Video & Transcript Research : 'workforce development fund'
Page 178 of 500
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Economic and Rural Development Aug 12th, 2025
Economic & Rural Development & Policy Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- We have a fund balance, so we've been drawing off of our fund balance.
- there. of economic development there.
- So that's one of the things that gets funded.
- Folks like Virgin Galactic need a workforce.
- And if someone were to come in and develop it the way that space exploration has been developed recently
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
Appropriations Committee on Higher Education Feb 12th, 2025
Appropriations Committee on Higher Education
Transcript Highlights:
- And here, this graph shows that our LPN workforce is much older than our RN workforce, and that's going
- and here this graph shows that our LPN workforce is much older than our RN workforce and that's going
- We consider ourselves a workforce solution, not just a college of nursing, but a workforce solution for
- The pipeline funding, the line funding has been phenomenal for us in terms of our local support.
- So state funding grants to the hospital systems and schools to develop more clinical preceptors, and
Summary:
The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education met to focus on nursing education funding, workforce supply, and Florida’s low NCLEX pass rates. The chair emphasized that Florida ranks last nationally in nursing exam pass rates and said the committee wants to use budget decisions and a forthcoming nursing bill to improve outcomes. The Florida Center for Nursing at USF presented preliminary workforce and education data showing RN supply is moving toward equilibrium with demand through 2037, while LPN shortages are projected to worsen, especially in some regions. The center also reported on enrollment, retention, faculty vacancies, and NCLEX trends, noting Florida still underperforms the national average but has shown some recent improvement, including higher RN pass rates in 2024 despite fewer test takers. The center highlighted that students who test sooner after graduation tend to pass at higher rates.
A panel of nursing education leaders from public universities, state colleges, technical colleges, and private institutions described how prior state pipeline and line-item funding helped expand enrollment, simulation labs, faculty hiring, student support services, and partnerships with hospitals. UNF, Galen College, College of Central Florida, Keiser University, and Lorenzo Walker Technical College each reported strategies such as expanded simulation, mental health and social work support, test-prep and remediation, and efforts to grow faculty pipelines. Several speakers said faculty recruitment and retention remain major barriers because of salary competition with hospitals, faculty debt, and aging faculty. Technical college representatives also stressed the need to strengthen LPN pathways, English-language support, and LPN-to-RN bridge programs.
Members asked for ideas to improve NCLEX outcomes and discussed possible policy options, including student loan forgiveness, critical shortage supplements for faculty, incentives for students to test soon after graduation, and possible changes to timing or regulation around NCLEX eligibility. Several witnesses supported more flexible or recurring funding, while noting that one-time line funding has been useful for simulation, scholarships, and faculty support but is harder to sustain. The committee adjourned after the discussion, with the chair saying the ideas would be considered in future funding and policy decisions.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Cmte on Rules - Subcommittee on the Federal Impact on Minnesotans and Economic Stability - 12/18/25
Transcript Highlights:
- <00:10:22.560>
to funding cuts, from inflation to funding cuts, from inflation to deportation - If 12% of any direct care workforce.
- the loss of workforce the loss of workforce um<00:32:24.320>
is <00:32:24.640>it <00 - Instead of regulating these companies or helping states develop plans to support economic development
- essential for kids healthy development essential for kids healthy development just<00:57:47.359>
KY
Transcript Highlights:
- Investment Fund.
- Investment Fund.
- <00:21:16.000>
Investment Kentucky Healthcare Workforce Investment Kentucky Healthcare Workforce - Fund. Representative Gordon. Fund. Representative Gordon.
- Economic Development Task Force by Economic Development Task Force by establishing<00:22:58.320>
the
Keywords:
Video Starts 00:00
Convene 06:39
Motions, Petitions, and Communications 13:20
Introductions of New Bills and Resolutions 17:05
Adjournment 23:56, 958, all
Summary:
The Kentucky House convened, heard the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, established a quorum with 95 members present, excused absent members, suspended rules to allow co-sponsorships and vote modifications, and approved the journal from January 7, 2026. No committee reports, second readings, or floor amendments were needed during the session.
The House adopted House Citation No. 3, adjourning in loving memory and honor of Gary Bennett Shell, the father of Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell and a former member’s colleague. Members offered remarks about his illness, his impact on his community and family, and requested a moment of silence. The chamber also heard a brief announcement about the KPA Big Boy Breakfast scheduled for the next morning.
