Transcript Highlights:

• Being extensively in need of additional funding.
• If we need to, Senator, we need to, at a future meeting, if we need to have the department come and answer
• I just know I've heard a lot of school districts saying we need to address this, and we need a bigger
• I just know I've heard a lot of school districts saying we need to address this, and we need a bigger
• need to do.

Summary: The joint education committee continued its adequacy study with a detailed Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on resource allocation, covering how Arkansas school districts and charters spend foundation and other funds on matrix and non-matrix items. Staff explained the methodology for mapping expenditures, the district and school categories used in the analysis, and key findings showing that districts spend more per student from all fund sources than the foundation amount alone. The presentation highlighted that classroom teachers account for the largest share of matrix spending, while operations and maintenance, student support staff, nurses, and other lines also drew significant attention. Members asked for additional breakdowns by district type, size, rural/urban status, and trend data, and several questions focused on how waivers affect funding and spending, especially for library media specialists and other positions. The committee then discussed non-matrix spending, including instructional aids, non-technology-related facilities, school safety, mental health services, dyslexia support, food service, gifted and talented, career and technical education, and other items not explicitly defined in the matrix. Staff reported that non-matrix spending exceeded $2 billion in 2025, with most of it coming from other fund sources, and that the top superintendent-identified unmet needs over recent surveys were mental health services, school safety, and dyslexia support. Members raised concerns about dyslexia identification and funding, possible over-identification, and whether some support costs are being coded in ways that obscure the true spending picture. There was also discussion of facilities funding, the building fund, and the Department of Education’s partnership program for school construction and maintenance, with staff agreeing to provide more information and potentially bring department officials back for a future meeting. Throughout the meeting, members repeatedly requested more granular data and clarifications, including waiver counts and funding impacts, trend lines for superintendent-reported needs, district-by-district spending spreadsheets, and definitions for certain matrix and accounting terms such as salary enhancement, LEA indebtedness, and other employee health insurance. The chair noted that the committee would continue the adequacy process over the coming months and use the worksheet in the binder to develop recommendations for the next biennium. No votes were taken during this portion of the meeting; instead, the committee received the report, asked for follow-up data, and agreed to continue the discussion at future meetings.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:13:43.440> to<00:13:43.560> basically and how we need to basically and how we need
• together and address and fix this need. together and address and fix this need.
• need more doctors.
• need more doctors.
• I think we need to don't disagree.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Health Services met with a quorum and first took up Senate Joint Resolution 116, sponsored by President Stivers. The resolution directs the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, and Eastern Kentucky University to work over the next year on a statewide framework to improve health care access, especially in underserved and unserved areas. Members discussed physician shortages, maldistribution of doctors, recruitment and retention, loan forgiveness, scholarships, technology, and the connection between health care access and economic development in rural Kentucky. The resolution was reported favorably on a unanimous roll call vote. The committee then considered Senate Bill 116, relating to physician assistants and a shift from a supervisory to a collaborative practice model. The sponsor and PA witnesses explained that the bill was heavily revised through a committee substitute after discussions with the Kentucky Medical Association, physicians, and hospitals. They said the substitute keeps physician supervision in place while allowing health care teams to function more efficiently, and they emphasized that the bill is intended to improve access to care, particularly in rural areas with few doctors. Some members supported the compromise and the collaboration, while others raised concerns that expanding PA practice could worsen long-term physician shortages or reduce incentives for doctors to practice in rural Kentucky. The bill passed the committee 7-2 with favorable expression.

Transcript Highlights:

• that um intervention that may be needed that um intervention that may be needed in<00:09:40.480>
• that additional support um as needed that additional support um as needed dependent<00:09:51.279
• needed to be taught. needed to be taught.
• We<00:25:33.120> need<00:25:33.360> we<00:25:33.679> need<00:25:34.159> to
• ><00:25:34.400> move<00:25:34.720> forward<00:25:35.200> with We need we need to

