Transcript Highlights:

• my pleasure to introduce Assembly Member Solache's honoree, Ariana Bates, a dedicated high school counselor
• Beyond her role as a counselor, she serves as co-advisor for the school's Unity Club, GSA, a student

Transcript Highlights:

• I've been a sidewalk counselor for about 20 years, going to abortion clinics.
• Albuquerque area, that when the women arrive there, it's very, very difficult for the sidewalk counselors

Bills: SB6 , SB11 , SB33

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: electric power, interconnection, utilities, ERCOT, large load customers, water supply, sewer service, demand management, school prayer, Bible reading, religious text, public schools, Texas Education Code, student prayer, silent prayer, meditation, religious liberty, First Amendment, Establishment Clause, church and state

Transcript Highlights:

• This is an NCAA settlement with the court system and you can take that up with them, uh, Counselor.
• Well, counselor, you're going to have to read the contract that the university gave them.

Bills: HJR5 , HB39 , HB 102 , HB 126 , HB290 , HB300 , HB1330 , HB2110 , HB2143 , HCR64 , HCR101

Keywords: education funding, Texas State Technical College System, constitutional amendment, capital projects, workforce education, military education, early registration, ROTC, corps of cadets, higher education, military academy, student athletes, name image likeness, compensation, intercollegiate athletics, representation, tuition assistance, military, Texas State Guard, education

Transcript Highlights:

• They've slept under the ... city counselor I've been testifying in city counselor I've been testifying

Transcript Highlights:

• In other words, if you train Renee Good.
• In other words, if you train the<00:31:46.080><c> ICE</c><00:31:46.399><c> agents</c><00:31:46.880><c
• With degrees from Florida State and the University of Florida, plus executive training, Mr.
• With degrees from Florida State and the University of Florida, plus executive training, Mr.
• Under his training and recordkeeping.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I just want everyone to be aware we will deal with the counselors, the security officers, the nutrition
• We are not funded for a full-time nurse or counselor.
• We work within our budget to counselor.
• School counselors. Um, it was said earlier, 'Hey, we want to get this right.'
• We have counselors in every elementary.

Committee: Joint Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration

Transcript Highlights:

• I've spoken with Director John Skipa at the Police Standards and Training Academy.
• I've spoken with Director John Skipa at the Police Standards and Training Academy.
• work together to make sure that the work together to make sure that the proper<00:53:06.880><c> training
• went out and that um you proper training went out and that um you know<00:53:09.200><c> there</c><00
• and continue to this day even counselor and continue to this day even though<01:40:44.719><c> he</c>

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• rights trainings and provide technical assistance for information access, how to make materials easy
• and um provide uh technical trainings and um provide uh technical assistance<00:36:15.119><c> for</c
• We really can do some training measures and start to put a lot into the field that we're not finding
• They're not doing that at all, and their trainings fall short of actual dispute resolution process.
• Tim and I have both done a number of New Hampshire Association of Special Ed Administrator trainings.

Summary: The committee first heard from the Personnel Appeals Board, which explained that it became an independent state agency after Senate Bill 487 and was presenting its first standalone operating budget. The board described its quasi-judicial role in hearing appeals from classified state employees over disciplinary actions such as warnings, suspensions, and terminations, and said it handles about 25 to 35 cases a year, with some cases lasting longer because of their complexity. Members also outlined the need for a chair and vice chair who are attorneys, the board’s current staffing and space needs, and its plan to move away from reliance on Administrative Services for office support and website functions. The board requested about $353,500 for fiscal year 2026, including startup costs, routine operating expenses, and two new part-time positions: a program director and a paralegal. Members said the budget reflects the new independent status, includes funding for only four board members rather than the authorized five, and is designed to avoid full-time staffing costs and benefits. Legislators asked about the cost per case, the board’s relationship to DAS, whether appeals must go through the board before court, and how often cases are appealed further. The board said appeals must first go through it, that court appeals are infrequent but have increased recently, and that the board’s process is intended to resolve disputes more quickly and less expensively than court litigation. Committee members also asked about the board’s caseload, outcomes, and staffing. The board said that in the prior year there were 22 cases, with four decisions overturned in favor of employees, nine dismissals, and nine settlements, and that many disputes are resolved before reaching the board through a multi-step internal process. A member noted the governor and council had recently approved a new board member and were expected to approve a fifth soon. The discussion ended with questions about the board’s website and records access, which members said would need to be moved from Administrative Services as part of the agency’s transition. The committee then moved to the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities. The executive director explained that the council is 100 percent federally funded under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act and develops a five-year plan to address the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She said the council works with state agencies and advocacy organizations on quality-of-life issues, accessibility, voter rights training, and plain-language or easy-to-read materials, and that 60 percent of its membership must be individuals with disabilities or family members/guardians. She also described the council’s funding structure, including reimbursement to the state for operating costs, and noted that it currently has three full-time and three part-time positions, with no new positions requested but one full-time position being eliminated and replaced after a pandemic-era staffing change did not work out as planned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're trained in threat de-escalation. It's teamwork.
• Under stress, we're trained in threat de-escalation.
• They would have to be certified in all of that, and all the particular training.
• "And they would have to be certified in all of that, in all the particular training.
• But this would be sort of like a coach or counselor, but just a different task at hand.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• his leadership, the department continued efforts to modernize its operations, strengthen officers' training
• As trained spotters and radio station personnel called in Bill remained steadfast on the KNG airwaves
• She was a counselor. She was a volunteer.
• Their excellent training was on full display, and they quickly apprehended the suspect.
• tackles the nation's pilot shortage head-on by issuing targeted aviation bonuses, expanding the training

