Transcript Highlights:

• It was a result of a lawsuit, and this funding formula sort of came out of that to help sort of equalize
• /c><00:03:52.640> help<00:03:52.959> sort<00:03:53.120> of<00:03:53.280> equalize
• <00:03:53.760> our<00:03:54.000> state that to help sort of equalize our state that
• to help sort of equalize our state as<00:03:54.560> many<00:03:54.720> of<00:03:54.799
• 15% of a seekbase taxes that equal 15% of a seekbase number.<00:21:39.600> So<00:21:39.840>

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 History of SEEK 00:02:15 Summary of On-Behalf Payments 00:12:40 Discussion on Collection of University Debt Department of Revenue 00:32:40 Northern Kentucky University 00:57:10, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes from the September 17 meeting, and heard a presentation from Kentucky Department of Education staff on SEEK school funding and KDE on-behalf payments. KDE explained recent SEEK changes, including the guaranteed base per-pupil amount, attendance-based calculations, second-month and January growth, the 2022 change funding kindergarten at 100% instead of 50%, and the existing add-ons for at-risk students, exceptional children, limited English learners, home/hospital instruction, and transportation. Staff also reviewed tier one funding, noting the 2024 increase from 15% to 17.5% and explaining that eligibility depends on local tax effort and property wealth. They also described Senate Bill 6 from the 2025 session as a reporting proposal to include on-behalf costs in education spending totals. KDE staff then outlined on-behalf payments made for districts, including roughly $458 million for Teachers Retirement System contributions, $942 million for health insurance, about $12 million for technology costs, and additional SFCC debt service outside KDE’s appropriation, for a total of about $1.5 billion. Members asked how a future Senate Bill 6 would affect local contributions and whether folding on-behalf payments into SEEK would shift costs among districts. KDE and Senator Gibbons clarified that the bill was intended only as a reporting mechanism and would not change local contribution or district payments; it would simply present a broader total of state education investment. The discussion also noted that Kentucky’s reported SEEK amount alone does not capture all state education spending. Members raised questions about home and hospital instruction data, saying local concerns suggest growth in some communities even if statewide numbers appear stable. KDE said the statewide figure has been relatively consistent but offered to provide district-level trend data. Co-Chair Petrie also asked about the accuracy of SEEK projections and on-behalf calculations, referencing prior concerns from the Office of Education Accountability. KDE responded that it works with the state budget director’s office in a consensus forecasting process and has been reviewing demographic and property-assessment data, including exceptional child counts, to improve forecast accuracy.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education Act, Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended in 1999, and the Equal
• Education Act, Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended in 1999, and the Equal
• There's a process in place where you have to provide 10 days of equal response from both parties, and
• 10<00:46:36.119> days<00:46:36.559> of<00:46:37.079> of<00:46:37.319> equal
• <00:46:38.000> response provide 10 days of of equal response provide 10 days of of equal response