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Primary and Secondary Education met for its first meeting of the session, reviewed basic committee rules, and took attendance before considering two bills. The chair emphasized civility, no signs in the room, and deadlines for committee substitutes and amendments. House Bill 416, sponsored by Representative Clines, would change teacher-preparation admissions by replacing an entrance test score requirement with a formative assessment approach while retaining exit examinations for teacher certification. KDE witnesses said the bill would reduce barriers, provide programs with data to support students, and not lower standards. Members asked about content-specific preparation, whether the bill would water down standards, and available data on current entry-test barriers. Several members spoke in support, citing the teacher shortage and the value of giving more candidates a path into education. The committee approved HB 416 unanimously and sent it to the House floor with a favorable expression of opinion. House Bill 389, sponsored by Representative Hein, would define dysgraphia, require KDE to annually update the dyslexia toolkit, support district professional development and coaching, require local boards to develop screener/diagnostic processes, and require postsecondary teacher programs to include dyslexia instruction. A committee substitute made technical changes, including an IDEA citation and removal of specific three-cueing language in favor of evidence-based practices. Testimony stressed that dyslexia is not the same as special education eligibility and that early identification and intervention are needed. Members discussed the low number of districts with related policies, the quality of approved screeners, and the need for more local and regional support services. The committee approved HB 389 with the committee substitute attached and sent it to the House floor with a favorable expression of opinion.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:08:44.000> The give us an unmet facility need. The give us an unmet facility need.
• You've mentioned the facilities needs. Who determines the need of a facility?
• mentioned about the uh facilities needs mentioned about the uh facilities needs h<00:15:36.480><
• h who determines the need of a facility. h who determines the need of a facility.
• c> need you know what do you need to need you know what do you need to address<00:16:22.000> all

Keywords: Meeting start 00:00:00 Discussion of Nickels and School Facility Funding 00:02:13 Economic Development Projects in Elizabethtown and Hopkinsville 00:29:33 Correspondence and Reports Received 01:09:25, 958, all

Summary: The committee received an informational presentation from the Kentucky Department of Education and the School Facilities Construction Commission on school facilities funding. Staff explained the main funding sources used for school construction and renovation, including the mandatory “nickel” property tax levy, growth and equalized growth nickels, the equalized facility funding nickel, the Fort Knox/BRAC-related nickel for Hardin County, and the recallable nickel that districts can adopt locally. They also described the state equalization formula, noting that local construction costs have risen and that state support is formula-driven rather than a dollar-for-dollar match. The SFCC outlined how unmet facility need is calculated through district facility plans, which are developed locally with community, staff, and board input and then reviewed by KDE staff for consistency and reasonableness. The commission said it will update the statewide unmet need report this fall, adopt it in December, and provide the figure to the committee in January 2026. It reported that the statewide unmet facility need was about $7 billion in 2023, with about $951 million in local revenue available, and said its offers of assistance are paid as debt service over eight years. The commission also said the most recent legislative offer of assistance was its smallest since SFCC’s creation in 1985, and requested an additional $60 million for the next biennium. Members asked about how districts use nickel tax levies, who determines facility need, whether the process includes physical inspections, and how bonding capacity affects offers of assistance. Staff said nickel levies are generally adopted with regular tax rates, that facility need is locally developed but reviewed by KDE, and that KDE project managers and district-hired architects review plans on paper rather than through in-person inspections. They also explained that bonding capacity can affect a district’s ability to use or receive assistance. Questions were also raised about federal funds tied to earlier KIX grants and about districts with zero remaining offers of assistance; staff said most grant-funded projects are underway or complete, and that a zero balance means a district has spent its available assistance. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• other careers or trades with better pay, skills which are greatly needed in our state.
• There is a clear need for the state... ...in the state needing access to special education services.
• Our state needs the contributions of all its citizens.
• You know, do you think he needs 45 minutes or an hour? Well, I don't know.
• So this is old language that just needed to be changed.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , address the needs of the energy impacted.
• We need classroom sizes.
• So it sounds like the needs are significant.
• You, you don't need lights.
• So anyway, we're, there's a need there, but there's a need in South Texas.

Bills: HB188, HB 265, HJR35

Keywords: emergency preparedness, flood-prone communities, Texas Rural Emergency Preparedness Fund, disaster relief, funding, youth camp, safety regulations, advisory committee, child welfare, health standards, summer camp, camp safety, child abuse reporting, child neglect, mandatory reporting, background check, criminal history check, sex offender registry, CPR training, first aid

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to address classroom sizes.
• So it sounds like the needs are significant.
• We need somebody to pay for the sewer.
• We're addressing a need there, but there's a need in South Texas and up in the Panhandle in that area
• But we need to invest in supporting the Golden Egg.