A long list of new bills and resolutions was introduced, covering topics including medical debt reporting, protection of minors on digital platforms, property tax exemptions and constitutional amendments, veterans benefits, emergency management services, student loan repayment and apprenticeship tax credits, abandoned property, residency definitions for postsecondary education, animal services tax exemptions, high school graduation requirements, Ten Commandments displays in public schools, animal control officers, disabled veterans benefits, hospital police departments, involuntary commitment, school lunches, hazardous duty and line-of-duty disability benefits, reading and language arts instruction, criminal procedure, education accountability, milk transportation, citizenship requirements for elected officials, student support personnel, school psychologist licensure compact, aircraft sales tax exemptions, glucagon, theft by deception, insurance regulatory authorizations, healthcare workforce credentials, welcome centers and rest areas, flags of remembrance, wages, affordable housing, legislative ethics, barbering, veterans’ benefits protections, KEES scholarships for non-certified schools, chickens on residential property, school nutrition, hospital price transparency, mental health and substance use coverage, food donation, vehicle lights, and several memorial bridge designations and an aviation economic development task force. The House then adjourned until 9:00 a.m. Friday, January 9, 2026.
AL
Alabama 2026 Regular Session
Alabama Joint Legislative Budget Overview Jan 14th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- fund funds Medicaid. fund funds Medicaid. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes.
- You'll see funding inside the direct budget also for the Department of Workforce.
- You'll see funding inside the workforce.
- But when we talk about things like economic development, you can't recruit workforce if they don't have
- But when we talk about things like economic development, you can't recruit workforce if they don't have
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Fund the future.
- This funding is more vital to them.
- Our kids deserve full funding. And Governor Abbott promised us full funding.
- Here's what I get in my current basic allotment, and this is how I currently fund what I fund.
- The teacher workforce is the Texas workforce.
Bills:
HB2
Keywords:
disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace, medical examiner, county judge, sheriff, mayor, emergency coordinator, emergency manager license, volunteer management system, volunteer registration, criminal history check, background check, Texas Division of Emergency Management
Summary:
The committee continued public testimony on House Bill 2, which would make major changes to public school funding, teacher pay, special education, early learning, school safety, and related programs. Many superintendents and education advocates supported the bill’s overall direction but urged changes, especially a larger basic allotment and more flexible funding for rural and small districts. Witnesses from Paint Creek, West Hardin, Cushing, Blooming Grove, Mildred, Buffalo, Plano, and rural school groups said the bill’s targeted raises and new requirements would not fully cover inflation, TRS/Medicare costs, transportation, insurance, or support staff salaries, and several asked the committee to restore the House version’s higher basic allotment and small-school allotment. Charter school representatives supported the facilities funding changes and said charter schools need state help because they cannot levy taxes, while also noting the funding gap with ISDs. Fine arts advocates asked the committee to restore the fine arts allotment, arguing arts improve engagement, attendance, and academic outcomes, especially in rural and at-risk communities. Early learning and special education witnesses supported parts of the bill but raised concerns about pre-K restrictions, disability-related pre-K access, and the need to preserve or clarify special education provisions and mental health oversight language.
Several witnesses praised the teacher pay raise, teacher incentive allotment expansion, and teacher preparation investments, saying they would help recruit and retain educators and improve student outcomes. Others, including counselors and support staff advocates, argued the bill should also include raises for counselors, nurses, librarians, bus drivers, custodians, aides, and other non-teaching employees who keep schools running. One witness from the Texas Counseling Association opposed the substitute because it removed a counselor pay provision, warning of counselor shortages and inequities. A parent and special education advocate said the bill’s structure creates too many strings attached and asked for a larger basic allotment instead of more targeted funding. Another witness from Mental Health America urged keeping the collaborative task force on public school mental health services through 2031, and a disability rights advocate said the committee substitute appears to omit some special education items that were in the House version.
The committee also briefly took up House Bill 6, a school discipline bill. After questions about automatic mandatory expulsion for vape possession and concerns about younger students, the committee adopted the substitute and voted to report HB 6 favorably to the full Senate by a 9-1 vote, with Senator Menendez voting no and Senators West and Menendez expressing reservations but supporting further discussion. After that vote, testimony on HB 2 resumed. Senators used the hearing to ask about the bill’s cost, the difference between the basic allotment and the bill’s targeted funding buckets, and whether the permanent teacher pay increase shifts pressure off districts. The bill’s supporters emphasized that it represents an historic, roughly $8 billion investment and that many of the new funding streams are intended to be permanent or to address specific district needs.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Appropriations Committee on Higher Education Mar 24th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- EVEN EMERGED TO BE THE CHAIR OF THE UNITED WAY OF PALM BEACH COUNTY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BOARD, THE
- VALENCIA TO GROW WITH STUDENT DEMAND AND MAKING SURE WE ARE MEETING WORKFORCE DEMANDS.