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Education met on February 6 at 2:00 p.m. and heard testimony on a series of education-related bills. HB 1200, which would codify teacher ratios in statute, drew support from the Department of Education, the Democratic Party of the Education Caucus, and 11 individuals; no opposition was noted and the committee moved on without questions. HB 1344, concerning mandatory FAFSA completion, received testimony from the Department of Education, Hawaii P20, and a University of Hawaiʻi student who cited unclaimed Pell Grant funds and low FAFSA completion rates as reasons to support the bill. Committee members asked about current outreach efforts, and DOE and P20 described FAFSA tracking data, hotlines, email support, school-based FAFSA nights, and coordination with counselors; members also raised concerns about federal education funding and Pell Grants. The committee then heard HB 1499, which would authorize staff and volunteers to administer certain medications. The Department of Education, Department of Health, University of Hawaiʻi nursing leadership, and the Hawaii State Center for Nursing all testified in support, along with several individuals and the Democratic Party Environmental Caucus. The next measure, HB 902 on the Public Safety Power Shutoff program, was supported by DOE, the Public Utilities Commission, and Hawaiian Electric, but it prompted extensive questioning from the Vice Chair about whether taxpayers should fund a study to help schools remain open during shutoffs. Hawaiian Electric said the bill would help DOE assess impacts in wildfire-risk areas and noted its wildfire safety strategy, outreach efforts, and potential community resource centers, while the Vice Chair argued the utility should bear more of the cost. The committee also heard HB 961, a bill on school libraries and a CASS pilot program, with DOE offering comments and HSTA and the Hawaii Library Association strongly supporting it. HSTA argued certified librarians are important for literacy, research, and digital literacy, and said many schools lack them because of cost; the association and 14 individuals testified in support. HB 962, a related bill on DOE libraries and the system, also drew support from DOE, HSTA, and the Hawaii Library Association, with 15 individuals in support. Finally, HB 730, concerning the Civil Rights Compliance Branch, received support from DOE, White Children’s Action Network, AAW of Hawaiʻi, and many individuals. Testifiers said the branch needs more resources and training and handles more than Title IX, including Title VI, Title VII, and ADA matters. A student plaintiff in a Title IX lawsuit described unequal treatment in athletics and facilities, and another supporter said the bill would help ensure compliance with federal civil rights laws. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The credit is equal to 70% of the property's tax attributable to repayment of capital improvement bonds
• 70%<00:21:53.760> of<00:21:53.919> the<00:21:54.080> property's credit is equal
• to 70% of the property's credit is equal to 70% of the property's property<00:21:54.880> tax<
• the delinquent taxes, penalties, special assessment costs, and accumulated interest, paid back in equal
• accumulated interest paid back in equal accumulated interest paid back in equal annual annual annual

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are we do we have an equal about this.
• <01:08:49.679> See, Does that treat everybody equally?
• See, Does that treat everybody equally?
• That does not equal 25% for the average homeowner. Hey, it's math. Okay. So, Mr.
• 25% for the average does not equal 25% for the average homeowner.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• On line 158, begin changes to the long-term facilities maintenance equalization aid.
• And, as they indicated, this increase is offset by an equal reduction later in this bill to a charter
• reduction uh later in offset by an equal reduction uh later in this<00:46:32.480> bill<00:46:
• to 100% uh of the district uh equal to 100% uh of the district average<00:48:56.160> general<
• And so section 11 increases the statewide equalizing factor in that program so that the statewide levy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This would set that interest rate equal to the prime rate charged by banks, rounded to the nearest full
• <00:46:37.520> to would set that interest rate equal to would set that interest rate equal
• The adjustment is equal to 200 for a city with a population of 10,000 or more and an average population
• the sum of all aid payments uh equals the sum of all aid payments uh equals the<00:58:30.480>
• Uh, nonetheless, as we've discussed many, many times, LGA helps equalize tax-based disparities across

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not going to be equal.
• It's not going to be equal.
• It's not going to be equal.
• It's not going to be equal.
• treated equally, and they'll get<01:12:28.400> the<01:12:28.719> same<01:12:28.880>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Community Coalition of the Antelope Valley, Arts for LA, Destination Crenshaw, Latino Equality Alliance
• Project, Parent Engagement Academy, Trio Plus, Southeast Community Development Corporation, Vision Equality

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In this case, one workday is equal to a day of work.
• House Bill 2513 clarifies that a workday for a firefighter equals a 24-hour or 48-hour shift.

Bills: HB39, HB114, HB1875, HB1894, HB1965, HB2513, HB39, HB114

Keywords: veterans, mental health, Texas Veterans Commission, peer support, suicide prevention, community mental health, grant program, cemetery, General Land Office, burial plot, remembrance, monthly designation, honoring military, Texas legislation, rural services, paid leave, fire protection personnel, military service, public employees, employment benefits

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, wood equals carbon equals a credit. That's an equivalency. definitively a forest product.
• You know, wood equals carbon of wood.
• You know, wood equals carbon equals<00:32:16.440> equals<00:32:16.720> a<00:32:16.800><
• equals equals a credit. equals equals a credit.
• commoditization does not equal commoditization does not equal commercialization. commercialization

