Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, do we have people in these small schools that are going for this merit program?
• But parents and students, if they tested—some schools haven't tested yet, right?
• But parents and students, if they tested, some schools haven't tested yet, right?
• or a school-embedded program operating as an ALE.
• District can include the possibility of a school or a school-embedded program operating as an ALE.

Keywords: 1204, all

Summary: The Senate and House Education Committee approved the March 9 and 10 minutes and then heard a presentation on the Arkansas Excellence in Teaching Fellowship Program from Department of Education staff and three third-grade teachers from Cabot, Poyen, and Drew Central. The teachers described the year-long fellowship for high-performing merit pay recipients, saying it provided collaboration with educators across the state, shared resources, and ideas they brought back to their districts. Members asked about the teachers’ experience levels, how they shared information locally, and whether the program should be expanded to more teachers and districts. A major focus of the discussion was third-grade reading, the new ATLAS testing system, and the state’s third-grade retention law. The teachers said they do not teach to the test, but use standards, data, interventions, small groups, and relationships to help students grow. They described progress monitoring throughout the year, early screening in K-2, and interventions such as before-school tutoring, RTI meetings, and co-teaching. One teacher reported that six students in a small group improved 10 to 15 points on ATLAS, and another said a student who started the year reading four words per minute improved significantly with targeted support. Secretary Jacob Oliva said the state is trying to create clarity and alignment through Arkansas Learns, science-of-reading support, literacy coaches, and faster test-result turnaround, with student scores now available within about 24 hours and district-level results expected later in the summer. Members also asked about student poverty, trauma, ACEs, DHS involvement, social workers, community supports, and the role of counselors. The teachers emphasized that relationship-building is essential, especially for students facing unstable home situations, and described local supports such as backpack food programs, church donations, fire department incentives, and family assistance. Oliva said the fellowship was intentionally small in its first year because it targeted top-tier merit pay recipients, but he expects participation to grow. He also said merit pay and fellowship eligibility spans many grade levels and subjects, including kindergarten and hard-to-staff areas, and that D and F schools receive state literacy coaches. No additional committee votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• This proposal replaces a low-stakes test, the high school MCAS, with an actual high-stakes test like
• This proposal replaces a low-stakes test, the high school MCAS, with an actual high-stakes test like
• It's all about testing and MCAS. MCAS aren't the only testing that school districts do.
• It's all about testing and MCAS. MCAS aren't the only testing that school districts do.
• It's all about testing and MCAS. MCAS aren't the only testing that school districts do.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so this bill really looks at a three-year pilot program to provide legal support to students in schools
• And that deals with the number of school districts we have in the state of Oklahoma.
• But, you know, I live, I think, in the oldest consolidated school district in the state of Oklahoma,
• We have, even the schools that are off the formula, every school in the state of Oklahoma...
• We have, even the schools that are off the formula, every school in the state of Oklahoma receives funding

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We enacted the Fed funds model in Oklahoma most recently.
• Chair, Texas has many incentive programs marked.
• These programs are managed by different state agencies, often in isolated.
• You have the PUC managing a robust suite of demand response programs.
• Hearing none, public test.

Bills: SB 1113, SB 1117, SB 1206, SB 1460, SB 1802, SB 1906, SB 1917, SB 2340, SB 2455, SB 2680, SB 2690, SB 705, SB 748

Keywords: SB 1113, converter's license, converter license, motor vehicle dealer, auto dealer, vehicle conversion, converted vehicles, direct sales, retail sales, trailer, semitrailer, manufactured trailer, chassis, manufacturer's statement of origin, MSO, Occupations Code, Transportation Code, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, dealer licensing, general distinguishing number

