Transcript Highlights:

• We believe in science.
• I want good science.
• Senator, I have always been a science person, a pro-science person.
• I want to make sure that our science is gold-standard science so that it's free from that same government
• a high level of uncertainty in that science.

Transcript Highlights:

• THIS HAS GENERATED $16.5 MILLION IN GRANT SUPPORT FROM NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, NATIONAL SCIENCE
• THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND A HARVARD GRAPHIC INSTITUTE ALTHOUGH IT DOES
• IS BRINGING IN SCIENCE EDUCATION AND ENGINEERING. IT'S ALL ECOSYSTEM IS WHAT YOU CAN LOOK AT.
• BECAUSE A LOT OF THE GOOD SCIENCE TAKES PLACE AT LOWER SPEEDS.
• IT HAS LED TO THE FAMU FSU COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING JOINT MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The fourth meeting of the Science, Technology, and Telecommunications Committee.
• We offer Associate of Arts and Associate of Applied Sciences in some areas.
• And then we have our Associate of Applied Science certification.
• Anyway, it says, "Study the science of art, study the art of science, develop your sense" experiences
• Definitely, I would say science more so.

Transcript Highlights:

• Kevin, I have to hook up your computer. All right. Actually, here now that we're...
• > hook<00:46:47.839> up<00:46:48.000> your have hook up your have hook up your computer
• We all have seen that the increase in what's happening with our phones, with our computers, with DNA
• what's happening with our phones with what's happening with our phones with our<00:58:59.760> computers
• uh with DNA years ago with our computers uh with DNA years ago with a<00:59:03.480> DNA<00:59

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee met to approve the January 16 minutes and then heard a budget presentation from State Court Administrator Jeff Shorba on behalf of the Minnesota judicial branch. Shorba described the courts’ structure, mission, and workload, noting 322 judges, about 2,800 staff, roughly 1 million district court filings annually, and a current budget of about $479 million. He emphasized the branch’s constitutional obligation to provide fair and timely access to justice and said the courts are funded almost entirely through legislative appropriations. He also highlighted recent accomplishments made possible by prior legislative funding, including eliminating the pandemic felony and gross misdemeanor backlog, expanding remote and hybrid hearings, improving courtroom technology, sustaining treatment courts, and increasing pay for interpreters and psychological examiners. Shorba outlined the judicial branch’s 2026–27 budget request, which he said totals a 12% increase over the starting biennial base. Major requests included $77.3 million in 2026–27 and $104 million in 2028–29 for a 6% judicial salary increase and related compensation costs; $5.1 million in 2026–27 and $1.76 million in 2028–29 for digital accessibility compliance with new federal ADA rules; $4 million in 2026–27 and $800,000 in 2028–29 to modernize justice partner access to court records; $7.2 million in 2026–27 to raise pay for contract psychological examiners; and $18 million in 2026–27 to increase juror pay from $20 to $100 per day and align mileage rates with federal rates. He also discussed ongoing funding needs for interpreter services, jury costs, cybersecurity, and other statutorily required court services, saying temporary funding provided in the prior session will expire and that permanent support is needed. Members asked questions about treatment courts, employee bargaining, and mental health competency issues. Representative Eric requested more detail on funding for newly launched and existing treatment courts, and Shorba said many treatment courts begin with federal grants before transitioning to state support after about three years. He confirmed the judicial branch negotiates its own employee contracts rather than the executive branch doing so, and said the branch has three unions plus many unrepresented employees. On mental health and competency, Shorba said the branch is focused on obtaining timely psychological evaluations and is not responsible for treatment services themselves, but acknowledged a shortage of examiners and treatment beds and said a related competency board would be testifying the following week. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond adoption of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• , which is the science I'm going to talk about today.
• called human factors in system safety, or otherwise known as safety science.
