Transcript Highlights:

• I am 10 years old and in fifth grade at Monta Vista Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• I'm 11 years old and I'm in fifth grade at Monta Vista Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• I'm 10 years old and I'm in fifth grade at Monta Vista Elementary School in Albuquerque.

Bills: HM26, HB243, HB109

Keywords: insects, ecosystem, education, public awareness, wildlife conservation, state agency involvement, New Mexico, equine welfare, animal rescue, shelter funding, trust fund, veterinary care, water project fund, water project finance act, New Mexico Finance Authority, water infrastructure, water grants, water loans, regional water planning, water rights adjudication

Transcript Highlights:

• But there's also, I think, a big consideration around the country right now over which grade levels should
• Losses across the school or across the grade level.
• So you'll start to see some of those, including by subgroup, grade level, and name. Great.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But there's also, I think, a big consideration around the country right now over which grade levels should
• They're not uniform losses across the school or across the grade level.
• So you'll start to see some of those, including by subgroup, grade level, and name. Great!

Transcript Highlights:

• In the last seven years, our third grade reading rate has gone up 26% while the state has stayed flat
• I was curious about your kindergarten readiness or your third grade, kindergarten readiness of third
• grade reading.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education received a presentation from the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget and the Department of Education on the Governor’s fiscal year 2026-27 education budget. Shelby Salmons outlined the overall budget framework, and Commissioner Stasi Kamoutsis highlighted major education investments, including $486 million for VPK, $30.6 billion for K-12 education, a $761.1 million increase in FEFP funding, the highest per-student funding level to date, and $201 million more for teacher pay flexibility. The presentation also emphasized school safety, mental health, civics education, and the Guardian Program, along with continued funding for TEACH, HIPPY, Help Me Grow, and civics debate and literacy initiatives. Members asked about how the mental health allocation would be used, counselor staffing ratios, school closures and whether the department intervenes, oversight of school choice and voucher-funded schools, and the Guardian Program’s pay structure and effectiveness. Senators also raised concerns about the FISH school capacity report, data collection, teacher pay, professional development, AI and tutoring technology, and whether the budget adequately supports mental health services and school safety. The Commissioner said many funding decisions are left to districts, that the department stands ready to assist, and that the Guardian Program has been successful and expanded over time. During public testimony, Pinellas County School Board member Laura Hine said her district spends far more on safety and mental health than it receives in state categorical funding, and urged the committee to consider full-day VPK funding, arguing it has improved third-grade reading outcomes in Pinellas. Senators followed up on district flexibility and local spending choices. The committee took no substantive vote on the budget presentation and adjourned after thanking the department for its recommendations and partnership.

Transcript Highlights:

• an issue for us as a state, understand that as children, by the time they get in 10th, 11th, 12th grade
• ... ...as children, by the time they get in 10th, 11th, 12th grade, they're not proficient because they
• when they had to start the process of the end-of-year assessments, send off the results, get the grading

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions, including recognition of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Founders’ Day and a visiting debate student. The chamber then received and adopted, by a 39-0 vote, a committee report confirming 52 gubernatorial executive appointments to various state, regional, and local boards and commissions. The first major bill was SB 250 on rural communities, described as a broad “Rural Renaissance” package. Sponsor Senator Simon outlined provisions creating an Office of Rural Prosperity, a Renaissance Grant Program for counties facing population loss, housing and transportation investments, additional funding for rural education, and rural health care support. Two amendments were adopted to remove overlapping grant language tied to new federal rural health funding and to update hospital funding estimates. Senators from both parties generally supported the bill, though some raised questions about eligibility for certain rural areas and how funds would be accessed. The bill passed 39-0. The Senate then took up CS/SB 318 on educational scholarship programs. Senator Gates said the bill responds to Auditor General findings by separating scholarship funding from public school funding, requiring student identification and enrollment verification, reducing administrative fees for scholarship funding organizations, requiring annual audits, and directing the Department of Education to develop a competitive selection and performance-based business plan for those organizations. Three amendments were adopted, including changes to the stabilization fund and documentation requirements. Senators from both parties debated transparency, accountability, and implementation concerns, with some also urging future attention to declining-enrollment school districts and the quality of scholarship providers. The bill passed 38-0. At the end of the session, the Senate waived rules to immediately certify SB 250 and CS/SB 318 to the House, welcomed Palm Beach County visitors in the gallery, and adjourned until the next scheduled meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• In the last seven years, our third-grade reading rate has gone up 26% while the state has stayed flat
• In the last seven years, our third grade reading rate has gone up 26% while the state has stayed flat
• I was curious about your kindergarten readiness or your third-grade reading.

