Transcript Highlights:

• I got poor grades in my Japanese classes, but I would not consider myself a Japanese speaker.
• I<00:41:24.520> I<00:41:24.680> got<00:41:25.319> poor<00:41:25.640> grades
• <00:41:25.920> in<00:41:26.040> my subjective I I got poor grades in my subjective
• I I got poor grades in my Japanese<00:41:26.680> classes<00:41:27.079> but Japanese classes

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on April 1 at the State Capitol and heard four measures. HCR 45/HR 38 urged the Public Utilities Commission to support transferring regulatory authority over motor carriers, water carriers, and other transportation means to the Department of Transportation; both the PUC and DOT testified in support, and members discussed that the resolution was largely symbolic because statutory changes would still be needed. HCR 58/HR 54 requested a geothermal energy working group; the Consumer Advocate, PUC, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and Life of the Land supported it, while Students for Justice in Palestine at UH opposed it, citing an active injunction, environmental risks, and the need to prioritize Native and local community voices. Members asked about the injunction and community representation, and the PUC said it would support including Hawaiian community members in the working group. HCR 91/HR 87 sought insurance coverage for prosthetic and orthotic devices; a 14-year-old amputee testified in support, describing the need for sports prosthetics and arguing that coverage should allow people with limb loss to participate fully in school and athletics. HCR 102/HR 98 urged the Real Estate Commission to allow the salesperson exam to be administered in Japanese for timeshare sales; the Real Estate Commission opposed, while ARDA supported it, arguing there is a shortage of bilingual real estate professionals and that Japanese-language testing would help the timeshare industry and Japanese visitors. Members questioned the limited-license concept and public protection concerns, and the committee later amended the measure to a limited real estate salesperson’s license for timeshare sales, changing the target from Japanese-speaking visitors to Japanese nationals, before passing all four measures out of committee, with HCR 102 passing with amendments and the others passing as is.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was a student who loved school until the fourth grade. In the fourth grade, I had a teacher.
• When a teacher does it, it weaponizes the entire grade level.
• I would walk down the hallways in grade school and kids would yell slurs at me.

Bills: SB38, SB287, SB291, SB292, SB508, SB618, SB901, SB1436, SB1494, SB1626, SB1719, SB1999, SB1333, SB 38

Keywords: evictions, property law, tenant rights, landlord responsibilities, justice court, court rules, SB 287, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, sexually oriented business, adult entertainment, strip club, nude entertainment, live nude performance, alcohol prohibition, alcohol consumption, possession of alcohol, criminal offense, Class A misdemeanor, state jail felony, third degree felony

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> There it would be allowable and certain grades, right?
• Don't talk to my kindergartner through 3rd grade or about any kind of sex. >> Not not same sex.
• breasts press and they were their brews, the teats of their virginity to something I read in second grade
• media centers and 153 for 87% were identified as pornographic, violent or inappropriate for their grade

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our kids need to be able to read at grade level. We need safe communities.
• Our kids need to be able to read at<00:17:48.559> grade<00:17:48.880> level.
• <00:17:49.760> We<00:17:50.000> need<00:17:50.480> safe at grade level.
• We need safe at grade level.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• LESC has added a 0.05 to the formula for 6th grade through 12th grade.
• same level as all high schoolers, mid-high and high school, because most districts have taken sixth grade
• all; Santa Fe actually has several that are still K-6, but most districts have taken it. taken sixth grade

Transcript Highlights:

• Colleagues, please join me in welcoming the Deerfield Community School fourth grade class.
• Once again, welcome to the Deerfield Community School fourth grade class. Welcome to the Senate.
• It's a simple matter to say, okay, this aide is grade one, this one is grade two, this one has two set
• this aid is grade one this grade this this aid is grade one this grade this one<04:34:27.039>
• this one have two set one is grade two this one have two set third<04:34:29.920> grades<04:34

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Current law requires an industrial-grade kitchen with specific plumbing requirements.
• 42.880> law<00:10:43.200> requires<00:10:43.600> an<00:10:43.839> industrial-grade
• Current law requires an industrial-grade kitchen with specific plumbing requirements.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• citing that correctly, a minimum amount of attendance that is required to receive credit or a final grade
• attendance for at least 90% of the time that the instruction is offered to be eligible for a final grade
• To pivot a student, it's not a final prohibition of their award of credit or final grade.

