Video & Transcript : 'teaching standards' :
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MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Jobs and Economic Development - 03/26/25
Jobs and Economic Development
Transcript Highlights:
- One of the core curriculums we teach pertains to employment education.
- One of the core curriculums we teach pertains to employment education.
- </c> One of the core curriculums we teach One of the core curriculums we teach pertains<00:05:10.880>
- So, say standard adult diploma. Yeah.
- For the standard that again, please. For the standard adult<00:18:11.840><c> diploma.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
Transcript Highlights:
- Without standardized training, we often ask these volunteers to navigate complex legal frameworks and
- The district has been unable to operate the system within safe drinking water standards, and its well
- Great teaching tricks and behaviors, just not how to stop them.
- It would be the strictest set of standards in the nation.
- Adding these regulations and requirements would create a statewide standard.
Summary:
The committee held a lengthy hybrid hearing of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, with testimony spanning local board training, animal welfare and enforcement, municipal charters, water district dissolution, and other home rule matters. Chairs Rausch and Lewis set strict time limits because of the large number of speakers and explained that written testimony would also be accepted. Members heard from local officials, advocates, municipal employees, and residents, with many bills receiving broad support from municipal and advocacy witnesses.
Several speakers supported bills requiring or expanding training for local boards and commissions, including pre-service training for planning, zoning, and other land use boards. Supporters said training would help volunteers understand complex laws, improve consistency, reduce legal challenges, and speed up housing and development decisions. Related testimony also backed a bill to modernize historic district commissions and another to allow associate planning board members to serve more broadly when needed to maintain quorums.
A major portion of the hearing focused on animal legislation. Witnesses supported bills to expand citations for cruel conditions beyond dogs, update dangerous dog procedures, improve animal health inspections and breeder oversight, strengthen tethering rules, and protect pet consumers. Animal control officers, humane organizations, and some victims of dog attacks described enforcement gaps and the need for clearer standards, while several dog trainers and the American Kennel Club opposed parts of the dangerous dog bill and tethering restrictions, arguing they would limit humane training tools and professional discretion. The committee also heard strong support for a bill to create a statewide pet shop and consumer protection framework.
The committee also heard testimony on several local home rule petitions. Medford officials and residents strongly supported a new city charter that would replace the current at-large council with ward-based representation and periodic charter review. Wayland representatives supported a bill to preserve the library’s Millennium Fund as intended, Cambridge officials backed creation of an employment and job training trust, and Carver officials supported dissolving the North Carver Water District due to compliance and financial problems. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair repeatedly invited written testimony and follow-up materials.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Hied Committee Meeting - 2025-03-27
Higher Education Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- short of them having to pull those levers again, which are allowed in law, if they just go with the standard
- Teaching residents requires real-time, hands-on instruction, whether at 2 a.m., assisting in a delivery
- Teaching residents in family medicine is a 24/7 commitment by our dedicated faculty who embody Hennepin's
- The appropriation from the Office of Higher Education is specifically used to support the teaching portion
- We buy out clinical FTE for the faculty to teach.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 7 on Accountability and Oversight Jan 28th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- We work a lot with kids to teach them how to look you in the eye.
- And we work a lot with kids to teach them how to look you in the eye and how to say, 'I want this' and
- The most important part about that was teaching mommies and... ...babies and children.
- We recently had our MLK Peace March, and we are teaching our children to stand up and use their voice
- And we are teaching our children to stand up and use their voice and to tell them that their voice is
Summary:
The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight held a hearing on the Trump administration’s freeze of federal child care and social services funding and its potential impact on California. The chair opened by emphasizing that child care is economic infrastructure and warning that the freeze could destabilize California’s $10 billion child care system. The Legislative Analyst’s Office and the Department of Social Services explained that California child care programs rely on roughly $1.4 billion in federal CCDF and TANF funds, which are blended with state dollars and support hundreds of thousands of children and families. CDSS said the state and four other Democratic-led states quickly sued, obtaining a temporary restraining order that has kept the funds flowing for now.