• Safety science, or human factors in system safety, is an algorithm of a bunch of different sciences.
• , decision-making science, and all of these sciences come together to help us understand and create systems
• They have been utilizing safety science in their reviews since that time.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee met to review Department of Child Safety reforms developed after oversight hearings on the deaths of Emily Pike, Zariah Dodd, and Rebecca Baptiste. Members described a stakeholder process involving tribes, DCS, law enforcement, county attorneys, schools, and advocates that produced several bills already moving through the Legislature or signed by the governor. Those measures include SB 1125 on tribal-DCS information sharing, a bill requiring schools to provide records to DCS in investigations, a duty-to-report bill requiring direct knowledge, a hotline bill allowing DCS to consider 90 days of prior reports and route repeat cases to more experienced staff, a bill allowing attorneys to share more safety information with judges, and a requirement for advanced forensic interviews within 72 hours in sexual abuse cases. The chair emphasized that reforms are needed across DCS, the courts, and attorneys, and that the San Carlos Tribe’s letter would be entered into the record. DCS Director Catherine Patak presented 2025 agency data, saying the hotline received nearly 160,000 calls and 43,000 cases were investigated, while the out-of-home care population stayed relatively steady at just over 7,000 children. She reported 3,000 reunifications, 1,300 adoptions, 800 guardianships, 1,100 young adults receiving transition services, 534 new foster homes licensed, a 50% reimbursement increase for older youth caregivers, a 40% drop in youth missing from care since September 2024, and a 30% reduction in fatalities of children in care since 2024. She also discussed the annual fatality review process, noting 123 alleged fatality or near-fatality reports in the review period, 52 with prior DCS involvement, and systemic themes such as support for teens with complex needs, collaboration with law enforcement and the courts, and better staff support. Patak answered questions about group-home notification rules, saying DCS is updating rules to remove “runaway” and “AWOL” and use “missing” consistently, while also considering a statute change for the timing of notifications. She said about 300 children in care are there because of behavioral issues after adoption, and members raised concerns about insufficient behavioral health services for adopted children and the need for better training and support in group homes. Senators also asked about placement practices for sexually abused children and whether staff gender matching is considered; Patak said she was not aware of a specific requirement and would look into it. The committee then heard from Malcolm Hightower of Casey Family Programs, who said Arizona is generally near the national average on child welfare measures, does better than average on kin placements, but has a higher-than-average share of children in congregate care and slightly lower permanency within two years. He noted Arizona’s safety outcomes are roughly in line with national rates and urged continued cross-branch collaboration and timely information sharing. A final presentation from KC Melsick of Collaborative Safety focused on the agency’s systemic critical incident review model. He argued that child welfare and other public systems should move away from blame-focused responses after tragedies and toward a “safety culture” that examines system factors, near misses, and decision-making. He said Arizona has used this approach since 2016, with reported improvements including reduced turnover, and that the model is similar to after-action reviews used in the military and root-cause analysis in healthcare. Members discussed applying the same approach more broadly across state agencies. The committee ended with expressions of appreciation for the bill sponsors, DCS staff, tribal partners, and ongoing work, and adjourned with plans to continue the reforms in the interim and next session.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:19:25.600> of Fidelity in the science of Fidelity in the science of reading<00:19:27.480
• <00:20:24.600> of teaching in the science of teaching in the science of reading<00:20:26.320
• without losing the Fidelity of Science without losing the Fidelity of Science of<01:25:30.880>
• <01:27:29.719> of decided to stay with the science of decided to stay with the science of
• <01:42:37.960> of affirms our commitment to the science of affirms our commitment to the science

