Transcript Highlights:

• education and the standard-setting process when we still have so many children that can't read and do math
• at grade level. ...have so many children that can't read and do math at grade level.
• recommended set of cut scores for the Forward Exam's performance levels in English language arts and math
• The state... scores for the Forward Exam's performance levels in English language arts and math.
• Although the standard... ...language arts and math, which acted upon those recommendations.

Keywords: 970, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As a former math educator, I had a little fun crunching some numbers and looking at some percent changes
• Now, if you get into the math teacher over here, start talking about the math side of it, then, I mean
• credit programs over to the non-credit side without requiring the English composition course or the math
• And they were coming, trying to go to college without a full schedule, not taking a math class their
• And they were coming, trying to go to college without a full schedule, not taking a math class or senior

Summary: The committee first approved the November 3 minutes, then received an extensive update from Arkansas Division of Higher Education and Division of Career and Technical Education officials on LEARNS and ACCESS implementation. Witnesses said the state’s goal is for students to graduate employed, enrolled, or enlisted, and described expanded career pathways, student success plans, merit and distinction diplomas, and school accountability measures tied to pathway completion and tangible credentials. They reported increases in K-12 CTE enrollment and concurrent enrollment, and explained that some secondary career center programs were reduced or eliminated because they no longer aligned with state workforce demand. Members asked detailed questions about how merit/distinction affects school letter grades, how AP, concurrent credit, CTE completers, apprenticeships, and work-based learning fit into the system, and whether homeschool and private school students can access the same opportunities. Officials said multiple pathways can satisfy the requirements, including AP Scholar, concurrent credit, technical certificates, and apprenticeships, and that counselors are being trained to advise students. They also discussed scholarship changes: ACCESS broadened eligibility for the Arkansas Academic Challenge and Governor’s Scholar awards, with diploma of merit or distinction now qualifying students for additional aid, while the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship itself remained unchanged. Questions were raised about whether homeschool and private school students can meet the new diploma-of-distinction criteria; officials said the intent is to make them eligible if they meet the same standards, and that guidance is being finalized. The discussion also covered workforce scholarships and grants. Officials said the Workforce Challenge was expanded to include vocational-technical schools and increased funding, and that the Division is reworking policy around “professional skills training” to support shorter-term, stackable programs. They reviewed the new federal Workforce Pell Grant, noting its narrow hour and duration limits and the need for programs to meet completion, placement, and earnings thresholds. Members also asked about the state lottery scholarship fund balance and whether more aid should be directed to students; officials said the fund remains healthy and that ACCESS has already increased awards and expanded eligibility, with more implementation data still to come. The final presentation came from the Director of Workforce Connections on a $35.8 million U.S. Department of Labor cooperative agreement for the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund. Arkansas will administer the national fund, which is aimed at expanding advanced manufacturing registered apprenticeships across the country through a pay-for-performance model. Officials said the program will support occupations in aerospace, automotive, biotech, maritime, nuclear, semiconductors, supply chain, and automation, and that applications will open soon. Members asked who can apply and how the money will be distributed; the answer was that registered apprenticeship sponsors—sometimes companies, sometimes colleges, sometimes intermediaries—will apply, with Arkansas setting eligibility criteria, vendor requirements, and outreach efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, if we know every license is going to renew in that budget cycle, then it allows us the math is a
• I always like it when the math maths. Yeah, we're getting there.
• I always like it when the math<00:50:42.640> maths. math maths. math maths.
• That's pretty good mathing on our end.
• So, roughly, the math gets more complex, right?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, I am assured by the Legislative council Service as well as our staff at the LFC that their math is
• 100% correct and that the discussion yesterday on the House floor about the math being incorrect was
• And I think we did the math the other day, Wesley, you had 6 or 7 staff working on 6000 projects.

