Transcript Highlights:

• I am the NHSAA student services director, and I have sat on the HIA council.
• <01:04:22.400> within required take and pass such tests within required take and pass such
• tests within more<01:04:24.160> with<01:04:24.400> a<01:04:24.720> score<01:04:
• within a score of 70 or pass such test within a score of 70 or greater. greater. greater.
• but this is just two for but students but this is just two for two<02:14:32.239> excused<02:14

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Testing, testing. Testing. Sorry, technical difficulty. Testing, testing.
• And we all know the prioritization for investing in our Texas students and our future Texas workforce
• And we all know the prioritization for investing in our Texas students and our future Texas workforce
• But much of that is actually related to student costs.
• GRD 5173 is funded by revenues generated from forensic analyst licensing and testing fees.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee held its first hearing of the 89th regular session, adopted nearly identical committee rules from the previous legislature by a 15-0 vote, and began review of Senate Bill 1, the state budget for fiscal years 2026-27. Chair Huffman outlined the budget framework, emphasizing conservative spending, a $332.9 billion all-funds budget, and major priorities including property tax relief, public education, border security, health and human services, transportation, energy, and water infrastructure. She also introduced committee and leadership staff and described the hearing schedule and public testimony procedures. Comptroller Glenn Hager presented the biennial revenue estimate, saying the state has $194.6 billion available for general-purpose spending, including a $23.8 billion ending balance, but warned that revenue growth is returning to more normal levels and that lawmakers should avoid using temporary spikes for ongoing commitments. Senators questioned him extensively about the Economic Stabilization Fund cap, sales tax trends, inflation, and whether the state should consider raising the cap or using severance-tax revenues differently. Hager said the Rainy Day Fund is expected to hit its cap, which would leave more severance-tax revenue in general revenue, and he stressed that infrastructure needs remain significant. The Legislative Budget Board then gave a detailed overview of SB 1 and the budget’s major components. LBB staff explained that the bill includes continued funding for the Foundation School Program, $850 million for the Texas State Technical College endowment, $1.3 billion for the Texas University Fund, $6.5 billion for border security, salary increases for correctional officers and state troopers, $3 billion for dementia research, higher community attendant wages, expanded community-based care, $5 billion for the Texas Energy Fund, and funding to clear volunteer fire department grant backlogs. They also outlined supplemental priorities such as water infrastructure, retirement legacy payments, rail grade separations, wildfire aircraft, and emergency facilities, and said the current controlling budget limit is the tax spending limit. A major portion of the hearing focused on property tax relief. LBB explained that prior-session relief grew from an expected $18 billion to $22.7 billion because of higher-than-anticipated property values and interactions among hold-harmless provisions, and that SB 1 continues and expands relief with $51 billion in total property tax relief, including $3 billion more for compression, $3 billion to raise the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000, and a $500 million placeholder for business tax relief. Senators discussed the automatic nature of some of these costs, the effect of the non-homestead circuit breaker, the role of federal COVID funds, and the need to maintain school finance commitments if the state continues to compress school tax rates.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that's a teacher, students. We're... A curriculum-based format. So that's a teacher, students.
• Each of those 24 states doing it for students. Some are K through 12.
• You know, there are 11 states that require it for students only, 13 require it for both staff and students
• And then my next question would be, do we want students and educators to do it, or do we just want students
• So then we have a pre-test and a post-test.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's used by researchers and students. Presentations are made to grades 4 through 12.
• It's used by researchers<00:06:45.120> and<00:06:45.520> students.
• <00:06:46.639> Presentations researchers and students.
• Presentations researchers and students.
• ,<01:39:25.440> and healthc care providers, students, and healthc care providers, students