Transcript Highlights:

• In that training, they have diagnostic training. They have the training to prescribe.
• </c> training, they have diagnostic training. training, they have diagnostic training.
• </c> trained to do. trained to do.
• ,</c><02:58:54.080><c> pharmacist</c><02:58:54.560><c> training,</c> physician training, pharmacist training
• . training. training.

Committee: House Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• We know that that kind of training is so important for our educators.
• that we have to provide the funding for them to pay to become—to get the additional education and training
• We have to provide the funding for them to pay to become—to get the additional education and training
• We believe all elementary educators providing direct reading instruction should receive training on the
• We recommend setting aside a minimum of $250 million in block grant funds specifically to fund training

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance met for its annual Proposition 98 overview, with Chair Alvarez outlining the committee’s focus on K-12 funding, student outcomes, and use of one-time funds. Superintendent Tony Thurmond gave an update on education issues, including wildfire recovery support for affected school communities, ongoing concerns about federal threats to education funding and immigration enforcement, progress on literacy and math, dual-language immersion, educator housing, and support for dual enrollment. Members broadly expressed support for these priorities, while also raising concerns about implementation, funding stability, and the need for schools to remain safe places for students. The committee then reviewed the Governor’s Proposition 98 proposal. The Department of Finance said the 2025-26 Proposition 98 guarantee is projected at $118.9 billion, with higher revenues and TK-related rebenching driving the increase. The LAO said the budget adds about $7.5 billion over two years and discussed the volatility of the guarantee, especially in 2024-25, when changes in revenue could have an outsized effect on school funding. Members questioned the proposed $1.6 billion delayed settle-up payment, the legal basis for delaying it, and the impact of possible federal funding freezes. The LAO presented alternatives such as a reserve deposit or delayed disbursement, while Finance said the proposal is intended to manage uncertainty. Members also raised concerns that ethnic studies implementation was not funded in the January budget, and Finance said the administration was not proposing funding for it. The committee next heard on the Proposition 98 rainy day fund and education deferrals. Finance said the reserve would receive a mandatory deposit of about $1.2 billion in 2024-25 and a discretionary deposit of $376 million in 2025-26, leaving a balance of about $1.5 billion. The LAO supported rebuilding the reserve as a way to manage volatility. On deferrals, Finance described the Governor’s plan to eliminate remaining deferrals by 2025-26, and the LAO said paying them off improves cash flow and budget resilience. Members generally supported eliminating deferrals and rebuilding reserves, though some asked about acting earlier if revenues allow. The committee also reviewed the proposed $1.8 billion student support and professional development block grant; Finance said it would fund professional development, recruitment and retention, and dual enrollment, while the LAO recommended clearer language on local discretion and use for one-time costs. Members were divided, with some supporting flexibility and others warning that one-time block grants can create instability and confusion for districts.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a tenant counselor from the South of Market Community Action Network from San Francisco.
• I'm a tenant counselor from the South of Market Community Action Network from Thank you.
• I'm a tenant counselor from the South of Market Community Action Network from San Francisco.

Committee: House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• The counselors are sometimes overloaded in terms of trying to help get back on, I guess, an even plane
• Then I'm assuming the counselors would be deployed or sent to that immediate area that is undergoing
• A student would also be required to meet with their counselor, career coach, or other appropriate employee

Transcript Highlights:

• We're trained in threat de-escalation. It's teamwork.
• Under stress, we're trained in threat de-escalation.
• Although they're not armed, they would have training to de-escalate fights. Yes, sir.
• They would have to be certified in all of that, and all the particular training.
• And they would have to be certified in all of that, in all the particular training.

