Transcript Highlights:

• through all of the steps in the require the provider to go through all of the steps in their own internal
• concerns and make sure that we get those cleared up before we head to, I believe, Senator Pasadomo's rules
• features, including coverage limits, deductibles, waiting periods, exclusions, preexisting condition rules
• Jennifer Ashen, waiving in support, International Association of Certified Home Inspectors.
• And we have Jennifer Ashen, International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, waiving in support

Summary: The Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance met with a quorum present and heard a full agenda of bills, most of which were reported favorably. Early in the meeting, SB 1000 on trust fund interest for attorney trust accounts was explained as setting a floor and ceiling tied to the Wall Street Journal prime rate and passed without objection after supportive testimony from banking and credit union groups. The committee then took up CS/SB 1082 on a statewide provider and health plan claim dispute resolution program; the sponsor described it as a way to move emergency out-of-network payment disputes away from costly litigation and into an independent dispute resolution process modeled on the federal No Surprises Act. A proposed amendment drew significant questions from senators and concerns from the Florida Insurance Council about confusion over state versus federal eligibility and possible effects on contracted rates, and the sponsor ultimately withdrew the amendment. The underlying bill was then supported by health care and insurance stakeholders and reported favorably. SB 684 on electronic signatures for total loss vehicles and vessels also passed, with Progressive Insurance waiving in support. The committee next approved CS/SB 158 on pet insurance, which requires continuing education for agents, clearer consumer disclosures, and annual reporting to OIR; the amendment was technical and adopted. SB 1494 on breast cancer screening coverage was presented as expanding required coverage for mammograms and supplemental screenings for certain insurance products, and it passed with support from cancer and radiology groups. CS/SB 314 on digital asset issuers was amended to create a Florida framework for payment stablecoin issuers consistent with the federal GENIUS Act, allowing state-level regulation as an alternative to federal supervision, and was reported favorably. SB 1500 on uncontested probate proceedings, including higher small-estate thresholds and clearer authority for personal representatives, also passed after a banking-related amendment requiring letters of administration for safe deposit box access was adopted. Later, the committee approved CS/SB 618 on workers’ compensation insurance, which raises the consent-to-rate cap for workers’ comp policies from 10% to 20% and adjusts the Florida Workers’ Compensation Guarantee Association board membership; a carrier representative testified that the change would help keep more high-risk accounts in the voluntary market. CS/SB 1568 on a Florida Stable Coin Pilot Program was amended to remove authority for DFS to create a Florida coin, limit the pilot to existing stablecoins with at least $1 billion market capitalization, and require qualified public deposit handling; it then passed. CS/SB 838 on electronic payments for retail installment contracts clarified that convenience fees for electronic payments are permissible while preserving a fee-free option, and it was reported favorably after questions about consumer access to free payment methods. SB 1452, the Department of Financial Services agency bill, made a wide range of administrative changes affecting My Safe Florida Home, unclaimed property, licensing, bail bonds, and other DFS functions; a late-filed amendment on title insurer appointments was adopted, and the bill passed. The committee also approved SB 1706 on the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program, targeting condo hardening assistance to owner-occupied units meeting income and occupancy criteria, and SB 990 on protected cell captive insurance companies, which the sponsor and industry witnesses said would modernize Florida law and promote insurance competition and economic activity. The meeting ended with all bills on the agenda reported favorably and the committee adjourning without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• What this allows is the conveyance of land from the Internal Improvement Trust Fund to the Village Council
• I think you know this, we're in a period of the state where we're asking everybody to look internally
• We internally at the state level have cut our budget, I believe, the last 2 years.
• This is the greatest attack on home rule in over 50 years.
• There is no home rule in Cuba, Venezuela, Hungary or Russia.

Transcript Highlights:

• I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow assembly members.
• I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45 to allow assembly members to speak on adjournment
• Assembly Rule 118A to allow assembly members, Aarons, Zuber, Asale, Gipson, and Marasucci to have guests
• In addition to the rabbi being here, today is the commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance
• throughout the Sacramento area and led a team of government relations professionals and at an international

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, under House Rule 4, Section 13, House Committees are subject to the same rules of decorum that
• We will proceed forward on the adoption of rules.
• Our first order of business is the adoption of rules.
• There are no substantive differences between the draft rules for our committee and the model rules distributed
• Our rules are the same as any standing committee in the House, so our rules have already been adopted