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education met to hear the governor’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget recommendations for education from the Office of Policy and Budget and the Department of Education. Shelby Salmons and Commissioner Stasi Kamoutsis outlined the governor’s proposed $117.4 billion state budget, including about $32.5 billion for education, with major emphasis on public schools and early learning. The presentation highlighted a $30.6 billion K-12 budget, a $486 million VPK program, continued funding for VPK Summer Bridge, TEACH, HIPPY, and Help Me Grow, as well as increases for teacher pay, base student allocation, mental health, school safety, civics education, and school hardening initiatives. The commissioner also cited a 92.2% statewide graduation rate and Florida’s national rankings in education and education freedom. Senators used the question period to raise concerns about counselor staffing, mental health services, school closures, school choice oversight, the Guardian Program, data reporting, and school capacity. Senator Jones asked about counselor ratios, school closures in historically Black communities, and whether school choice schools are properly monitored for safety and instructional quality. Senator Osgood argued that mental health funding should support more clinical services on campuses, not just academic counselors, and Senator Bradley asked whether the centralized data repository includes scholarship students. Senator Gates praised the civics and debate funding and asked for more detail on the Guardian Program’s performance; the commissioner said 53 of 67 districts participate and described it as a successful safety option with sheriffs approving training. Senators Simon and Osgood also pressed for better use of the FISH report and more accurate space data to understand school capacity and right-sizing. During public testimony, Pinellas County School Board member Laura Hine said her district is an A-rated district with no D or F schools, but spends far more on safety and mental health than it receives in state categorical funding. She said Florida’s mental health staffing ratio is about one counselor per 2,203 students, compared with a recommended one per 1,106, and urged the committee to consider funding full-day VPK statewide, estimating it would cost about $375 million. Committee members followed up on her comments about local flexibility and whether districts can shift funds to meet needs. The meeting ended after members thanked DOE and executive branch staff for the presentation, and the committee adjourned without taking any substantive vote on legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• a result of the last session, ADE is now required to offer pre-ACT testing to Arkansas students in grade
• 9 and grade 10 beginning in this school year.
• That will be offered free to all 9th and 10th grade students in the state.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It evaluates Texas' infrastructure, and my civil engineering experts assign a letter grade to all the
• They take the next step and make recommendations to help raise those grades. Our drinking water...
• times in the form of growing capital costs in the state water plan, the ASCE report card showing low grades

Bills: HB3077, HJR2, HJR7, HJR7

Keywords: alcohol, taxation, reporting requirements, sales, distribution, death tax, inheritance tax, estate tax, property transfer, constitutional amendment, water fund, Texas water supply, state revenue, infrastructure, HJR 7, Texas Legislature, quorum, majority quorum, two-thirds quorum, legislative procedure

Transcript Highlights:

• They said, well, we want to make sure we get a very high grade.
• Students will take less rigorous courses so they can make a higher grade, and the weighting of courses
• But when he was in the seventh grade, we found out about Aggies Achieve, and from then on we had ourselves

Bills: SB750, SB2995, SB1716, SB2430, SB203, SB1679, SB2683, SB1414

Keywords: tuition exemption, paramedics, higher education, public institutions, laboratory fees, education code, financial aid, education, student support, scholarships, nontraditional education, student enrollment, financial assistance, Texas students, foreign adversaries, trade secrets, research integrity, security measures, international agreements, student privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, most homes in Texas are on slab on grade.
• These layers of code require a special ASTM grading class 2 classification of that vapor retarder.
• Your normal builder-grade electrical blue box that you see at rough inspection costs 50 cents.