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The task force opened with a moment of silence for the Louisville UPS plane tragedy, approved the October 15 minutes, and reminded members to submit policy recommendations before the December 16 meeting, when the group will discuss its report to LRC. The first informational presentation, from the Department for Public Health, focused on youth vaping. Elizabeth Good and Julie Brooks cited a recent Surgeon General report warning that youth vaping can harm brain development, mental health, lungs, asthma, and hormones, and noted Kentucky survey data showing 8.7% of students reported daily vaping and 19.7% used vaping products in the prior 30 days. They described prevention and cessation resources including Catch My Breath, I Can End the Trend, Not on Tobacco, My Life, My Quit, Quitline services, and the Kentucky TRUST retailer education program, which trained 3,371 individuals in 2024 and distributed 253 Tobacco 21 toolkits. The next presentation came from Kentucky ABC on implementation of SB 100, which created the division of tobacco, nicotine, and vapor product licensing. Commissioner Scotty Tracy and Jamar Carter said all retailers selling tobacco, nicotine, or vapor products must be licensed, regulations were filed October 31, 2025, and the online application portal is live. In response to questions about sales to minors, they said violations carry escalating fines for clerks and owners, with a fourth violation resulting in no license renewal for two years and unpaid fines also blocking renewal. They said complaints can be submitted through the portal, by phone, or on the ABC website, and enforcement investigates tips and may use underage compliance checks. The committee then heard from Kim McKenna Johnson of One Cross Community Health, who argued for a “deficiency-first” and holistic approach to care centered on nutrition, lifestyle, and targeted supplementation. She said her clinic serves more than 7,000 patients in Taylor and Marion counties and described a model that includes primary care, behavioral health, functional medicine, addiction recovery, and chronic care. She cited Kentucky health rankings, claimed nutritional deficiencies cost the state billions, and said many children are overprescribed while undernourished. She urged broader insurance coverage for nutritional testing and supplements, rural demonstration grants, and Medicaid pilots for clinically prescribed supplements. Members asked about testing costs, dietitian support, long-term cost savings, compliance, and whether medications are often used to prevent damage from noncompliance; the presenter said the lab tests are generally covered, supplements are the main cost barrier, and seeing lab results can improve family buy-in. No votes were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was a meeting of psychology graduate students, law students, and med school students.
• How many students?
• Extremely popular elective course with high school students, and I think you need to be in those classes
• The current administration, we believe, is testing something dangerous: will the rule of law hold?
• think, whether or not federal law is the exclusive potential remedy here, would interestingly be tested

Transcript Highlights:

• , believe is best for their students, believe is best for their students, their<00:07:21.680>
• Many students are exceedingly uncomfortable at this young age, and students would often rather endure
• students to sexual harassment. students to sexual harassment.
• literature I actually am a law student literature I actually am a law student and<00:51:57.520><
• could test me and say, "Am I am I not?" could test me and say, "Am I am I not?"

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• future negotiation, but it's the intention of what we want to do is to really meet that reasonable test
• We have built one of the most rigorous testing systems in the country.
• majority of licensed operators invest significant time and resources to comply with California's testing
• When testing standards are applied consistently, responsible operators are no longer competing against
• not trained to work on animals in their core curriculum, that their licensing examinations do not test

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And of course, after we approve them to take a test, uh, we do have two testing events a month, usually
• And of course, after we approve them to take a test, uh, we do have two testing events a month, usually
• process and be tested. >> Correct.
• Of this program, we've had over 863 student participants.
• <01:51:47.679> the the tap water, we are also testing the the tap water, we are also testing

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The meeting began with roll call, adoption of the minutes, and brief remarks, including birthday recognition for Representative Maseroni and a moment of reflection for a soldier who died during training at Fort Knox. The committee then heard a presentation from Tony Hatton, commissioner of the Department for Environmental Protection and acting director of the Kentucky Division of Water, with Amanda Lefer, deputy commissioner, on the state’s water and wastewater programs and planning. Hatton described Kentucky’s water resources and the Division of Water’s responsibilities, including watershed and nonpoint source work, KPDES discharge permitting, PFAS response, engineering review of water infrastructure, inspections, public outreach, and sampling. He said Kentucky has 428 public water systems, 263 water treatment plants, about 1.9 million service connections, and nearly 97% of the population has access to municipally treated water. He also noted that the state has 43 systems receiving awards for EPA areawide optimization and emphasized operator training, regionalization, and use of GIS mapping and Kentucky Infrastructure Authority data to support planning and funding decisions. Members raised concerns about aging infrastructure, water loss, staffing shortages, and wastewater problems in local systems. Representative Blandon described severe failures in a city system, including major water loss and sewer backups, and asked whether the state could intervene; Hatton said the division inspects treatment facilities and provides compliance assistance but is not authorized to manage delivery systems, though third-party help and emergency funding can be used in some cases. Senator Smith and others shared similar experiences with line loss and system failures, while Hatton pointed to regionalization and funding support as the main tools available. The discussion also highlighted PFAS as an emerging issue, with Hatton saying the department is working with systems to meet anticipated federal requirements by 2029.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:00:54.079> fire<00:00:54.239> table test fire table test fire table shows<00:00:56.079
• things that we buy and our student things that we buy and our student loans?
• And it's all a balancing test.
• And it's all a balancing test.
• What we're trying to do balancing test.