Transcript Highlights:

• Upon adoption of this resolution, it shall be in order without intervention of any point of order to
• <02:21:01.120> Demand<02:21:01.520> for intervention of any motion.
• Demand for intervention of any motion.
• Every single one of those intervention.
• So, the reduction in crime slowed down after President Trump's intervention.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That works closely in tandem with math and cyber and computer science.
• , and then you get into the engineering, which is the application of that math.
• So here's this math concept.
• Which college math course did you take?
• It's a lot of math. Sure. But the data exists. Okay. Sure. But the data exists. Okay.

Summary: The Higher Education Institutions Committee met on the Minot State University campus for presentations on campus operations, enrollment, and new academic initiatives. President Shirley reviewed recent audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings, and highlighted MSU’s broad academic offerings, specialized accreditations, athletics, and partnerships with Minot Air Force Base and the MSU Development Foundation. Members asked about declining interest in teacher education, tuition waivers for athletes, dual credit incentives, and how MSU decides when to launch new programs and avoid duplication within the university system. Shirley also discussed several workforce-focused initiatives supported by the Legislature’s Workforce Education Innovation Funds, including the purchase of the Trinity Health Center West building for a downtown health sciences hub, a new daycare/preschool partnership near campus, the Aspire program to recruit rural students into teaching, and a paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Enrollment data showed overall headcount was flat at just under 2,750, but full-time equivalent enrollment rose slightly and new student numbers increased, including the largest freshman class in 15 years. The committee also discussed Minot State’s in-state tuition rate for all students, its dual credit “Emerging Scholars” scholarship, and concerns about the share of high school graduates who do not immediately pursue postsecondary education. Faculty then presented two new programs funded in part by WEAF: an Innovation Engineering degree and a master’s program in counseling with an integrated addiction studies focus. The engineering program was described as industry-driven, designed with broad early coursework, hands-on learning, and local employer input to prepare students for western North Dakota workforce needs; officials said it had already drawn more applicants than expected and would use renovated library space and donated or grant-funded equipment. The counseling program will be mostly face-to-face with hybrid options, aims to address shortages in mental health and substance use providers, and is structured to help students meet licensure requirements. Committee members asked about startup costs, licensure supervision hours, and whether the programs would be on campus rather than online, and presenters said both programs had recently received required approvals and were moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• But math is easier: 1.5% of the economy. That's what we get for all the tax hikes.
• But math is easier: 1.5% of the economy. That's what we get for all the tax hikes.
• My math is closer to $10.5 billion a day. It's just the structural borrowing.
• And then some of us have to make the math actually work.
• AND THEN SOME OF US HAVE TO MAKE THE MATH ACTUALLY WORK.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Congressional Budget Office issued a letter on March 5th where they reinforced that the math is conclusive
• March 5th where they reinforced<00:29:51.360> that<00:29:51.600> the<00:29:51.760> math
• reinforced that the math is conclusive. reinforced that the math is conclusive.
• spent another $200 billion on education during COVID, the COVID era, all we have to show for it is math
• spent another $200 billion on education during COVID, the COVID era, all we have to show for it is math

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:11:13.399> peer prevention and early intervention peer prevention and early intervention
• So critical time intervention is a program that was supported um by the legislature, um, and it looks
• So critical time intervention is a program that was supported um by the legislature, um, and it looks
• So critical time intervention is a program that was supported um by the legislature, um, and it looks
• So critical time intervention is a program that was supported by the legislature, and it looks at the