- LASTLY THE BILL APPROPRIATES $5 MILLION IN RECURRING FUNDS AND 1.5 MILLION IN NONRECURRING FUNDS TO FLORIDA
- THESE CHANGES SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT TO ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND WORKFORCE READINESS.
- INJURING FUNDS ARE DIRECTED TO WORKFORCE NEEDS AND RAIN NAMES HILLSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE WHICH IS
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
IC - Legislative Education Study Apr 30th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- For federal funding.
- It doesn't generate funding.
- So again, general fund on the left, and then other state funds, inter-agency transfers, federal funds
- Our schools are funded based on U.S. funding, either what you have included in statute.
- And then, this is probably the most important part of it: develop a categorical funding model that's
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Revenue funding for upgrades and improvements for critical workforce needs is adopted at $785,000.
- State and for our workforce.
- Item 2 funding for 4% salary increase for residential instructors adopted at $700,000 Item 3 funding
- Item number 13, Rural Economic Development Grant, Texas Rural Business Fund Program.
- H was a decrease in funding and fund 5093 for 75,000 item number I was.
Bills:
SB 1
TX
Texas 89th 2nd C.S.
Licensing & Administrative Procedures Mar 25th, 2025
Licensing & Administrative Procedures
Transcript Highlights:
- Um, it's not the training would be developed by TDLR, uh, and it would, uh, my understanding it's not
- Uh, committee substitute HB 1757 takes an important step in addressing the workforce challenges in the
- Um, we commend the proposals by Governor Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Patrick to address workforce
- development matters across all professions and occupations, and we look forward to partnering in this
- By streamlining the process for qualified professionals moving to Texas, the bill improves workforce
MS
Mississippi 2026 Regular Session
Appropriations - Room 409, 28 January, 2026; 10:30 A.M.
Appropriations
Transcript Highlights:
- . workforce. workforce.
- general funds. general funds.
- Um, so requesting funds, we're requesting it to be general funds, capital expense funds last year. >>
- Um so funds.
last general funds capital expense funds last general funds capital expense funds last year year
Summary:
The meeting began with testimony from the Nursing Home Administrator Board, whose executive director explained the board’s role in licensing nursing home administrators, the AIT internship pathway, reciprocity, board composition, meeting schedule, and staffing. Members then shifted to an ice-storm-related discussion about nursing home emergency preparedness. Legislators asked whether any facilities lacked power, generators, or water, and urged clearer communication protocols so facilities would report problems directly through the Department of Health and emergency channels rather than through scattered calls to legislators. The board said facilities generally communicate with the Department of Health, that emergency contact information had been distributed before the storm, and that every facility has some form of generator, though not all can power the whole facility. The board also presented a small budget request, including modest salary increases for its two employees and a cloud-migration cost tied to House Bill 1491, with the understanding that statewide funding for that requirement might be handled separately.
The discussion then moved to the Department of Health’s budget and operations. Agency leadership said the department has spent the last three years improving county health department efficiency, reducing overhead, and adjusting fees to eliminate program deficits, which has reduced spending by about $10 million and would shift roughly $8 million in general funds away from deficits. The department requested level funding overall, citing inflationary pressures and the possibility of another federal shutdown, but said it could absorb the impact for another year. Members discussed the public health trust created in a prior session, the need to rebuild county health departments, maternal and fetal care initiatives, and the importance of maintaining the $2.9 million in public health program support that has helped expand services such as obesity management, OB care, and home visitation for high-risk mothers and babies.
Oversight and compliance issues were also reviewed. Legislators asked about prior problems with grants and sex education funding, and department officials said they had tightened oversight, adopted OpenGov for compliance, and corrected earlier violations so the programs are now in full compliance. They said the agency had improved accountability for both state and federal funds and that transparency remained a priority. The department also highlighted the cannabis program, saying it is now profitable, generating about $9 million in net revenue last year and about $12.5 million this year, with projections of $40 million to $50 million annually as it matures. Officials said they are asking for seed money for the public health trust from cannabis revenue so private-sector donations can be leveraged for long-term public health support. They described enforcement actions including fines, suspensions, license revocations, plant destruction, and referrals to law enforcement, the attorney general, and licensure boards for serious violations. The meeting ended with general support from legislators for the department’s work and acknowledgment of improved health outcomes, including Mississippi moving from 49th to 48th in overall health outcomes.