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with introductions, approval of the March 6 minutes as amended to add an attendee list, and a brief overview of the day’s agenda. The committee heard two presentations from carbon project developers, with the first from Dylan Jenkins of Finite Carbon. He described Finite Carbon’s work in improved forest management projects, its role in developing carbon methodologies and protocols, and its experience with projects in New England, Appalachia, Alaska, and Canada. He also outlined the difference between compliance and voluntary carbon markets, the role of registries and intermediaries, and the types of buyers in the market, including large corporate buyers and long-term off-take partners. A major focus of the presentation was how forest carbon projects are structured and how credits are monetized. Jenkins distinguished between removals and reductions, explaining that removals come from new forest growth while reductions are tied more closely to baseline assumptions and standing stock. He said improved forest management projects can generate both types of credits, and that removals generally command higher prices because they are easier for buyers to understand and verify. He also emphasized that carbon project commercialization can occur before, during, or after credit issuance, and that landowners may be paid through a variety of structures, including leases, advance fees, per-unit payments, or off-take agreements. Jenkins then addressed the committee’s tax-related questions, saying House Bill 123 appeared intended to treat carbon credit sales similarly to timber sales for local tax purposes. He argued that carbon credits are a forest product and that taxing them can be reasonable in principle, but he stressed that lawmakers should distinguish between commoditization and commercialization when deciding what event to tax. He noted that credits may be created but never sold, and that in some programs landowners retain timber and carbon rights while in others the developer has deeper control over those rights. In response to questions, he said the industry uses protocols, verification, and third-party oversight to address baseline and quality concerns, but acknowledged that baseline setting remains a major point of debate in the market.

Transcript Highlights:

• You have 2 + 3 equals 5.
• This, uh, this allows anyone to verify that the sum of all of the inputs to a transaction equals the
• You have 2 +<01:10:19.040> 3<01:10:19.280> equals<01:10:19.679> 5.
• Well, now you have some + 3 equals 5.
• You could have like 2 + -2 equals zero.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with roll call and approval of the prior meeting minutes, which passed unanimously. Members then introduced the day’s presentations, including one on the Canton network and another on tokenizing real-world assets, with a focus on how blockchain systems can support regulated financial institutions and asset tokenization. Julie, the director of policy and government affairs at Digital Asset, presented on the Canton network, describing it as a privacy-enabled public blockchain designed for regulated finance. She said tokenization should preserve the same legal and economic rights as the underlying asset, and argued that blockchain-based books and records can shorten settlement times, improve 24/7 trading, and reduce friction in capital markets. She identified three main barriers to institutional adoption of public blockchains: lack of privacy, limited throughput/scalability, and lack of control for compliance purposes such as freezing assets, pausing transactions, and meeting AML/sanctions obligations. She explained Canton’s structure as a public, permissionless network with application-level privacy controls, a global synchronizer, and super validators chosen by vote. She also highlighted current ecosystem participants and use cases, including Broadridge, Circle, and the DTCC’s planned tokenization of U.S. Treasuries on the network. Members and online participants asked about the relationship between tokenized assets and the Clarity Act, tokenized deposits, safeguards for faster settlement, and whether the platform could be used for municipal or property records. Julie said Digital Asset was not taking a position on rewards, but supported clearer statutory definitions because tokenized securities should carry the same rights as the underlying assets and investors need to know whether a token is a true tokenized security or a synthetic/reference token. She said the company is agnostic on whether the cash leg is stablecoins or tokenized deposits, though it expects both to develop. In response to concerns about rapid settlement, she pointed to institution-level permissions and SEC disclosure expectations as safeguards. She also said the technology could be used for other records, including potentially property-related records, if those assets can be tokenized.