Bills: SB226, SB413, SB571, SB1049, SB2398, SB2920

Keywords: residency, public schools, child safety placement, enrollment, education code, school boards, transparency, public meetings, attendance, recording, misconduct, child abuse, educators, investigation, criminal offense, education law, suspension, reporting requirements, released time, religious instruction

Transcript Highlights:

• In this study, you will see this little boy in a first-grade class diagnosed with a learning disability
• little boy asked to go to the front of the room, participated, raised his hand, and is reading at a 9th grade
• level, days in first grade.

Bills: SB 25, SB25, SB314

Keywords: attorney ad litem, indigent parents, parent-child relationship, legal representation, Texas Family Code, court procedures, nutrition, health standards, food labeling, education, dietary guidelines, medical education, food safety, school meals, child nutrition, food additives, public health, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You can tell as a teacher who's had that early support, as a former third grade teacher, it really made
• use grade school as an example.
• so let's just use you said first grade so let's just use grade<01:04:28.520> school<01:04:28.760
• > an grade school an grade school an example<01:04:30.640> in<01:04:30.799> this
• level so she had like a six you grade level so she had like a six you know<01:54:14.360> six<

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 627, which concerns Department of Education school safety funding and staffing. DOE said the bill would restore two positions and related funding that had been removed from the governor’s budget: a targeted violence prevention and threat assessment program manager and a security technology manager. DOE described ongoing work on school vulnerability assessments, fire suppression measures, security camera research, panic buttons, and active shooter prevention training. Testifiers from DOE, the Department of Law Enforcement, fire services, HSTA, and an individual witness all supported the bill, with the individual citing a past school shooting experience as a reason to increase school resource officers and safety measures. Members asked about the positions’ duties, how the request differed from existing security funding, and the status of active shooter training; DOE said it would provide more information on training statistics. The committee then took up HB 249, relating to Executive Office on Early Learning family child interaction learning programs. The Early Learning Board, EOEL, Commit to Kids, Early Childhood Action Strategies, Partners in Development Foundation, and others testified in support. EOEL said it currently spends about $800,000 annually on FCI program contracts and supports expanding state funding for FCIL programs, including infant and early childhood mental health, if the appropriation covers the broader scope. Testifiers emphasized that FCIL programs are trauma-informed, evidence-based, and help families and children, with one provider sharing a long-term example of a parent and child benefiting from the program. Members asked how many programs are supported, whether FCIL exists on all islands, and whether the request was in the governor’s budget; EOEL said the expansion was requested by the office but not included in the governor’s budget. HB 429, concerning pre-K expansion, drew broad support from the Lieutenant Governor, EOEL, HSTA, and community groups. Supporters said the Ready Keiki initiative has already opened more than 50 classrooms and would add another 50 over the next two years, including Hawaiian immersion classrooms. EOEL said it currently administers 72 public pre-K classrooms across 74 campuses and that the bill’s funding was included in the governor’s budget request. Testimony stressed kindergarten readiness, affordability for working families, equity across islands, and inclusion classrooms. Members asked about national quality benchmarks, with EOEL stating Hawaii meets 10 of 10 benchmarks and that only five states had done so at the time referenced. The Lieutenant Governor also described construction and delivery efforts, including refurbishing existing classrooms, modular options, possible use of state buildings, and even collaboration with libraries to expand child care access. Finally, the committee heard HB 439 on J-1 teacher licensure. DOE supported the bill, while the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board opposed it, arguing licensure standards are not place-based and should remain rigorous and uniform for all educators. The Attorney General’s office offered technical comments, including replacing “educators” with “teacher” and clarifying the bill’s language on issuance and renewal conditions. Several organizations and individuals testified in support, including school, cultural, business, and educator groups. One witness, a teacher from the Philippines, said J-1 educators are highly qualified and described the rigor of teacher preparation in the Philippines. No votes were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• grader in the 11th would as a a a fifth grader in the 11th would as a a a fifth grader in the 11th grade
• how do we how do we determine the grade how do we how do we determine the grade how do we how do we
• media safety course before 8th grade media safety course before 8th grade limiting smartphone use in
• doing this program they're system that's doing this program they're using Yonder pouches the their grades
• using Yonder pouches the their grades using Yonder pouches the their grades have skyrocketed but the