TX
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
Public Higher Education Study Committee (11/12/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- <00:20:48.159>
and I was thinking about our workforce and I was thinking about our workforce - to impact the workforce to impact the workforce in<00:24:59.360>
a <00:24:59.520>way - and business attraction and workforce and business attraction and the<00:42:35.520>
workforce - Funding being one. Funding, certainly. We just had two federal grants cancelled on short notice.
- <00:45:52.319>
funding happening. Funding being one. funding happening.
Summary:
The committee met to review the annual report on collaboration between the University System of New Hampshire and the Community College System of New Hampshire, and the meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and a gubernatorial proclamation recognizing the community college system’s 80th anniversary. Both chancellors praised the proclamation and described the report as a statutory follow-up to the public higher education task force. They said the two systems have built a close working relationship and that the collaboration is intended to continue, though progress may be limited by resources and staffing changes.
Much of the discussion focused on transfer pathways and new academic models. The chancellors said House Bill 1530 helped drive the creation of more than 100, and possibly about 130, “universal pathways” between the systems, with a reported 30% increase in community college associate-degree graduates transferring to the university system in the last academic year. They also discussed direct-admit outreach for community college graduates, early college and CTE-to-workforce pathways, and the development of three-year bachelor’s programs at Plymouth State and in some health-care fields. Members asked about nursing, allied dental health, and radiologic technology, and the chancellors said they are exploring whether some programs can be streamlined, while noting that nursing’s requirements may limit how short a pathway can be.
Members also raised concerns about whether transfer pathways could affect university enrollment, but the university chancellor said declining enrollment is more likely due to a smaller pool of college-age students and broader competition, not the transfer programs. Another topic was the ERP/technology platform recommendation from the task force: the university system is moving to Workday, while the community college system is working to align business practices and move from an on-premises system to a cloud-based solution. Officials said a shared enterprise system could create efficiencies in the future, but it is not expected in the short term; student-facing tools like Canvas are already shared. The committee also discussed House Bill 112, which would require passing a civics test for graduation, and the chancellors said they support civic education but see implementation challenges. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes and receiving the report.
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
House Housing Finance and Policy Committee 2/11/25
Housing Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- So in addition, we have the Greater Minnesota Workforce Housing Development Program and other programs
- So in addition, we have the Greater Minnesota Workforce Housing Development Program and other programs
- So in addition, we have the Greater Minnesota Workforce Housing Development Program and other programs
- So in addition, we have the Greater Minnesota Workforce Housing Development Program and other programs
- The workforce home ownership program is really used for development cost, rehab, land development, and
Summary:
The committee met for an agency overview from Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho. After member and staff introductions, Ho described Minnesota Housing’s mission, structure, and role as a mission-driven financial institution that issues bonds, uses earnings to support operations, and works across the housing continuum from homelessness prevention to homeownership and preservation. She emphasized that the agency is not a builder or regulator, but funds and partners with developers, local governments, nonprofits, and lenders. She also noted the agency’s four divisions, including a new local government housing programs division created after the 2023 legislative session expanded the agency’s responsibilities.
Ho reviewed funding and program activity, saying Minnesota Housing spent $1.96 billion in fiscal year 2024 and helped more than 73,000 households. She highlighted that the agency’s work is heavily competitive and often oversubscribed, with many projects selected through RFPs and grants but more applications than available resources. She discussed 2023 and 2024 investments, including homeownership, rental, and manufactured housing projects, and said roughly half of competitive dollars have gone to Greater Minnesota over the last several years. She also explained the difference between funds committed and funds actually disbursed, noting that construction and rehabilitation projects can take many months to close and draw down funds.