Bills: HF3889, HF2567, HF3878

Keywords: workforce development, grant program, employment, economic development, funding, employment contract, labor policy, employee rights, unconscionable provisions, public policy, legal enforcement, airport workers, wage standards, labor rights, minimum wage, economic equity, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• That was changed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to net CFC tested income.
• at Hall STEM Academy, the students in North Minneapolis, and the thousands of students that are across
• > students<01:14:29.320> in<01:14:29.400> North Academy, the students in North Academy
• They spoke to our students. Connected.
• said something about a a but-for test said something about a a but-for test and<01:31:38.200>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:49:52.000> So tests. So this is just one of them. So tests.
• We kept adding more new students every year, and people had to build new schools for those new students
• So that went on until 2011 students.
• So why do we having fewer students.
• So, we took when we're losing students?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• been incredible to get to watch students been incredible to get to watch students get<00:21:40.240
• to. that they are truly being student to. that they are truly being student scientists scientists
• <00:22:19.520> uh that's a community college student. uh that's a community college student
• <00:29:21.039> be experiences and what should students be experiences and what should students
• 30.559> that<00:29:30.880> are What are student misconceptions that are What are student

Bills: HB187, HB98, HB360, HB394, HB398, HB388, HB187, HB98, HB360, HB394, HB398, HB388

Keywords: school safety, emergency response, training, public safety, Alyssa's Law, law enforcement, scholarship, tuition assistance, dependent education, Alabama, blackout license plate, HB360, Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday, sales tax holiday, firearms, guns, ammunition, bullets, primers, gun accessories

Transcript Highlights:

• person in place, not just a system of artificial intelligence, and it deals with ensuring the blood tests
• My name is Taylor Kindle, and I stand before you all as a third-year law student at Florida State College
• My name is Taylor Kindle, and I am a third-year law student at Florida State College.
• So I'm assuming part of this is actually testing the court to see if we can do this.
• Martin, if you can address the Louisiana decision and what you're trying to do with the courts in testing

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice considered and reported favorably a series of criminal justice, corrections, and public safety bills. Among the measures approved were SB 468, increasing penalties for fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement and allowing impoundment of involved vehicles; SB 1136, tightening age-related criminal offense provisions and clarifying that ignorance or misrepresentation of a victim’s age is not a defense in covered cases; SB 144, which was described as a broad public safety measure addressing law enforcement tools, AI/body camera use, concealed carry licensing exemptions for law enforcement, blood testing after exposure incidents, and related matters; and SB 1782, creating a dangerous excessive speeding offense for extreme speeding conduct. The committee also approved SB 964 on objective parole guidelines, SB 1450 giving law enforcement discretion on immediate arrest of individuals with significant medical conditions in nursing home or assisted living settings, SB 612 closing a loophole related to charging minors in drug-distribution deaths, SB 1838 protecting court officials from tampering, harassment, and retaliation, SB 776 adding an aggravating factor for assassination or attempted assassination of a head of state, and SB 716 imposing mandatory minimums for certain sexual offenses committed by registered sex offenders or predators. Several bills drew notable testimony and debate. SB 1804, which would make sex trafficking of a child under 12 or a mentally incapacitated person a capital offense, received strong support from the sponsor and some members who argued it was needed to address the most heinous trafficking cases, but it also drew opposition from the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and others who argued the death penalty should not be expanded to non-homicide crimes and would be unconstitutional, costly, and retraumatizing to victims. SB 1604 on corrections, which included provisions on inmate litigation, limitations periods, tracking devices, and involuntary mental health treatment, prompted questions about inmate rights, accountability, and possible abuse; the sponsor said the bill was intended to balance access to claims with institutional safety and to continue refining the language. SB 1838 also drew concerns from criminal defense lawyers about possible unintended effects on attorneys, and the sponsor said he would work on clarifying the language. The committee adopted amendments on several bills, including a substitute amendment to SB 144 that removed some provisions for further work, added first responder-related provisions, and adjusted motor vehicle kill-switch language; an amendment to SB 1136 changing the age threshold and refining luring/enticement language; a strike-all amendment to SB 964 limiting retroactivity and focusing on presumptive parolees; and a delete-all amendment to SB 1604 that revised multiple provisions, including tracking devices and consecutive sentencing under 10-20 Life. Most bills were reported favorably by roll call, with SB 776 and SB 1804 passing despite recorded no votes from some members. The chair closed by noting it was the committee’s final meeting of the session and thanked members before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Do we have on testing, are we...
• Okay, and then on the testing side of this whole system...
• Our testing. has proven fruitful.
• We have partners that have been identified to help us stress test.
• We have about 300 students at this time.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And growing up in Laredo, a lot of the students, you know, were...
• That has a team of employees that monitor and test.
• My company, Aqua Texas, has recently closed out a test year, working with OPUC and PUC to define.
• A target date for a rate case filing in 2025 has been established, so we closed out a 2024 test year.
• Other jurisdictions allow future or combined test years.