Summary: The meeting of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee was marked by discussions on several significant bills, with a keen emphasis on legislative updates and committee substitutes. Notably, Senator Blanco presented a new committee substitute for SB2610, which modifies the employee cap from 100 to 250 and extends the update timeline for cyber security programs for small businesses. This substitute was adopted unanimously, reflecting a collaborative agreement among the committee members. Additionally, there were discussions surrounding SB1856 as Senator Crayton provided insights into how stakeholder feedback influenced the bill's committee substitute. The committee ultimately voted in favor, pushing it towards the local and contested calendar, indicating the bill's progression through legislative channels.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, do we have people in these small schools that are going for this merit program?
• Do you all three participate in some virtual program that goes across the state to other school districts
• But parents and students, if they tested—some schools haven't tested yet, right?
• or a school-embedded program operating as an ALE.
• Excluding ESA spending, program spending, and total spending both exceeded funding for all three school

Summary: The committee approved the March 9 and 10 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Arkansas Department of Education on the Arkansas Excellence in Teaching Fellowship, featuring three third-grade teachers from Cabot, Poyen, and Drew Central who are also teacher merit pay recipients. The teachers described the fellowship as a year-long Zoom-based collaboration with about 23 educators statewide, focused on sharing classroom strategies, data use, and professional support. Members asked about the teachers’ experience, how they share what they learn with their districts, the range of grades represented in the fellowship, and the relationship between the fellowship and merit pay. The teachers emphasized building relationships with students, using data to drive instruction, early intervention, and collaboration across grade levels, while the secretary said the program is intended to identify and elevate high-performing teachers and spread their practices. A major portion of the discussion focused on third-grade reading, retention, and the new ATLAS testing system. Teachers and the secretary said students are screened and progress monitored throughout the year, families are notified early if students are at risk, and schools are using interventions, tutoring, and individualized reading plans. They said ATLAS results are now available much faster than in the past, often within 24 hours or a few days, allowing teachers and parents to respond quickly. Members asked about the impact of poverty, trauma, foster care, DHS involvement, IEPs, and critical shortage areas; teachers said relationship-building, small-group instruction, and coordination with counselors and special education staff are key. The secretary said the fellowship is a small subset of a broader merit pay program, that participation was voluntary, and that the state is trying to build a coherent system with literacy coaches, high-impact tutoring, and clearer standards rather than teaching to the test. Members also discussed broader policy issues, including the need for more positive public messaging about public education, teacher input in decision-making, and support for early childhood education. Several legislators asked whether the state should expand funding for early learning and whether more literacy or academic coaches are needed in districts that improve and then lose eligibility for state support. The secretary said the state has committed literacy coaches to D and F schools and is still working through how to sustain support as schools improve. He also said the administration would look at data and return on investment before supporting additional funding, and he encouraged legislators to help recruit eligible teachers into future fellowship cohorts. After the teacher panel concluded, the committee moved on to the adequacy resource allocation study, where Bureau of Legislative Research staff began a presentation on state and local education funding sources, categorical funds, and district spending patterns.

Transcript Highlights:

• She was in traffic school when she killed Benjamin.
• Mark Williams, Oklahoma, Oklahoma.
• It is no different than a blood test, a cholesterol test, or your heightened weight.
• And so it's something that is definitely different than a blood test, a urine test, all those other tests
• And so it's something that is definitely different than a blood test, a urine test, all those other tests

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think you won a national award for Oklahoma on Careportal.
• That's an amazing program. But we've got to do a better job.
• That's just how we administer The program year over year.
• When I look at the subsidy program, the providers are no doubt an important piece of the Subsidy program
• Do you support changes in regulation that truly revert the stars program back to the old three-star program

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I was in Oklahoma where we gave an award to the governor of Oklahoma because they have a real visionary
• The cost of the program is an estimated $10,000.
• It impacted all of middle school and high school for both of them.
• All of middle school and all of high school. Until she graduated. And how about your other child?
• The no contact is a condition of this program.