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Kentucky Supreme Court in 2020 struck down portions of the current grandparent visitation statute, ruling
• grandparent visitation statute ruling grandparent visitation statute ruling that<00:03:35.280>
• We can't put a hard and fast rule on that. Yeah, okay.
• We can't put a hard and fast rule on that. Yeah, okay.
• We can't put a hard and fast rule on that. Yeah, okay.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so if we had an internal service, we would also be in a better position to train them.
• Those are the rules in our district.
• Um, you mentioned, uh, the rules of evidence don't or I'm sorry, the rules of evidence apply in a prelim
• Can you explain to us just briefly, briefly, the rules of evidence and why. That should be changed.
• When we can take those cases to grand jury, the rules of evidence don't apply.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:10:53.920> are only those who ignore the rules are only those who ignore the rules are
• Are are you sure on that<01:44:10.400> rule? that rule? that rule?
• are up to rule or not. not. not.
• there was such a ruling? there was such a ruling?
• capacity rifle, one that has an internal capacity rifle, one that has an internal magazine<03:09

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What are these rules and regulations?
• Is how do you reconcile what home rule is, what the Constitution says about home rule authority with
• Is how do you reconcile what home rule is, what the Constitution says about home rule authority with
• You get a ruling. There is no doubt about... ...penalties against cities. You get a ruling.
• There's no discovery rule.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That rule, before it was vacated, was expected to save an average of $220 per year for over 45 million
• If SCOTUS rules that the tariffs are illegal, I won't have to pay that. So, I've been waiting.
• Now, if the Supreme Court rules the AIPA tariffs illegal, our president has vowed to find other ways
• Now, if the Supreme Court rules the 30%.
• strengths of large international strengths of large international corporations<01:53:11.520>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think over time that'll improve in each jurisdiction as they do director's rules and so forth on this
• This is an appendix to the International Residential Code.
• And then finally, the single exits, Senate Bill 5491, this is an appendix in the International Building
• Additionally, we have an internal research database that shows our, you know... ...internal research
• But after that point, it would be subjected to the same rules as all other lots in the city.

Summary: The committee held a work session on local government issues, beginning with an update from the State Building Code Council on four legislatively mandated code amendments now in CR-102 rulemaking: temporary emergency shelters, reduced minimum dwelling unit size, multiplex housing up to three stories and six units, and single-exit apartment buildings up to six stories. Council staff also described a separate embodied-carbon appendix proposal that remains under public review, with testimony both supporting and opposing it. Members asked about the rationale for some of the code limits, including the restriction on connecting multiplex buildings. The committee then heard a panel on annexations from MRSC, Pierce County, and the Association of Washington Cities. Witnesses reviewed annexation methods, including petition, election, and interlocal agreement approaches, and said larger annexations are increasingly using interlocal agreements because they can address infrastructure, revenue sharing, and public process concerns. They described barriers such as inconsistent local standards, the cost of infrastructure, referendum risk, census requirements, and the difficulty of persuading residents and local officials to support annexation. Members asked about the five-year restriction on residential zoning changes in one annexation method and whether a hearing examiner could reduce political pressure on local decision-makers. A second panel discussed subdivision reform. The Master Builders Association urged raising the short-plat threshold within urban growth areas to 30 lots as a simpler first step, citing permitting delays and added housing costs. The City of Spokane described implementation problems with recent housing laws, including uncertainty about how to review plats under HB 1110, lot-splitting administration, and added notice requirements for unit lot subdivisions. AWC said there was broad agreement that subdivision decisions should be more administrative, but public hearings remained a point of disagreement. The committee also heard from FutureWise, the Washington State Association of Counties, and Lewis County on county development regulation and enforcement, with witnesses emphasizing underfunded code enforcement, inconsistent standards between counties and cities, and the need for better coordination, incentives, and possibly stronger enforcement tools. No votes were taken; the chair said the committee would continue working on possible solutions in future sessions.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have, we're in the internal approval processes around that plan currently, and we hope to be able
• We're working actively internally on approvals. A year from now will we know?
• But we're actively working on internal approvals on this retention and recruitment plan.
• If you had Warren not following the rules and procedures that you've identified, whose job was it to
• That is the plan that we’re going through internal approvals on right now. Okay.