Bills: SB243, SB1586, SB1891, SB1959, SB2159, SB2568

Keywords: migrant labor housing, migrant housing, farmworker housing, migrant agricultural worker, agricultural labor, farm labor contractor, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, TDHCA, civil penalty, housing code enforcement, sanitation, occupancy standards, retaliation, worker complaint, language access, Spanish-language outreach, H-2A visa, temporary agricultural workers, unlicensed housing, rural housing

Transcript Highlights:

• They have to go to drug tests at a specific time.
• They have to go to drug tests at a specific time.
• I need to work, but I have to go to a drug test at a specific time.
• Secure buildings, surveillance, substance use testing, and regular searches.
• But while we're waiting to be admitted, our students are in their class, to be admitted that our students

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission on correctional consolidation and collaboration heard testimony focused on how Massachusetts uses custody levels, staffing, programming, and medical release tools, with Prisoners’ Legal Services arguing that the system is overusing expensive high-security settings and underusing step-down options. Dave Rainey said the incarcerated population has dropped substantially over the last several years, but spending and staffing have not fallen in proportion. He argued that DOC overclassifies people into medium and maximum security, relies too heavily on behavioral assessment units that function like segregation, and keeps people in restrictive settings such as Souza-Baranowski and Shattuck Hospital longer than necessary. He also said medical parole is underused and that many people with serious chronic illness or advanced age pose little public-safety risk and should be released through existing legal pathways. Sheriffs and other commission members pushed back on some of those points, emphasizing that staffing needs are driven by the acuity of the current population, that corrections is not overstaffed, and that classification decisions involve serious public-safety judgments. They also stressed that some high-cost medical placements are necessary because people remain under sentence and require care, and that furloughs and other release tools can create security risks if contraband or substance use is involved. The discussion also covered the role of county sheriffs versus DOC in reentry, with several members saying county systems tend to do more day-to-day step-down and release planning, while DOC has more difficulty moving people through lower-security settings before release. Ben Foreman of MassINC offered a more systemwide, data-focused perspective, praising the state’s transparency and arguing that Massachusetts has made major progress in reducing incarceration and increasing public safety. He said the state still has an opportunity to improve by right-sizing facilities, investing in community-based mental health treatment, and using the commission to better understand the capital and operating costs of the current system. In response to questions, he said he was aware of DOC studies on programs like furlough but had not reviewed recent ones, and he noted that total-control facilities like Souza-Baranowski have long been criticized in the research literature for poor outcomes. Nora Wassel of the Women and Incarceration Project then testified that the commission should issue an interim report and scrutinize the planned new women’s prison, which she said is not justified by current population trends or available data. She argued that women are overclassified under DOC’s own tools, that reentry beds and minimum-security placements are underused, and that the system may be failing to account for women’s distinct medical and reentry needs. The meeting ended with continued discussion of reentry, furloughs, day reporting, and whether consolidation should mean fewer facilities, better step-down pathways, or both.

Transcript Highlights:

• THE MONEY IS SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THE STUDENTS BUT THE STUDENTS ARE ON THE MOVE.
• THAT'S $270 MILLION WE ARE PAYING FOR STUDENTS WE CAN'T LOCATE.
• THE BILL REQUIRES THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ASSIGN A STUDENT ID TO ALL STUDENTS SO WE CAN KEEP TRACK
• TO ENSURE IF MORE STUDENTS APPLY AND ANTICIPATED THAT ALL STUDENTS CAN STILL RECEIVE FULLY FUNDED SCHOLARSHIPS
• FIRST BY MAKING SURE EVERY STUDENT HAS A NUMBER.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we need to open up as many seats for our students as possible. Again, Florida students first.
• students.
• And I'm thinking of students with jobs, students who have full-time jobs, or students who are parenting
• or, because it's first-time students, right, that can be non-traditional first-time students, so it
• Degree-seeking students includes all first-time-in-college as well as graduate students.

