Transcript Highlights:

• and know that a health professional education is within their grasp.
• and graduate medical education at the same place.
• These are being presented to higher education today. Thank you.
• The clinic we are looking at will be one of our education clinics.
• Has reported to me is that they're finding it's education.

Transcript Highlights:

• Emma Zalmer, I am the committee administrator for the Senate Education Finance and Education Policy Committees
• </c> Senate Education Committees. Senate Education Committees.
• </c> for the Education Committees. for the Education Committees.
• </c> in contrast to the the way the education in contrast to the the way the education forecast<00:03
• education revenue called operating<00:07:08.600><c> capital.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The conference committee on Senate File 4282 met with a quorum present and heard a walkthrough of the bill, which contains forecast adjustments for several agencies. Senate staff explained that Article 1 makes education forecast adjustments for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, Article 2 adjusts appropriations for the Department of Human Services, Article 3 does the same for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, and Article 4 increases special transportation services funding for Metropolitan Council programs including Metro Mobility and Metro Move by $8.9 million in FY 2026 and $10.9 million in FY 2027 to match the February forecast. House staff noted that the House language matched Article 1 but did not include Articles 2 through 4. Representative Youakim presented amendment A26-0180, describing six sections that add provisions on paraprofessional qualifications, aid for tribal contract schools tied to revised permanent school fund distributions, expanded allowable uses of school operating capital revenue to include certain utility costs, an extension of an existing appropriation for gender-neutral single-use restrooms, and two school district fund transfer provisions for West St. Paul/Mendota Heights/Eagan and Maple Lake. Members discussed that several items were no-cost and that some fund transfer language had been previously discussed in committee. The amendment was adopted on an 8-0 roll call vote. After adopting the amendment, the committee voted on the bill as amended. The conference committee agreement for Senate File 4282 passed on an 8-0 vote, and the meeting was adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> their education their education and<00:04:30.320><c> as</c><00:04:30.639><c> part</c><00:04:30.880
• So, um, we would like to work with you on toughening up our educational protections.
• </c> because um the some of the educational because um the some of the educational funding<00:08:35.440
• </c> educational funding is is also tied. educational funding is is also tied.
• I will also note, anecdotally, we're talking about the education piece.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The House Committee on Public Education will come to order, and the clerk will call the roll.
• It closes a loophole in the Texas Education code by making it clear that anabolic steroids prescribed
• These programs serve a vital role for families seeking religious education.
• Many parents consider religion an important part of their child's education.
• Um, Curriculum and education that they need.

Transcript Highlights:

• NDI New Mexico is a unique blend of performing arts, physical education, and youth development.
• We believe that an engaged youth that is healthy in body, mind, and spirit is critical for educational
• issues. ...on higher education issues.
• Friday morning, 7:30 to 8:30 in room 311, the three secretaries of education: early childhood.
• have the Executive Director from the Education Commission of the States there.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> mental health professionals, educators, mental health professionals, educators, and<01:03:40.559
• </c><01:28:52.880><c> campaigns,</c> public education campaigns, public education campaigns, 20,000<01
• </c> higher education higher education are<02:23:40.479><c> already</c><02:23:40.880><c> in</c><02:23
• And uh y'all educators<03:05:29.520><c> already</c> educators already educators already today<03:05:31.359
• </c> higher education institution. higher education institution.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> related to U mini Minnesota Education related to U mini Minnesota Education Equity<00:04:43.960>
• </c><01:35:27.679><c> U</c><01:35:28.000><c> I</c> education or higher education bills.
• U I education or higher education bills.
• </c> education conference committee. education conference committee.
• </c> the higher education bills in many ways. the higher education bills in many ways.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Higher Education Finance and Policy Conference Committee met publicly to compare House and Senate positions on the higher education budget, with the chairs emphasizing transparency and alternating gavel control. Nonpartisan fiscal staff walked through a spreadsheet of differences across the Office of Higher Education and Minnesota State, including major items such as state grants, childcare grants, work study, tribal college grants, emergency assistance grants, hunger-free campus grants, student parent support, direct admissions, paramedic scholarships, and several medical residency and fellowship programs. The House and Senate also differed on administrative funding, campus sexual assault reporting, and a House FY25 cancellation that would be carried forward. Members discussed several of the larger policy and funding choices. The Senate explained its increase for Minitex as support for operating costs and statewide access to information. The House explained its cuts to student parent support and other items as necessary to work within a zero target and to prioritize direct aid to students, while the Senate said it focused on direct appropriations and access-related programs. On hunger-free campus grants and emergency assistance grants, the Senate said it was changing the distribution method and direct appropriations rather than reducing the overall money, while the House noted differences in whether nonprofit institutions remained included. The committee also reviewed Senate-only additions and reductions in Minnesota State, including free course materials, Lake Superior College remediation, and changes to the Kids on Campus appropriation. A representative from Lake Superior College testified that the PAS remediation funding would help address contamination issues at an emergency training site near Lake Superior and that the money was shifted from the Kids on Campus initiative. No final conference agreement or vote was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the committee continued discussing differences and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• When education funding falls short, it's not just a budget issue.
• childhood education in Arkansas.
• Last week, the legislature approved an educational Early learning.
• Better health care, better K-12 education, reducing childhood hunger, and reducing poverty.
• Number one, we are committed to public education in the state of Arkansas.

