Transcript Highlights:

• the federal school lunch program, to make sure kids are fed and ready to learn, the state school voucher
• <01:35:33.000> sure<01:35:33.239> kids school lunch program to make sure kids school
• require school Voucher Program doesn't require school Voucher Program doesn't require annual<
• lunch programs.
• lunch programs.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I have a background of working in education, both in school and out-of-school programming.
• > most<00:15:56.279> recently out of school programming most recently out of school programming
• are entitled to a free breakfast and lunch during the school year.
• and our schools successfully continue to meet their obligations under this program.
• > integrity schools and addresses program integrity schools and addresses program integrity and<00

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It really has no place in schools.
• It really has no place in schools.
• It really has no place in schools.
• school lunches, maybe educating on the abundance of natural nutrients available, sunshine, and exercise
• towards programs of healthier school school school lunches<00:37:35.560> maybe<00:37:35.839><

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Education met on April 1 at 2:04 p.m. and first heard HCR 129/HR 125/HD1, which asks state and county transportation and education agencies to work together on pedestrian safety and traffic congestion around Haiku Elementary School. The Department of Education said it stood on its written testimony, and no other testimony was offered on that measure. The committee then took up HCR 173/HR 169/HD1, urging the Department of Health to begin education outreach and vaccination drive efforts at schools with vaccination rates under 30 percent, starting in the 2025-26 school year. The Department of Education and Department of Health both supported the resolution and stood on their written testimony. Support also came from the Hawaii Public Health Institute, Hawaii Nurses Association, the Democratic Party of Hawaii Health Committee, and Free Citizens of Malua. A number of testifiers opposed the measure, arguing that vaccination efforts do not belong in schools, that the proposal would pressure families and undermine parental rights and religious freedom, and that it could create liability and misuse public funds. Several opponents also raised concerns about informed consent, government overreach, and vaccine safety. One supporter, Kye Swan, said vaccines are the way to fight infectious disease and asked the committee to pass the resolution so children could be vaccinated before the school year starts. No vote or final committee action on the resolutions was announced in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And actually, your work as a lunch lady is pretty darn important too. I like lunches at schools.
• And actually, your work as a lunch lady is pretty darn important too. I like lunches at schools.
• Jerry Raymond was a good friend of mine, went to elementary school, high school, and college with him
• Jerry Raymond was a good friend of mine, went to elementary school, high school, and college with him
• , high school, and to elementary school, high school, and college<00:54:26.240> with<00:54:26.480

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, there was a physical note that I ran into a few of you folks having lunch one day.
• Public and private partnerships are the way to go, whether it's educating our kids in the CTE schools
• ran into a few of you folks having lunch ran into a few of you folks having lunch one<00:09:17.680
• our kids in the in the the CTE schools our kids in the in the the CTE schools or<00:09:54.000>
• What would be the decrease in time period for this by doing this program? Thank you.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The public hearing focused on Senate Bill 153, a proposal to speed up Department of Transportation driveway/entrance permitting for larger residential developments, generally 20 units or more. Senator Mark McConkey, the prime sponsor, said long permit delays can stall financing and housing construction, and explained that the bill creates a second, expedited permitting lane funded by a per-door fee. He said the original 90-day mandate was replaced with a more workable process developed with DOT and the New Hampshire Homebuilders Association, and noted that the fiscal note had been removed. Committee members asked about the fee structure, timing, whether the bill applied to 20 doors/units, and whether it affected income-restricted housing; McConkey said it does not include income-based incentives and does not change zoning or local planning requirements, only the DOT permit timeline. Industry witnesses strongly supported the bill. Matt Mayberry of the New Hampshire Homebuilders Association said the proposal is a public-private partnership the industry requested, that time delays can jeopardize financing, and that builders are willing to pay for faster review as long as safety remains the top priority. Joshua Reap of Associated Builders and Contractors gave similar support, saying DOT bottlenecks have long slowed projects and that the bill would help move approved developments forward without burdening taxpayers. Questions from members focused on whether the expedited lane would pressure DOT to approve unsafe projects, whether consultants would already be vetted, and how the process would work alongside local approvals; witnesses said DOT would still retain final sign-off and that the process would be transparent and safety-focused. Alan Hanscom of DOT then explained the department’s role in more detail. He said the bill would require DOT to issue permits within 60 business days after approval of the traffic impact study for qualifying residential projects, and would create a $120 per-unit fee to fund a dedicated liaison position and software upgrades. He said the applicant would also pay for third-party consultant engineer review under DOT oversight, with the consultant costs passed through at no DOT markup and any unused funds returned to the applicant. Hanscom said DOT has been working with the sponsor and builders to clarify the process and improve transparency, and estimated the fee would support a position that coordinates between applicants, districts, consultants, and DOT bureaus to reduce dead time in the review process.

