Transcript Highlights:

• Give us your name, and then if you would tell us about the Washington Virtual Academy. Sure.
• Our partner program, Stride, provides us the curriculum and also helps us audit every single program
• Our students use curriculum that is mailed to them. We use very little online curriculum.
• And that is unique to us, right?
• And that is unique to us, right?

Summary: The committee met to hear an overview of Washington’s alternative learning experience (ALE) programs and then an update on artificial intelligence in schools. OSPI’s Anissa Sherritt explained that ALE is a course-level funding designation for instruction that occurs partly or wholly away from the traditional seat-time model, with online, site-based, and remote course types. She emphasized that ALE is still basic education, subject to the same public school requirements, and that OSPI provides technical assistance, annual reporting review, and program reviews. Representatives from several programs described different models: Washington Virtual Academy (a large online ALE operated through Omak School District and partnered with for-profit Stride), Columbia Virtual Academy in Valley School District (a district-run, nonprofit online/remote program), Pearl in Quilcene (a K-8 remote parent partnership program), and River Home Link in Battleground (a site-based hybrid program). They discussed student supports, special education, enrichment, family choice, transportation, and how they measure outcomes. Members asked for follow-up information on funding, demographics, racial and ethnic data, multilingual learners, and post-graduation outcomes, and OSPI agreed to provide additional data where available. The committee then heard from OSPI and several districts about AI guidance and implementation. OSPI’s Holly Ryan Calloway described the agency’s human-centered AI framework, three guidance documents for schools, statewide professional learning, an AI innovation summit, and new AI literacy and informatics course frameworks and CIP codes. Quincy School District described a multi-year effort to integrate AI by centering student needs, creating district policy and classroom guidance, and training teachers to use AI responsibly while building an AI readiness plan from elementary through high school. Peninsula School District described its AI action research team, teacher professional learning, and classroom uses of generative AI to support science instruction, communication, and prompt engineering, while stressing that AI should enhance rather than replace learning. Members raised questions about privacy, energy and water use, prompt engineering, workforce and university connections, and the need for clear standards and ongoing educator training. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, the word use... cell phone use or personal... the use... get phone use... and then we just got
• Well, the word use... cell phone use or personal... the use... get phone use... and then we just got
• Well, the word use... cell phone use or personal... the use... get phone use... and then we just got
• How about the use of... the use of all... right, use of... use of personal student cell phone and other
• How about the use of... the use of all... right, use of personal student cell phone and other personal

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee work session of the Education Policy and Administration Committee focused on House Bill 131 and House Bill 781, which were described as nearly identical bills addressing student cell phone use in schools. Members noted that HB 781 is an early bill and therefore needed committee action by Wednesday, while HB 131 did not face that deadline. The chair and members discussed the bills’ shared goal of requiring school boards to develop and adopt policies on student personal device use, with debate over whether the state should set minimum standards or leave more to local control. A major topic was funding. One member urged the committee to avoid creating an unfunded mandate and asked for some funding support, while others argued it was too early to commit money and that the committee should first establish the policy framework. The governor’s proposed funding was discussed, including a $1 million figure in the budget and a separate $250,000 amount referenced in the bill, but several members said the money would likely be insufficient to cover all students or pouch systems statewide. The committee also reviewed a handout reflecting proposed budget language that would require school boards to adopt policies on personal device use during the school day, with schoolwide implementation and exceptions for medical disability or language proficiency needs, and a DOE-administered grant program. Members spent considerable time on drafting details, especially deadlines and exceptions. They debated whether the bills should require school boards to “develop,” “adopt,” or also “implement” policies, and whether the effective date of the act should also serve as the deadline for school boards. They also discussed whether exceptions for classroom instructional use should be mandatory or merely encouraged, and whether the bills should explicitly include or exclude charter schools. Additional proposed exceptions included IEPs, 504 plans, English learners, and medical needs such as glucose sensors or insulin pumps, with some members suggesting medical issues be certified by a physician. No final vote or formal action was taken in the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• of it being used inappropriately, used as a disciplinary tool or to punish or for situations or behaviors
• lot of stories of it being used lot of stories of it being used inappropriately,<00:02:19.599>
• , ensure that it's not used as discipline, it's<00:03:07.760> not<00:03:08.000> used<00
• for punishment, it's not it's not used for punishment, it's not used<00:03:10.000> for<00:03:
• of seclusion or the um inappropriate use of seclusion or the um unlawful<00:03:26.159> use<00