Summary: The Joint State Agencies committee met to approve prior minutes and then focused on the death of Zachary Moore at the Southeast Arkansas Human Development Center, later clarified in discussion as the Warren facility. DHS officials described Moore’s background, said he died after a prolonged prone restraint followed by a delayed chemical restraint, and reported that 13 staff were terminated, the superintendent was replaced, a consultant was brought in, and the agency entered a settlement with the family for $725,000. Members pressed DHS on the cause of death, restraint policies, staff training, supervision, family notification, and why the family had not been kept informed; DHS said a family-notification procedure exists but that communications during litigation had been handled through counsel. The committee also heard that six staff had been criminally charged with manslaughter and neglect of a vulnerable person, and that the death certificate listed the manner of death as homicide with cause of death tied to physiologic stress associated with struggle and prone restraint. DHS officials gave broader context on the five human development centers, their licensing and accreditation, resident population, mortality review process, and training programs. They said the centers serve highly medically and behaviorally complex residents, that annual restraint training and CPI-based instruction are required, and that the mortality review committee and Office of Long-Term Care review deaths and make recommendations. Members repeatedly criticized the agency for not having complete information at the meeting and for what they saw as gaps in oversight, staffing, and chain-of-command clarity during emergencies. DHS responded that the Warren facility had not been meeting the same standards as the others, that the consultant’s root-cause analysis identified multiple failures, and that new crisis-team and chain-of-command procedures were being drafted. A second major topic was staffing and recruitment. Members discussed low pay, turnover, use of float and on-call staff, rural staffing shortages, and a waiting list of about 2,000 people for home- and community-based services. DHS said CNAs at the centers start at about $39,000 a year, that a broader retention and recruitment plan is being drafted for all five centers, and that a separate rate study for PASS services will be implemented in January 2027 but does not cover CNA pay. The meeting ended with testimony from Moore’s mother, Angela Stevens, who said money could not replace her son and urged stronger training, background checks, and supervision so other residents would be protected. The committee asked DHS to keep members and Stevens updated on consultant reports, recruitment efforts, and follow-up on the family communication issue, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a policy intern at the Arizona House of Representatives.
• I am a junior at Grand Canyon University, and I am the research intern. Thank you.
• Did you mention the rules?
• Madam Chair and members, as a reminder, committee rules were adopted last session.
• understanding and agreement with the concerns both on technology and, as also a member of the International

Bills: HB2121, HB2134, HB2451, HB2700

Keywords: modification, electronic equipment, consumer rights, OEM restrictions, civil penalties, intellectual property, critical infrastructure, foreign adversaries, China, communications, security, Arizona Space Commission, strategic plan, aerospace, economic development, space industry, education, workforce training, assistive technology, disability services

Summary: The House Committee on Science and Technology convened for its first meeting of the session, with members and staff introducing themselves and the chair reviewing committee rules and amendment deadlines. The committee then heard several bills focused on technology policy, infrastructure security, and a new study committee on assistive technology. Testimony was generally supportive of the bills’ goals, though several members raised concerns about implementation, costs, and the role of the Arizona Corporation Commission on the infrastructure bill. HB 2121 would prevent manufacturers from disabling consumer electronic devices when owners make modifications, such as using third-party parts or firmware changes, and would allow owners or the Attorney General to sue for damages. After discussion about consumer ownership, security, and possible manufacturing impacts, the committee adopted the Fink amendment narrowing the bill to consumer products and gave HB 2121 a do pass recommendation by a 7-1 vote with one present. HB 2134 would restrict Chinese-produced equipment from critical infrastructure and limit contracts with Chinese companies; the sponsor and supporters framed it as a national security measure, while opponents focused on cost, implementation, and utility coordination. The committee heard testimony from the Arizona Corporation Commission, which said the bill would require new staff and resources, and from outside witnesses who said the bill was prospective and aligned with federal restrictions. HB 2134 passed 5-4. HB 2451 would adjust Arizona Space Commission board terms, extend the strategic plan deadline, and add astronautic educational opportunities to the commission’s duties. Supporters described the commission as a bipartisan effort to grow Arizona’s space industry, and the bill passed 8-0. HB 2700 would create a Technology Study Committee focused on assistive technology and technology-first approaches for people with disabilities. The sponsor and a constituent advocate described how assistive technology can improve independence and service delivery, and members expressed support for the concept. After adopting the Connolly amendment, the committee approved HB 2700 as amended by an 8-0 vote. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And, you know, as on many issues, we can learn a lot from our international partners on...
• As on many issues, we can learn a lot from our international partners on how to negotiate to make sure
• So the U.K., Australia, they have capped interchange..." "...at the international level, right?
• And when they did that with the final rule, it ended up reducing dramatically the amount of savings that
• they are able to charge much more than it actually costs them and when they did that with the final rule

