Rep. Fitzgibbon, said the bill would help keep the plant’s transition to cleaner natural gas generation on track; Climate Solutions supported it, while business and clean-energy groups raised concerns about allowance-market impacts and asked for amendments to adjust the cap-and-invest allowance budget. HB 1974 would authorize public housing authorities, public corporations, and nonprofits to operate as land banks for affordable housing, give them priority for tax-foreclosed properties, and provide property tax, leasehold excise tax, and REET exemptions for land bank transactions. Rep. Hill said the bill was narrowed to reduce fiscal impact and support existing land banking work in Spokane; supporters said it would lower land costs and speed affordable housing development, while questions focused on how public land would be used and whether affordability should be permanent rather than limited to 30 years. HB 2650, a Department of Revenue request, would standardize notice and effective dates for local REET and lodging tax changes and clarify documentation for an affordable housing sales tax deferral. DOR supported the bill as an administrative efficiency measure, and there was no opposition testimony. HB 2626 would raise the premium tax on health maintenance organizations, health care service contractors, and self-funded multiple employer welfare arrangements from 2% to 3%, remove a dentistry-related exemption, and add a new 1% tax on certain disability and group stop-loss insurers. The sponsor said the bill is intended to help fund Apple Health and subsidies amid federal funding concerns; insurers and business groups opposed it as a cost increase likely to be passed on to consumers and employers, while patient and advocacy groups supported the revenue idea but urged that funds be dedicated to subsidies or other health care supports and that pass-through to consumers be prevented.

Transcript Highlights:

• So some of it I might be a bad example because I think the board trusts or the residents trust the board
• Members, Texas faces ongoing challenges in water infrastructure and the Texas Water Fund fund, which
• Water Fund. law directs a portion of this funding to rural political subdivisions and municipalities
• Funds currently aimed at assisting small and rural systems do not provide enough focus on funding to
• We have funding requests before the members of the legislature to fund... our assistance to small systems

Bills: HB279 , HB310 , HB365 , HB391 , HB420 , HB422 , HB638 , HB279 , HB310

Committee: House Natural Resources

Keywords: HB 279, uranium mining, uranium permit, production area authorization, production zone, Texas Water Code, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, contested case hearing, administrative hearing, groundwater restoration, groundwater baseline, water quality, mining permit, restoration values, natural resources, environmental regulation, in-situ uranium mining, permit amendment, public hearing

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Anna Upton, CEO of the Everglades Trust.
• I trust the commissioner and I trust members that are key in the bill.
• I also trust the counterpart in the Senate.
• So I trust these, ma'am.
• You know why they don't trust us because we haven't earned their trust. I live by the mantra.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's funded annually. It's funded annually.
• Our board doesn't think it would be prudent to allocate all of our trust fund to the S&P 500, or even
• Our position as a total trust fund would be substantially worse than we are today.
• So we'll fund Phase I. We fund pre-clinical, Phase I, and... So we'll fund Phase I.
• We also appreciate your efforts to reduce the unfunded liability of the ERS Trust Fund over the last