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Way, please tell me that this is a computer making that decision and not an actual person
• I mean, it's kind of... it's kind of a joke, but somebody... it's got to be a computer thing.
• Chair, Senator Epstein, I have the numbers on my computer.

Bills: HB2016, HB2104, HB2105, HB2174, HB2256, HB2289, HB2477, HB2903, HB2939, HB2979, HB2996, HB4103

Keywords: tax penalties, filing, tax returns, administration, Arizona Revised Statutes, agricultural property, classification, county assessor, property inspection, appeal process, property tax, agricultural classification, Department of Revenue, property valuation, inspection notice, inspection report, on-site inspection, full cash value, rural land, farm land

Summary: The committee first approved the March 9, 2026 minutes and held House Bills 29 and 2939 at the sponsor’s request. It then took up House Bill 2016, which would eliminate the late-filing penalty for taxpayers with zero income tax liability; after discussion about whether taxpayers still need to file to establish that they owe nothing, the committee adopted an amendment narrowing the bill to income tax filers and passed the bill 4-3. The Department of Revenue said it was neutral on the bill but supported the amendment. The committee next heard House Bill 2289, which updates the property-value examples used in bond/override election pamphlets and truth-in-taxation notices from older low values to $300,000. Supporters said the figures are outdated and should better reflect current home values; opponents questioned whether $300,000 was the best benchmark and whether adding another example would confuse voters. The bill passed 4-3. The committee also approved House Bill 4103, which bars school districts from calling bond elections if enrollment is below 50% of capacity. Supporters argued districts should use or monetize excess space before asking taxpayers for more debt, while school administrators and others said the measure would block needed maintenance, safety upgrades, and local decision-making. It passed 4-3. Two related agricultural property bills, House Bills 2104 and 2105, were both amended and passed 4-3. HB 2104 creates a four-year period after a successful agricultural property tax appeal during which assessors generally may not reclassify or reinspect the property absent changes in use, ownership, splits, or improvements. HB 2105 requires advance notice of inspections and inspection reports and provides a three-year inspection exemption after the most recent inspection, with similar exceptions. Farm and ranch groups said the bills provide fairness and certainty after successful appeals; county assessors opposed them as limiting oversight and creating unequal treatment. The committee also passed House Bill 2256 unanimously, which sets notice and title procedures for salvage auction dealers when insurance claims are denied or unpaid, and House Bill 2979 unanimously, which updates credit union regulatory timelines and procedures. Later, the committee passed House Bill 2996 unanimously, clarifying that certificates of insurance are informational only and cannot expand coverage or rights, with penalties for misrepresentations. It also heard House Bill 2174, which renames and updates regulation of insurance modeling and data organizations, requires model filings, and revises related reinsurance provisions; the discussion focused on how DIFI would regulate models versus the companies that create them, but no vote was taken in the portion provided. Finally, House Bill 2477 was introduced to conform Arizona’s 529 plan to federal law by increasing the K-12 withdrawal limit to $20,000, adding post-secondary credentialing expenses, and allowing rollovers to ABLE accounts and Roth IRAs if requirements are met; the sponsor and Treasurer’s Office supported it as a cleanup/conformity measure, and discussion began on how the new rollover options would work.

Transcript Highlights:

• pulled<00:15:01.199> up<00:15:01.360> on<00:15:01.519> my<00:15:01.959> computer
• <00:15:02.959> some<00:15:03.199> of and I pulled up on my computer some of and I pulled
• up on my computer some of the the the um<00:15:05.440> some<00:15:05.680> of<00:15:06.240

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So did the computer blow up? Did the notes they took prior, is it gone?
• So did the computer blow up? Did the notes they took prior, is it gone?
• So did the computer blow up? Did the notes they took prior, is it gone?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Joint Senate Committee on Education, Hawaiian Affairs, and Housing heard House Bill 1088 HD1, which would exempt housing developed by the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) from school impact fees. The Department of Education said it was open to working with DHHL and the Legislature, including possibly eliminating the construction-cost portion of the fee for DHHL and other government affordable housing projects, but it wanted to retain the land-dedication requirement for future school sites where growth would exceed existing school capacity. The School Facilities Authority supported the bill, and DHHL strongly supported it, noting that its testimony referenced an earlier emergency proclamation but that the exemption remains in the current proclamation. DHHL also said it had no objection to a proposed amendment from the Wahiawa Hawaiian Homestead Association. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii testified in opposition to the broader school impact fee program, arguing that the fund has accumulated about $29 million that has not been spent and citing concerns raised in State Auditor Report 19-13, including administrative and constitutional issues. Committee discussion focused heavily on whether the fee system is being applied fairly, especially to smaller projects and homeowners, and whether the districts and calculations used to assess fees have been updated. Members questioned the DOE and SFA about the distinction between land and construction costs, the use of fees in areas like Kīhei, Kalihi, Ala Moana, and Ewa, and whether the department had revisited district calculations as recommended in the audit. DOE said it had collected about $500,000 in construction money and $2.8 million in land contributions for Kalihi-related areas, and said it would follow up on questions about land conveyances and district updates. After discussion, the chair called for a vote. The Education committee recommended passing HB 1088 HD1 as is, with Senator San Buenaventura voting with reservation and Senators Ihara and Kole voting aye. The recommendation was adopted. The Housing committee then also deferred the measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• so<00:02:52.599> Maxis<00:02:53.200> is<00:02:53.319> a<00:02:53.519> computer
• in readon form so Maxis is a computer in readon form so Maxis is a computer system<00:02:54.680>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• inequality that I think we saw on the back end of the Industrial Revolution, all the way up to the computer
• inequality that I think we saw on the back end of the Industrial Revolution, all the way up to the computer
• inequality that I think we saw on the back end of the Industrial Revolution, all the way up to the computer

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The final item on here is the computer system and The LFC recommendation is listed there; the executive
• saying, "Oh, we wish we had that money," and then they wasted it on headshots, conference tables, computer
• docking stations with no computers.