Summary: The committee first took up PCS for HB 1503, which would require general education courses that use technology to provide students opportunities to build digital literacy, including instruction on applications of artificial intelligence and related topics such as software engineering, computer networks, database systems, and cybersecurity as applicable to the course. It would also require high school computer science courses offered by school districts to include instruction on AI. There was no public testimony or debate, and the bill was reported favorably on a unanimous roll call vote. The committee then considered PCS for HB 1279, an education bill that the sponsor said was intended to improve consistency, oversight, and transparency while putting Florida students first. The bill drew extensive questioning and opposition over provisions affecting university admissions and funding, including a 95% Florida-resident first-time-in-college enrollment target tied to preeminent funding, a cap on nonresident students from any one country, standardized GPA weighting, limits on institution-wide graduation requirements, and changes related to accreditation references and other education programs. The sponsor argued these changes would open more seats for Florida students, preserve academic rigor, and align statutes with existing regulations and court action, while opponents said the bill would harm university competitiveness, research, revenue, faculty recruitment, and access for international and nontraditional students. Public testimony on HB 1279 was largely opposed. Speakers included a student advocate, a dental hygiene representative concerned about dual regulation of expanded-function dental programs, and faculty representatives from FSU and FAMU who warned the bill would politicize admissions and curriculum, reduce competitiveness, and create negative fiscal impacts. During debate, supporters emphasized taxpayer investment in Florida students and the need to prioritize in-state applicants, while opponents argued the bill would weaken the state university system and undermine its national standing. The committee reported PCS for HB 1279 favorably by a 12-5 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• and not only in the students, but across Virginia's communities and students and not only in the students
• It means that a student in Southwest Virginia and a student in Northern Virginia can both encounter the
• The students performed in both English and Spanish.
• And we did a little test and loaded it to save the date.
• And I will have students, graduate students, assisting in some of our administrative support to reduce

Keywords: Virginia Commission for the Arts Board Meeting, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• over-a-billion-dollar research enterprise that benefits the state and creates opportunities for our students
• state and creates opportunities for the state and creates opportunities for our<00:02:31.640> students
• M kpatrick can you pull the our students M kpatrick can you pull the microphone<00:02:34.200> closer
• uh we also drive a lot of our students uh we also drive a lot of economic<00:02:53.159> growth
• they're more open and there's students they're more open and there's students and<00:41:46.760><

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee met and approved the minutes from the previous meeting. The chair noted that agency overviews from the Office of Higher Education and other state agencies were not available, so the committee proceeded with University of Minnesota presentations instead. The committee also reviewed posted committee rules. University of Minnesota representatives gave an overview of the university’s research enterprise, describing it as a system of five campuses with a possible expansion to St. Cloud, and highlighting research strengths across campuses in agriculture, energy, natural resources, health, and the Twin Cities flagship campus. They said the university has more than $1.3 billion in annual research expenditures, receives most of its research funding from federal sources, and is ranked highly for both overall research and interdisciplinary research. Examples discussed included the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the Forever Green initiative, and research tied to sustainable crops, health, and commercialization. Members asked questions about specific research areas, including biodegradable or renewable plastics, wheat research, food dyes, health and environmental toxins, and the market for winter camelina and winter pennycress. University staff said they could follow up with more detailed information and explained that the winter crop work is intended to become market-driven over time, while also improving soil health and creating new revenue streams for farmers. They also clarified that the university’s federal research funding includes money from NIH, NSF, DOE, DOD, and other agencies, and that the “other” funding category includes foundations, subawards, and internal university seed funding. The committee then heard a second University of Minnesota presentation focused on partnerships, commercialization, and workforce development. Testimony highlighted collaborations with industry and government partners such as U.S. Steel, 3M, Medtronic, Cisco, and defense-related industry leaders, as well as programs supporting microelectronics, AI, cybersecurity, and sustainable aviation fuels. No formal votes were taken beyond approving the minutes, and the committee ended the segment by moving on to the next testifier.