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• use large and deep data sets and apply ...of how we can use large and deep data sets and apply AI to
• There is a use case around traffic operations. There is a use case around cost estimation.
• There is a use case around traffic operations. There is a use case around cost estimation.
• Come to us.'
• And so for us, what that looks like is using AI at scale to basically predict and flag through intelligence

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's helped us a lot; it's helped us gain a lot of recognition.
• that you've given us in the past.
• You can help us out with what would be appreciated, and we'll put it to good use.
• You've always helped us and advised us and brought light to our struggle, and we appreciate it.
• You just laid it out, not saying, "Can you help us?" No, can you help us with $80,000?

Transcript Highlights:

• Anything more you can tell us?
• Anything more you can tell us?
• option to notify us directly.
• And if so, was that useful?
• we use open gov because there's there are renters who may We use open gov.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on the Census held a hearing on September 22, 2025 focused on preparations for the 2030 census, with an emphasis on Massachusetts’ role in building a complete address list and improving local participation in census-related address review programs. Chair Brownsberger and witnesses from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office, the UMass Donahue Institute, Watertown, and MassGIS described the importance of accurate address data for congressional apportionment, federal funding, and state and local planning. They also discussed the first major upcoming step, the Block Boundary Suggestion Project, and the later Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) process, both of which rely on municipalities reviewing and correcting census geography and address files. John Rosenberry of the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office said outreach to cities and towns is beginning now, with a likely December start for the block boundary process based on the 2020 cycle. He stressed that local officials, clerks, building inspectors, housing authorities, and GIS staff should be engaged early, especially to capture new development and conversions created under the state’s housing policies. Susan Strait of UMass Donahue explained that LUCA allows local governments to compare their address lists with the Census Bureau’s master address file, and that Massachusetts had very high participation in 2020; she cited examples where local review added hidden or newly built housing units and noted that Boston later corrected a group-quarters undercount of about 6,000 students through a post-census review program. In response to questions, she clarified that those corrections affected annual estimates and funding formulas, but not the 2020 apportionment count. Watertown City Manager George Proakis described how local address review is complicated by accessory dwelling units, single-family to two-family conversions, and large multifamily projects, and urged continued state support for local governments doing this work. Dan Marrier of MassGIS then outlined the Massachusetts Master Address Database, explaining that it combines multiple sources, including E911, assessor, voter, and municipal data, to create a standardized residential address repository used for census preparation and other state functions. He said the database has helped improve census accuracy, including by updating more than one million Census Bureau address-point locations before 2020, and noted that local municipalities remain the final authority on addresses even as MassGIS standardizes and reconciles variants across the Commonwealth.

Transcript Highlights:

• We used to not do it that way. We used to not do it that fast.
• the US.
• We have aircraft on exclusive use with the US Forest Service. OK.
• , used on fires.
• We may use you 10 days. We may use you 150 days. Is that the way it works?

Transcript Highlights:

• That hasn't changed for us.
• As long as it's being used for, you know, road purposes, we can use those funds.
• As long as it's being used for, you know, road purposes, we can use those funds.
• Yeah, for all of us.
• If we use special funds, 1% fee. So it's an opportunity. “Use GR, 1% fee.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It really helps us.
• From what we can do for you, don't tell us more money because the problem is every time y'all tell us
• The equipment we're using now is about 515 different vehicles that are being used.
• to use some of their vehicles.
• You can use us in those three different ways, but you can't do them all at the same time, or you run

Transcript Highlights:

• So this chart here basically gives us an overview of, if we call us the donut chart, so you can see the
• So when you look at us side by side...
• Clark, do you want to start us off?
• But just being in the seat for four years, I've seen how this body has worked with us to get us to a
• Who wants to start us off? Go ahead.