Witnesses including Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, child care provider Amisha Griffin, and parent advocate Mara Linda Bustamante described the practical consequences of a funding interruption: providers could lose reimbursement, close centers, cut enrollment, or lay off staff; parents could lose child care, jobs, or school opportunities; and counties could not backfill the lost federal dollars. Several speakers stressed that child care centers also provide wraparound supports such as nutrition, developmental screening, and referrals, especially in rural and low-income communities. Mitchell and others argued that the freeze would worsen child care deserts and disproportionately harm women, single parents, and communities of color.
Members repeatedly challenged the federal rationale of “waste, fraud, and abuse,” asking for oversight details. CDSS said providers face extensive audits, fraud policies, monitoring, and recoupment procedures, and that identified fraud amounts to about $7 million over two years compared with roughly $6.5 billion in annual child care spending. Several members said the fraud rate is under 1 percent and criticized the freeze as politically motivated and illegal. They also discussed the need for a state “bridge plan” to protect families if federal funds remain disrupted, and some members referenced prior legislation to modernize CalWORKs and child care eligibility.
During public comment, parents, providers, county representatives, and advocacy groups echoed the same concerns, citing waiting lists, workforce losses, and the risk of families falling back into homelessness or poverty. No formal vote was taken; the hearing concluded with broad bipartisan expressions of support for child care funding and a commitment to continue working on state protections and federal advocacy.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Following the standards the government sets out for you and doing something, those standards are designed
- So it's very different standards.
- If the standards are equally high, then that argument fails. And I don't distrust Ms.
- standard, not with giving someone the same protections that you would already have.
- The only way to prevent it is to have which is some sort of standard that a court finds.
Bills:
HB 1181, HB3704, HB1363, HB1610, HB1615, HB1620, HB3223, HB1317, HB2884, HB2176, HB4027, HB1664, HB933, HB2613, HB3353, HB2086, HB4101, HB3441, HB4145, HB3455
Keywords:
judiciary, judges, justices, retired, legal assignments, judicial conduct, notary public, criminal offense, education requirements, official documents, record retention, implicit bias, bias training, judicial training, judge education, court personnel, continuing legal education, CLE, state bar, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
TX
Texas 89th 2nd C.S.
Senate Committee on Health and Human Services May 27th, 2026
Health & Human Services
Transcript Highlights:
- You know how often you're going to need it, and it's a standardized service.
- Teaching hospitals are unique, and more than most are mandated to provide care to everybody who comes
- Do you see how the teaching hospitals take care of us? Pre-commercial there, Maureen.
- So I'm going to have to start with some standard of known and some standard of reality to assume that
- The strand is a category of topics within the standards.
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- No, I would not have entered the teaching profession.
- </c> would not have entered the teaching would not have entered the teaching profession.<00:11:42.040
- Um, our language teachers, our EMTs—um, I had the privilege of teaching honors anatomy and physiology
- </c><01:15:46.000><c> some</c> kids and teaching some kids and teaching some curriculum curriculum curriculum
- You don't hear of public standards.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary & Secondary Education & Workforce Development (1-13-26)
Transcript Highlights:
- Being an electrician and teaching that skill requires a little bit more money than teaching English because
- you know being an electrician and teach you know being an electrician and teaching<00:27:02.480><c>
- teaching</c><00:27:02.880><c> that</c><00:27:03.200><c> skill</c> teaching teaching that skill teaching
- teaching that skill requires<00:27:05.279><c> a</c><00:27:05.520><c> little</c><00:27:05.600><c> bit
- </c> of the best teaching our kids. of the best teaching our kids. >> Absolutely.
Summary:
The committee heard an Office of Education Technology presentation on the Kentucky Education Technology System (KTS) and a request to increase its annual budget from $15.4 million to $30 million, including an additional $14.6 million. The witness described KTS as a statewide service model that provides districts with student information and financial systems, internet bandwidth, regional support, cybersecurity, online registration, learning management and email services, and collaborative instructional technology support. He argued the state’s centralized purchasing saves districts 40% to 60% compared with buying services individually, and said federal internet discounts and district matching funds create a strong return on investment. He also said KTS has faced long-term funding cuts, has not received a cost-of-living increase since 1992, and is now at a “breaking point” where some services may have to be shifted to districts at higher cost.