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Finance Committee’s Division 3 held a public work session on the Behavioral Health budget on February 27, 2025. The chair opened by explaining the schedule, materials, and deadlines for the budget process, and noted there would be no motions or votes in the division that day. Division of Behavioral Health Director Ktia Fox and DHHS CFO Nathan White then walked the committee through the division’s mission, structure, and budget materials, describing the division’s four bureaus: Mental Health Services, Children’s Behavioral Health, Drug and Alcohol Services, and Homeless Services, along with the policy unit. They emphasized the division’s role in oversight, technical assistance, quality assurance, contracting, and the continuum of care from prevention and early intervention through crisis and residential services. Much of the discussion focused on major programs and funding lines, including the 988 Lifeline contract with Headrest, a technical assistance contract with UNH, Medicaid pass-through payments to New Hampshire Hospital and Glencliff, crisis response services, cold-weather homeless responses, housing supports, and the children’s system of care. Members asked about the UNH contract, the 988 program, crisis stabilization centers, and the peer certification program; Fox explained that the peer certification is a training-and-credentialing pathway for people with lived experience to enter community-based behavioral health work, not a volunteer program. The committee also discussed the “Choose Love” program, which Fox said was created after the Sandy Hook tragedy to build resilience and strength-based emotional regulation in schools and communities. On the children’s side, Fox described the system of care account as the place where many contracted services are budgeted, including community mental health centers, care management entities, rapid response services, and residential programs. Members asked about temporary staffing, and Fox said roughly $500,000 in temporary staff costs shown in the current year would not be spent next year because the money came from a nonlapsing appropriation in HB 1573 for oversight of children’s residential services. She also said provider rate increases were a prioritized need but were not funded in the governor’s current budget, and that the Children’s Behavioral Health Resource Center was not funded, resulting in about a $1 million reduction. The session ended while the division was still moving through the children’s behavioral health slides, including questions about the Fast Forward high-fidelity wraparound program and medication management.

Transcript Highlights:

• I highly encourage both of my children to go to the Oklahoma School of Science and Math.
• And so I Specifically asked the director of the Oakland School of Science and Math yesterday.
• So, if my quick math is right, that's about our state investment into these programs, you would probably
• taking programs that would count duly as their credit, so they're not taking, they may be using their math
• , and we also have pullout math currently until some other things are implemented, where they may be

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You sit over there and teach math class every three days a week. teach math class every three days a
• Like, I’m trying to understand the math on this, Mr.
• All right, I just wanted to understand how the math works, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
• anyway, and Senator, you sat on here a long, long, long time and, as the Speaker said, you taught math

Transcript Highlights:

• and distinguishes between authorization for organ donation after death and consent for medical interventions
• And is there a need for some type of interventions? Yes, sir.
• Absolutely. is working and is there a need for some type of interventions? Yes, sir. Absolutely.
• actually loosens that loophole and allows a minor to go and get those, again, liability-free medical interventions
• actually loosens that loophole and allows a minor to go and get those, again, liability-free medical interventions

Summary: The committee heard a personal privilege update on HB 1227, which Representative DeWitt said would return next week as a proposed HCR for a two-year study of the three-doctor panel after discussions with Dr. Nia Colotta. Better Louisiana also presented its new Leadership Louisiana Health Fellows Program, describing it as a data-driven leadership initiative focused on health care workforce, rural access, chronic disease, and other system issues; members discussed whether the program could also help generate policy research, including on managed care organizations. The committee then considered SB 427 on anatomical gifts. After adopting technical amendments, Senator Presley and Dr. Jeff White explained that the bill would strengthen organ donation law by creating a decision registry that records both yes and no choices, clarifying the legal effect of refusal, and codifying ethical principles such as the dead donor rule. Questions focused on organ viability, registry procedures, minors, and a Monroe case involving a disputed donor designation. Supporters included LOPA and the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the bill was reported favorably. HB 946, dealing with hospital price transparency and compliance with federal pricing rules, drew extensive testimony. Representative Landry and a witness from Patient Rights Advocate described it as a consumer transparency measure, but the Louisiana Hospital Association opposed the bill’s state-level enforcement and debt-collection provisions. Landry offered an amendment removing the debt-collection and affirmative-defense language, but after debate the substitute failed on a 5-6 vote and the bill was voluntarily deferred. The committee also reported favorably on SB 109, which revises membership qualifications for the Louisiana Emergency Medical Services Commission; SCR 20, urging federal flexibility on Medicaid redetermination for elderly and disabled beneficiaries; SB 216, allowing coroners to rely on licensed practical nurses for medical pronouncements of death; and SB 45, exempting certain gratuitous hospice houses from licensure, with testimony from hospice house operators and supporters. Finally, HCR 71 by Representative Chasson sought an LDH study of how Louisiana’s law and guidance on pregnancy-related emergency medications is working in hospitals, urgent care, and retail settings. Supporters said providers are hesitant to use medications such as misoprostol because of stigma and uncertainty, while opponents from Louisiana Right to Life argued the resolution was unnecessary and could create controversy. The discussion centered on whether the study should be narrowed or made more objective, but no final action on the resolution was reached in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Pre-service and annual training on de-escalation, crisis intervention, and behavioral health.
• chair lays out on second reading House Bill 2756, relating to training on de-escalation, crisis intervention
• , and behavioral health for correctional officers. ...to training on de-escalation, crisis intervention
• Secretary will read the caption: House Bill 2756, relating to training on de-escalation, crisis intervention
• facilities would be required to have crisis response training for cases of emergency behavior intervention