Bills: HB188, HB265, HJR35, HJR47, SB1901, HB188, HB265, HJR35

Keywords: Texas STRONG defense fund, severance tax revenue, oil and gas revenue, constitutional transfers, rainy day fund, economic stabilization fund, state highway fund, oil and gas production, qualifying county, county grants, water infrastructure, first responders, public safety, DPS staffing, commercial motor vehicle safety, gang violence prevention, human trafficking prevention, economic development, TxDOT grants, school districts

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to make sure that, they are able to be healthy.
• They get whatever health care that they need.
• That you need to be headed that direction, that you need to be focused on those types of things.
• We need to do more with behavioral health.
• I think that we need not only our secretaries, auditors, our agencies need to be able to identify waste

Transcript Highlights:

• Second, we need stable and adequate funding.
• , the need. this moment, but we need to understand what's happening right now is unlawful, and it is
• Tribes need jurisdiction back. The ability.
• We need to address those jurisdictional issues.
• And so we need... to hear from you on that.

Keywords: tribal sovereignty, healthcare, education, public safety, Economic Development, Tax Parity Act, PROTECT Act, trust obligations, bipartisan support, Indian Health Services

Summary: The committee meeting focused on crucial issues facing tribal nations, particularly emphasizing the federal government's trust and treaty obligations. The discussions highlighted ongoing challenges such as disparities in healthcare, education, and public safety within Native communities. Chair Murkowski underscored the importance of listening to Native leaders and aligning congressional efforts with community needs, advocating for legislative actions that support tribal sovereignty and economic development. Various initiatives, including the Tax Parity Act and the PROTECT Act, aimed at addressing jurisdictional and financial disparities, were discussed in detail. A call for bipartisan support to alleviate the funding shortages affecting Indian Health Services was made several times during the meeting. Testimonies from tribal leaders and representatives emphasized the dire need for legislative support to enhance infrastructure, healthcare access, and public safety initiatives in tribal communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• They need those things and we need to help give them the tools to do that.
• We need to set goals we need to collect as we understand it.
• People need to be going out and to them we need to get people enrolled in doing them.
• We need to start figuring that out.
• And so definitely a need there.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• WHAT WITH THE CRITICAL NEEDS THAT WE NEEDED TO ADDRESS AND POSSIBLY WHAT WERE THOSE THAT STILL NOT BEEN
• IT THEN ALSO GIVES NEEDED SPACE UP TO THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
• OR DOES IT NEED TO BE BUILT AT THE DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER?
• UNDERSTANDING HOW TO GET THE NEEDS DOWN TO THE PERSON EQUIPMENT DOWN TO THE PERSON WHO ACTUALLY NEEDS
• >> YES THERE. >> DO YOU HAVE THE TOOLS YOU NEED FOR THAT?

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• need it." need it."
• So there is a need.
• So there is a need.
• So there is a need.
• /c><02:22:19.840> at<02:22:20.080> the need might need to start at the need might need

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We need those contractors.
• infrastructure needs of public ports. infrastructure needs of public ports.
• Much needed.
• Much needed. replacing the roof on that. Much needed.
• Much needed.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee first approved the March 5 minutes, then heard a presentation from Balig Engineering on cost drivers for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in small Minnesota communities. The testifier said most Minnesota communities are small, and that limited local staff, complex funding requirements, and the need to combine multiple funding sources make projects expensive and labor-intensive. He cited examples of aging infrastructure, including a Tracy street collapse and failing water mains, and said federal funding can help but often requires extensive reports that can cost tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of staff hours. He also pointed to inflation, supply-chain disruptions, colder climate requirements, higher material and labor costs, limited competition among contractors and suppliers, and newer treatment requirements such as PFAS removal and cybersecurity controls as major cost drivers. Members asked whether reduced bonding or less frequent state funding would lower prices, whether annual bonding bills provide market certainty, how regionalization could be encouraged, and whether tightening specifications adds costs. The testifier said stopping work would likely drive contractors out of the market and reduce competition, which could raise prices later, and that consistent funding helps keep contractors in Minnesota. He said regional water systems such as Red Rock Rural Water and Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water are already helping lower costs and that legislators could encourage more regionalization through incentives. He also said some specifications and federal requirements, especially around treatment plant controls and cybersecurity, increase costs, though some standards like deeper water-main burial are necessary. The committee then moved on to the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, where John Kelly began presenting the governor’s 2026 capital budget recommendations and described the department’s mission, statewide network of veterans homes and cemeteries, and service to nearly 300,000 veterans and dependents.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to do some test wells.
• That needs, in our estimation, that part, that simple, easy part, needs to be stripped out.
• This bill is much needed.
• This bill is much needed.
• We need to be looking at these things on a shorter time period so we know if we need to make any course