The request was broken into six main items: restoring funding for the computer science and information technology academy; strengthening cybersecurity defenses in response to sharply rising attacks on K-12 systems; funding online registration through Infinite Campus; stabilizing ongoing support costs for Infinite Campus; providing cost-of-living increases for KTS services; and increasing the KTS financial assistance sent to districts, which requires local matching funds. Members asked about the current appropriation, and the witness said it is $15.4 million. One member praised the office’s work and support for districts, while another noted the district had been an early adopter of one-to-one technology.
The committee then received an overview of the KRS 156 salary schedule and step-and-rank system for state-operated career and technical education staff at area technology centers. Officials explained that salaries are set under statute and regulation based on years of service and educational rank, with annual calculations tied to statewide teacher salary averages and retroactive adjustments to July 1. They said the current ABR request is $325,000 over the biennium to cover step and rank increases. The presentation noted that KRS 156 salaries are generally comparable to local districts but are less competitive with business and industry, making recruitment and retention difficult, especially for instructors coming from the trades. Members agreed that trade instructors are underpaid relative to the market and said the issue deserves further review, with department officials indicating they are considering possible statutory revisions and a delayed implementation in a future biennium.
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
FL House Floor Session - 2026-05-29 (9:00AM Session)
Florida House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- But God, we also pray that You teach us how to love each other better. We pray for President Trump.
- But God, we also pray that you teach us how to love each other better. We pray for President Trump.
- for teacher salary increases, which includes $200 million for teachers with at least 10 years of teaching
- increases, which includes $200 million for teachers with at least 10 years of teaching experience in
- So we are actively making sure that for those sections of land that look like they meet the standards
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Whereas you all know that for our teachers that have littles in the school that they teach in, it was
- able to have their own kids in the pre-K program that was already offered in the school that they teach
- He continued by saying that not only did he teach those young people, but he made them young men and
- The conference committee report kept the House minimum lot size at a standard of 30,000 square feet.
- The Conference Committee report kept the House minimum lot size at a standard of 30,000 square feet.
Summary:
The Senate opened with an invocation and then took up several conference committee matters and resolutions. It granted the House request for a conference committee on House Bill 46 and adopted a conference report on Senate Bill 37, which was described as higher education governance reform, including stronger board authority, changes to faculty senates, general education requirements, and a new ombudsman office. Senators also adopted a large package of resolutions and HCRs by voice vote.
A major focus was Senate Bill 12, the “Parental Bill of Rights,” whose conference report was adopted after extended questioning. The bill was described as giving parents more access to school materials and grievance procedures, requiring parental consent for student clubs, and restricting school district employees from assisting with social transitioning or related gender-identity instruction. Senators raised concerns about effects on students already socially transitioned and on parental rights in medical or psychological decisions; the author said the House language was retained in key areas and that districts would need policies and parent notification. The report passed 20-11.
The Senate then adopted a resolution allowing the conference committee on Senate Bill 1, the state budget for fiscal years 2026-2027, to go outside the bounds, and later adopted the budget conference report. Senators highlighted major funding for public education, property tax relief, public safety, health and human services, child care, water and transportation infrastructure, and the Texas Energy Fund. The budget discussion also covered higher education, mental health facilities, community attendant wages, rural hospitals, DFPS case management, child care assistance, and a study rider on TRS. The report passed unanimously, 30-0.
Finally, the Senate suspended rules to take up Senate Bill 8 and adopted its conference report. The bill requires counties with jails or jail contracts to participate in the federal 287(g) immigration enforcement program, with sheriffs choosing among available models and counties receiving tiered grants to help cover costs. Supporters framed it as a public safety measure targeting criminal illegal aliens, while opponents questioned whether it would divert local resources and increase fear in immigrant communities. The report was adopted after debate.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Standardize the procedure statewide, creating a more predictable and fair system.
- Us due course and why Texas should hold itself to a higher standard.
- I teach legal aid and I teach a law school clinic.
- Under HB32, it would be harder as there will be no standard process for notices to vacate and no standard
- We can't say to look out for the constable, and there will also be no standard timeline.