Summary: The Senate opened with an invocation by Pastor Tedrick Woods, followed by routine chamber actions including excusing Senator Gutierrez and receiving House messages that the House had passed HB 21 and HB 49. Senators also recognized advocates visiting the gallery on focal segmental glomerulosclerosis awareness and introduced the Doctor of the Day. The chamber adopted several resolutions, including HCR 66, by voice vote. The Senate then took up and passed a series of measures, often by suspending the regular order and the constitutional three-day rule. Among the bills finally passed were HJR 2, which would prohibit state death taxes; HB 206, limiting counties from requiring cash bonds for pipeline construction; HB 517, barring property owners associations from fining homeowners for discolored vegetation during watering restrictions; HB 2756, requiring TDCJ correctional officers to receive de-escalation and behavioral health training; HB 451, expanding screening for commercial sexual exploitation risk among children in DFPS and TJJD custody; SB 705, cleaning up the air conditioning and refrigeration contractors advisory board; SB 2017, creating an offense for burnouts and wheelies; SB 1858, expanding body armor grant eligibility to ISDs; SB 1400, directing a study on transfer-student outcomes for community college funding; SB 2764, requiring notice to manufactured home buyers about converting homes to real property; SB 748, a licensing cleanup bill on laser hair removal; SB 2519, restricting certain ad valorem tax uses and bonds after amendment; SB 2878, the courts bill with amendments on Brazoria County courts and youth diversion provisions; SB 466, allowing families to request fetal death certificates at any gestational age; SB 1608, requiring timely physical exams for inpatient mental health admissions; SB 1730, limiting civil damages claims arising from certain uses of force or deadly force; SB 2417, clarifying Attorney General antitrust investigation work product and discovery rules; and SB 1946, creating a family violence, criminal homicide prevention task force. The Senate also passed HB 3204, renaming and updating the Polytechnic College at Sam Houston State University, and SB 1986, requiring opioid warning labels. Several bills drew brief debate or amendments. Senators discussed broader HOA reform while considering HB 517, and SB 2203 on TCEQ discovery procedures was amended to require party motions, set a 15-day expiration for certified issues, and limit hearing abatement. SB 2017 was amended to change the mens rea language from knowingly to intentional. SB 2519 was narrowed by amendment to a forward-looking policy statement separating maintenance-and-operation taxes from debt-service taxes. SB 2878 also received amendments to reduce the number of new Brazoria County courts and add youth diversion and crisis-response provisions. SB 466 prompted a floor debate over whether fetal death certificates are appropriate for pre-20-week losses, with supporters emphasizing family closure and opponents arguing the document has no estate-related purpose. SB 1730 also prompted questions about the relationship between criminal findings and civil liability in self-defense cases. The session concluded with additional House and Senate measures being signed in the presence of the Senate and continued consideration of SB 2177, a grant program to help local law enforcement solve violent and sexual offenses.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, so we get—that's where I'm trying to do the math in my own office, because my office rent is $1,000
• As I'm saying, the math ain't mathing. Okay. All right, fair enough.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee met briefly, established a quorum, and adopted the June 3, 2024 minutes without objection. The clerk and executive counsel then gave an overview of the committee’s role in setting and administering the House supplemental expense allowance, explaining that members currently receive up to $1,500 per month for reimbursable office and district expenses such as rent, utilities, printing, postage, travel in district, and certain communications costs. They also explained the existing carryover rules: unused funds may roll forward up to $3,000 generally and an additional $6,000 for printed materials, with any excess remaining in the House budget. Members asked for clarification on how the supplemental interacts with district office rent, mailers, per diem, out-of-state travel, cell phones, internet, and conference expenses, and staff explained which items are currently reimbursable and which are paid directly by the House. Several members raised the idea of expanding allowable uses of the supplemental to help cover lodging costs during session for members who live more than 50 miles from the Capitol, and one member also asked whether the monthly allowance should be increased because of inflation and rising office costs. Staff said lodging would require an amendment to the resolution and that any increase in the allowance would have to be taken up by the next legislative body, not this committee mid-term. Members also discussed possible tax implications and the need to consult a CPA before changing the rules, with concerns raised about avoiding double-dipping or ethical issues if lodging were reimbursed in addition to per diem. One member withdrew the lodging motion and asked that the committee study the issue further. The committee took no substantive action beyond adopting the minutes and adjourned after a motion to adjourn was made and approved without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, so we get—that's where I'm trying to do the math in my own office, because my office rent is $1,000
• As I'm saying, the math ain't mathing. Okay. All right, fair enough.