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My first question is kind of the 12th grade.
• instead of starting in 11th grade.
• in 12th grade, they won't be able to get their certification.
• But if they start in 11th grade, they could get a couple certifications.
• requirement in 10th or 11th grade, so the incentives are not repeated.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 669, sponsored by Representative Smith, which was presented as a response to a September shooting incident in his district that led to school closures and missed instructional days. Smith said the bill was intended to help school districts recover lost days caused by extraordinary emergencies and not to set a broad precedent. Members asked whether districts had adjusted calendars to make up time, and Smith said many had already extended days or moved calendars into June. The committee then voted to pass House Bill 669, with all members present voting yes. The committee next heard House Bill 621, as amended by a committee substitute that removed a homeschooling-related section and left only the school-threat provisions. The bill would allow courts to impose a fine on parents when a child is adjudicated for terroristic threatening if law enforcement incurred excessive costs, and it would require a mental health assessment for the child. Representative Duvall and Officer Steve Chappelle supported the measure, arguing that online school threats spread fear, disrupt attendance, pull law-enforcement resources from other schools, and should create more parental accountability. Representative Riley also supported the accountability goal, citing lost instructional time and a recent student suicide tied to online issues. Several members raised concerns about the bill’s scope and due process. Representative Josh Callaway questioned why this offense should be the starting point for parental fines and warned about a slippery slope in holding parents liable for children’s crimes. Representative Willner said the bill seemed more like a judiciary issue, questioned whether punishment can make parents better parents, and asked about diversion programs and the meaning of the detention language. Representative Tipton pointed to existing statutes on mental health assessments and terroristic threatening penalties, and said the committee substitute would alleviate many concerns. Scott West, speaking for Kentucky Policy and the Kentucky Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, argued that the mandatory detention language would remove judicial discretion and that the parental fine provision could conflict with existing due process protections requiring notice, a hearing, and a finding that lack of supervision was a substantial factor in the child’s delinquency. The transcript does not show a final vote on House Bill 621 in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• what is that a in prison today probably what is that a in prison today probably what is that a sixth grade
• sixth grade sixth grade level I don't know yeah well sixth grade level I don't know yeah well sixth
• grade level I don't know yeah well sixth grade when you're sixth grade that's what like when you're sixth
• grade that's what like when you're sixth grade that's what like age 11 or 12 yes age 11 or 12 yes age

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I taught kindergarten, third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, and uh two different gifted
• <00:04:52.880> fourth<00:04:53.199> grade kindergarten third grade fourth grade kindergarten
• third grade fourth grade fifth<00:04:53.759> grade<00:04:54.080> sixth<00:04:54.479>
• > grade<00:04:55.320> and<00:04:55.800> uh<00:04:55.960> two fifth grade sixth
• grade and uh two fifth grade sixth grade and uh two different<00:04:56.560> gifted<00:04:56.880