Bills: HB168, HB 1044, HB1534, HB1914, HB2240, HB2530, HB3284, HB3395, HB3515, HB3783, HB4034, HB4213, HB168

Keywords: marriage age, minors, family law, void marriage, rights of minors, Texas marriage law, marriage ceremony, authorized officiants, family code, judges, religious leaders, parent-child relationship, Department of Family and Protective Services, legal rights, notice requirements, HB 1914, Texas Family Code, Chapter 156, conservatorship, custody

Transcript Highlights:

• Program, which focuses on even other resource concerns that don't fall into one of our existing programs
• The state board's newest program, the on the ground conservation Program mentioned earlier, And, uh,
• It is a competitive grant program.
• I'm the program manager for the flood control program at the Texas Soil and Water Conservation Board.
• That 450,000 is reaching, uh, youth through, uh, curriculum development programs in the schools and especially

Bills: HB294

Keywords: energy efficiency, tax exemption, residential properties, sustainability, real estate

Transcript Highlights:

• Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program
• We have other clients, like a family in Colorado whose middle school daughter went on a school field
• and public schools.
• So I sent my kids to school. In fact, it's mandated that our kids are supposed to go to school.
• My name is Andrew Yeager, and I am the vice president of the Carroll Independent School District school

Bills: SB240, SB1183, SB1184, SB1577, SB2043, SB2051, SCR42, SJR68

Keywords: biological sex, gender identity, public facilities, civil penalties, local government, EBT, electronic benefits transfer, food stamps, SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, TANF, temporary assistance for needy families, welfare benefits, benefit card fraud, fraud hotline, card replacement, photo ID, recipient photograph, HHSC, Health and Human Services Commission

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 1183, by Senator Creighton, which would require Lone Star Cards used for SNAP and TANF benefits to display the recipient’s name and photo, add fraud-reporting information, and require HHSC to track replacement-card requests. Creighton argued the bill would reduce fraud and protect taxpayer dollars, citing Texas SNAP theft and overpayment data. HHSC testified that photo IDs on the card are technically possible and explained how authorized secondary users are added. Dr. Amber O’Connor of Every Texan testified against the bill, saying SNAP fraud is a small share of expenditures, that the proposal would be costly and ineffective, and that federal rules limit mandatory photo requirements. Public testimony closed and SB 1183 was left pending. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1184, also by Senator Creighton, which would lower from 20 years to 10 years the minimum age of collectible wine that Texas collectors may sell to permitted restaurants. Supporters said the change would help Texas restaurants access desirable vintages, keep collectible wine in-state, and align with market demand; invited witnesses from the wine industry testified in favor. No opposition was heard, public testimony closed, and SB 1184 was left pending. Next, Senator Birdwell laid out Senate Bill 2051 and Senate Joint Resolution 68, both aimed at revising Texas impeachment procedures in response to issues identified during the 2023 impeachment process. The measures would clarify constitutional and statutory impeachment authority, require sworn testimony, extend review periods for House members, address conflicts of interest and presiding officers, require cost reporting, and modify rules for impeaching the governor or lieutenant governor. A committee substitute added protections for the accused, longer review periods, and a fallback presiding-officer option. Witnesses generally supported stronger accountability but raised questions about whether the language should also cover retired or visiting judges. Both measures were left pending after testimony. The committee also heard Senate Bill 1577, which would expand Texas Motor Speedway’s alcohol sales authority to include distilled spirits and remove certain event and concession limits; the Speedway’s representative supported the bill and it was left pending. Later, the committee heard Senate Concurrent Resolution 42 and Senate Bill 240, which would recognize only two sexes and restrict access to sex-designated private spaces in public facilities based on biological sex. Supporters argued the measures were needed to protect women’s privacy and safety, including in schools and shelters, while opponents warned about enforcement problems, privacy concerns, and impacts on transgender Texans and others who do not fit stereotypical sex traits. After extensive testimony, both measures were left pending. The committee then took up multiple pending bills and reported several favorably, including SB 511, SB 33, SB 510, SB 871, SB 2024, SB 2166, SJR 27, SJR 40, SB 1313, SB 1314, SB 1316, SB 1541, SB 2420, SB 1999, SB 2309, SB 1860, and SB 2429, with some also certified for the local and uncontested calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• and Policymaking, I have the privilege of coordinating that program as well as the Oklahoma Youth Leadership
• We talked to program managers over programs that support 14c or who provides supports for individuals
• It was for programs such as sheltered workshops, so they're in some kind of program within the provider
• It's a little bit different in Oklahoma.
• They do have technical assistance programs for VR programs that can address some of these issues as well