Summary: The Assembly Banking and Finance Committee heard several bills, beginning with AB 407, which would expand the California Pollution Control Financing Authority. The author said the measure would increase flexibility and access to resources, and the bill was approved 7-0 and sent to the Committee on Local Government. The committee also adopted the consent calendar, which included AB 76, by a 7-0 vote. A lengthy portion of the meeting focused on AB 1065, which would prohibit swipe fees on the sales tax portion of credit card transactions. Supporters, including small business owners, restaurant and grocery representatives, and a payments-policy expert, argued the bill would reduce costs for merchants and consumers and rein in dominant card networks. Opponents, including banks, credit unions, and payment industry groups, argued the bill is likely preempted by federal law, would be difficult to implement, and could disproportionately affect community banks and credit unions. After extensive questioning about preemption, fraud, implementation, and consumer impacts, the committee rejected the bill on a 6-0 vote, but then granted reconsideration by a 7-1 vote. The committee then heard AB 1365, which would create the Cal Account Program, a zero-fee, zero-penalty state banking account for unbanked and underbanked Californians. Supporters said the program would help low-income households, survivors of abuse, and others facing barriers to traditional banking, while opponents from community banks and credit unions argued existing low-cost accounts and the Bank On program already address the need and raised concerns about cost, feasibility, and duplication. The bill advanced on a 6-0 vote and later received enough votes on the reopened roll to move forward to the Committee on Labor and Employment. The committee also approved AB 1052, which would create a legal framework for digital assets and address unclaimed digital property and restrictions on public officials issuing or promoting digital assets, and AB 1180, which would create a pilot program for paying state fees with digital financial assets and require a report on broader adoption. Both bills passed with broad support after brief testimony and discussion. Final roll calls later confirmed AB 1052 and AB 1180, along with AB 407 and AB 1365, were moved out of committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• We want to note that groups like the International Association of Chiefs of Police have cautioned against
• Association of chiefs of International Association of chiefs of police<00:15:21.720> have<00:
• /c><00:31:32.519> board<00:31:32.760> to<00:31:32.960> issue<00:31:33.240> rules
• <00:31:33.600> on deferring to the board to issue rules on deferring to the board to issue
• rules on important<00:31:34.440> subjects<00:31:34.880> like<00:31:35.080> Pursuit<

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on House Bill 1064, which would implement recommendations from the Fire Safety Research Institute’s Maui wildfire report, clarify the role of the State Fire Marshal, and appropriate funds. Testimony was generally supportive from DLNR, the Climate Advisory Team, the State Fire Council, Hawaiʻi Electric, the Attorney General’s office, the Honu Fire Department, AARP, the Hawaiʻi Insurance Council, and others. Governor Green’s office said it supported the bill but wanted the office of the State Fire Marshal placed under the Department of Defense rather than the governor’s office, citing constitutional and administrative concerns. Members also questioned the State Fire Council about the selection process for the fire marshal and about defensible space and wildfire resilience in different communities. After discussion, the committees deferred decision-making on HB 1064 to Friday, March 14, at 3:00 p.m. in Room 225 for the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, with the same recommendation from the other committee. The hearing then moved to House Bill 697, which would expand who may review automated speed enforcement images. HDOT supported the bill but said it would prefer funding from the Highway Special Fund or the automated speed enforcement special fund rather than general revenues. Opposition testimony from the ACLU raised privacy concerns, argued the bill blurs the line between law enforcement and infrastructure management, and said DOT staff lack the mandate and expertise for the task. Judiciary said it would need additional capacity to process citations and hearings, and noted the program’s likely workload and costs were still uncertain. The committees then took up House Bill 277 on vehicular pursuit policy. The Attorney General and the Law Enforcement Standards Board urged the committees to defer the bill and let the board develop policy first, while Hawaii County Police opposed the measure as unnecessary, confusing, and too restrictive of officer discretion. Honolulu Police Department and the Policing Project supported the bill, arguing that clearer statewide standards and transparency are needed because pursuits can cause serious injuries or deaths and existing policies are inconsistent or not public. The Policing Project said the bill could be improved with amendments on serious crimes, but supported legislative action to set statewide standards while still involving the board. No final vote or action on HB 277 was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Presently I am working on the fortune to serve as an international fortune to serve as an international
• of law projects in Afghanistan, rule of law projects in Afghanistan, Lebanon,<00:10:50.480> and
• that um are came out with some rules that um are very<00:20:34.080> helpful<00:20:34.400>
• I'm a great believer that if the legislature sets rules, uh, that everyone is supposed to follow them
• uh that everyone is supposed to rules uh that everyone is supposed to follow<00:27:16.799> them.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• DCF had already ruled and opined that they were going to remove the children.
• So I'm going to vote for it today, but in order to hear in rules, we've got to fix it.
• So I'm going to vote for it today, but in order to hear in rules, we've got to fix it.
• Hopefully, we'll get this to the Rules Committee. So thank you.
• It's not mob rule, where enough people coveting your beachfront property means you lose it.