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Education Committee held its organizational meeting for the new term, with members introducing themselves and describing their backgrounds in teaching, school boards, special education, administration, law, and related fields. Chair Glenn Cordelli outlined the committee’s goals and procedures, emphasizing civility, professionalism, and respectful treatment of witnesses and members. He also noted that the committee has been split into two this year because of the large volume of bills, and said the committee had already sent three bills to the other education committee, with 36 bills currently assigned and more expected. The chair reviewed committee rules and logistics: hearings should start on time, members should minimize cell phone use and avoid searching during testimony, and questioning of witnesses is limited to one question at a time unless the chair allows a follow-up. Members were told to use the title “Representative,” to sign up on pink cards to testify, and to submit written testimony to the clerk. He also explained that hearings are for listening rather than debating, while executive sessions are where debate and motions occur. Possible motions include ought to pass, inexpedient to legislate, and retain in committee for further work, including subcommittees. Additional procedures covered scheduling, with the committee expected to meet Wednesday and Thursday the following week because of a holiday, and regular meetings generally planned for Monday and Wednesday. The chair also discussed the consent calendar, reports from majority and minority positions, and the expectation that members who testify on a bill should not then question other witnesses on that same bill. No legislation was voted on at this meeting; it was a procedural and orientation session for the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't grade our questions around here. Anything else, Chairman Devere? Any other questions?
• We're not grading the questions, We're not grading the questions, but I think that was a good answer.
• And when you do, you can grade the question too. I, I, a, a minus. Thank you. Mr. Chairman.
• I'm not going to grade any questions today. I'll leave that to Donna.
• I will not grade it. Mr. Chairman, I think it's an A question. Representative Wagner, it's an A.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the March 18 minutes, and then received a series of updates on health-related projects and Department of Health and Human Services budget matters. Representatives from CHI St. Alexius in Bismarck and Williston, and Altru in Grand Forks, reported progress on behavioral health expansion projects, including demolition and construction milestones, updated timelines, funding status, staffing plans, and barriers such as an unbudgeted air handler replacement in Williston. Members asked about original completion dates, use of telehealth, recruitment of psychiatrists and other staff, and whether the new beds might reduce the need for patients to travel to Jamestown State Hospital. The projects were described as on track overall, with completion expected in 2027 for the larger builds and earlier openings for some phases in Williston. The committee then heard from HHS leadership on technical line-item transfers and the Salaries and Wages Block Grant. Donna Ockland explained that recent transfers were administrative corrections to place spending in the proper budget lines and did not involve new spending, and she reviewed FTE counts and vacancies across the department. Questions focused on behavioral health staffing changes and the use of consultants in the Rural Health Transformation Program. Pat Rainer outlined the rural health program’s first-year grants and priorities, including workforce retention, rural rotations and housing, community wellness initiatives, behavioral health promotion, safety net services, hospital equipment, suicide prevention training, technology, and EMS support. He said North Dakota’s plan was drawing positive national attention, but the department still needed to obligate roughly $199 million by September and was working with CMS on timing and compliance. The committee also received an update on certified community behavioral health clinics from Elena Zeller. She said North Dakota had been accepted as a demonstration state, with certification efforts underway in Williston, North Central, Fargo, and Dickinson. Members asked about care coordination, service growth, staffing, and whether certification would expand to all clinics; the department said it was still collecting baseline data and evaluating impacts before making future recommendations. Finally, Rebecca Askins reviewed SNAP payment error rates, explaining that the 2025 rate was finalized at 9.89 percent and that the department is working on training, system changes, and quality assurance steps to get below 6 percent. Members pressed on the causes of monthly variability, the performance of the SPACES system, and accountability for ongoing errors, and the department said it expects improvement over the next 6 to 12 months.

Transcript Highlights:

• Since fourth grade, that is all I wanted to do.
• I'm a seventh-grade athlete, and I support this bill. Thank you. Rebecca Mark.
• I'm a seventh-grade athlete, and I support this bill. Thank you. Hello, my name is Meg Mark.
• I'm in seventh grade, and I support this bill. Thank you.
• Hi, I'm Johanna Lawler, an eighth-grade volleyball player, and I strongly support this bill.