Transcript Highlights:

• the school, I cannot devices at all.
• of School Administrators and the secretary of the Consortium for School Networking, Minnesota chapter
• school districts.
• But I've seen, for example, schools saying, like I saw one school from 9 to 11, no class... ...can have
• I think that schools can do this already.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And for lunch today, we will be providing Frito pie. We will feed you lunch also.
• They were included as eligible entities at the NMFA in the PPRF program.
• Our first original housing projects received $300,000 from the development block grants program.
• You know, at this point, I think we can take our lunch break.
• And we have Frito pie for lunch. Okay? You guys take a break. Stretch out.

Transcript Highlights:

• I walked away from MCAD faculty lunch.
• Sabrina Lee, an Edina High School Sabrina Lee, an Edina High School graduate,<00:09:03.360> only
• ,<00:27:24.720> if well, there's a in this program, if well, there's a in this program, if
• Either revoke or this program, or are we just doing this program?
• So, thank you. another program. I am a huge fan of another program.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And the issue was there were some families that had rung up some school debt, lunch debt specifically
• <00:23:27.520> school<00:23:27.840> boards schools can school local school boards schools
• School, middle school English, middle school math, middle school science.
• public school to a private school public school to a private school outside<01:10:41.679> the
• Um, do you know of any anti-bullying programs that they're participating in at this Salem school that

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 69, which would require local school boards to publicly vote on whether to accept or reject charitable gifts or donations, prompted by a case in which a church offered to pay off school lunch debt but the offer was refused and families were sued instead. Senator Keith Murphy said the bill is intended to force transparency and public accountability in similar situations, while acknowledging that boards may still reject gifts with strings attached or for ethical reasons. Members raised questions about anonymity, privacy, and whether school boards already have authority to address meal debt before litigation. Murphy said the bill was aimed at cases where money is refused and families are sued, and he said he would accept amendments to make the vote requirement apply to both accepted and rejected gifts. The hearing on the bill was then closed. The committee then took up Senate Bill 206, which requires public schools to adopt policies limiting student cell phone use during the school day. Trisha Milo, presenting for Senator Rashardi, said the bill is meant to improve focus, reduce distraction and cyberbullying, and create more consistent policies across districts, while still allowing exceptions for medical, disability, language support, and instructional needs. Committee members questioned whether districts would retain flexibility, whether the bill should apply to charter schools and other devices, and whether the annual policy-update requirement and enforcement language were too prescriptive. Milo said districts would still have flexibility in how they write their policies and that she would seek clarification from the senator on several drafting questions. Becky Wilson of the New Hampshire School Boards Association testified in support of the general concept of a cell phone policy, saying many districts already have some form of policy, though not all do, and that existing sample policies are outdated. She said the annual update requirement would likely be burdensome and that the enforcement language seemed intended to ensure administrative involvement rather than teacher discipline, but she suggested the wording may need revision. Members also discussed whether very small districts or districts without schools should be covered and whether the bill should better distinguish between classroom enforcement and student discipline. The chair closed the hearing on Senate Bill 206 after no further testimony, and the committee moved on to the next bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also launched the Patriot School Program.
• Wanted you all to be School Program.
• > our foundation program team, and with our foundation program team, and with our school<00:08
• And that is where the schools have to look for those programs.
• <03:17:47.120> program<03:17:47.520> that develop your high school program that develop

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• over the Treasury Department's payment system, and colleagues, that has a direct effect on major programs
• Kennedy also failed on several occasions to show a basic understanding of the Medicare and Medicaid programs
• We have a SNAP program that has too much sugar and items that are eligible in that program that should
• be eliminated to make those on free and reduced lunch healthier.
• We need to stop having full trash cans in public school cafeterias filled with items that the kids aren't

Transcript Highlights:

• free and reduced lunch indicators, tend to have higher chronic absenteeism rates than schools that have
• It's a research-based program that pairs students in schools with mentors, a dedicated adult when a student
• We increase our check-ins, kind of start that mentor program at the school-based level, so the administrative
• They can come see it before school, at lunch, or anything like that. ...and then, of course, our Tier
• I was a part of something in my district when I was a school board member that we called the Sparks Program