Transcript Highlights:

• She said feeding every child at school ensures equal opportunity to succeed.
• a<00:06:40.479> child<00:06:40.800> has<00:06:40.960> an<00:06:41.120> equal
• school ensures a child has an equal school ensures a child has an equal opportunity<00:06:42.000
• It's not an equal choice program for everybody. It ends up having the haves and the have-nots.
• program for not an equal Choice program for everybody<01:35:12.520> it<01:35:12.639> ends<

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in moving forward and so we can put those burdens in or enter that battleground that everybody's on equal
• in moving forward and so we can put those burdens in or enter that battleground that everybody's on equal
• in moving forward and so we can put those burdens in or enter that battleground that everybody's on equal
• in moving forward and so we can put those burdens in or enter that battleground that everybody's on equal
• In or enter that battleground that everybody's on equal ground, because only when you do that, and the

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee met on February 6, 2025, for an update on emergency medical services (EMS) policy and implementation. Senator Seberger described the work of the EMS Task Force, which traveled statewide to hear concerns from providers about staffing, reimbursement, and retention. She said the task force led to the Sprint Medic model and two innovation zones in Otter Tail and St. Louis counties, and she urged continued monitoring and possible reconstitution of the task force to evaluate what is working and what could be expanded statewide. She also said future EMS work should continue to explore alternative response models and telemedicine, but that the most immediate need is additional funding, especially to address unpaid non-transport calls. Dylan Ferguson, director of the newly formed Minnesota Office of Emergency Medical Services, gave a detailed update on the office’s structure and priorities after the transition from the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board. He described the office’s three divisions, the appointment of deputy directors, the first meetings of the advisory councils, and work on a statewide EMS strategic plan. He also reviewed the $24 million emergency ambulance aid program, explaining its 40-40-20 formula, the emphasis on rural services, the reporting and spending deadlines, and the positive response from ambulance providers. He noted that the $6 million Sprint paramedic grant program is underway, with Otter Tail County moving forward and St. Louis County still finalizing its application. Ferguson also outlined the office’s budget request for modest staffing and contract-cost increases, two rulemaking efforts to update outdated ambulance vehicle standards and expand medication options for basic life support services, and ongoing data collection on workforce needs, violence against EMS providers, and ambulance crashes. He highlighted the paramedic scholarship program administered by the Office of Higher Education, saying nearly 300 scholarships have been awarded. Members and Senator Seberger praised the EMS reforms and emphasized that non-transport calls create significant unreimbursed costs, especially for rural and volunteer services, but no votes or formal committee actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• That amount equaled about $220 million just this year.
• That amount equaled about $220 million just this year.
• That amount equaled about $220 million just this year.
• And um, and then at the end of the day and equally concerning, the executive branch said if there are
• <02:14:12.480> concerning, equally concerning, equally concerning, the<02:14:15.040> executive

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First, I just wanted to talk about the title, Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act.
• First, I just wanted to talk about the title, Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act.
• tell me what you think Oklahoma Equal Opportunity means?
• tell me what you think Oklahoma Equal Opportunity means?
• As we talk about equal opportunity, that is moved from what it was at a four-person household.

Bills: HB2268, HB3000, HB3043, HB3066, HB3078, HB3143, HB3144, HB3244, HB3298, HB3320, HB3467, HB3321, HB3329, HB3431, HB3464, HB3499, HB3500, HB3586, HB3590, HB3650, HB3671, HB3695, HB3700, HB3701, HB3764, HB3767, HB3834, HB3931, HB3934, HB3940, HB3944, HB3979, HB3985, HB4113, HB4294, HB4302, HB4317, HB4324, HB4359, HB4426, HB4427, HB4430, HB4431, HB4434, HJR1077, SR42, SR35, HJR1023, HB1225, HB1374, HB1381, HB1590, HB1675, HB2153

Keywords: HB2268, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, OHCA, appropriation, General Revenue Fund, PACE, Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, elderly care, aging Oklahomans, long-term care, Medicaid, health care funding, provider reimbursement, rate increase, low-income seniors, senior services, integrated care, emergency measure, cosmetology, barbering