Bills:
HB32, HB15, HB171, HB421, HB581, HB644, HB745, HB349, HB917, HB204, HB923, HB15, HB171, HB204
Keywords:
eviction, landlord rights, tenant rights, justice court, property law, court procedures, chemical dependency, court-ordered treatment, mental health, health care, treatment facility, juvenile justice, criminal justice reform, deep fake, digital impersonation, age verification, private cause of action, explicit content, consumer protection, HB 581
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee 3/10/26
Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- The voluntary certification program teaches applicators how to use the right amount of product at the
- Um, this bill does not protect gross negligence, intentional injury, or failure to follow the standards
- program teaches certification program teaches applicators<00:03:07.680><c> how</c><00:03:07.840><c>
- </c><00:04:04.560><c> And</c> failure to follow the standards. And failure to follow the standards.
- ,</c> investing in modern treatment standards, investing in modern treatment standards, resiliency,<01
Keywords:
groundwater, water use permit, data centers, public health, environmental regulations, municipalities, state park license plate, specialty license plate, Minnesota DNR, Department of Natural Resources, license plate design contest, North Shore, Lake Superior Agate, AI-generated art, artificial intelligence, Minnesota resident, state parks, specialty plates, vehicle registration, contest requirements
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Education Policy and Administration (02/09/2026)
Education Policy and Administration
Transcript Highlights:
- I<00:09:08.720><c> enjoyed</c><00:09:09.200><c> teaching.</c> I enjoyed teaching.
- <03:15:21.840><c> to</c><03:15:21.920><c> be</c> but also teach people how not to be but also teach people
- So the standard that would be amended is serious bodily harm.
- So seclusion, the standard is a little bit<04:46:24.480><c> lower.
- We saw this a lot we could teach them?
ND
North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Floor Session Apr 7th, 2025 at 01:00 pm
North Dakota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Just on Friday night, I was with a bunch of my teaching buddies.
- They want to teach.
- The number one job of teaching is creating a sound and effective learning environment.
- They want to teach.
- Being hosted in an office is an unacceptable standard of care and cannot continue.
Summary:
The North Dakota House convened with prayer, roll call, and recognition of guests and student visitors, then moved through a long calendar of resolutions and bills. Early in the session, members honored Mandan High School’s e-sports team for state championships and recognized House Minority Leader Zachary Ista’s birthday. The House then passed HCR 3037 unanimously, urging mandatory reporting requirements for public officials, after committee support and remarks emphasizing accountability in public office.
The chamber then considered numerous Senate amendments and final-passage votes on bills covering ambulance service grants (HB 1597), Public Service Commission records and open meetings (HB 1110 and HB 1063), squatter/trespass law (HB 1305), nonconforming structures in local governments (HB 1500), academic tenure policy (HB 1437), retirement eligibility for correctional officers and state radio dispatchers (HB 1274 and HB 1419), a Medicaid dental study (HB 1567), above-ground fuel storage tank regulation (HB 1058), gaming site authorization procedures (HB 1615), an oil extraction tax incentive outside the Bakken and Three Forks formations (HB 1483), and simple assault protections for hospital workers (HB 1341). Most of these measures passed, though HB 1231, which would have created a study on early discontinuation of sex offender registration, failed on final passage.
A major point of debate was Senate Bill 2354, which would restrict student use of personal electronic devices during the school day in public and nonpublic schools, with exceptions for medical and special education needs and annual reporting on impacts. Supporters argued it would improve focus, behavior, and mental health, while opponents raised concerns about private-school regulation, logistics, liability, and duplication with a similar bill. The House passed SB 2354, and also passed SB 2112, which temporarily authorizes the Life Skills and Transition Center to serve certain non-eligible youth in crisis, despite objections that the facility should remain focused on developmental disabilities and concerns about repeating past institutional problems. The House also debated and rejected HB 1300 on legislative term limits after extensive discussion about whether the Senate’s date change altered the effect of the voter-approved measure. The session ended with announcements, committee notices, and adjournment until April 8, 2025.
WA
Transcript Highlights:
- Being able to implement the Supreme Court caseload standards for dependencies and indigent appeals will
- The caseload standards mean we can retain existing high-quality counsel and also effectively recruit
- Therapists teach formally homeless people to avoid eviction by caring for themselves and their homes.