Summary: The committee met to discuss student attendance and chronic absenteeism in Florida K-12 schools, with Chair Simon outlining the state’s attendance requirements and intervention process, including school contact after unexcused absences, child study team review, district superintendent referral, DJJ family services referral, truancy petitions, and possible parental prosecution and driver’s license consequences. Dr. Chris Curran of the University of Florida presented statewide data showing chronic absenteeism has risen sharply since the pandemic, with Florida at about 31.4% in 2023–24, and noted that absenteeism varies by district, school level, demographics, and urbanicity. He emphasized that causes are multifaceted—ranging from transportation, mental health, housing instability, safety concerns, and family circumstances—and said effective responses include early warning systems, text or phone outreach, multi-tiered interventions, mentoring programs like Check & Connect, and community partnerships. He also cautioned that punitive responses alone are often less effective than addressing root causes and keeping students engaged academically even when they miss school. Collier County Superintendent Leslie Ricciardelli described her district’s attendance efforts as a priority supported by attendance specialists, social workers, mental health staff, home visits, attendance contracts, and extensive parent communication. She said Collier’s chronic absenteeism rate was about 9% in 2023–24 and attributed success to consistent monitoring, family outreach, and community support, while stressing that students must be physically present to learn. She also argued that many absences are tied to barriers such as clothing, transportation, childcare, or family mental health, and that districts need resources to address those issues. Dr. Rachel Dawes added that Collier uses multilingual brochures, attendance awareness campaigns, vacation-planning guidance, door tags, automated calls and letters, and a truancy flow chart, with truancy court used as a last resort. Volusia County Executive Director Mike McAuliffe described a districtwide overhaul that included an attendance matters campaign, automated notices sent early and often, same-day and period-by-period notifications, a data dashboard, and tiered supports through MTSS. He said Volusia reduced chronic absenteeism from 34% in 2023–24 to a projected 29% and reported a first-quarter rate of about 20% in the current year. He highlighted community partnerships, including AdventHealth support for washers and dryers, bikes for students with transportation barriers, and monetary recognition for schools that reduce absenteeism. In response to questions, both district leaders emphasized that funding, staffing, and consistent follow-through are essential, and that attendance work is most effective when paired with family engagement, data monitoring, and practical supports rather than punishment alone.

Transcript Highlights:

• That would be our Yakima Nation Engineering Program. We have Mr.
• I'm the program manager or director of the Yakima Nation Engineering Program.
• I'm the assistant manager in the engineering program. Thank you.
• evidence-based programs at the federal and state level.
• We are going to, I think, grab lunch. to come up with help us.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met in Yakima to focus on tribal traffic safety, with members and Yakima Nation leaders emphasizing the importance of safety, the right to travel, and continued partnership on U.S. 97 corridor improvements. Yakima Nation Vice Chair Christopher Wallachie and engineering staff described the Tribal Traffic Safety Committee, the U.S. 97 safety project, heritage connectivity trails, roundabout construction, and the use of federal grants and advanced sensing technology to identify hazards before crashes occur. They highlighted collaboration with WSDOT, the Traffic Safety Commission, the University of Washington, and other regional partners, and explained that the goal is to move from reactive crash response to proactive risk reduction. The Yakima Nation engineering team and AI Vision presented the MUST sensor project, which uses compact AI-enabled devices to collect traffic counts, speeds, near-miss events, roadway conditions, and pedestrian activity, with data transmitted to a dashboard and used for real-time warnings and longer-term planning. Committee members asked about speed tracking, driver behavior, enforcement, and partnerships with WSDOT and counties. Yakima Nation staff said the relationship with WSDOT has improved over time, especially after community outreach on proposed roundabouts, and that the tribe now supports several roundabout projects and broader safety coordination. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission then presented statewide fatality trends and tribal traffic safety data. Mark McKekney said 2024 showed a roughly 10% decrease in fatalities statewide, though recent years remain among the highest in decades. He noted that race and ethnicity data are only available for people who die in crashes, and that many American Indian and Alaska Native fatalities involve passengers, pedestrians, or bicyclists rather than drivers. Penny Rerick outlined tribal traffic safety coordinator grants and other state-funded tribal projects, including work with Yakama Nation, Colville, Kalispel, Makah, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Muckleshoot, Lower Elwha, and Puyallup, stressing that flexible state funding helps fill gaps left by federal programs and supports community-led solutions. The final presentation covered impaired driving enforcement and ignition interlock compliance in Yakima County. Yakima Police Chief Sean Boyle said the city created a DUI enforcement and education officer program that helped reduce serious injury and fatal impaired-driving crashes, supported by state funding and social media outreach. Yakima County District Court’s Nick Bazan described a supervision program for DUI offenders and interlock compliance, reporting more than 1,000 DUI convictions in 2024-25 and about 3,800 noncompliant interlock users countywide. He said the court is using a two-pronged approach—pretrial assistance for indigent clients and post-conviction accountability and case planning—to improve compliance and reduce impaired driving. The committee expressed support for the work, noted the progress made, and adjourned the work session after thanking presenters for their updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• Or I'd like to change the program so that the administrators of the program can collect fees and
• 43.600> program<00:20:44.080> for Wildlife Fish Art program for Wildlife Fish Art program
• <00:20:55.520> program things their elementary school program things their elementary school
• leave their homes and go to school. leave their homes and go to school.
• Beginning in the 2027-28 Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, each school board and independent school