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The Senate Education Committee met to hear several education-related measures. It reported favorably, without objection, on House Bill 1215, which would transfer certain removed historical statues and monuments to the Office of State Parks, prohibit re-erection in the parish where they were removed, and require interpretive signage. The committee also advanced House Bill 682, which creates a school guardian program for honorably discharged veterans employed or contracted by local school systems or charter schools; testimony emphasized that guardians would be unarmed, trained, and used for mentoring and school safety. House Bill 1079, giving enrollment preferences in charter schools to children in early childhood programs, military families, foster children, and children in custody disputes, was also reported favorably, as was House Concurrent Resolution 81, directing the Department of Education to study options for districts facing declining enrollment. The committee then took up House Bill 1084, which would allow public postsecondary institutions to raise tuition and mandatory fees by up to 15 percent annually, with higher increases requiring Board of Supervisors approval. The bill drew extended debate over affordability, TOPS, student retention, and whether universities should have more autonomy to set prices. Members raised concerns about fee burdens on families and whether the state should first study the issue; supporters argued the bill would increase transparency and let institutions respond to funding needs and market conditions. Senator Mazzell offered an amendment lowering the cap from 15 percent to 10 percent, and the committee adopted the amendment before reporting the bill favorably as amended. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 342, which would shift the burden of proof in special education due process hearings from parents to local education agencies. The author and parents testified that the current system places an unfair burden on families of children with disabilities, who often lack access to records and legal resources, and that schools already control the documentation and should have to show compliance with IEP obligations. Jefferson Parish school officials opposed the bill, arguing it would increase legal costs, require more staff and attorney time, and potentially lead to more hearings; they also questioned the fiscal note. The Legislative Fiscal Office said the fiscal impact was indeterminable, and the committee continued hearing testimony from parents and school representatives as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• identified disability, something that's been identified by the school district, whether it's some counselor
• the school district, whether<01:02:48.840><c> it's</c><01:02:48.960><c> some</c><01:02:49.120><c> counselor
• ,</c><01:02:49.600><c> some</c><01:02:50.360><c> but</c> whether it's some counselor, some but whether
• it's some counselor, some but he's<01:02:50.720><c> somewhere</c><01:02:51.120><c> that's</c><01:02:

Summary: The committee of conference on HB 751 reviewed amendment 2026-1904H page by page, focusing on open enrollment rules, capacity definitions, statewide enrollment limits, denial criteria, transportation, and funding. Members discussed clarifying that districts may set capacity at zero if they truly have no room, creating a statewide enrollment cap of 500 that can increase by 25% if it reaches 90% utilization, and exempting seats already used by open enrollment students before October 1, 2026. They also discussed how the Department of Education would allocate seats through rulemaking, while local districts would still set capacity, with grandfathered seats preserved where districts already allow open enrollment. A substantial portion of the meeting centered on when districts may deny open enrollment applications. The amendment would allow denials for reasons such as chronic absenteeism or disciplinary history, while requiring districts to consider whether those issues are tied to disability, McKinney-Vento status, foster care, or bullying. Members emphasized that such factors are to be considered, not used as the sole basis for rejection, and noted that the bill separately prohibits receiving schools from accepting or rejecting applicants based on pupil needs, special education needs, disability, aptitude, or athletic achievement. There was also discussion of whether interdistrict transfers should count toward open enrollment capacity, with a suggestion that a carve-out may be needed. The committee also reviewed provisions on program-specific capacity, continuous enrollment, and transportation. It was explained that capacity can apply to a school, grade, program, or class, including CTE programs, and that students may be denied if a specific program is full or if they do not meet prerequisites. The group clarified that open enrollment pupils would maintain continuous enrollment without reapplying, though there was concern about how that would work if district capacity changes over time. Transportation would generally be the parent’s responsibility unless required by an IEP or 504 plan, though students may use an existing bus route if seats are available and the receiving district allows it. On funding, the committee noted that the amendment changes the earlier HB 751 approach and instead ties open enrollment funding to base adequacy, differentiated aid, and an additional grant modeled on charter school funding, with dates removed at the department’s request. Members also raised concerns about how open enrollment would interact with existing tuition agreements and whether districts could use the new pathway to alter or pressure those arrangements. Department staff said districts would still be required to maintain a school of record and provide an adequate education free of charge outside the open enrollment program, and that if open enrollment enrollment became unusually large relative to district adequacy enrollment, the issue could be brought to the state board. No votes were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Marriage and family therapists, licensed mental health counselors, social workers, clinical psychologists
• 01:04:37.960><c> Health</c> therapists licensed Mental Health therapists licensed Mental Health Counselors
• <01:04:38.760><c> social</c><01:04:39.079><c> workers</c><01:04:39.559><c> clinical</c> Counselors social
• workers clinical Counselors social workers clinical psychologists<01:04:40.799><c> Etc</c><01:04:41.319