Summary: The committee met on April 1, 2025, first adopting its rules and then taking up AB 89, a bill to require CIF to align girls’ high school sports with federal policy and restrict participation to biological females. The author and supporters argued the bill was needed to protect fairness, safety, privacy, and competitive opportunities for girls, citing individual student-athlete stories and examples of transgender participation. Opponents, including parents, athletes, advocates, and technical witnesses, argued the bill would stigmatize transgender youth, invite invasive scrutiny and harassment, and solve a problem they said was extremely rare or unsupported by data. After lengthy public testimony and debate, the committee rejected AB 89 on a 2-7 vote and sent it to the Committee on Education as a failed motion. The committee then heard AB 844, a related measure framed by the author as restoring competitive integrity, protecting student privacy, and bringing California into compliance with Title IX and federal directives. Supporters, including Matt Walsh and a student athlete who said she lost a varsity spot to a transgender student, argued that sex-based sports rules are necessary because biological males retain athletic advantages and that California risks federal funding if it does not change course. Opponents, including educators, parents, LGBTQ advocates, and trans youth, said the bill would increase bullying, harassment, and exclusion, and that existing policies have worked without evidence of harm from transgender athletes. Public comment was again heavily divided, with many speakers on both sides. The transcript ends during public testimony on AB 844, before any final committee vote or action is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• in the district I'm in right now in Heber, we've been dealing with a similar issue where we have a grade
• or do we break it down and have a K-through-4 and the K-through-3 building now and continue with grades
• school, a middle where we have a grade school, a middle school,<00:18:39.080> and<00:18:39.240
• <00:18:52.880> four<00:18:53.400> uh continue with grades four uh continue with grades
• or the one bad grade, and they took<01:54:01.680> their<01:54:01.840> life."

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We had a fifth-grade young lady come and talk about what she was exposed to in the fifth grade. >> Yeah
• We had a fifth-grade young lady come and talk about what she was exposed to in the fifth grade. >> Yeah
• Trying to find where it talked about the grade level, Senator.
• fifth grade.
• You know I didn't say 11th or 12th grade.

Keywords: 920, all

Summary: The Alabama Senate convened with prayer, the pledge, and a quorum present, then quickly handled routine motions to excuse absent senators, dispense with the prior journal, and allow bills and committee reports throughout the day. The chamber first took up House amendments to Senate Bill 19 on insurance, including a changed start date and a bill name honoring David McHanie and Roy Johnson. On a long roll, the Senate concurred 22-0 with one abstention. Senator Singleton then used personal privilege to present a Black History observance highlighting Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Benjamin O. Davis Sr., and Mahalia Jackson. Committee reports followed, with the Senate confirming Brandy Williams to the Alabama Fire College and Personnel Standards and Education Commission and Lynn Brewer to the Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contractors. Senator Singleton spoke at length in support of the trades-related confirmation, emphasizing the importance of skilled labor, contractor oversight, and workforce training, while also discussing the need to support such professions and the role of boards in protecting consumers. The Senate also received favorable reports from Judiciary, Education Policy, Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development, Tourism, and Local Legislation on a range of bills, many with amendments or substitutes, and placed them on the next day’s calendar. In motions and resolutions, Senator Elliott recommitted Senate Bill 310 to local legislation and introduced Senate Joint Resolution 50 honoring Coach Tim Carter, which was sent to rules. The Senate adopted Senate Joint Resolution 51 mourning Junior Harold Sorrells and several House resolutions from the Rules Committee, including recognitions for the Alabama State Games, Mack McCutcheon’s retirement, the Black pioneers of Macon County, Alicia Cannon, Joseph William Jones Jr., and Louis Vuitton the Pitbull Day. The chamber also recognized several school leaders in the gallery and then moved into local bills, beginning with Senate Bill 266, a proposed constitutional amendment regarding Covington County, for which a bill reading was requested using the previous roll.

Transcript Highlights:

• Students in grades K through 3 start at Maple Elementary School today, and students in grades 4 and 5
• Students in<00:28:41.279> in<00:28:41.520> grades<00:28:41.840> K<00:28:42.080><
• K through three start at um in in grades K through three start at um Maple<00:28:44.399> Elementary
• four and five started students in grades four and five started at<00:28:47.440> Disart<00:28:
• <00:28:59.200> gig classrooms and two third grade gig classrooms and two third grade gig classes

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There are some mental health topics in older grades, but it is not something that we're talking about
• <00:34:36.399> but mental health topics in older grades but mental health topics in older
• Your science grades aren't meeting national standards.
• grades aren't meeting national grades aren't meeting national standards.<00:48:56.400> Get
• <00:50:56.880> when in kindergarten through 12th grade when in kindergarten through 12th grade

Keywords: 1189, house, all