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House opened with a devotional by former member Jason Lorber, who spoke humorously about the difference between asking questions and making statements, urging members to be direct and add value in deliberation. The chamber then took up several resolutions: JRH 11, urging Congress to enact the National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025, was read and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development; JRS 51, setting weekend adjournment for May 1, 2026, was adopted in concurrence; and H.C.R. 261 was read, recognizing May 2026 as Older Americans Month and designating May 6, 2026 as Age Strong Vermont Day. Members also used announcements to welcome guests and highlight events, including the Age Strong Vermont initiative, a former member’s return, visitors connected to psychedelic medicine advocacy, an art social, fisheries and trout-in-the-classroom guests, a legislative intern, and a reminder about the May 16 NAMI walk. The House then took up Senate Bill 230, an omnibus labor measure relating to fair employment practices. The committee explanation described technical clarifications to parental and family leave for full-time teachers, expansion of protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, removal of outdated statutory language on mandatory retirement for tenured faculty, and clarification that elected and appointed municipal officers are not employees for minimum wage and overtime purposes. The main new policy in section 3B would prohibit non-compete agreements for non-exempt employees, with an exception for collective bargaining agreements, and would restrict certain non-compete and related clauses in health care provider contracts while preserving continuity of care and excluding non-clinical business support services. The committee reported extensive testimony and voted 11-0-0 to recommend the bill favorably with amendment; the House agreed to propose the amendment to the Senate and ordered third reading. The House also began consideration of Senate Bill 179, updating Vermont’s Uniform Disclaimer of Property Interests Act. The committee presentation explained that the bill would eliminate the current 9-month deadline for disclaimers, reflecting changes in federal tax law and the much larger modern estate and gift tax exclusion, and would modernize the statute in several ways. Proposed changes include clearer rules for jointly held property, allowing pre-death disclaimers, authorizing trustees and parents in limited circumstances to disclaim on behalf of trusts or minor children, permitting disclaimers by proxy for infirm persons, clarifying partial disclaimers and entity disclaimers, improving delivery rules for non-real-estate property, and specifying that a disclaimer is not a transfer for transfer-tax purposes. The bill was described as a response to outdated law in light of an impending large intergenerational wealth transfer, and the House proceeded with second reading discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• This includes maintaining the dual and concurrent enrollment program, allowing high school students in
• This includes maintaining the dual and concurrent enrollment program, allowing high school students in
• district, each charter school, each participant in the education freedom account program, and each homeschooler
• the adequate education grant program. the adequate education grant program.
• funds for private schools. funds for private schools.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting was a House budget briefing focused on the overall state budget and the first of three divisions. The presenter reviewed the size and structure of the budget, noting that the state had eliminated the interest and dividends tax and still balanced the budget. He explained the major spending categories in the general fund and total budget, emphasizing that health and human services and education remain the largest areas, while transportation is largely self-funded. He also walked through the revenue picture, including business taxes, insurance taxes, court fees, communications taxes, and Medicaid recoveries, and said the remaining interest and dividends tax revenue reflected late payments from prior assessments. Members asked about the size of the tax cut from eliminating the interest and dividends tax, federal funding stability, and why Medicaid was being reduced if federal support was expected to remain steady. The response was that the lost revenue would have been about $200 million absent repeal, and that the budget gap was addressed through many small cuts across departments. On federal funds, the presenter said most aid is tied to multi-year grants and that core programs such as Medicare and Medicaid were expected to remain relatively stable, though some federal reductions could occur. He also said some agency reductions came from eliminating long-vacant, funded positions and from expected lapses. The discussion then moved into Division One, which covers smaller and miscellaneous agencies. The division made cuts to the governor’s office, eliminated a temporary position at the Governor’s Commission on Disability, reduced Department of Information Technology spending through a back-of-budget cut, and found savings in Administrative Services. It also delayed maintenance at the Sununu Youth Services Center, stopped advertising for paid family medical leave, changed retiree health insurance funding, and consolidated several personnel-related boards into one. The division eliminated the Commission on Aging and the Office of the Child Advocate, made a temporary special education advocate position permanent, reduced the Secretary of State’s budget, kept municipal rooms-and-meals distributions flat, and made changes to the retirement system, including $55 million to improve Group 2 retirement benefits and a new retirement structure for future state hires. The judicial branch was also asked to find savings and received two additional judges because of expected caseload increases from other eliminations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Everything from cancer research funding at the University of New Mexico to after-school programs. that
• My district, and it is the largest high school in New Mexico.
• No pumpkin lunching, I already do that. But Mr.
• And Broadband Accessibility BEAD Program: 382 million.
• You are now nominated to buy lunch. Thank you. They have Rudy's in for lunch.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Ladies and gentlemen, this is the bill that basically allows us to sell school property... ...sell school
• It's giving them a year to take the charter school, either take the school and buy the school or to allow
• The local school district does.
• Our public schools deserve this help, and this is a program that you're going to look back on in a few
• the GED, but I want our kids in school.