Summary: The Senate Revenue and Tax Committee considered Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senator Jonathan Dismang, which would continue Arkansas’s phased income tax reductions, lowering the personal income tax rate to 3.7% and delaying the corporate income tax change until the following January. Dismang said the bill was part of a long-running effort begun in 2013 to reduce rates using conservative budgeting and surplus revenue, and he estimated the change would reduce the effective tax burden for a person making $65,000 by about 45%. Committee members supporting the bill emphasized that the measure would not cut state services and argued Arkansas should balance competitiveness with funding essential programs. Several speakers opposed the bill, including a clergy member/social worker, a parent advocating for disability services, representatives from Arkansas Appleseed and Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and a community advocate from the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese. They argued the state should preserve revenue for public schools, health care, housing, food assistance, early childhood education, and supported living services, citing underfunded schools, a waitlist for pre-K, hospital and child care pressures, and the needs of low-income and vulnerable residents. Some speakers said the tax cuts would disproportionately benefit higher-income taxpayers while providing little relief to working families. In closing, Dismang said Arkansas could be both compassionate and competitive and that no essential services would be cut because the state is operating with a surplus. After discussion, Senator Dismang moved do pass, Senator Petty seconded, and the committee approved SB 1 by voice vote. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first item we have on the agenda is AI education and workforce development.
• Education and Workforce Development.
• Today, what we're here to present on is a conversation on artificial intelligence in education.
• My role in the activities today is to kind of be the educator, the person.
• That gives me pause as a public educator.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee began with an informational presentation on artificial intelligence in education and workforce development. Nick Smoot introduced Karen Parker and former superintendent Harry Eamond, who described AI as a rapidly changing tool that can support students, teachers, and educational platforms. Parker emphasized three uses for AI in schools: building student AI literacy, helping teachers with scaffolding and data analysis, and powering closed educational platforms such as reading tutors that can identify learning needs like dyslexia. Eamond focused on the importance of using AI to support struggling students, especially the bottom 20 percent, while Smoot and several members discussed the need to prepare students for a changing workforce and to balance innovation with concerns about screen time, attention spans, and preserving human connection in early education. Members raised concerns about overreliance on screens and AI, especially for young children, and discussed the need for careful, guided use of technology. There was also discussion of the possibility of state-built or classroom-specific AI models using trusted data, including retrieval-augmented systems, to avoid relying on open models with uncertain sources. No formal action was taken on the AI presentation beyond discussion and questions. Representative Jordan Redman then presented three requests for legislation. RS 33434 would require daily recess for elementary students and unstructured activity time for middle schoolers, with at least 20 minutes and no withholding recess for discipline; it was introduced after brief questions about local district practices and discipline concerns. RS 33254 would define inappropriate online behavior by students directed at school employees and others, giving school districts a clearer process for investigation and discipline; it was also introduced. RS 3331 would allow school boards and administrators to extend levy cycles from the current two-year cap to as many as four years to reduce levy fatigue and improve budgeting stability; it too was introduced. The committee approved each RS for introduction and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have House Bill 127 by Representative Kendall, Exceptional Student Education.
• And House Bill 1145 by Representative Schof, Workforce Education.
• That includes parents, the student, general education teachers, special education teachers, district
• I'm not an educator. I was an air traffic controller.
• Will be comprised of strictly educators.