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am the director of the Criminal Justice Clinic at Tulane Law School.
• They're offered a pregnancy test. If they are pregnant, they're given a drug test.
• And they're offered the pregnancy test. They're not required to take the pregnancy test. I'm sorry.
• of sentencing, the pregnancy test in particular, and the shackling.
• ... ...available to juveniles, including school and community-based programs, development of diversion

Bills: HB75, SB134, SB201, SB258, SB288, SB313, SB320, SB321, SB325, SB339, SB345, SB393, SB422, SB440, SB470, SB487, SB523

Keywords: HB75, Act 963, gaming, casino gaming, promotional play, promotional wagers, slot machine proceeds, net gaming proceeds, gross revenue, taxable revenue, gaming operators, gaming tax, Louisiana gaming, gaming revenue deduction, casino tax, gaming promotion, revenue cap, pilot program, child sexual abuse materials, sexting

Summary: The Criminal Justice Committee heard and advanced a series of bills, mostly on juvenile justice, gaming background checks, corrections, and criminal procedure. Early in the meeting, the committee reported favorably SB 258 on juvenile traffic violations, SB 321 on electronic bonds, SB 134 on child sexual abuse material/sexting-related offenses involving juveniles, and HB 75 on promotional play for racetracks after adopting an amendment narrowing the bill’s application. The committee also reported favorably SB 422 on unsupervised probation for certain fourth-offense OWI cases, SB 440 on the Renaissance District board membership, SB 393 on explosives regulation after correcting a bill-number mix-up, SB 339 on gaming-industry background checks, SB 325 on excluding certain persons from sports wagering, and SB 288 on criminal history background checks. Most of these measures were described as technical cleanups or modernization efforts and drew support from law enforcement, district attorneys, or industry groups, with little or no opposition. The most substantial debate centered on SB 201, which would change how Louisiana handles juvenile homicide sentencing, including first- and second-degree murder cases and review of old death sentences converted to life terms. Supporters from the Attorney General’s office said the bill would align sentencing procedures with existing Supreme Court law and give courts a more neutral framework. Opponents from the SPLC and the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights argued it would weaken the safeguard that life without parole for children should be reserved for the rarest cases, expand exposure to juvenile life-without-parole sentences, and raise constitutional concerns. After an amendment was adopted, the committee voted 7-3 to report SB 201 favorably as amended. The committee also heard SB 523 on clemency and sentencing considerations for defendants who are victims of domestic abuse, human trafficking, or sexual assault. Supporters said it would create a path to pardon or commutation and allow victimization to be considered at sentencing, while several survivor-advocacy groups opposed the bill’s pre-sentence investigation requirement, warning it could introduce biased or harmful information and that the bill did not go far enough to fix sentencing problems. After testimony from the Board of Pardons and Parole and the Sheriff’s Association, the committee reported SB 523 favorably as amended. It also reported SB 320 on DNA detection and rape-kit data reporting, SB 470 on pregnant women in custody and shackling during delivery, and SB 345 requiring annual OJJ reporting, with members noting confidentiality concerns that may need amendment later. The final bill taken up in the excerpt was SB 313, which would bar clerks and vendors from charging additional electronic filing fees in criminal and traffic cases, but the transcript cuts off before action on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• virtual schools?
• That pilot program has been so successful.
• and Oklahoma State University when it comes to funding.
• School.
• The creation of the Oklahoma Dream Act accounts...

Bills: SB1177, SB1177

Keywords: education funding, mental health services, public safety, housing, state budget, 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm an accounting professor and program chair.
• to hold a permit stating the student's name and the name of the school.
• The issue is that The school is the one that actually attaches the photo.
• Uh, a lot of, uh, of our installers, uh, work up in Oklahoma.
• A lot of Oklahoma people work in Texas.