Keywords: MS House Floor - 1 April, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the School Facility Program...
• the School Facility Program...
• So for the National School Lunch Program, we only require schools that don't meet that Community Eligibility
• So that's no longer within the National School Lunch Program.
• But then other schools who are already using the National School Lunch Program and using that determination

Summary: The committee heard the May Revision presentation for the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, with public comment focused heavily on K-12 priorities such as universal school meals, kitchen infrastructure, food service and custodial support, youth leadership grants, Special Olympics funding, English learner support, universal pre-K, literacy investments, and concerns about community college funding shifts. Speakers also urged support for expanded learning, teacher recruitment and training, and maintaining or increasing funding for community colleges and student support programs. Finance and the LAO then reviewed the Proposition 98 outlook. Finance said the May Revision lowers the 2025-26 Prop. 98 guarantee to $114.6 billion, about $4.3 billion below January, due mainly to lower revenue estimates, with smaller effects from attendance and property tax changes. The administration also described rebenching for universal transitional kindergarten and a one-time rebench tied to Los Angeles fire-related property tax losses, along with changes to the Public School System Stabilization Account, deferrals, and updated COLA assumptions. The LAO said the budget relies too much on deferrals and one-time funds, creates a structural shortfall, and should instead align ongoing spending with the guarantee and preserve a reserve buffer. Members questioned the TK rebench and the shift of funding from community colleges to K-12, asking why it was being applied retroactively and how colleges would be held harmless. Finance said the changes align funding with where TK costs are being incurred and that reappropriation funding and other adjustments would offset impacts on community colleges. The LAO argued the historical split formula is outdated and should be abandoned in favor of budgeting around current priorities rather than fixed percentages. Members also raised concerns about draining the rainy day reserve and using deferrals, while the LAO said preserving reserves would better protect against future volatility. The committee then moved to specific K-12 and education proposals. Finance outlined May Revision changes including state operations adjustments for the Department of Education, technical trailer bill changes, a $100 million student teacher stipend program administered by Kern County, and updates to the charter school facility grant program. The LAO recommended rejecting the proposed increases for expanded learning, literacy coaches, and the student teacher stipend as currently structured, while supporting the minimum grant increase for expanded learning. Members expressed support for teacher recruitment efforts but questioned whether one-time funding can sustain ongoing programs and whether the student teacher stipend should be targeted to shortage areas or low-income communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, access to the New Hampshire school lunch program requires rigorous analysis of the income
• School lunch costs testing. School lunch costs $2.75<01:50:34.080> a<01:50:34.360> day.
• > tax<02:03:26.159> dollars school voucher program takes tax dollars school voucher program
• universal private school choice program. universal private school choice program.
• It the EFA program in private schools.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• plan and accommodate enrollment and programming for new students who move into their school district
• are evaluated as needing a program that is more expensive than at their previous school, the taxpayers
• are evaluated as needing a program that is more expensive than at their previous school, the taxpayers
• are evaluated as needing a program that is more expensive than at their previous school, the taxpayers
• That being said, this is an intradistrict school choice program.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all