Transcript Highlights:

• And by the grace of God and his glory, my ESL teacher is a retired St.
• And I want to thank Shelley Ikeman, my ESL teacher for St.
• </c><00:16:14.000><c> Paul</c> my ESL teacher is a retired St. Paul my ESL teacher is a retired St.
• ><c> still</c><00:16:15.920><c> resides</c> public school teacher who still resides public school teacher
• </c><00:16:24.959><c> for</c> my ESL teacher for my ESL teacher for St.<00:16:26.880><c> Paul</c><00:

Transcript Highlights:

• They are harming our teachers, our bus drivers.
• They are harming our teachers, our bus drivers.
• They are harming our teachers, our bus drivers.
• They are harming our teachers, our bus drivers.
• They are harming our teachers, our bus drivers.

Summary: Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy and several DFL senators held a press conference after a floor session to announce a package of bills responding to recent ICE operations in Minnesota. Murphy said the proposals are meant to restore and protect Minnesotans’ rights after the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Prey, arguing that authorities should render aid when they injure someone. She said one bill, to be heard the next day in Sen. Ron Latz’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, would create a civil remedy for victims of constitutional violations by federal agents and their leaders. Another bill would give the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension independent investigative authority in cases where federal agents kill Minnesota residents, after the BCA was reportedly shut out of recent investigations. Sen. Lindsey Port described a bill to bar federal law enforcement from hiding their identities while on duty, citing masked ICE agents, alleged use of fake license plates and impersonation tactics, and a recent incident in which a health care worker was allegedly boxed in by masked men. Sen. Elise Mann said the package would designate hospitals, schools, daycares, colleges, and courthouses as protected spaces and require a judicial warrant for ICE entry, arguing that federal agents have been entering hospitals and schools and detaining people at vulnerable moments. The senators framed the effort as a response to unconstitutional enforcement tactics rather than immigration policy, and said they hoped for bipartisan support, though they acknowledged the legal issues may be challenged under federal supremacy and could reach the courts. In response to questions, the senators said the civil-rights bill is intended to create a state-court cause of action against federal officials acting under color of law, because current remedies are limited. They said people in schools or hospitals should not put themselves in danger if confronted by armed agents, and that the law would provide later accountability. Latz said the Judiciary Committee would take up the bills and that Minnesota must have a seat at the table in seeking justice for affected residents. Asked about funding for related community burdens, Murphy said it was not a budget year but the state has a rainy day fund and balance available from last session.

Transcript Highlights:

• To really improve school safety, you need to involve the teachers.
• Teachers want this. Staff want this. And students deserve this.
• It's not helping the teachers if they need help with their classroom management.
• the heart of the problem, and it's not helping teachers.
• So I would ask, does this education help teachers monitor students' well-being?

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the journal, guest introductions, and routine communications from the governor and Senate. Members then moved into multiple Committee of the Whole sessions to consider a large number of Senate bills and later House bills on final reading. Several measures were retained on the calendar, while many others advanced with or without amendments. The House also adopted a group concurrence motion on numerous Senate amendments to House bills and later took up third-reading votes on a series of House bills. Among the main committee actions, SB 1049, SB 1315, SB 1401, SB 1418, and SB 1540 were amended and recommended do pass; SB 1332 and SB 1538 also advanced, while SB 1016, SB 1519, SB 1624, SB 1627, SB 1723, and SB 1725 were retained. Debate centered on school safety and interoperability equipment in SB 1315, housing and zoning issues in SB 1118, and school discipline/bullying transparency in SB 1684. Members also discussed SB 1074 on student discipline notifications, SB 1275 on diversion program wording, and SB 1684 on bullying reporting and school liability, with supporters emphasizing safety, accountability, and clarity and opponents warning about unfunded mandates, litigation, and impacts on public schools. On final reading, the House passed a long list of bills, including HB 2032, HB 2035, HB 2109, HB 2120, HB 2176, HB 2189, HB 2195, HB 2203, HB 2342, HB 2383, HB 2423, HB 2428, HB 2439, HB 2440, HB 2573, HB 2594, HB 2621, HB 2641, HB 2673, HB 2693, HB 2752, HB 2756, HB 2875, HB 2895, HB 2916, HB 2923, HB 2946, and HB 2999, with recorded votes ranging from narrow to unanimous. HB 1118, dealing with municipal zoning and historic properties, failed on the floor after debate over housing policy and charter/public school issues, though a motion to reconsider was later made. The session ended with personal announcements, including recognition of Child Help, a memorial reading for Major General W. Bill Van Dyke, caucus meeting notices, a retirement reception reminder, an anniversary acknowledgment, and a Pride Month statement.