Summary: The subcommittee met with a quorum and considered three bills. House Bill 1145 by Representative Shoaf would clarify that public charter schools may participate in the CAP grant program and expand the number of eligible programs under the money-back guarantee workforce education provision from three to six. Supporters said it would broaden access and encourage outcomes-focused training; members asked about fiscal impact and repayment concerns. The bill passed 16-0 and was reported favorably. House Bill 127 by Representative Kendall addressed exceptional student education and workforce credentialing. A strike-all amendment broadened the bill to include all students with disabilities, use the term micro-credential, involve the Department of Education, the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities, and OSHA, and add validation by special education staff and an IEP team member. Public testimony included support from Goodwill and others, while one witness raised concerns about IDEA compliance, voluntariness, and funding. Members debated those issues, with supporters emphasizing that the bill was not mandatory and would help transition students into work; the amendment was adopted and the bill then passed 15-0. House Bill 571 by Representative Kendall would expand career planning and work-based learning opportunities for students, require the Articulation Coordinating Committee to evaluate apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs for postsecondary credit, allow more flexible work-based learning, provide career days for students age 16 and up, guarantee transfer of certain credits to the Florida College System, and require annual review of personalized academic and career plans. Several industry and education groups appeared in support, no one spoke in opposition, and the bill passed 15-0 and was reported favorably. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• You see it in our EEC commitment to early education and care.
• We use fair share dollars to help support our education transportation.
• Our ranking in education and health care and safety, I could go on.
• And so kids in my district are not receiving the same kind of education.
• I know we touch on education, transportation, public safety, and housing.

Summary: The hearing opened the FY27 budget process with remarks from the Senate and House Ways and Means chairs and testimony from Governor Healey and Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz. The chairs emphasized fiscal caution amid choppy revenue growth, rising health care and education costs, and federal uncertainty, while the governor framed House 2 as a $62.8 billion budget that grows spending by about 1% without new taxes or fees and aims to protect core services while advancing affordability. The administration said the budget uses efficiencies, program integrity, and Fair Share surtax revenue to support education, transportation, housing, child care, health care, and public safety, and it also filed a supplemental Fair Share bill using surplus FY25 funds. Much of the questioning focused on the federal “OB3” tax law and the administration’s separate proposal to delay or phase in certain corporate tax changes, especially research and experimental deductions, to avoid in-year budget shocks. Members also pressed the administration on Fair Share allocations, with the governor and secretary explaining that operating-budget surtax spending is weighted more toward education while supplemental spending is more transportation-focused, and that combined spending is roughly balanced overall. The administration highlighted Chapter 70 aid, special education circuit breaker funding, rural school aid, local aid, child care, the MBTA deficit, regional transit authorities, and a new HHS transportation line item as part of the broader transportation strategy. Several members raised concerns about Chapter 70 equity, rural districts, municipal overrides, out-migration, housing affordability, public housing repairs, and the MBTA Communities Act. The governor and secretary said they are open to further discussion on school funding formulas, PILOT, and municipal aid, and stressed housing production, energy affordability, and workforce development as key responses to out-migration. On energy, the governor defended an all-of-the-above approach, including renewables, gas, and exploration of nuclear, while saying she would continue pushing utilities and regulators to reduce ratepayer costs. The governor also said fire safety grants would not be withheld for noncompliance with the MBTA Communities Act, and members discussed public safety, housing, and local grant impacts in that context. Other topics included the Bright Act and higher education capital investments, with the administration saying it is preparing to support campus infrastructure across the public higher education system and that the bill is intended to strengthen Massachusetts’ competitiveness and retain graduates. Members also questioned cuts to the PCA program and EAEDC, and the governor responded that the state’s PCA program remains strong but is under pressure from large federal health care reductions. No votes were taken; the session was a hearing on the governor’s budget proposal and related policy bills, with the administration taking questions and offering explanations of its recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• The plain and simple is Democrats are defunding education.
• And the... ...then the basic education at school.
• What it's going to rip from our education system.
• The amendment does not address education.
• child care, early learning, and higher education in our state.