Summary: The committee met briefly, called the roll, confirmed a quorum, and adopted the June 3, 2024 minutes without objection. Staff then reviewed the purpose of the House supplemental allowance resolution, explaining that members receive up to $1,500 per month for reimbursable office and district expenses such as rent, utilities, printing, postage, travel within the district, and related office costs. Members also discussed the existing carryover rules, including a $3,000 general carryover and an additional $6,000 for printed materials, with unspent amounts reverting to the House budget. Several members asked for clarification about what expenses are currently covered and how reimbursements work, including district office rent, phone and internet bills, per diem, out-of-state travel, conference registration, cell phones, and portable hotspots. The clerk and executive counsel explained that some items are paid from the supplemental account, while others, such as certain conference registration fees or appointed travel per diem, are paid directly by the House operating account. Members also raised concerns about whether using supplemental funds for lodging during session would require a resolution amendment and whether it could create tax or ethics issues, including possible double-dipping with per diem. A motion was made to consider allowing excess supplemental funds to be used for lodging costs for members who live more than 50 miles from the Capitol, but after discussion the motion was withdrawn so the committee could study the issue further and consult a CPA. Members also discussed whether the monthly supplemental amount should be increased in light of inflation and rising office rents, noting that any change would have to be made by the executive committee for the next term. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, which was adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• although she has two in college, so not her oldest child, but oldest of the four present, is taking AP math
• classes and was trying to find out how to sit to take the AP math test to get the credits. well further
• present is child but oldest of the four present is taking<00:04:33.840> AP<00:04:34.400> math

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• At the middle school level, that was 47% for reading and 40% for math.
• At the high school level, that was 46% for reading and 40% for math.
• And we expanded our and math curriculum.
• Middle school was now at 50% for reading and 43% for math.
• So if you do the math 10year period.