Summary: The Senate began with a quorum call, gallery introductions, and extended farewell remarks from Senator Jett, who reflected on his six years in the Legislature, his focus on representing constituents, protecting families, and holding government accountable. Several senators responded with personal tributes, praising his conviction, faith, family involvement, and willingness to ask difficult questions. No votes were taken during the farewell portion. The chamber then considered House Bill 2268, a PACE appropriation to support comprehensive care for low-income seniors and expand services in rural Oklahoma. The bill was amended to restore the title, advanced, and passed 34-9, then passed as an emergency measure 36-7. House Bill 3000, a cosmetology and barbering measure, made multiple changes including board reorganization, adding a human trafficking specialist and massage therapist, shifting some licensing functions to Service Oklahoma, and eliminating the massage therapy advisory board. It drew significant debate over process and policy, especially from senators concerned about late changes, lack of board input, and the human trafficking rationale; it passed 25-19 and then as an emergency 33-11. The Senate also passed House Bill 3043, allowing the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs to hire prorated seasonal staff for veterans homes, 37-6; House Bill 3066, creating a revolving fund for federal workforce training money for behavioral health recruitment and retention, 38-6 and as an emergency; and House Bill 3078, allowing donation options on state payment forms for the ODVA revolving fund, 45-0 and as an emergency. Additional measures passed included House Bill 3143, extending the moratorium on new medical marijuana business licenses to 2028, 39-7; House Bill 3144, capping medical marijuana commercial grower licenses at 2,550 after amendment, 34-12; House Bill 3244 on identity theft, 46-0; House Bill 3298 on child interview procedures in court cases, 46-0 and as an emergency; House Bill 3320, replacing the traditional sunset process with more immediate legislative review of agencies, 33-13 and as an emergency; House Bill 3321, requiring county data collection and reporting related to court costs and financial obligations, 45-0 and as an emergency; House Bill 3329, a trailer bill adding a repealer and a sunset for the Board of Psychological Examiners, 33-10 and as an emergency; House Bill 3431, expanding restrictions on foreign entities owning or leasing land and critical minerals, 43-0; House Bill 3464, setting safety and training requirements for certain projects involving fire code compliance and decommissioning, 43-0 and as an emergency; and House Bill 3499, expanding special judges’ authority over vehicle title orders, which was presented and advanced as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, Israel is not a state in which Palestinians and Israelis are equal.
• This bill is about accountability, and it's about equality.
• Accountability, and we've talked about it, and you've heard, And it's about equality.
• The equality part, and this is where I keep hearing over and over. To happen.
• The equality part, and this is where I keep hearing over and over again, that it's all of us.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• they're going to have the money they need to do their work this year, and Senator Jasinski's project is equally
• the committee itself, go through the process, and perhaps if we were debating process and came out equal
• perhaps if we were debating and<00:59:44.720> come<00:59:44.920> out<00:59:45.200> equal
• <00:59:45.599> in<00:59:45.720> the<00:59:45.880> Environ and come out equal
• in the Environ and come out equal in the Environ committee<00:59:48.799> the<00:59:48.960>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• overcome the injustice of racial bias to claim the birthright of every American that all are created equal
• It's common sense, pause, and assessment so we can consider the importance of equality over equity, merit
• Community members believing that we are all humans, men and women, deserving of equal treatment must
• The sense that we were going to be equally treated, that all of our cultures would be acknowledged is
• sense that we were going to be equally sense that we were going to be equally treated,<00:37:13.040