Committee: Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs

Summary: The joint Senate committee hearing considered HB 472 HD1 on digital identification and HB 1097 HD1 on public housing evictions, followed by HB 1325 HD3 on housing redevelopment and tenant relocation rights. HB 472 would require digital IDs to be accepted under certain conditions and allow law enforcement to use them as proof of identity; the committee heard limited testimony, then adopted a recommendation to pass with amendments, including changing “shall” to “may” and adding effective and defective dates. HB 1097 would shorten the storage period for unclaimed personal effects after a public housing eviction; the Hawaii Public Housing Authority supported the bill, while some members raised concerns about the impact on displaced families. The committee moved the bill forward with discussion of the agency’s eviction process, waitlist size, and the need to free units sooner for other applicants. HB 1325 HD3 drew extensive testimony and discussion. The bill would require developers of certain HHFDC affordable housing projects to provide displaced tenants with a right of first refusal for a comparable unit or relocation assistance, along with information, tracking, and enforcement provisions. HHFDC supported the measure but suggested amendments to require both relocation assistance and a right of first refusal, without requiring the same rent as the prior unit. Legal aid, housing advocates, community organizations, and many tenants testified in strong support, emphasizing displacement during public housing redevelopment, inadequate communication, accessibility problems, and the need for enforceable rights to return. Several tenants described confusing notices, unsuitable replacement units, and hardship for elders, disabled residents, and children. The discussion also highlighted concerns about developer compliance and the need for state-level enforcement. No final vote on HB 1325 was shown in the transcript excerpt, but the hearing included substantial questioning of the housing authority and testimony from affected residents. The committee also discussed the broader redevelopment context, including large-scale public housing demolition and replacement plans, and the potential consequences for families if relocation and return rights are not clearly enforced.

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:54:14.240><c> an</c> They each municipality still has representatives, senators, executive counselors
• 27.680><c> executive</c> representatives, senators, executive representatives, senators, executive counselors
• 30.240><c> here</c><00:55:31.280><c> um</c><00:55:31.359><c> or</c><00:55:31.680><c> supposed</c> counselors
• who are here um or supposed counselors who are here um or supposed to<00:55:32.160><c> be</c><00:55:

Summary: The committee first returned to House Bill 157, which had been left pending from an earlier session. After correcting the procedural posture, the committee voted on a motion of ought to pass and it failed on a roll call. A reconsideration motion then passed unanimously, restoring the bill to the floor. Representative Turcot then moved ITL, explaining the committee believed there was a better path, likely through an ad hoc study and a future bill; that motion passed 9-2, and the chair said a minority report would be required and not to place the bill on consent. The committee next took up House Bill 331, which would require the Secretary of State to publish the current location of bills on the website until gubernatorial action. Supporters said the bill would reduce confusion and legislative limbo after bills leave the House and Senate. Online testimony was reported as 116 in support and 4 opposed. The committee voted 11-0 to pass the bill and placed it on consent. House Bill 347 followed, dealing with protections for legislators’ employment when serving in office. Supporters argued it would protect elected officials from employer retaliation and clarify existing law; opponents said it was an unnecessary mandate on employers and raised enforcement concerns, especially for out-of-state employers. The committee voted 8-3 to pass the bill, and a minority report was anticipated; it was not placed on consent. The committee then considered House Bill 605, which included student loan forgiveness provisions tied to legislative service. Members opposing the bill argued legislators are not state employees and should not receive that benefit, while others noted the bill’s employment-related provisions and the difficulty of meeting the hours requirement. The committee voted 11-0 to ITL House Bill 605 and placed it on consent.

Transcript Highlights:

• And you know, the good thing in terms of the emotional is that there is a team of guidance counselors
• a team emotional is that that there is a team of<02:16:15.440><c> guidance</c><02:16:15.960><c> counselors
• </c><02:16:16.719><c> and</c><02:16:16.920><c> social</c> of guidance counselors and social of guidance
• counselors and social workers<02:16:18.360><c> so</c><02:16:19.040><c> um</c><02:16:19.440><c> the</

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• There are training efforts to make sure that the CBOs can support workers and also train worker leaders
• And are you working with community colleges or different vendors, or who is doing this training?
• So whatever you can do to get that out, I think you'll be happy to see additional people train.
• So whatever you can do to get that out, I think you'll be happy to see additional people train.
• Employment Training Panel under the Labor Agency.