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call - 0:25 Approval of Minutes – 3-50 2025 RS SB 253 – 4:25 Computer Science and AI Literacy – 27:36 Fayette County School District Budget Update – 51:46 Adjournment – 2:09:46, 958, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including roll call, introductions, and approval of the previous meeting minutes by voice vote. It then heard a presentation on SB 253, focused on expanding support for teacher apprenticeship and teaching-and-learning pathways. Senator Hickman and staff from the Kentucky Department of Education and Nelson County Schools described how the program uses dual credit, work-based learning, and registered apprenticeship to help students earn an associate degree in high school and continue toward a teaching degree. They said the goal is to address the teacher shortage by creating a sustainable pipeline into the profession. Witnesses emphasized that the main barrier is cost. Mary Taylor said Kentucky’s youth apprenticeship model has been successful in other fields and that education should be added as an in-demand sector, but an associate degree alone will not solve the teacher shortage because teachers still need a bachelor’s degree and certification. Laura Arnold of Nelson County Schools described the district’s Lead Nelson program, saying the district has invested more than $800,000 since 2021, currently has 37 students in the pathway and seven committed apprentices, and spends about $85,000 per apprentice from freshman year through certification. She said district staffing, planning, and university partnerships are also significant hurdles. Members asked about job guarantees, tenure, and retirement; Arnold said employment is performance-based and retirement issues are being considered. Senator Hickman said the bill would use lottery funds to help cover tuition and dual credit costs so more districts can participate, noting that a prior version died because of a high fiscal note. Representative Payne and Representative Tipton praised the program but stressed the need for funding and noted inconsistencies between statute and budget language on Work Ready Kentucky and dual credit support. Representative Tipton also cautioned that lottery revenue may not keep pace with demand and said the General Assembly may need to make broader funding decisions. After the apprenticeship discussion, the chair moved the committee to the next agenda item on computer science and AI literacy, where Code.org began a presentation on the importance of computer science for all students.

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 494, relative to the math learning communities program and making an appropriation there.”
• She said section one updates existing statutory language on the math learning communities program.
• Math learning communities is a partnership between the Community College System of New Hampshire and
• the student who has struggled in math the student who has struggled in math and<00:52:50.880>
• for the more accelerated you know math for the more accelerated you know math and<04:30:38.239><

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Division 2 work session first took up HB 506, a bill dealing with the return of seized firearms. Members discussed how the measure would shift background-check processing for firearm returns through the Department of Safety, while the physical firearms would still remain with local police unless State Police had taken custody. The department said the bill would change which cases come to it, and members clarified that the bill concerns the background-check decision rather than possession of the firearms. The committee then voted OTP on HB 506 FN by a 7-0 roll call. The committee next discussed HB 671, establishing a kindergarten literacy readiness program. Department of Education staff explained that the bill grew out of a COVID-era Waterford contract that provided home-based early literacy support for families using federal relief funds, at a cost of about $600,000 per year, but that the program ended when those funds expired. Members raised concerns that the bill’s $1 appropriation was not realistic, that the prior program lacked sufficient outcome data, and that the references to ESSA tier-one benchmarks were unclear. The department said it was conducting a broader literacy needs assessment and updating the state literacy plan, including data from the zero-to-five range, K-5, and dyslexia-related work. Waterford representatives described the program as an early-literacy, pre-K readiness service for children ages zero to five, originally designed to work in homes with computers and internet provided where needed, and later expanded in some settings such as daycares and pre-K classrooms. They said the program used assessments at the beginning and end, had served hundreds of children, and was intended to support family engagement and kindergarten readiness. Despite that testimony, members remained concerned about funding and the lack of clear results, and one member moved to retain the bill for more information. The discussion ended with the bill retained rather than advanced.

Transcript Highlights:

• And in pensions, we have a concept called generational equity, which is a little bit of math, but a little
• > a<00:16:22.080> little<00:16:22.320> bit<00:16:22.480> of little bit of math
• , but a little bit of little bit of math, but a little bit of fairness,<00:16:23.480> where<00
• And in pensions, we have a concept called generational equity, which is a little bit of math, but a little
• And in pensions, we have a concept called generational equity, which is a little bit of math, but a little

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The building will support programs in math, computer science, art, and design.
• The building will support programs in math, computer science, art, and design.
• The building will support programs in math, computer science, art, and design.
• The building will support programs in math, computer science, art, and design.
• <01:20:15.920> unfortunately year and how the math unfortunately year and how the math unfortunately

Keywords: 1187, senate, all