Bills: HB2720, HB2073, SB5816, SB5919, SB5831, SB6244, SB6044, SB5109, SB5877, SB6258

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, juice grapes, agriculture, commerce, state regulation, market access, fire safety, insurance incentives, best practices, community protection, voluntary measures, mortgage modification

Summary: The House first took up Substitute Senate Bill 6225, a transportation bond measure. Supporters said it was needed to fund preservation and maintenance of Washington’s transportation system, including road upkeep and emergency repairs, while opponents argued the state had already addressed current needs through a recent unanimous budget and existing bond authority. The bill passed final passage 59-38, meeting the required three-fifths vote. The House then considered Gross Substitute Senate Bill 6260, an education budget-related bill with many floor amendments focused on transition to kindergarten, alternative learning experience (ALE) funding, local effort assistance (LEA), educational service district reserves, superintendent pay, MSOC funding, and collective bargaining limits. Most proposed amendments were rejected, though Amendment 2654 on TK priorities was adopted. After the committee amendment as amended was adopted, the bill advanced to third reading and then passed 50-47. Supporters described it as a necessary budget reduction and risk-management measure; opponents argued it cut K-12 funding too deeply, especially in rural and property-poor districts, and would worsen inequities and invite litigation. The House also concurred in Senate amendments and passed several other bills. House Bill 1796, about school construction financing and capital levy use, passed 95-2. Second Substitute House Bill 2105, dealing with immigrant worker protections, passed 58-38. Engrossed House Bill 2211, on food sourcing for a health-related program, passed unanimously. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2225, regulating companion chatbots and child safety, passed 74-21. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2247, related to animal care, passed unanimously. Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2418, streamlining permitting timelines to support housing affordability, also passed unanimously. The House then moved on to additional Senate-concurred bills, beginning with Second Substitute House Bill 1906.

Transcript Highlights:

• We know that access to post-secondary education, whether it's higher education or something else, does
• We know that access to post-secondary education, whether it's higher education or something else, does
• They're earning this education.
• education that they can use forever.
• Education should never be a barrier.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for the Parkland shooting victims, quorum call, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The Rules and Ethics Committee special order report for February 13, 2025 was adopted, setting the day’s special order calendar and debate times. The chamber then took up immigration-related special order items, beginning with Senate Memorial 6C, which urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide guidance and training for 287(g) agreements. Members debated federal immigration policy and state cooperation with DHS, and the memorial passed 85-27. The House next considered Senate Bill 4C, an immigration bill creating new state offenses related to unlawful entry and reentry into Florida and requiring a mandatory death sentence for an unauthorized alien convicted of a capital felony. Members questioned the bill’s constitutionality, including Supremacy Clause, due process, and Eighth Amendment concerns, and several speakers argued it would create separate classes of people and invite litigation. Multiple amendments were offered to narrow or expand exemptions, including protections for Venezuelans on TPS, certain Haitian TPS and humanitarian parole recipients, undocumented people brought to Florida as children working in critical professions, and a proposal to delay action pending court rulings; all of those amendments were rejected. The bill passed 85-29. The chamber then took up Senate Bill 2C, which would create a State Board of Immigration Enforcement led by the Governor and Cabinet, establish a local law enforcement immigration grant program and advisory council, repeal the undocumented-student fee waiver, and appropriate more than $300 million for immigration enforcement. The sponsor described it as supporting cooperation with federal immigration agencies and ending the in-state tuition incentive for undocumented students. Early questioning focused on the impact on “dreamers” and whether the bill would effectively raise their tuition costs; the sponsor said it removed the incentive of in-state tuition but did not bar attendance. The transcript cuts off during that exchange, before final action on SB 2C is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education really is the foundation and opportunity for all.
• Does that not include the voucher programs, the family educational— is it family educational program?
• We used to call them vocational education. You had a vote tech center.
• We used to call them vocational education. You had a vote tech center.
• I think it fixes a big problem that we have with our education system.