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:

• Thank you very much for having us here at this beautiful location, and thank you for hosting us here.
• You go to schools, they use AI today. I mean, kids are using ChatGPT, they're using Gemini.
• And that's why it is super important for us to understand what use case.
• Simple search: today, people stop using search engines; they just go use AI.
• The presenter talked about energy use for AI and quantum. Is it a big energy use?

Transcript Highlights:

• USES.
• WE USE THESE TOOLS CAN HELP US PREDICT WHAT WORK TO DO WHEN.
• THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY AND GIVING US A SNEAK PEEK INTO AI AND YOUR INDUSTRY.
• SO IT'S BEEN VERY EFFECTIVE FOR US, IT'S ALLOWED US TO MANAGE MORE OYSTERS IN A SHORTER TIME.
• USE TO HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW MANY OYSTERS OF WHAT SIZE ARE ON THE FARM.

Transcript Highlights:

• We thank you for loving us. Thank you for taking care of us and help us to be faithful to you.
• Thank you for taking care of us and help Thank you for taking care of us and help us<00:01:32.880>
• is useful. is useful.
• used for shielding EMPs. used for shielding EMPs.
• used pretty widespread. used pretty widespread.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Attendance Roll Call 01:58 Approval of Minutes 03:05 Member Comments 03:18 Nanotechnologies in Energy 06:20, 958, all

Summary: The committee met and approved the minutes, then heard announcements and introductions from members and guests, including an invitation to an East Kentucky trail ride opening and welcomes for new EPIC and Kentucky Coal Association representatives and several constituents. After the opening business, the committee turned to a presentation on nanotechnology and energy applications by Rodney Andrews of the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research. Andrews explained how nanoscale materials behave differently because of their size and surface area, and described uses in consumer products, batteries, solar panels, catalysts, coatings, sensors, and energy storage. Members asked about the relationship between nanomaterials and coal, and Andrews said carbon nanotubes can be made from coal-derived hydrocarbons, which members noted as an opportunity for Kentucky’s coal and manufacturing sectors. He also discussed work on improved solar coatings, more stable perovskites, fuel-processing catalysts, hydrogen storage, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, electromagnetic shielding, and conductive yarns and fabrics. The presentation also covered more advanced applications such as thermoelectric textiles, power transmission materials, thermal transport composites for aerospace, nanofluids for cooling, and fusion reactor shielding. In the final discussion, members raised questions about electromagnetic pulse protection and quantum computing; Andrews said the materials discussed could absorb and spread energy and that shielding applications may help with EMPs, while quantum computing remains limited by extremely low operating temperatures. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• helps us at all.
• The challenge before us is clear.
• It uses GPS technology.
• to use in patient care.
• Our employers are asking us to use in patient care.

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on privacy, accessibility, labor, and public safety. AB 1798 by Assemblymember Wilson would bar life and disability insurers from using non-diagnostic genetic information, including direct-to-consumer test results, in underwriting. Supporters argued the bill would protect privacy and encourage genetic testing, while insurers opposed it as unnecessary and said genetic data should be treated like other predictive health information. The bill passed the committee on a 7-0 vote and was held open for absent members. AB 2190 by Assemblymember Wallace would create website accessibility standards based on WCAG guidelines and add affirmative defenses intended to reduce serial litigation while improving access for people with disabilities. Disability advocates supported the measure as a needed civil-rights update, while business groups warned it could increase liability and create unclear compliance obligations. The bill passed 9-0 and was sent to Appropriations. AB 2721 by Assemblymember Carrillo would require hotels to post notice when they know or should know that U.S. Customs and Border Protection or ICE are using the premises, with supporters saying workers and guests deserve transparency and safety. Hotel and business groups opposed it, citing privacy, liability, and concerns about interfering with federal operations. The committee voted 6-2 to pass the bill to Appropriations, with the roll left open. AB 2027 by Assemblymember Ward would restrict employers from using worker data to train AI systems that replace workers and limit sharing of worker data for automation; labor groups supported it and business and public-sector groups opposed it as too broad. The bill passed 7-2 to Appropriations, with the roll left open. The committee also heard AB 1837 by Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez, which would extend and tighten privacy rules for transit agencies’ use of forward-facing cameras to enforce bus-lane violations; supporters said the cameras improve transit flow and safety, and the bill was presented with amendments, though no final vote is reflected in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• In a really brief format, it tells us what the strategic purpose of the project is, gives us a quick
• They had to have used Agile.
• That's a potential use.
• was meant to be used.
• Us and watch.