- They teach concepts beyond our curriculum or teacher knowledge.
- They are interactive, they teach the Next Generation Science Standards, and make kids love science.
Bills:
HB2289
Keywords:
appropriations, budget, fiscal matters, state spending, general fund, supplemental budget, biennial budget, substitute bill, public defense, civil legal aid, courts, judicial branch, homelessness, supportive housing, affordable housing, behavioral health, juvenile rehabilitation, youth services, child welfare, foster care
MS
Mississippi 2026 Regular Session
MS Senate Floor - 1 April, 2026; 10:00 AM
Mississippi Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- That's the lowest standard. And if a court does not award... ...standard.
- Rules and in the what's ...the standard.
- standard.
- will require that those jurisdictions adopt a code plus that will yield this IBHS roof standard.
- So, that’s only... ...this IBHS roof standard.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Executive Departments and Administration (02/12/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- So I'm just here to support vexillological standards and thank Representative Corman for bringing this
- So I'm just here to support vexillological standards and thank Representative Corman for bringing this
- I did teach American government at the college level for a number of years.
- American government at the did teach American government at the college<01:12:34.199><c> level</c><01
- to make sure that, as currently amended, we can still have those higher standards.
Summary:
The hearing opened on House Bill 192, which concerns the Joint Committee on Employee Classification process for state employee positions. Representative Peter Schmidt explained that the bill is a procedural step to send already-reviewed classifications to Korn Ferry and then into statute and the budget. Department of Corrections staff and Commissioner Helen Hanks testified that one Deputy Director of Medical Services position had been omitted from the bill by mistake even though it had already gone through the JCEC process, and they asked for an amendment to add it. Hanks clarified that the position is an existing classified job being converted to unclassified status, not a new position. The committee discussed how the amendment would work and the quorum requirements for the JCEC, then closed the hearing on HB 192 after no further testimony.
The committee then heard House Bill 435, sponsored by Representative Don McFarland, which would clarify professional engineering licensure law. McFarland said the bill is intended to make clear that work in IT security, electronics, digital systems, computing, and software is not the practice of engineering requiring a professional engineer license, while preserving licensure requirements for fields such as civil, structural, and building-related engineering. He said he had consulted with the American Council of Engineering Companies and that the bill is meant to remove ambiguity and legal risk, not deregulate engineering. Several members with engineering backgrounds spoke in support, describing the distinction between licensed PE work and other technical fields, and one member noted that software development and regulated software work typically do not require a PE license. The committee voted ought to pass on HB 435 by a roll call of 16-0 and placed it on consent.
Finally, the committee opened House Bill 210, which would create a commission to study the New Hampshire state flag. Representative Tom Corman argued that the current flag is a generic “state seal on a blue bedsheet” and does not meet common vexillological design principles such as simplicity, meaningful symbolism, limited colors, and distinctiveness. He said the proposed commission would include legislative members plus representatives of the New Hampshire Historical Society and the New England Vexillological Association, and would review the flag’s history and recommend whether to redesign it and how to do so. He also indicated he intended to add language to avoid costs, but the bill discussion was not completed in the portion provided.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
ACT 310, SLH 2025 Nonprofit Grants Program Info Briefing - Thu Oct 30, 2025 @ 9:00 AM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> And these programs do more than teach And these programs do more than teach creative<01:50:02.320
- </c> ensuring equity of access to teaching ensuring equity of access to teaching resources,<01:50:45.760
- </c><02:39:01.760><c> and</c> National Institute of Standards and National Institute of Standards and
- Teach for America Hawaii. >> Aloha kākou.
- My name is Pia Kakabari, and I'm with Teach For America Hawaiʻi.
Summary:
This joint informational briefing on Act 310 grants and aid focused on organizations describing how federal funding cuts, Medicaid/SNAP changes, and related policy shifts are affecting their services and budgets. Committee members explained there would be no Q&A, testimony would be limited to one minute, and in-person participants would be heard before Zoom callers. Members repeatedly asked testifiers to identify the amount of federal funding lost or at risk.