Transcript Highlights:

• ...to really improve school safety, you need to involve the teachers.
• Teachers want this. Staff want this. And students deserve this.
• It’s not helping the teachers if they need help with their classroom management.
• the heart of the problem, and it’s not helping teachers.
• So I would ask, Does this education help teachers monitor students' well-being?

Transcript Highlights:

• In an earlier provision, the bill calls for average teacher compensation. We agree with that.
• So the total cost and the number of teachers hasn't changed, but the everybody else category has.
• So I think if we think in paragraph three of average teacher salaries, that's fine.
• , but number of teachers hasn't changed, but the<01:06:56.440><c> but</c><01:06:57.040><c> the</c><01
• average teacher salaries, that's fine. fine. fine.

Summary: The conference committee first discussed HB 1099, which creates a committee to study private business providing special education services and local school district reimbursement. Members explained that the issue is broader than special education alone, involving residential placements, foster care, court-ordered placements, and questions about which entity pays for education and care costs when students are placed in residential facilities. The House proposed an amendment to expand the study to include students placed in residential facilities by school districts as well as those placed through episodes of treatment or court order, and members agreed the existing commission would not resolve the issue before its July 1, 2026 expiration. Representative Coker raised concern about the phrase “but not limited to,” but members said the broader language was needed to capture placements beyond the existing statutory categories. The committee then agreed to accede to the Senate version of HB 1099 with a committee amendment, and the House voted unanimously to adopt amendment 2026-1845H. The bill was placed on the consent calendar, and the meeting adjourned. The transcript also includes a separate conference committee discussion on HB 1807, concerning mandatory reporting to voters. The main dispute was how to present administrator compensation: the House favored total administrative cost, while the Senate initially preferred average administrator salary. Members debated whether voters would be better informed by totals or averages, and whether the bill should define “administrator” more clearly by reference to DOE rules. The committee reached a tentative compromise to add both an average administrator salary graph and a total administrator cost graph, define administrators by reference to ED 501.02(B), scale the graph more precisely, and list the top 10 highest-paid administrators plus any employee earning over $100,000. Both chambers then gave unanimous support to the revised approach, with the understanding that the draft would be finalized and signed later.

Transcript Highlights:

• A former teacher and Republican leader, she was elected in November 2024 as the high school teacher of
• He's been there... ...teacher, Danny Barlow from the junior high there. He's been there.
• He is now a director, a teacher, and he works with reentry folks that come out.
• The teachers are representing many... ...many here in Arizona.
• my eighth grade social studies teacher at McKinney Middle School.

Transcript Highlights:

• positive outcomes in our public schools, including decreases in chronic absenteeism, decreases in teacher
• Some schools have executive directors, vice principals, you know, lead teachers.
• I remember in one school district, the level three teachers were all making $85,000, not $75,000.
• , and you lose one student, how many teachers do you need?
• You still need the one teacher.