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 29 was heard in committee as a proposal to suspend adoption of the revised social studies standards, push implementation to 2030-31, repeal the requirement to embed ethnic studies across all standards, and cancel related appropriations. The bill sponsor argued Minnesota schools should focus on basic academic achievement and that ethnic studies requirements add burdens and distract from reading, math, and science. The chair moved the bill to the Committee on Education Finance after opening the hearing and then took extensive public testimony. Testimony was sharply divided. Supporters of HF 29, including Katherine Kersten, Deanna Moose, Kendall Qualls, Hillary Swanson, and Diane Smith, argued the ethnic studies framework is ideological, overly focused on race, insufficiently transparent, and costly in professional development time; several said it would divide students or burden teachers. Some supporters also claimed the standards or framework promote activism, critical race theory, or racial stratification. Opponents, including Mark Westfall, Crystal Johnson, Jim Grathwol, Marcus Penny, Claude Sigman, and Courtney Major, said the standards are inclusive, research-based, and designed to help students understand multiple perspectives, civic life, and the contributions of diverse Minnesotans. They emphasized that ethnic studies can improve engagement, critical thinking, and representation, and that teachers should be trusted to implement the standards. No final vote on the bill was taken in the portion of the meeting provided. The only formal action noted was the chair’s motion to re-refer House File 29 to the Committee on Education Finance.

Transcript Highlights:

• is an important means of access, but there's no clinical data to justify it being considered as an equal
• The same committee that started that recommended in 1998 that there be payment equality between APRNs
• The same committee that started that recommended in 1998 that there be payment equality between APRNs
• The same committee that started that recommended in 1998 that there be payment equality between APRNs
• in 1998 that there be payment equality in 1998 that there be payment equality between<00:42:18.760

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Health Committee held its first hearing of 2025, with Chair Greg Takayama and Vice Chair Representative Leoy opening the meeting and outlining housekeeping rules, including a two-minute limit for testifiers and Zoom etiquette. The committee first heard HB 303 on health care preceptors. The Department of Health, Department of Taxation, University of Hawaiʻi, Hawaii State Center for Nursing, and several health care organizations supported the bill, saying the existing preceptor tax credit program has been successful and that expanding eligibility to additional professions and students would help address workforce shortages. In response to questions, the Department of Health said the annual tax credit cap is $1.5 million, about 650 to 670 credits are currently used each year, and the bill applies only to unpaid preceptors. The committee then moved on to HB 441, which would raise cigarette taxes. The Attorney General, Department of Health, University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, Hawaii Public Health Institute, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and others supported the measure as a way to reduce smoking, especially among youth, and to support tobacco control and cancer-related programs. Opponents, including the Taxpayers Protection Alliance and the Cigar Association of Hawaii, argued the tax is regressive and unreliable as a revenue source. The Department of Health noted the last cigarette tax increase was in 2011, and one witness urged a larger increase than proposed. No vote was taken on either bill in the portion of the hearing provided. The committee also heard HB 557 on telehealth. The Department of Health supported the bill so long as it did not displace executive budget priorities, and the Hawaii State Health Planning and Development Agency and Hawaii Primary Care Association supported it. HPCA said the bill would conform state insurance law to recent Medicare changes expanding audio-only telehealth coverage beyond mental health services, and it emphasized access for rural residents, kupuna, and people with disabilities. HMSA opposed the bill as written, saying it strayed from the intent of Act 107 and that audio-only telehealth should remain limited because of quality-of-care concerns, though it supported continued access and asked for a different amendment approach. A telehealth provider also testified that payment disparities limit provider expansion and that audio-only access remains important for patients with serious illness. The hearing ended in the excerpt before any committee action or vote on HB 557.

Transcript Highlights:

• shouldn't be impeding private contracts, but this is not a situation where you have two parties on an equal
• benefit, an outpatient clinic like oncology infusion, et cetera, is 35 cents of the premium dollar, equal
• It now eclipses physician reimbursement and is equal to hospital. We need some relief.
• Earlier, there was a comment about two unequal equal parties." "There you go.
• Earlier, there was a comment about two unequal equal parties negotiating. Do you recall that? I do.

Bills: HB591, HB765, HB826, HB870, HB938, HB1151, HB1162, HB1176, HB1196, HB1236, HB1241

Keywords: family leave, insurance, paid leave, employment benefits, caregiver support, liability insurance, coverage defenses, direct action, judgment enforcement, legal procedures, insurance referrals, compensation, non-licensed agents, consumer protection, insurance products, HB 870, Act 907, Louisiana insurance, health insurance, prescription drugs