Bills: HB407, HB871, HB882, HB2011, HB3572, HB3578, HB4038, HB4866, HB4897, HB4978, HB5380, HB5555, HB5668, HB5670, HB5674, HB5676, HB5679, HB5688, SB673

Keywords: solar energy, residential construction, building code, municipal regulations, energy compliance, building codes, interconnection, education, funding, teacher support, student resources, school infrastructure, municipal requirements, environmental sustainability, municipalities, construction, agricultural operation, International Code Council, county regulations, construction fees

Transcript Highlights:

• All the children in the 7th grade class, if y'all stand and recognize so we can see you on the on the
• Garza who's a seventh grade junior high teacher.
• HB 603 by Tepper relating to the operation of school buses at certain railroad grade crossings.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and after um a new middle school and after um conducting<00:04:20.320> the<00:04:20.440> grade
• ><00:04:20.680> upon<00:04:21.000> procedures<00:04:21.799> it conducting the grade
• upon procedures it conducting the grade upon procedures it was<00:04:22.160> determined<00:04

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Committee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development met, approved the minutes from its first meeting, and then received a presentation on the School Facility Assistance Fund audit. State Auditor Allison Ball’s office and its third-party contractor, Blue and Co., explained that the audit followed the scope set in the budget bill: to review each school project’s cost, available local resources, and eligibility criteria for state gap funding, with the Auditor of Public Accounts certifying the final report. The presenters walked through the 20 school projects identified for review and gave the current gap funding amounts found for each. Examples included Adair County at about $7.6 million, Augusta Independent at $5.3 million, B.S. Down Independent at just over $43 million, Fleming County at about $15 million, Garrard County at $14.9 million, Johnson County at $78 million, Somerset Independent at $1.7 million, Walton Verona at $48,000, Williams Town Independent at $7.4 million, and several others. They also noted that some districts were fully funded before the audit or withdrew because they had secured enough local funding, including Breathitt County, Kent County, and Lewis County. Washington County’s project was flagged as failing some House Bill 6 eligibility criteria even though the report calculated a $27.6 million gap. Members asked whether districts that secured funding on their own were being penalized, and the auditors responded that changes in gap amounts reflected several factors, including rising project costs and newly available local funding. They also said the audit did not attempt to determine whether local funds were earmarked for one project versus another, because the budget bill directed them to assess available local funding as provided. The committee requested the presentation slides, and the meeting concluded with no further questions and a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 1986, I was a fourth-grade student in Espanola Public Schools, and our teacher, Ms.
• In the fourth grade, Leo Jaramillo (member_22668) stood up and proudly said, "I will win an election
• I ensure it's a paid legislature and that anybody can have the dream as a fourth-grade student to run

Transcript Highlights:

• I should be worried about my grades or even silly drama amongst my friends, not about politics.'
• I should be worried about my grades or even silly drama amongst my friends, not about politics.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then confirmed a quorum of 30 present and approved the Journal from January 27, 2026. Several senators used points of personal privilege to welcome guests, including Aliento students visiting for an education day, gun safety advocacy groups, constituents, a legal studies shadowing guest, a scientist from Tempe, and aging-services advocates. Senators also spoke in support of student walkouts protesting ICE activity and praised the students’ activism. The chamber then moved through the second reading calendar, listing a large number of bills and resolutions covering topics such as water policy, health care, public records, education, insurance, elections, housing, utilities, criminal justice, and appropriations. No floor debate or votes on those measures were recorded in the transcript, and committee reports were placed on the journal without being read. After a recess, the Senate took up first-reading introductions and referred additional bills to committees, including measures on public benefits eligibility, public safety counseling, missing kidnapped children reporting, solar energy, elections, firearms instruction in schools, HOA and condominium issues, housing restrictions, water quality testing, and cargo theft. The Health and Human Services Committee was announced to meet Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in Senate Hearing Room 2, and the Senate adjourned until Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 10 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• So 6th, 7th, and 8th grades are allowed to have this program, which will give the kids the ability to
• commissioner having the opportunity to define curriculum for certification to gain both in 11th and 12th grade

Bills: HB 1079, HB3651, HB4980

Keywords: Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, Leadership Officer Training Corps, public school, career education, military readiness, public school accountability, funding allotments, healthcare, insurance, cost control, patient access, regulation, affordability, public health, JROTC, automobile maintenance, high school education, elective course, student skills, practical knowledge