Transcript Highlights:

• freedom account program.
• and public school.
• Yeah, so we are going to be passing this to these schools who have self-selected into the program via
• So they currently have about 70 schools that are in the program this year.
• And so we'll give those funds to the schools that have been selected through that program and then ongoing

Summary: The committee met to consider a series of temporary appropriation requests, reserve fund transfers, federal grant appropriations, and review items. Early items included a $32 million appropriation and matching reserve transfer for the Department of Education’s educational freedom account program, a $476,000 request for the State Crime Lab, and a $90,000 assessment coordination request from DFA. Members asked questions about the assessment contract costs, and the item was approved. The committee also approved a $1 ARPA return to the CDC and a Department of Human Services reallocation package that moved general revenue and positions among divisions to meet client needs. The most extensive discussion centered on a $32 million restricted reserve transfer for the educational freedom account program. Members questioned the growing number of participating students, the program’s long-term funding needs, and safeguards against improper purchases. Agency representatives said about 44,000 students were being funded, that reimbursements and marketplace purchases are reviewed, and that reporting and audit controls are in place, though not every instance of fraud can be prevented. The committee approved the transfer after discussion. Members also approved smaller cash and federal grant items, including funding for a teacher shortage data dashboard, All Kids Bike grants, crime lab outsourcing, veterans cemetery operations, and a podiatric medicine licensing investigation fund. The most contentious item was a $7 million federal Forest Legacy grant request for Central Arkansas Water and the Department of Agriculture to acquire land in the Maumelle watershed, including acreage in Perry County and Pulaski County. Members debated water quality, development pressure, property tax impacts, local support, and whether Perry County had been adequately consulted. Agency and company representatives argued the acquisition would protect drinking water, preserve forested watershed land, and support recreation, while some legislators emphasized the county’s tax and development concerns. Senator Davis moved to defer the item to the full Legislative Council and to request removal of the Perry County portion; that motion passed. The committee then reviewed the remaining items, including a Veterans Affairs pay plan request, and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Amounts provided to the foundation school program and to the.
• programs are extremely important to our high schools to get some of these kids. is in the trades, or
• But as public schools expand their pre-k programs... we're losing that financial cushion.
• And we are proud to offer quality education in an after school program at prices that are much less than
• My mother got pregnant with me whenever she was in high school and it was a program that allowed her

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am the vice president of human resources for Mercy Oklahoma.
• Project Search is a program we've used for the last 15 years that allows students, so high school age
• I work remotely from my home office in Norman, Oklahoma.
• Ways that we can work with schools better, etc.
• We're all here in Oklahoma City a little bit different.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a great program.
• It's a great program.
• It's an intermediary pilot, I would say, program, or a program that we're really starting to enforce
• They provide the required space for the testing site for the program.
• Well, the whole idea, as regarding even the name of the program, is a recruitment program.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He is in Oklahoma.
• So we run the school lunch program and the school breakfast program.
• We instituted a farm-fresh program. When I started, our schools were feeding zero local products.
• A couple more programs in Consumer Protection include the hemp program.
• tested positive.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• during school hours reimbursing students during school hours reimbursing schools<00:54:20.480> for
• this room should get 100% on that test. this room should get 100% on that test.
• differently what the testing means. differently what the testing means.
• Making school building aid program funds non-lapsing.
• > program<02:01:33.440> funds Making school building aid program funds Making school building

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The work session began with HB 656, as amended, which would treat federal funds received by school districts as unanticipated money unless already listed in the annual report, and would require notices and school board minutes to identify the grant and summarize any obligations attached to accepting it. Supporters said the bill was aimed at transparency so voters would understand the “strings attached” to grants, while opponents raised concerns that the amendment was new, potentially vague, and could require districts to publish lengthy or redundant information, increasing costs and administrative burden. Several members suggested alternative approaches, such as a state-level list of common grant obligations or posting grant documents online. No vote was taken, and some members argued the bill was not ready for action. The committee then moved to HB 665, which would expand eligibility for free school meals to households at up to 300% of federal poverty guidelines and use education trust fund money to cover the added cost. Representative Damon strongly supported the bill, citing food insecurity and arguing the fiscal note likely overstated costs because the bill requires at least one free meal, not necessarily both breakfast and lunch. The discussion was just beginning when the transcript ended, and no vote or final action on HB 665 was recorded in the excerpt.