Summary: The committee first took up CS for Senate Bill 304, which would address child protective investigations involving children with certain pre-existing genetic or medical conditions. Senator Sharif said the bill is intended to prevent children from being wrongly removed from their families when symptoms of conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, rickets, or vitamin deficiencies are mistaken for abuse. Several parents and advocates testified in support, describing long dependency cases and removals they said were caused by misdiagnosis. The committee adopted a substitute amendment that removed language requiring certain medical personnel to provide differential-diagnosis analysis, and the bill then passed favorably with unanimous support. The committee then heard SB 1430 on post-judgment execution proceedings relating to terrorism, sponsored by Senator Collins, who described the long effort by U.S. victims of the FARC to enforce a federal judgment and recover assets. The bill would clarify procedures for terrorism-related judgments, modernize intangible asset law, and help prevent terrorists from hiding assets or blocking wire transfers. After one supportive appearance form and no debate, the bill passed favorably. The committee also approved SB 96, a local claims bill for Jacob Rogers, and SB 382, an affordable housing rent bill that was amended to define base rent and apply to certain shorter-term rental agreements entered after July 1, 2026; SB 382 drew support from housing advocates and some opposition, but passed unanimously. Several claims bills were also approved: SB 4 for Patricia Armini, SB 6 for Jose Correa, SB 28 for Darlene Engerville and J.R., SB 30 for the estate of M.N., and SB 24 for Mandy Penny Lemon, each involving injuries or damages caused by local government or hospital district negligence and each reported favorably after brief testimony and roll calls. The committee also passed SB 658 on waiver or release of liens after discussion about form language and enforceability. SB 72, which would allow campaign funds to pay certain child care expenses incurred while a candidate is actively campaigning, prompted questions about definitions and safeguards; the sponsor said the bill would require the expense to exist only because of campaign activity, and the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee approved SB 1142 on release of conservation easements, which would create a statewide process for releasing certain small, low-value parcels from conservation easements if mitigation credits are secured elsewhere. The bill drew support from the sponsor and a property representative, but environmental advocates and President Passidomo raised concerns about flood control, wildlife corridors, and whether the bill was too property-specific; the sponsor said he would continue working on the language. The committee also heard extensive testimony on SB 1622, which would repeal the 2018 customary use law and restore local authority over public beach access. Supporters argued the current law has privatized beaches, hurt tourism, and led to harassment and conflict, while opponents defended private property rights and warned against taking away owners’ ability to exclude others. The transcript ends during testimony on SB 1622, before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:09:56.040> and trying to make sure that our rules and trying to make sure that our rules
• <00:10:20.600> regarding specific guidelines and rules regarding specific guidelines and rules
• They've had long-established rules.
• <00:42:24.400> discussions and so those are internal discussions and so those are internal
• difficult to enforce because the rules difficult to enforce because the rules now<01:04:52.200><

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It also makes various rules by statute.
• two commissioners agree with the rules.
• this bill says that when the puc rules this bill says that when the puc adopts<00:12:38.760> rules
• must agree to these rules Commissioners must agree to these rules because<00:12:44.600> one<00
• multinationals subject to the same rules multinationals subject to the same rules as<01:13:58.199