Transcript Highlights:

• and These contracts provide resources, training, and certifications to teachers and students in Idaho
• , because the teachers are already in the public school system.
• In addition, they are basically moonlighting as teachers for IDLA, so they're already getting a teacher
• salary plus they're getting more money as a teacher for IDLA.
• It's on top of, in addition to, and the teachers that work in this program administer that on top of

Summary: The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee first approved a technical correction to the Health and Welfare Division of Licensing and Certification budget, restoring 2 FTP that had been cut in error while leaving funding intact. The committee then adopted language extending the deadline for Medicaid’s state plan amendments and waivers related to the move to comprehensive managed care, after discussion of delays tied to the MMIS procurement and litigation. Both items received do-pass recommendations. The committee next considered Public School Support, beginning with a FY 2026 supplemental for the Division of Student Support to add $7.8 million in federal spending authority so schools can access full federal grant allocations. That supplemental passed. For FY 2027, members debated several competing motions on the Student Support Division budget, including proposals to reduce classified staff funding, add health insurance funding, and cut virtual school-related funding. After multiple failed motions, the committee ultimately approved a motion reducing the general fund by $14,751,600, including a $3 million reduction to virtual school discretionary funding, and adopted related language. Additional language was also approved to require reporting on virtual enrollments, shift English learner funding from central services to direct LEA distribution, modify technology curriculum contract requirements, require special education expenditure reporting, and reduce transportation funding by $7.5 million by undoing a prior statutory change. The committee then turned to the Idaho Digital Learning Academy. After extensive debate over alleged double-funding, rural access, and the absence of a policy bill, members rejected a larger $15 million reduction and then approved a smaller $13,500 reduction tied to the pending policy bill’s fiscal note. They also adopted language restricting PCIF access, requiring compliance reporting on DEI-related courses, and requesting a detailed report on IDLA expenditures, enrollments, and usage, including synchronous versus asynchronous instruction and course-level data by LEA. The meeting ended with notice that the committee would next take up the Secretary of State budget and trailer bills, with an additional 7:30 a.m. meeting before the Monday session.

Transcript Highlights:

• digging into it, it was established to help the rural schools who had electives that they didn't have teachers
• One of the linchpins of online education for most kids to be successful is simply having a teacher on
• change in population at a small school of, say, four, five, six, eight, ten kids and lose a physics teacher
• Teachers are unable to proceed with their carefully crafted lessons.
• You can express your opinion in your classroom, however the teacher chooses to manage their classroom

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• You have a substitute teacher or classified staff person. Come April or May, they hit 630 hours.
• And I've been a classroom teacher and a sub there since 2001. And I've got to say I love SEB.
• I am in my 10th year of being retired and in my 10th year of being a substitute teacher.
• to the level of, like, a math teacher or a science teacher.
• to the level of, like, a math teacher or a science teacher.

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee heard staff briefings and testimony on four bills. House Bill 2124, a Department of Retirement Systems request, would raise the minimum monthly pension benefit that can be paid as a lump sum from $50 to $250, with future inflation adjustments by the director; staff said it would cost about $11,000 in administrative changes and have no actuarial impact on the pension funds. House Bill 2125 would remove a biennial restriction on using pension fund interest earnings for certain administrative and compliance expenses that protect the funds; DRS said it would have no fiscal impact and would continue existing practice. Seth Miller of DRS supported both bills as efforts to reduce complexity and improve consistency across retirement systems. House Bill 2179 would create a retroactive exemption from PERS membership for certain port district employees who are instead covered by federal railroad retirement or union-sponsored defined benefit plans. Staff said audits found a small number of affected employees, with a one-time administrative cost of about $18,000, and noted possible legal concerns because retroactive changes can implicate vested retirement rights. Testimony from the Washington Public Ports Association and the Port of Ponderay supported the bill as a narrow clarification needed to avoid dual coverage and large retroactive liabilities; the Port of Vancouver also supported it as a fix for building trades workers covered by union plans. House Bill 2160 would change SEBB eligibility rules for school employees, creating a presumption of coverage on day one for returning employees who previously worked 630 hours in prior years, effectively shortening the lookback period and extending it across SEBB employers. Supporters, including substitute teachers, WEA, SEIU, and other school workers, said the bill would reduce disruptive gaps in coverage, help workers and families maintain continuous insurance, and improve recruitment and retention. Opponents, including school administrators, business officials, and school directors, argued it would be an unfunded mandate that could significantly increase district costs and administrative complexity, especially because districts would have to track hours and rebut presumptive eligibility. The Health Care Authority explained that eligibility is determined by local benefits administrators using worksheets and appeals, that the current two-year presumption was built from earlier benefit rules, and that the bill could increase costs and create issues for retirees who currently manage hours to stay below the 630-hour threshold. The committee took no votes and adjourned after public hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• That does not generate a performance funding or a teacher bonus when students successfully completes
• and in an additional $500 teacher bonus, if their teacher is a a D or F school International International
• , we see the same boat as their schools to as well as whether it teachers from all other it subjects.
• Excellence as a direct pathway to a professional teacher.
• We are eliminating any exemption for background checks, for teachers, for teacher certification. >> Any