Summary: The committee met with limited attendance at first, then took up a series of water, agriculture, and rural affairs measures. HB 3898 would allow the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance for brackish water desalination projects in certain border counties and related nonprofit suppliers even if the projects are not in the state water plan. Supporters said it is needed to address severe water shortages in places like Webb County and to support future planning; opponents, including the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, argued it bypasses the regional and state water planning process. The bill was left pending after testimony. The committee also heard HB 5339, which would create a higher-education grant program for regenerative agriculture research. A rancher testified that regenerative methods improved soil health, water retention, and farm viability, while a senator noted existing university research but said better coordination could help. Public testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 1523, a temporary prohibition on TCEQ issuing Austin a Class 5 injection well permit for an aquifer storage and recovery project in Bastrop and Lee counties until December 2027. Local officials from Bastrop supported the pause, citing unanswered questions about water treatment, recovery rates, and impacts on the aquifer, while Austin Water opposed the substitute, saying the project is central to its long-term water plan and that stakeholder talks were already underway. TCEQ explained its ASR permitting process and said public participation is possible but not always used in the current authorization process. The bill was left pending. HB 5659, concerning the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and requiring majority city-council approval before certain water sales or interbasin transfers, drew testimony from district officials who said the change could interfere with existing contracts and district authority, but the chair emphasized the need for local buy-in and said the stakeholders had reached a workable compromise; testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 1690, which would expand notice requirements for groundwater export permits so neighboring landowners and potentially affected aquifer areas are informed by certified mail and publication. The sponsor tied the bill to impacts from the Vista Ridge project, and no one testified against it; it was left pending. HB 3333 would prohibit TCEQ from issuing new wastewater discharge permits directly into the Devils River in Val Verde County. The sponsor and a conservation witness said the bill protects one of Texas’s most pristine rivers and reflects a local stakeholder agreement, while TCEQ said it can ensure water quality but acknowledged the river’s unique sensitivity; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HCR 108 urging continuation of the U.S.-Mexico tomato suspension agreement, with supporters warning of major Texas job and consumer-price impacts if it ends, and HCR 76 urging federal action on imported shrimp, citing public health and industry concerns; both were left pending. Additional measures heard and left pending included HB 4158 on compensation for Texana Groundwater Conservation District directors, HB 654 creating a dismissal path for certain first-time deer hunting violations after self-reporting and hunter education, HB 4530 requiring Texas Water Development Board review of groundwater rights placed in the Texas Water Trust, HB 2128 directing a study of rural versus urban firefighting and rescue disparities, and HB 278 requiring groundwater districts and management areas to track progress toward desired future conditions over shorter intervals. On HB 278, witnesses split over whether the bill’s interim tracking would improve accountability or create new triggers that could be used against local districts, but no final vote was taken and the bill was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• In order to meet this need, we have specialized staff.
• So, I do think we need to identify where we can achieve savings.
• First, we need to go to the administrative side of the house.
• We need to be investing in our kids.
• But I think there's some work that needs to be done.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think we need more educational support. I think we need child care support for working families.
• We need to also address Universal Health Care. You know, we need to think about substance abuse.
• Because the things that I'm needing is not... things that I'm needing is not a Republican thing, it's
• We need to help.
• But also, we need to make sure.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And they need to be listened to too, and we need to embrace diversity and make room for diversity in
• We need to lift up more and more.
• And we need to figure that out. And then we need to end those exposures.
• We need to go to standard science.
• You need an environmental toxin.

Transcript Highlights:

• we need, which also impacts the T fund.
• <00:15:16.240> for because the 248 million we need for because the 248 million we need for
• <00:20:23.600> to communities at a time when we need to communities at a time when we need
• ...fail, we need to look at the foundation.
• It was a mistake and we need to change It was a mistake and we need to change course.<00:32:30.880>

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that typical of needing 43 active physicians? Do you need 60 for 80,000?
• There's still such a need for child care out there.
• Important to the community and is needed.
• So we need to make sure that.
• to balance some of the needs out there.

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't just need affordable housing; we need all housing so that people can move up and move out.
• We need to build more homes. We need to build more homes. It's very simple.
• there, so it will be needs-based.
• Get us what we need.
• Obviously, we need good medical services, and we need doctors.