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met during Budget Week and first considered three member bills. House Bill 1111, by Rep. Valdes, would eliminate the option for students to leave high school with a certificate of completion instead of a standard diploma. Valdes said the bill was inspired by students who met credit requirements but could not pass a required assessment, and argued the certificate does not provide access to college, trade school, or military service. The bill passed unanimously, 15-0. CS for House Bill 127, by Rep. Kendall, would support students with disabilities by using existing Florida Department of Education curriculum to create micro-credentials and coordinating with the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities and OSHA on workplace safety. Goodwill, the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Florida PTA, and others supported the bill, which also passed unanimously, 15-0. House Bill 1367, by Rep. Booth, addressed chronic absenteeism by requiring statewide definitions and more uniform attendance reporting, along with rules for excused and unexcused absences and early identification of chronically absent students. Testimony emphasized inconsistent district policies and the need for clearer data and interventions. The bill passed 13-0, with some members noting concerns about implementation details and future rulemaking. The committee then took up PCB-P-PKB-2501, the proposed conforming bill for the fiscal year 2025-2026 Pre-K through 12 budget. The chair said the bill was designed to align statutes with budget and scholarship funding procedures, especially around the Florida Education Finance Program and scholarship payments. The PCB would require Florida student ID numbers for scholarship students, standardize cross-checking against FTE survey data, set quarterly payment dates, and use one data source for both reporting and withholding scholarship-related FFP amounts. It also would reduce certain add-on weights by 50%, remove the budget stabilization program, and repeal the educational enrollment stabilization program. Several members raised concerns that the add-on weight reductions could hurt career and technical education, AICE, IB, and CAPE programs, while the sponsor argued the data showed too much spending in an “other” category and that the reductions were aimed at aligning funding with actual program costs. Public testimony was mixed: some supported tighter accountability and clearer payment rules, while others warned against undermining expensive career-readiness programs. The PCB passed 11-2. After the conforming bill, the chair presented the proposed fiscal year 2025-2026 Pre-K through 12 budget, totaling just under $21 billion, about $400 million below the current year. She said the budget reflects a need to slow spending growth and includes $20 million for New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, $7 million for security grants at Jewish day schools and preschools, $14 million for public school transportation stipends, an overall FEFP increase of about $747.7 million, $100 million for teacher salary increases, and increases in the base student allocation and funds per student. The committee did not vote on the budget recommendation at this meeting; it was distributed for review and will move to the Budget Committee next week.

Transcript Highlights:

• The home education student must be registered with the local school district as a home education student
• Yeah, I mean, we try to educate.
• That's one of our big goals is to educate our schools and our coaches.
• But we try to educate as much as we can, for sure.
• That's for the home education, charter school, Florida Virtual.