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those are currently in our program rules as well.
• We'd have to take the existing boxing administrative rules and the MMA program rules and then combine
• them into one set of rules.
• I live in Ewa. uh the internal removal operations of uh the internal removal operations of ice<00:34:
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees in support.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee on Economic Development and Technology met on March 12, 2025, and heard testimony on several measures. On SB 9, the Hawaii Food Industry Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation testified in support, and there were no questions or objections. On SB 148, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs offered comments, and a member of the public testified in support of combining boxing and MMA oversight into a single combat sports commission, with amendments to preserve safety standards and separate or distinct treatment for the two sports. Committee discussion focused on whether proposed requirements were primarily safety-related or cost-related, how to handle smaller events, and whether a one-year implementation delay was necessary; the department said many safety provisions already exist in the MMA program, that it was open to continued discussion on costs, and that it needed time to combine rules and appoint new commissioners. The chair suggested possible amendments to account for event size and to reduce burdens on smaller events. The committee then heard SB 816, which drew extensive testimony on providing legal representation for immigrants in immigration proceedings. Supporters included the Hawaii State LGBTQ+ Commission, ACU Hawaii, the Refugee and Immigration Law Clinic, the Legal Clinic, Hawaii Friends of Civil Rights, the Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Pride at Work Hawaii, and others. Supporters argued that immigration cases can be as serious as criminal cases, that counsel is essential for due process, and that representation improves outcomes; several also emphasized the economic importance of immigrants to Hawaii. One supporter noted a suggested amendment to include training for attorneys and partners doing deportation defense and asylum work. Opposition came from a Navy veteran who argued the bill would use state resources for a federal issue, create inequities, and impose fiscal burdens. The chair noted 69 testimonies in support and 44 in opposition, and later an additional supporter brought the total to 70 in support. No vote was taken in the portion of the meeting provided. The committee also heard SB 125, with the Department of Economic Development, the Agreed Business Development Corporation, and the Hawaii Food Industry Association in support, and the Tax Foundation of Hawaii offering technical comments about complicated nested definitions in the bill. Testimony on SB 125 focused on updating the Enterprise Zone Program so local manufacturers selling directly to retail could qualify, along with value-added products and certain health-related sectors. Finally, on SB 732, the State of Hawaii Creative Industries testified with comments, raising concerns about county permit-fee waivers, implementation timing, and the bill’s lack of a carry-forward provision for the film tax credit. The witness said uncertainty in the credit was already causing productions to delay coming to Hawaii and urged stability to support the industry and local workers. The committee then moved on to additional testimony on the measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:11:39.600> reporting internal reporting internal reporting requirements.<01:11:41.840>
• <02:30:45.600> making what their mission and rule making what their mission and rule making
• <02:39:11.439> to decision which gave federal rules to decision which gave federal rules to
• which outlines what our rules roles are. which outlines what our rules roles are.
• <03:24:02.680> um um the uh judge in his ruling um um the uh judge in his ruling um expressed

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 69, including a germane amendment about local school boards’ acceptance or rejection of gifts and donations and a non-germane amendment creating a virtual early childhood readiness family engagement program for preschool children not yet in kindergarten. Rep. Cordelli said the early literacy proposal was a modified version of an earlier kindergarten readiness bill, would rely on gifts and donations rather than state appropriations, and would include reporting requirements. Members questioned the shift from a broader technology program to an online-only model, the lack of detailed evaluation metrics, how long children would use the program, and whether it was appropriate for very young children. Cordelli said the change was intended to avoid government dependence and still allow the program to be offered next school year. Several members raised concerns about the gift-acceptance language on the underlying bill, including whether school boards would need to vote on small donations, whether gifts could be handled in blocks or at regular meetings, and how anonymous donations would work under right-to-know laws. Rep. Han noted that some gift discussions might belong in non-public session under RSA 91-A, while Rep. Cornell said acceptance or rejection of gifts could be handled at regular meetings and suggested a dollar threshold could be added later. The New Hampshire School Boards Association said it was not taking a position but wanted clearer guardrails, policy guidance, and clarification on timing, anonymity, and public-meeting requirements. Supporters of the early childhood program, including Waterford.org, said the proposal would provide an evidence-based, adaptive online literacy program with family engagement for four- and five-year-olds, and that it could help close early learning gaps. Waterford said it could work collaboratively with school districts and IEP teams, and that it would provide devices and internet access for families who need them. Committee members pressed on how the program would interact with existing special education services and whether districts could use it as part of an IEP; the response was that it would be supplementary and not an approved special education service. No votes were taken during the hearing; the chair indicated the committee would later executive the bills and try to get reports filed promptly.