Transcript Highlights:

• When I looked up the customary use definition from the historic use from the U.S.
• That sand is for us. It is for the public to use. He refused to walk away.
• Help us restore the peace and the love that customary use was originated when Paz de Leon found us in
• Thanks for being with us.
• I used to.

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:

• <00:27:14.840> consumer several years ago the US consumer several years ago the US consumer
• uh products that are currently not used uh products that are currently not used is<00:41:13.160>
• though there are those additional uses though there are those additional uses that<00:41:54.079>
• <00:51:57.680> my<00:51:57.880> time us better off so I'd like to use my time us better
• by continued use rather than saved by continued use rather than Alternatives<00:52:10.559> don't<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Y'all are all used to that.
• Her mandate and direction to us is And within our interagency family, her mandate and direction to us
• were using effective traps.
• So I think we already have available to us... I think we already have available to us.
• So this isn't something new for us. It's been a while, but I think it's, something new for us.

Summary: The joint hearing focused on preparedness for the New World screwworm threat and brought together the House Committees on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism and Agriculture and Livestock. USDA officials, Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, and Texas Animal Health Commission leadership described the pest as a serious risk to livestock, wildlife, rural economies, and beef prices, and emphasized coordination among federal, state, industry, and Mexican partners. Witnesses repeatedly stressed that Texas is currently seeing no confirmed U.S. detections, but that recent confirmed cases in northern Mexico, including Nuevo León, remain a concern because of their proximity to the border. USDA testimony outlined current surveillance and response efforts, including more than 120 screw worm-specific traps along the Texas border and neighboring states, thousands of additional dual-purpose traps, wildlife inspections, weekly coordination with Mexico’s Senasica, and a new USDA New World Screwworm Directorate. Officials said the existing Panama sterile fly facility is maxed out at about 100 million flies per week, while a dispersal facility in Tampico is helping move flies farther north in Mexico. They also described plans for a retrofitted sterile fly facility in Metapa, Mexico, expected to come online in 2026, and a new domestic production facility at Moore Air Base, with phase one targeted for late 2026 or early 2027 and phase two adding substantially more capacity later. Members pressed USDA on timelines, production capacity, the reliability of Mexican reporting, the risk from wildlife, and whether modular or mobile facilities could be deployed faster. USDA said it is also exploring innovative technologies, including a genetically engineered sterile male fly, but that such tools still require EPA review and field validation. Commissioner Miller highlighted Texas biosecurity efforts, five permanent inspection stations, cooperation with FDA and EPA on treatments such as Exzolt, and other pest issues affecting Texas agriculture. He also noted research into fly bait and private-sector efforts to speed sterile fly production. Texas Animal Health Commission officials described extensive state preparedness work, including weekly coordination calls, field response trainings, outreach to producers and veterinarians, and a Texas Screwworm Response Team. They said Texas has trained more than 100 inspectors and other personnel, with additional trainings planned, and that the state is expanding its cattle fever tick rider program. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing; the main action was the exchange of testimony and questions about readiness, surveillance, and facility timelines.

Transcript Highlights:

• much water they use.
• use.
• And we know us how much water they use.
• to us. to us.
• criteria that we used, similar to the criteria that we used at the DNR.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• because they trusted us.
• It's God's gift to us.
• So that’s what we use.
• So that's what we use.
• Please don't erase us. Lead us. Don't hand our industry to outsiders.

Bills: SB 3, HB28, SB3

Keywords: flash flood, flood warning, outdoor warning siren, emergency alert, disaster preparedness, flood mitigation, Hill Country floods, Texas Water Development Board, municipalities, counties, local government mandate, public safety, grant program, backup power, weather siren, emergency management, flood-prone area, warning system, hemp regulation, consumable products