Transcript Highlights:

• Today we give thanks for the life and service of Mary Murphy, a teacher, a leader, a colleague, and a
• Whereas Representative Murphy also achieved a career as a remarkable teacher; she taught history and
• You know, we're all students, you know, the teacher, and she was ready to go.
• She was always a teacher. You'd go into the office, and she'd have the nice chair.
• My husband had her as a teacher in the 80s at St. Raphael's.

Transcript Highlights:

• PE teachers, cheer coaches, support staff, or even student athletic trainers.
• Parent, would that allow that teacher, that employee to have a vote on the SHAC? I would think so.
• I just am concerned sometimes that I think that if there are teachers who are trying to help the kids
• Deep West Texas has about 60 to 50 students and eight teachers, and it's way out there in West Texas,
• X number of teachers, that they have to behave in class, they have to pass those classes.

Bills: SB2920 , SB2929 , SB2398 , SB865 , SB401 , SB2619 , SB2927 , SB1395 , SB1972 , SB2540 , SB1635 , SB1581 , SB2008

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:

• His teacher and the school's principal are here today to share how students have had this problem for
• My name's Alicia Temby, and I'm a U.S. history teacher and principal at the Grower School in Encinitas
• My name's Alicia Temby, and I'm a U.S. history teacher and principal at the Grower School in Encinitas
• Teachers like me who rely on local libraries for projects would benefit from a simplified process.
• I also wanted to share that I was previously a teacher for seven years.

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Epstein, I am neither a school administrator nor a math teacher, so I do not know the answer.
• We don't have enough math teachers.
• And maybe if we get more math majors, we'll have more math teachers.
• I think let's let the team of teachers, students, and parents decide what's best for each student.
• We need the money to recruit and retain math teachers; that would be the actual solution.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, recorded attendance, approved the journal, and received routine communications from the governor and House. The body then moved into Committee of the Whole to consider several House bills, including HB 2369 on photo-enforcement traffic citations, HB 2423 on advanced math course enrollment, HB 2481 on school district financial records, HB 2621 on access to special education in public schools, and HB 2756 on public utilities and high-load factor customers. Each of these bills received amendments and were advanced with do pass recommendations. Members discussed HB 2423 at length, with supporters saying it would better identify high-achieving students for advanced math while critics argued the larger issue was funding and teacher shortages. HB 2756 also drew debate over data centers, utility reporting, and ratepayer impacts, but was amended and advanced. The Committee of the Whole then rose and reported its recommendations, which the Senate adopted. The Senate also adopted a proclamation supporting stronger Arizona and U.S. relations with Taiwan, and welcomed Taiwan’s Director General Jason Poyon Ma. The chamber calendared HB 2192 for additional Committee of the Whole consideration, adopted a Bolick amendment clarifying that telecom and broadband providers are not included in the definition of online hosting platform, and advanced the bill as amended. Later, the Senate took up third-reading votes on multiple measures, including HB 2249, HB 2482, HB 2641, HB 2661, HB 2662, HB 2673, HB 2745, HB 2752, HB 2895, HB 2923, and several House concurrent memorials on foreign ownership, endangered species, and related federal policy. Most passed, though several senators explained no votes on grounds such as budget concerns, policy objections, or opposition to limiting testimony or subpoena enforcement authority. At the end of the session, the Senate also passed HB 2369, HB 2423, HB 2481, HB 2621, HB 2756, HB 2192, and other listed bills by recorded roll call, with final vote totals announced for each. The Committee of the Whole report was adopted, bills were properly assigned, and committee announcements were made for the following Monday. The Senate then adjourned until Monday, April 20, 2026 at 1:15 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Epstein, I am neither a school administrator nor a math teacher, so I do not know the answer.
• And I think it's far better to have the whole team of teachers, parents, and students help the student
• Many math courses, certainly the advanced courses, we don't have enough math teachers.
• And maybe if we get more math majors, we'll have more math teachers.
• We need the money to recruit and retain math teachers; that would be the actual solution.