Transcript Highlights:

• Arizona science standards require instruction in life sciences in every year of school, focusing on Arizona
• science standards require instruction in life sciences in every year of school, focusing on diversity
• HB 2830 is about science.
• This is science, period. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Science, period. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
• The science of the brain is fascinating.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 2076, which would create a reimbursement program for school safety training and equipment, maintain an approved list of training programs meeting AZPOST standards, and allow eligible schools to adopt policies permitting certain employees to carry concealed firearms on campus if they complete approved training and meet notification/confidentiality requirements. The sponsor, Rep. Bliss, framed the bill as an optional, fiscally responsible medical-response measure meant to help school employees stop bleeding and save lives in emergencies, emphasizing that no school would be required to participate and that no new state appropriation was needed. Opponents, including Giffords, Arizona for Gun Safety, and the Arizona Education Association, argued the bill would normalize armed staff in classrooms, create confidentiality problems for parents and law enforcement, and expose students and staff to additional risk. They also said teachers are not trained as trauma responders and that the bill’s immunity and secrecy provisions could reduce accountability. Supporters, including Arizona Citizens Defense League and other proponents, said the bill adds guardrails to existing law, focuses mostly on first aid and de-escalation training, and gives schools an option to prepare staff for emergencies. After debate, the committee voted 6-5-1 to give HB 2076 a do pass recommendation. The committee then took up House Bill 2830, which directs the State Board of Education to adopt science standards requiring instruction on fetal and prenatal development and specifies that the instruction is not sex education. Opponents, including the Arizona Education Association and Reproductive Freedom for All, said the bill politicizes science, creates fragmented instruction, and could lead to questions that inevitably touch on sex education while failing to address broader student health needs. Supporters, including Arizona Right to Life, a school board president, and a biology teacher, argued the bill is simply about age-appropriate, medically accurate science and parental transparency. The committee approved HB 2830 on an 8-4 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hello, I’m Rebecca Fowocco with the Green Science Policy Institute and support.
• I'm Rebecca Fouca of the Green Science Policy Institute.
• Any science major will tell you that. And some people pay for studies.
• I think it is important that we try to rely on good science.
• , and having two sides disagree about the science makes that incredibly hard.

Summary: The Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee met to adopt its rules, establish quorum, and approve a consent calendar of five bills, all sent to the Committee on Appropriations. The committee then heard three measures: AB 638 by Assembly Member Rodriguez on stormwater capture for irrigation of urban public lands; AB 60 by Assembly Member Papin on banning synthetic nitro musks in cosmetics and personal care products; and AB 916 by Assembly Member Lee on restricting certain antibacterial soap ingredients in consumer hand soaps and body washes. AB 638 was presented as a climate and water-supply measure directing the State Water Resources Control Board to develop guidelines for capturing and safely reusing stormwater for irrigation. Supporters, including NRDC and several environmental groups, argued it would reduce potable water use and help move stalled projects forward. The bill drew no opposition and received strong support from committee members, including requests to coauthor. It passed the committee on a due pass motion to Appropriations. AB 60 would ban synthetic nitro musks in cosmetics and personal care products due to health and environmental concerns. Supporters cited endocrine disruption, reproductive harms, persistence in waterways, and international restrictions. The bill passed on a due pass motion to the floor, with one member not voting. AB 916 generated the most debate: supporters said the three targeted antimicrobials offer no added benefit over plain soap, may contribute to health harms and antibiotic resistance, and should be banned in consumer products while exempting health care settings. Opponents argued the ingredients are already under FDA and DTSC review, raised preemption concerns, and warned of costs and impacts on food handling and other uses. After extensive discussion, the committee approved AB 916 on a due pass motion to the Committee on Health, with several no votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• , agriculture, natural... ...are those that are studying pre-nursing, biology, science, agriculture,
• And this new life sciences building will be a great magnet, so in support. Thank you. Thank you.
• We support the bill and particularly the investments in life sciences and health that help prepare the
• The proposed new building will be transformational for not only the College of Science, but the entire
• I'm calling on behalf of the College of Science at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Bills: SB6, SB62, SB74, SB90, SB104, SB119, SB132, SB133, SB135, SB182, SB185, SB193, SB207, SB217, SB229, SB233, SB260, SB262, SB280, SB281, SB300, SB306, SB378, SB382, SB393, SB403, SB422, SB427, SB431, SB434, SB442, SB452, SB456, SB468, SB472, SB487, SB503, SB6

Keywords: cloud seeding, Nevada, water conservation, agriculture, Desert Research Institute, victim compensation, hate crimes, property remediation, criminal justice, vulnerable persons, elections, voter registration, mail ballots, candidate eligibility, cybersecurity, education funding, teacher grants, classroom supplies, instructional support, specialized personnel

Transcript Highlights:

• Things are happening that are not based on evidence or science.
• Science matters. The fact is vaccines are safe and effective. They've saved millions of lives.
• Things are happening that are not based on evidence or science.
• It's time to focus on the science.
• It's time to focus on the science.