Testimony came from a wide range of nonprofits and community providers, including Aloha Care, Hawaii Bicycling League, Hawaii Literacy, Hawaii Youth Symphony, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, the Tsunami Museum, The Kohala Center, West Hawaii Community Health Center, West Hawaii Region Hospital Foundation, Sounding Joy Music Therapy, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii, Dynamic Community Solutions, Feeding Hawaii Together, Girl Scouts of Hawaii, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Hawaiian Lending and Investments, Homana, Honolulu Theatre for the Youth, Kids Hurt Too Hawaii, and Kokua Kalihi Valley. Most described reduced or threatened federal support and requested state funding to maintain services such as health care access, food security, disaster preparedness, literacy and digital inclusion, youth mentoring, arts education, housing, and climate or agricultural resilience.
Several speakers emphasized direct impacts on vulnerable populations, including kūpuna, low-income families, immigrants, homeless youth, and people with disabilities. Requests ranged from relatively small planning or program grants to multi-million-dollar stabilization asks, with some organizations citing specific losses such as reduced Medicaid or USDA funding, canceled EPA or FEMA support, or expiring federal grants. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration Apr 28th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- We were the first county in the state recognized as a welcoming place, setting the standard for inclusive
- Our faculty grantees develop innovative curriculum, teaching resources, and technology tools to improve
- Our faculty grantees develop innovative curriculum, teaching resources, and technology tools to improve
- These factors will continue to cause instability for investments into teaching and learning.
- MacArthur teaches writing at UC Davis and is a co-leader of a $1.5 million grant project that involves
LA
Louisiana 2026 Regular Session
House and Governmental Affairs Mar 24th, 2026
House and Governmental Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- My wife could teach in a system. She's certified and she's in a classroom.
- But that would be the standard prohibition anyway. They would always have to recuse themselves.
- But that would be the standard prohibition anyway. They would always have to recuse themselves.
- We need the teaching and stuff back. Degree, I agree with you.
- We need the teaching and stuff back in the classroom, the teachers.
Summary:
The committee took up several House bills dealing mainly with ethics, elections, and legislative procedure. HB 858 by Rep. Riser, creating a public records exception for GPS data on wildlife and aquatic life held by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, was reported favorably without objection. HB 661, which expands existing nepotism exceptions to allow school board members and superintendents to hire immediate family members as paraprofessionals and janitors, drew support from members concerned about staffing shortages in schools; the Ethics Administrator noted the board’s concern that repeated exceptions erode the nepotism rules, but the bill was still reported favorably without objection. HB 359, a cleanup bill on the death of a non-major-party primary candidate, was also reported favorably without objection. HB 258, which clarifies that volunteer firefighters are not subject to dual office-holding restrictions and allows retired judges to serve on certain boards while still being available for ad hoc judicial service, passed on an 8-4 roll call vote.
Rep. Newell’s HB 705, which would strengthen contempt of the legislature penalties and add provisions addressing disorderly conduct and interference with legislative proceedings, generated the most debate. Members raised concerns about the proposed jump in fines from $1,000 to $50,000, due process, and the breadth of language that could be read to cover ordinary advocacy or passionate testimony. After discussion, the author agreed the bill needed more work, and it was voluntarily deferred in committee.
The committee also heard HB 177, allowing retired court reporters to return on a contractual basis to address shortages, which was amended and then reported favorably without objection. HB 238, which would remove a waiting period and population-based restriction for former school board members or certified psychologists to return to work in school districts, prompted a lengthy debate about the judiciary and per diem rules because of related ethics concerns raised in the discussion; the author ultimately asked to voluntarily defer the bill, and the committee agreed. Finally, HB 398, which would cap lodging, meal, and incidental expense reimbursements for state officials and employees at GSA rates and limit emergency exceptions, drew sharp opposition from several members and a retired judge who argued the current judicial per diem is reasonable and tied to safety and travel needs. The author said he would work on amendments and voluntarily deferred HB 398. The committee then began discussion of HB 752, which would move the timing of regular legislative sessions into joint rule and change the session start/end dates, with the author explaining it was intended to give the Legislature more flexibility without needing constitutional amendments.