Summary: The Student Academic Success Subcommittee met to discuss Florida’s current “sports choice” rules and high school NIL policy, then heard and passed HB 151. FHSAA officials and Sarasota County Schools staff explained eligibility rules for student-athletes, including GPA, age, semester limits, physicals, insurance, and the different participation options for traditional public, charter, home education, Florida Virtual, and private school students. Members focused on how controlled open enrollment works, whether private school students can play at public schools and vice versa, transfer timing and capacity limits, recruiting restrictions, and the role of local district policies. Sarasota officials said about 400 students in their county participate through non-traditional athletic arrangements, and FHSAA said statewide there are 5,460 non-traditional student-athlete forms on file out of roughly 280,000 student-athletes. The committee then reviewed Florida’s high school NIL framework. FHSAA said students in grades 9-12 may enter NIL deals, with no income cap, but they are barred from agreements involving adult entertainment, alcohol, tobacco/vaping, cannabis, controlled substances, gambling, weapons, political or social activism, and NIL collectives. Students must have a written contract and cannot use school logos or uniforms without permission. FHSAA said about 25 students statewide had NIL deals so far, and Sarasota was first to file. Members raised concerns about recruiting, taxes, financial literacy, mental health, and whether students should be treated as employees, while district staff said they provide education and financial literacy resources but do not review contracts. After the discussion, the committee took up HB 151 by Rep. Abbott. The bill allows students at FHSAA-member private schools to participate in sports at another member school when their own school does not offer that sport, and it removes the current 200-student enrollment limit. An amendment clarifying the private-school language was adopted without objection. A public witness from a small private school supported the bill, saying it would let the school join FHSAA without losing local athletic access for its students. Despite some members raising fairness and funding concerns, the bill passed on a 15-0 vote and was reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education.
• Education.
• Non-certified school employees due process, Education.
• Education. SB 1594, schools corporal punishment prohibition. Education.
• Education will meet at 1:30 p.m. in Hearing Room 1.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• are maybe one or two that have any education background.
• We're incredibly fortunate in New Mexico that so many of our education legislators on the committees
• are teachers, which means there's a lot of expertise in education and how to put the state forward and
• As part of this interim session, we were able to have lunch with the educators.
• Department of Education.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sharing our stories and educating lawmakers is essential for this.
• and the Santa Clara County Office of Education of best practices.
• and the Santa Clara County Office of Education of best practices.
• Oh, yeah, sorry, Butte County Office of Education.
• It is investing in county offices of education to support the employees...

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for being here today, and welcome to Senate Education.
• In 1975, Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act.
• We now know it as The Education for All Handicapped Children Act.
• As an education committee and an education organization, we try to practice what we preach.
• I have a renewed sense of excitement and confidence about the direction of my education.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Senate Education Committee first approved a change to its agenda and then adopted the minutes from a prior meeting. It then considered House Joint Memorial 11, which asks Idaho’s congressional delegation to fully fund the federal IDEA commitment for special education. Senator Burtenshaw argued that Congress promised up to 40% of the national average per-pupil expenditure but has never met that level, leaving Idaho districts to cover large shortfalls through local levies and discretionary funds. A witness from Fruitland School District gave similar testimony about the local cost of special education and the impact of the funding gap. The committee moved H.J.M. 11 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation; Senator Zito voted no, saying the federal government has long failed to meet its obligations, though she emphasized her support for students with disabilities. The committee then heard RS 33-392, a proposal to create regional service centers so school districts and charter schools can share hard-to-fill specialized staff and services such as speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, school psychologists, and business managers. Burtenshaw said the measure would help small and rural schools reduce duplication, improve compliance, and preserve local control, with startup funding already reflected in the governor’s budget and no new ongoing state funding required. The committee advanced the RS for a full hearing. The remainder of the meeting was informational. Jason Sevy of the Idaho School Board Association described Marsing’s community schools model, emphasizing partnerships with nonprofits and service providers to address barriers like food insecurity, health needs, transportation, and attendance. He said policymakers can help by removing funding restrictions so schools can respond flexibly to local needs. Meridian Technical Charter High School then presented on its career-and-technical education model, including student internships, industry credentials, dual credit, and leadership opportunities through student organizations. Students and staff highlighted strong graduation outcomes, career readiness, and the role of the school in helping students find direction; committee members praised the program and discussed how similar models might be scaled to smaller districts.

Transcript Highlights:

• trust</c> about education or the education trust about education or the education trust fund<00:16:43.360
• </c> shows the education trust fund dollars. shows the education trust fund dollars.
• </c> dollars in the department of education. dollars in the department of education.
• . education. education.
• ><c> education</c>

Keywords: 924, joint, all