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard budget presentations for the Texas Historical Commission, the Pension Review Board, the Employees Retirement System (ERS), Social Security and benefit replacement pay, the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System (TESSRS), and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The Legislative Budget Board outlined recommendations and major changes for each agency, including reductions tied to one-time projects at the Historical Commission, continued funding for courthouse grants, heritage trails, and Holocaust/genocide education, as well as new or modified riders and capital items. For the pension-related items, LBB described funding changes for PRB, ERS, Social Security, and TESSRS, including ERS health plan cost growth driven largely by pharmacy costs, the status of pension funding reforms, and TESSRS’s request for additional state support to address its unfunded liability and staffing needs. Members asked extensive questions about the Historical Commission’s one-time funding, unexpended balance authority, courthouse preservation, the Presidio La Bahia and National Museum of the Pacific War projects, and coordination of Texas history messaging across sites such as the Alamo, San Jacinto, Washington on the Brazos, and other heritage locations. The Historical Commission chair emphasized heritage tourism, economic development, and the need for continued investment in historic sites, staffing, IT modernization, and vehicles. On the pension items, senators discussed PRB oversight of local systems, including the Dallas police and fire pension situation, and ERS investment returns, benchmark comparisons, and rising health costs. ERS officials said the plan remains well funded overall, noted a 2021 cash balance reform and a planned supplemental legacy payment, and explained that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro are a major driver of pharmacy spending; they also said the agency is working with the Texas Pharmacy Initiative and that rebates are contractually returned to ERS. For TESSRS, LBB and agency staff said the system serves volunteer and part-paid emergency personnel, is facing an infinite amortization period, and is requesting additional appropriations, staffing, and IT funding, along with a statutory change to allow an actuarially determined state contribution. The agency said it may otherwise need to cut benefits for volunteer firefighters. For CPRIT, LBB reported about $600 million in recommended funding for the biennium and a 10-FTE increase, while the agency described its $6 billion voter-approved program, $3.75 billion in grants awarded to date, and $10.4 million in revenue sharing since 2011. CPRIT’s only exceptional item was a request for a 10% salary increase for two exempt positions. No committee votes or formal actions were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• trust fund.
• We were established Research Trust Fund.
• </c><00:58:02.799><c> board</c> Trust Fund is an independent board Trust Fund is an independent board
• for the for the trust fund, legislature for the for the trust fund, uh<01:00:59.920><c> this</c><01:
• And we are a Research Trust Fund.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Family Services met in person, approved the October 15 minutes, and began with a moment of silence following a Louisville UPS plane explosion that was described as a local tragedy affecting many families and first responders. The main presentation was an overview of Kentucky’s Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation (NMT) program from the Department for Medicaid Services and the Transportation Cabinet. Witnesses explained that NMT is a federally required Medicaid benefit, administered by the Transportation Cabinet under a risk-based capitated model, with eligibility limited to Medicaid members traveling to medically necessary, Medicaid-covered services and who lack access to other transportation. They also described exclusions, including certain KCHIP, QMB, and PACE members, and outlined the brokered regional structure, call center operations, scheduling rules, vehicle and driver oversight, complaint handling, and rider surveys. The presenters reported that NMT handled more than 3.1 million trips in state fiscal year 2024, with over 1.38 million trips already recorded in October, and said customer satisfaction surveys were high. They said the FY 2025-26 contract total is about $360.6 million, with monthly per-member capitation rates set by region through an actuarial process and approved by CMS. They emphasized that payments are tied to monthly Medicaid enrollment and that the state draws down federal funds for the exact amount paid, with no leftover balance. They also said most NMT use comes from adult day centers and rehabilitative care such as dialysis. Members questioned the witnesses about how quality metrics and contract standards are set, whether the state had explored alternatives such as Uber Health or other integrated models, and how utilization was calculated. The witnesses said contract requirements are developed collaboratively by Medicaid Services, the Transportation Cabinet, and other agencies, and that studies of other models generally found higher costs and lower approval ratings, with additional research on a hybrid model expected by the end of the year. They clarified that one figure reflected the share of Medicaid members with registered vehicles, while another reflected actual NMT users, and they defended the capitated structure as shifting financial risk to brokers rather than the state. Representative Fleming also raised concerns about oversight, reporting, and the apparent gap between budgeted and contracted amounts, asking whether any unused funds would return to general funds; the discussion ended before a final answer was given.

Transcript Highlights:

• The funding that you guys have provided through the CTE supplemental funds and the last two budgets has
• The funding that you guys have provided through the CTE supplemental funds and the last two budgets has
• The funding that you guys have provided through the CTE supplemental funds and the last two budgets has
• The funding that you guys have provided through the CTE supplemental funds and the last two budgets has
• know that coaches as trust trust we also know that coaches as trusted<00:37:01.480><c> confidants</c

Keywords: Meeting Start: 01:24 Attendance Roll Call: 01:44 KY Association for Career & Technical Education: 03:40 Senate Concurrent Resolution 43 (Sen. West): 10:42 Senate Bill 77 (Sen. Deneen ): 31:26 Senate Bill 120 (Sen. Chambers Armstrong): 35:04 Adjournment: 51:44, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Education Committee met with a quorum and heard a presentation from Parker Keys, Northern Kentucky State Vice President for Kentucky FFA, on the value of career and technical education (CTE). He highlighted enrollment of more than 143,000 secondary students in CTE, work-based learning, dual credit, industry certifications, and the role of student organizations such as DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, Educators Rising, TSA, and SkillsUSA. Senators praised CTE as important for workforce readiness and resume building, and encouraged continued engagement with the committee. The committee then considered Senate Concurrent Resolution 43, sponsored by Senator Steve West, supporting a Southern Regional Education Board initiative to expand crisis counseling and recovery support for schools and colleges after tragedies and disasters. Dr. Steven Puit and Linda Tyrie described a regional network of trained counselors modeled on Kentucky’s response after Marshall County, emphasizing long-term recovery, psychological first aid, and deployment support for up to a year after an event. Members spoke in strong support, citing the lasting impact of Marshall County and Heath, and the resolution passed 13-0 and was reported favorably. Finally, the committee took up Senate Bill 77, a cleanup bill relating to the Education Professional Standards Board. Senator Matt Deneen and Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities representative Mr. Dyer explained that the bill clarifies that small independent colleges and universities may designate a qualified education department representative, not only a chief academic officer, to serve on the board. The committee adopted a committee substitute by voice vote, and the substitute was approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• staff, more funding, not less funding.
• staff, more funding, not less funding.
• staff, more funding, not less funding.
• staff, more funding, not less funding.
• It's unlocking funds for us.