Transcript Highlights:

• We had a parade of reading teachers come through the committee and talk about the hell we put them through
• Okay, so is this basically based just on this teacher thing that you're talking about? No.
• This teacher thing that you're talking about? No, this is system-wide.
• And these teachers know exactly what they need to do. And, you know, we're talking planning.
• And you can convert that to a dollar—how much the cost to pay a reading teacher has 30...

Committee: House Government Efficiency

Summary: The Committee on Government Efficiency heard House Bill 2226, sponsored by Rep. Riggs, which would require fiscal notes to estimate the employee hours needed to implement new programs, in addition to costs. Riggs argued the bill would help lawmakers understand the real workload imposed by mandates, especially on schools and teachers, and said it was similar to language that previously passed committee. Several members supported the concept, citing burdens on educators and the need for better information, though some questioned the bill’s own fiscal note and suggested fiscal notes should be more accurate or grounded in facts. No vote was taken during the hearing, and the bill was opened to public testimony but no witnesses spoke for or against before the hearing closed. The committee then heard House Bill 2330, sponsored by Rep. West, an annexation bill. West said the bill would raise the contiguity requirement for annexation from 15% to 25%, bar cities from annexing adjacent unincorporated areas within 24 months of a prior annexation, and repeal a petition-based annexation procedure in certain counties. He argued the measure would slow aggressive annexation, protect rural landowners and county zoning, and reduce strain on roads, schools, water, sewer, and emergency services. Members generally agreed the bill addressed real concerns about strip annexation and overdevelopment, though some questioned whether the 25% threshold was too restrictive and whether the bill should distinguish between voluntary and involuntary annexation. A witness from St. Charles County testified in support, while an opposition witness said the bill reflected a misunderstanding of existing annexation law and noted current procedures already include voter protections and zoning review. The hearing concluded without a vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a ridiculous bill where teachers will have to talk about prenatal care, but they won't be able
• So basically, if a teacher was respectful of a student and called them by their preferred pronouns, they
• Again, we're punishing teachers for respecting students and providing an event... for a violation by
• Again, we're punishing teachers for respecting students and providing an event.
• Teachers for respecting students and providing an environment that feels safe for students, and we're