The commissioner also updated members on new programs created in 2023 and 2024, including first-generation down payment assistance, the Greater Minnesota Workforce Housing Development Program, public housing rehabilitation, state housing tax credits, and other local and regional initiatives. She said some programs are already closed out, while others remain in early implementation or are still accepting applications. Ho mentioned a forthcoming technical amendment to adjust a high-rise sprinkler program after eligibility issues limited participation. She closed with examples of projects preserved or funded, including a St. Louis Park preservation deal, public housing preservation in Greater Minnesota, a St. Cloud challenge project, and the first-generation down payment assistance program, which distributed $50 million to about 1,450 first-time buyers, most of whom were Black, Indigenous, or people of color. No votes or formal committee actions were taken.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
FIN/WAM Joint Info Briefing - Tue Jan 21, 2025 @ 1:00 PM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- We aim to advance workforce development, career pathway programs, key infrastructure projects, and housing
- Partners we aim to advance Workforce Partners we aim to advance Workforce Development<00:19:13.120>
- ensure eligibility for various programs and funding sources to address gaps in state funding.
- In tandem, we are looking to enhance workforce development opportunities in agriculture, conservation
- We have the Rental Housing Revolving Fund, the DIRF fund.
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Mar 25th, 2025
Children, Families, and Elder Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- We should have the same kinds of measures that we have in health care to develop, to make sure that the
- Data-driven policy and workforce development.
- They should also develop and routinely analyze a behavioral health workforce survey, with monitoring
- We've tried to fund as much as we can. We need to know what's most efficient.
- We've tried to fund as much as we can. We need to know what's most efficient.
Summary:
The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs met to consider several bills and the confirmation of Taylor Hatch as Secretary of the Department of Children and Families. SB 1310, relating to reporting of student mental health outcomes, was temporarily postponed. The committee then took up SB 1354 on behavioral health managing entities, adopted a delete-all amendment, and heard support for the bill’s focus on transparency, accountability, audits, referral patterns, and a DCF report due by December 1. Members discussed the capacity of the current reporting system and the need for coordination with school districts. The committee voted the bill favorably.
The committee next considered SB 1620 on mental health and substance abuse disorders, which implements selected recommendations from the 2025 Commission on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. The bill, as amended, includes reforms on dignity and patient-centered care, crisis response, individualized treatment plans, use of the DLA-20 assessment tool, data analysis by the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, and creation of a research center. Amendments removed a direct medication-provision requirement in favor of a review and report on discharge procedures, medication adherence, and long-acting injectables, and clarified licensure priorities for short-term residential treatment programs. Testimony and debate emphasized the need for action, better data, and efficient use of public funds. The committee reported the bill favorably.
Finally, the committee heard from Taylor Hatch, the Governor’s appointee to lead DCF. Hatch described her background in state government and her priorities for DCF, including coordination, transparency, prevention, permanency, and responsiveness to vulnerable Floridians. Several members spoke in support, citing her experience at APD and familiarity with the agency’s work. The committee voted unanimously to recommend her confirmation, and then adjourned.
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- Additionally, The bill requires DCF to convene a case management workforce workgroup.
- Is there a funding mechanism for this program?
- There is funding associated with the bill for the foster care pilot program.”
- development.
- Funding requests are limited to $15 million annually.
Summary:
The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions recognizing visiting groups, including FSU students and officials, Catholic lay leaders, Broward County school officials and students, and veterans-related guests. The chamber then took up a series of bills, with several routine reviser measures passing unanimously: SB 36 adopting the 2025 Florida Statutes, SB 38 changing a division name in the statutes, SB 40 deleting repealed provisions, and SB 42 cleaning up obsolete language and cross-references. SB 50 on nature-based coastal resilience was amended to strengthen the Florida Flood Hub’s role and passed 39-0 after debate about mangroves, oyster reefs, living shorelines, and hybrid green-gray infrastructure. SB 116, a major veterans bill, passed 39-0 after extensive discussion of veteran benefits awareness, mental health training, coordination with federal agencies, adult day health care, and the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame. SB 118 on presidential libraries passed 36-3 after questions and debate over state preemption of local zoning and related regulation, and SB 126 on mailing prescription hearing aids passed 39-0 to expand access for adults after licensed evaluation.
The Senate also passed SB 150, as amended, to conform to the House by changing the bill’s wording from “animals” to “dogs” in the natural-disaster abandonment context. SB 294 passed 38-0 to limit collaborative pharmacy practice from being expanded to certain serious cardiac conditions. Senate Memorial 314 was adopted by voice vote, urging Congress to seek a larger Florida National Guard force structure. SB 322 passed 39-0 creating a nonjudicial process for commercial property owners to have unauthorized occupants removed by the sheriff. SB 348 passed 39-0, making it an ethics violation to falsely claim a military rank for material gain and allowing delinquent ethics fines to be withheld from public paychecks. SB 7012 on child welfare passed 39-0 and would recruit former public safety workers into CPI/case manager roles, create a treatment foster care pilot in two judicial circuits, and improve data collection and services for commercially sexually exploited children.