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I think that's a wave of the future is getting more kids in recess through 12th grade and not giving
• up on it after grade school.
• and not giving up on it after grade and not giving up on it after grade<00:37:12.800> school.
• Does as you said it um grade school.
• FFA is an agriculture organization for students grades 7th through 12th, and it's run by students.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I've got a seventh-grade girl in the distinguished math scholar program at Crosby Middle School.
• If they're not reading by fourth grade, that's an indicator they're going to prison.
• <01:02:05.280> If their reading scores at fourth grade.
• If their reading scores at fourth grade.
• , they're not reading by fourth grade, they're not reading by fourth grade, that's<01:02:07.599><

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call: 0:00:08 26RS SB 3: 0:02:50 26RS SB 1: 0:21:12, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 3, which would expand financial transparency requirements for Kentucky school districts. Sponsor Senator Lindsey Tichenor said the bill would require public access to budgeting and spending information, including final working budgets, monthly credit card statements, superintendent contracts and compensation, audits, and related financial reports posted on district websites. A committee amendment correcting citations was adopted by voice vote. Supporters, including Laura O’Brien, described examples of district spending they viewed as excessive and argued that more detailed public disclosure would help taxpayers and school boards identify misuse of funds. Senator Higdon and others voiced support for transparency, while Senator Meredith said he supported the intent but wanted the bill to go further. The committee passed SB 3 with 11 aye votes and one no vote, with favorable expression. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senator David Givens, which would restore and clarify governance changes for Jefferson County Public Schools by defining the roles of the school board and superintendent. Givens said the bill responds to a state Supreme Court ruling and includes 42 stated reasons for the governance changes. Opponents, including Jefferson County Teachers Association president Maddie Shepard, JCPS Superintendent Brian Yearwood, and board member James Craig, argued the bill would weaken local democratic control, concentrate authority in one administrator, and reduce community voice. Yearwood said he works collaboratively with the board and that the bill is about adults and governance rather than students, while Craig said the district needs stronger oversight, not less. Supporters of the bill argued that the current structure has not produced adequate results and that the changes are needed to improve outcomes and accountability. The transcript ends during the SB 1 testimony and discussion, before a final vote is taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Isn't it true that the railroad grade still exists, that is, the built-up land, across cuts and fills
• In much of the corridor, there is still graded earth there, where this project is, but there is very
• little of the railroad grade there because Interstate 89 split the town in three pieces.
• Earth there yeah where this still graded Earth there yeah where this CAC<00:44:31.599> project
• <00:44:35.640> there<00:44:35.920> because the railroad uh grade there because the

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment just clarifies that this is shall apply to grades 3 through 8.
• Right now, we're on the amendment to the amendment, which only changes it to grades 3 through 8.
• grade.
• The second week of January, she finished second grade.
• Does your amendment fix what the problem may have been there for fifth grade?

Bills: HB4420, HB3974, HB3016, HB3062, HB3021, HB3145, HB4128, HB3131, HB3015, HB3472, HB3453, HB1638, HB4126, HB2696, HB2710, HB3552, HB3031, HB3544, HB3521, HB4490, HB4488, HB1746, HJR1069, HB4428, HB4429, HB1170, HB3538, HB4124, HB3904, HB4106, HB2999, HB3982, HJR1077, HB3464, HB2588, HB3462, HB4440, HB3674, HB3345, HJR1067, HB4326, HB4331, HB4337, HB4338, HB4359, HB4392, HB3557, HJR1076, HB4003, HB3495, HB3497, HB3501, HB3505, HB3749, HB3011, HB4336, HB4346, HJR1087, HB3240, HB3647, HB3796, HB3969, HB3972, HB3983, HB3984, HB3989, HB3383, HB3130, HB4358, HB3327, HJR1055, HB3386, HJR1089, HB3087, HB2970, HB3314, HB4129, HB4199

Keywords: reading, intervention, literacy, education, third grade retention, teacher training, funding, Strong Readers Act, tort claims, inmate housing, government immunity, public trust, private prison, emergency legislation, vision screening, binocular vision, kindergarten, elementary education, health, firearm rights

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> No, I took phonics in the first grade. I took California phonics in the first grade.
• <00:17:10.799> I >> I took phonics in the first grade.
• I >> I took phonics in the first grade.
• :17:12.959> first took California phonics in the first took California phonics in the first grade
• And it's just like California grade.

Keywords: 1189, house, all