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the February 4, 2026 journal as corrected, and received several committee reports and bill status updates. Committee actions included favorable reports on Senate Bills 12, 13, 14, and 16, with some bills amended before being sent to the Committee of the Whole, and notice that Senate Bill 32 had been correctly engrossed and was ready for final passage. The chamber also laid over the general order second reading calendar until Friday, February 6, 2026. The main floor action was final passage of Senate Bill 32, concerning the promotion of immunization access. Supporters argued the bill would help Colorado maintain a science-based vaccine policy, protect public health, and preserve pharmacists’ ability to provide vaccines amid concerns about federal instability. Several organizations were cited as endorsing the measure. The bill passed on a 20-12 vote. The Senate also adopted Senate Joint Resolution 8, honoring Colorado’s 2026 Winter Olympians and Paralympians. Senators highlighted Colorado’s winter sports culture, training facilities, and the state’s many athletes competing in the Games, and one senator offered a tribute to a former Olympian in the chamber. The resolution passed unanimously, 32-0. In addition, the Senate confirmed governor’s appointments to the Department of Higher Education and the Private Occupational School Board on a 32-0 vote. The meeting ended with announcements, including committee schedules and birthday recognition for Senator Zamora Wilson, followed by adjournment until Friday, February 6, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hello, I'm Rebecca Fuoco with the Green Science Policy Institute in support.
• The science shows that regular soap and water, when used properly, remove 99.9% of pathogens without
• And not all studies are created equal, any science major will tell you that. And some people...
• I think it is important that we try to rely on good science.
• and having two sides disagree about the science makes that incredibly hard.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There is no settled science. Science changes all the time.
• There is no settled science. Science changes all the time.
• There is no settled science. Science changes all the time.
• So, thank you, Senator Alchilla. science, science is you know we we like science, science is you know
• Science changes all no settled science. Science changes all the<01:23:58.159> time.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we have heard, uh, that, well, let me back up and just say that as it relates to computer and state
• 03:14.000> to up and just say that as it relates to up and just say that as it relates to computer
• and state IT systems that that computer and state IT systems that that hasn't<01:03:19.200> exactly
• want to get back to it because it's come up a couple times: the specific situation where if the computer
• specific situation where if the computer specific situation where if the computer system<01:42:39.199

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• has positioned us well ever since that time to be a national leader, which we are in cloud-based computing
• c><00:04:05.200> just<00:04:05.519> not<00:04:05.680> in are in cloud-based computing
• just not in are in cloud-based computing just not in the<00:04:06.000> K12<00:04:06.480> arena
• with our, you know, with being a national leader in instructional and administrative cloud-based computing
• uh you know cloud cloud-based computing. uh you know cloud cloud-based computing.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:15 Kentucky Department of Education 00:01:20 Kentucky Communications Network Authority 00:36:45 Accelecom 01:01:22 Auditor of Public Accounts 01:29:50, 958, all

Summary: The Information Technology Oversight Committee met to hear a presentation from Kentucky Department of Education officials David Couch and Mike Lingham on the history and current status of Kentucky’s K-12 internet network, including its relationship to KentuckyWired. They described the original KETS design from 1995, when KDE established district internet hubs and left local districts to connect to them, and said that model helped Kentucky become a national leader in school connectivity and cloud-based services. They also emphasized the importance of E-rate eligibility, saying it has saved the state substantial money and remains central to KDE’s network contracting. Couch and Lingham said the current “next generation Kentucky K-12 internet” contract with Education Networks of America is more reliable, offers more functionality, and costs less than the prior system, including lower bandwidth and firewall costs. They explained that the transition was complicated by build-out and provisioning issues, especially the need for more “type two” connections through local providers, which pushed some implementation past the June 30, 2024 E-rate deadline. As a result, 39 sites remain on type two connections, and KDE absorbed the loss of federal discount dollars for the portion of the transition that extended into July. The witnesses also discussed home internet access for students. They said KDE has tracked home access for about 20 years and estimates about 4.5% of students still lack adequate internet at home, with roughly 3% able to reach access nearby and 1.5% having no access. They said the biggest barrier is usually cost rather than lack of available lines, and noted that temporary hotspot support during COVID helped students continue schoolwork. Senator Williams asked about the costs of the transition, the current type two sites, and the potential cost of any future transition, but the transcript cuts off before a full answer was given.