Later, the Senate returned to SB 108 on administrative procedures, which passed 39-0 after debate over a five-year review cycle for agency rules, reporting requirements, and greater transparency in rulemaking. SB 160 on public accountancy passed 39-0 after an amendment clarifying contracted services and discussion of easing pathways into the CPA profession while maintaining standards. SB 110 on rural communities passed after an amendment package and extensive debate, with provisions described as creating an Office of Rural Prosperity, a Renaissance grant program, housing and road funding, school support, and health care investments for rural areas. At the end of the session, the Senate waived rules to immediately certify all passed bills to the House, observed a moment of silence for former Surfside Chief John Healy, and received additional announcements before adjournment.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
House Standing Committee on Primary and Secondary Education. (2-4-26)
Primary and Secondary Education
Transcript Highlights:
- funds, as well as investment fund incomes.
- ability to meet modern workforce ability to meet modern workforce demands.<00:02:21.840>
The< - , as well as investment federal funds, as well as investment fund<00:03:04.239>
incomes. - The grants will be fund incomes.
- private funds that we are pursuing. private funds that we are pursuing.
Summary:
The committee first heard House Bill 44, sponsored by Representative Chris Lewis, which would create a robotics program trust fund and a robotics funding selection committee through the Kentucky Department of Education. Supporters, including Kentucky First Robotics executive director Kelly Gowen and students from Whitfield Academy, said the bill would expand hands-on robotics education in high schools, connect students to manufacturing and engineering careers, and help meet workforce needs. The proposal would fund grants for coach stipends, competition fees, kits, supplies, and related expenses, and Lewis requested a one-time $500,000 appropriation along with private contributions from manufacturers. The students demonstrated their robot and described how robotics programs teach coding, design, manufacturing, and competition skills. The committee took no questions and approved HB 44 with a favorable expression of opinion for passage on the House floor.
The committee then considered House Bill 253, sponsored by Representative James Tipton, which would phase out the use of three-cueing reading instruction and require greater alignment with the science of reading. Tipton said the bill builds on the 2022 Read to Succeed law and would prohibit three cueing in public schools by the 2029-2030 school year, while also barring public university teacher prep programs from teaching it beginning in 2027-2028. He and Kentucky Department of Education officials said the bill is intended to shift instruction toward phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension, and to expand professional learning for teachers through LETRS and other options. KDE testified that enforcement would focus on support rather than punishment, using literacy coaches, regional support staff, and MTSS specialists to help districts transition.
Members discussed the bill’s delayed implementation, the evidence against three cueing, and whether reading recovery should be excluded from approved interventions. Supporters cited studies and brain research they said show three cueing can hurt later reading performance, while several members emphasized the need for teacher flexibility and support. Representative Jackson noted Kentucky’s 2025 NAEP third-grade reading ranking of fourth in the nation as evidence that current efforts are helping. Representative Truett and others raised concerns about how the bill would affect classroom practice and intervention strategies, and Tipton and KDE said the goal is to align instruction with evidence-based methods rather than punish educators. The transcript ends during continued discussion of reading recovery and related instructional approaches, with no final vote on HB 253 shown in the excerpt.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- philanthropy. this Workforce Development problem that this Workforce Development problem that the<01
- So we end up training everybody, so we develop their workforce, and they become good.
- development, because frankly it's not workforce development working for somebody else; it's skills and
- existing requirement of Workforce existing requirement of Workforce Development<03:12:05.600>
- doing within dbed and our Workforce doing within dbed and our Workforce Development<03:12:39.840
AL
Transcript Highlights:
- That's the fund that you're safety fund. That's the fund that you're safety fund.
- The are funded out of the general fund. The are funded out of the general fund.
- general fund, the general fund is always suffering.
- and that line items where we funded and that line items where we funded and that funds those funds have
- not been funds those funds have not been funds those funds have not been utilized.
Keywords:
occupation tax, securities, financial regulation, tax exemption, legislative amendment, capital gains tax, realized gains, unrealized gains, investment income, asset sale, capital assets, wealth tax, estate tax, trust tax, tax limitation, constitutional amendment, Texas Constitution, Article VIII, property tax, sales tax