Summary: The caucus reviewed a long list of House bills that had returned from the Senate with amendments, with members repeatedly noting that sponsors intended to concur on most items. Topics included public health and vaccination rules (HB 2086, HB 2248), state investment in gold and silver (HB 2140), property records and voter-registration privacy (HB 2327), municipal and county regulation of business property and development fees (HB 2460, HB 2946, HB 2999), legislative subpoenas (HB 2745), cold plunge regulation (HB 2439), nursing-facility complaint timelines and licensed health aide rules (HB 2195, HB 2189), court-ordered treatment review (HB 2923), Access/Medicaid reimbursement and prior authorization for diagnostic services (HB 2932), inmate mental health study committee language (HB 2673), prenatal development instruction in schools (HB 2830), public records requests by legislators (HB 4056), parents’ rights and social transitioning in schools (HB 2249), school district financial compliance and facilities contracting (HB 2481, HB 2482), Native American language proficiency for graduation (HB 2895), advanced math auto-enrollment (HB 2423), special education and military-family procedures (HB 2621), AI rules for state agencies (HB 2592), eviction record sealing (HB 2244), tax filing penalties (HB 2016), shade structures in HOAs (HB 2342), homelessness-related community restitution (HB 2028), medical records timelines (HB 2557), PFAS firefighting foam restrictions (HB 2641), family-court expert testimony and prisoner transition services (HB 2662, HB 2440), address confidentiality protections (HB 2594), guardianship notice attestation (HB 2661), utilities for high-load customers (HB 2756), and nuclear-ready community planning (HB 2456). The committee also briefly moved to Caucus Calendar 19 for additional bills on mobile food vendors, school board training, out-of-state travel and meeting transparency, and a medical-intervention nondiscrimination bill. Several bills drew substantive discussion or criticism. Members debated HB 2932 at length, with staff explaining that Access said the bill would have a high fiscal impact because it would require reimbursement for non-contracted lab services and eliminate prior authorization for a broad range of diagnostic services, potentially increasing costs substantially. HB 2249 also prompted concern from members who argued it could force teachers to out students and create civil liability for using preferred pronouns or failing to notify parents about social transitioning. HB 2830 was criticized as requiring prenatal-development instruction while barring discussion of sexual activity or reproduction. HB 2028, which allows community restitution instead of a $20 probation assessment for people who are indigent and experiencing homelessness, was questioned as potentially punitive. HB 2481 was discussed as a way to help, rather than punish, small rural school districts struggling with financial-record compliance. The caucus also noted that several of the measures were sponsored by Democrats, which was highlighted as notable during the meeting. No formal votes were taken in the transcript. The caucus chair repeatedly asked for questions, and in most cases there were none, after which the sponsor was understood to intend concurrence with the Senate amendments. The meeting ended with adjournment after the caucus moved through the remaining calendar items.

Transcript Highlights:

• But on any kind of school trip, I mean, the FFA teacher takes the kids to an FFA convention and has to
• Additionally, it allows a teacher or a coach to be able to demonstrate that any such communications between
• He said they need moral teachers and thanked Mr. Wilson.
• He said laws cannot solve everything and that they need moral teachers. He thanked Mr. Wilson.
• noting he had school-age kids and that it was a fairly common medium for engaging with a child's teacher

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• teacher pay... ...we're not meeting all of our needs and obligations.
• I mean, we do, you know, what if more teachers left and we already have a teacher shortage, but what
• if more left and we needed to get teachers into our schools?
• I mean, we do, you know, what if more teachers left and we already have a teacher shortage, but what
• if more left and we needed to get teachers into our schools?

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Summary: The Appropriations Committee heard three measures focused on state finances. SB 1906 by Senator Brodeur would add a ninth element to the state debt reduction strategy report and create a program to transfer $250 million annually from the General Revenue Fund to accelerate retirement of outstanding state debt, while exempting the Department of Transportation and Florida Turnpike Enterprise. Members questioned the fiscal tradeoffs and flexibility, but the bill was supported in debate and reported favorably. The committee then considered SJR 1908 by Chair Hooper, which would amend the Constitution to raise the Budget Stabilization Fund cap from 10% to 25% of general revenue collections, require $750 million annual deposits until the cap is reached, and allow withdrawals for critical state needs by separate bill with a two-thirds vote, while keeping existing rules for emergencies and revenue shortfalls. Testimony and debate centered on whether Florida already has sufficient reserves, how “critical state need” would be defined, and whether the new requirement would reduce flexibility during recessions or federal funding cuts. Despite opposition from advocacy groups and several senators, the resolution was reported favorably. Finally, the committee took up HB 7031 as the vehicle for the tax package and adopted a delete-everything amendment to place it in the proper posture for conference. As amended, the bill was described as reducing the state sales tax by 0.75%, lowering the commercial rent tax from 2% to 1.25%, eliminating the business rent tax, and creating permanent sales tax exemptions while preserving sales tax holidays. The amended bill was reported favorably, and the committee then adjourned.