Bills: HF56 , HF780

Committee: House Education Finance

Keywords: HF56, Minnesota bonding bill, capital investment, state bonds, bond proceeds fund, Hutchinson Area Transportation Services, Hutchinson, McLeod County, transportation facility, vehicle storage, equipment storage, fueling facility, temperate storage, local infrastructure, public works, general obligation bonds, education finance, school funding, state aid, appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• , and allow trusted providers like Planned Parenthood back into critical.
• When Texas politicians cut funding for reproductive health care, they are cutting funding for these marginalizations
• Blocking funding for Title X family planning. blocking access to Medicaid funding.
• She was 29 years old. time to restore this critical funding to trusted healthcare providers like Planned
• This bill restores. funding to trusted health care providers like Planned Parenthood, ensuring Texans

Keywords: Texas, healthcare, reproductive health, Care No Matter What Act, Planned Parenthood, maternal mortality, teen pregnancy, funding cuts, community health

Summary: The meeting addressed critical health care concerns in Texas, highlighting the consequences of funding cuts on access to reproductive health services. Key speakers emphasized the urgent need for the Care No Matter What Act, which aims to restore funding to healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood. They underscored the alarming statistics of maternal mortality and the rising rates of teen pregnancies, particularly in Black and Latina communities. Testimonies shared during the meeting illustrated the real-life impacts of healthcare access issues on individuals and families across the state, illustrating the necessity for legislative action to ensure comprehensive reproductive health services.

Transcript Highlights:

• It would repeal politically driven restrictions, restore funding, and allow trusted providers like Planned
• From blocking federal funding for breast and cervical cancer care, blocking funding to STI treatment
• and diagnosis, blocking funding for Title 10 family planning, and blocking access to Medicaid funding
• It's time to restore this critical funding to to trusted healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood
• This bill restores funding to trusted healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood, ensuring Texans can

Transcript Highlights:

• The total budget is split: GR comprises 45%, and trust funds comprise 55%.
• Over 30% of those trust funds are federal funds.
• funds.
• These public safety reductions include recurring-based budget funds or excess trust fund authority that
• That is trust fund authority for the private prisons out of the inmate welfare trust fund.

Bills: S0054 , S0156 , S0296 , S0298

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice

Keywords: cognitive function, psychotropic drugs, violent offenders, autopsy procedures, medical records, school safety, public records, open government, sunshine law, victims of dating violence, domestic violence, address confidentiality program, confidential address, voter registration, voting records, elections, supervisor of elections, Department of State, Attorney General, privacy

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation on the Governor’s fiscal year 2026-27 public safety budget, which totals about $8.2 billion within a $117.4 billion overall state budget. Caitlin Dawkins of the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget outlined funding and reductions across the public safety silo, including the Department of Corrections, Juvenile Justice, FDLE, Legal Affairs, the courts, and related entities. Agency heads then presented their requests, with FDLE seeking funding for fentanyl enforcement, career offender registry staffing, alert system upgrades, alcohol testing equipment, officer mental health, criminal alien detection, and statutory staffing needs; DJJ requesting money for the Florida Scholars Academy, uniforms, residential contract rate increases, a new Broward detention center, and facility maintenance; and DOC requesting major funding for correctional officer pay increases, 500 additional FTE, facility construction and maintenance, communications and security technology, offender information system modernization, inmate health care, pharmaceuticals, and food service. Members discussed staffing shortages, prison conditions, immigration enforcement, public records burdens, mental health and substance use treatment, and the need for continued investment in corrections. A member of the public also testified about poor conditions in some prisons, including clothing, food, medical care, and maintenance issues. The committee then considered and passed CS/SB 156, the Jason Rayner Act, which would clarify that a person may not resist a law enforcement officer with violence when the officer is performing official duties and would increase penalties in cases involving violence against officers. The bill sponsor described the case of Officer Jason Rayner and said the measure was intended to prevent defendants from using claims about unlawful detention or arrest to justify violence. An amendment conforming the bill’s language was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably after support was noted from several law enforcement and municipal groups. Next, the committee passed CS/SB 54, which addresses use of substances affecting cognitive function. An amendment narrowed the medical-records language to records relevant to investigations of violent offenders and clarified privacy protections. The bill was then reported favorably. The committee also passed CS/SB 296, the Haven Act, which would direct a study of a secure web-based alert system for domestic violence victims so they can contact 911 without alerting an abuser, and would expand the Address Confidentiality Program to include dating violence victims. Testimony from survivors and advocates emphasized the danger victims face when trying to leave abusive situations. Finally, the committee passed CS/SB 298, the public-records companion bill, which extends confidentiality protections for participants in the Address Confidentiality Program to dating violence victims as well. All three bills were reported favorably, and the committee adjourned after no further business.