Transcript Highlights:

• And our mantra at WKU is to learn by doing applied learning.
• And so we travel many miles across the country to learn from this experience.
• And so we travel many miles across the country to learn from this experience.
• And it is quite honestly sometimes learn as we go.
• We don't know sometimes learn as we go.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Disaster Prevention and Resiliency Task Force met with a quorum, adopted the minutes from the previous meeting, and heard a presentation from Western Kentucky University’s Disaster Science Operations Center. WKU described its multidisciplinary disaster science effort, including meteorology, emergency management, the Kentucky State Climate Center, the Kentucky Mesonet, and the Disaster Science Operations Center, which was created in 2021 and serves as an operational hub for forecasting, emergency planning, crisis management, training, and decision support. Speakers emphasized applied learning, student field work, partnerships with industry and event venues, and a five-year NSF/UK-led research project focused on weather hazards, disaster preparedness, and building a statewide disaster database to improve mitigation and resilience. Members asked about flooding, the relationship to EKU’s program, Tennessee’s capabilities, and the timeline and goals for the research project; WKU said the data collection is underway and that the evidence suggests tornado risk is shifting east and occurring more at night. A WKU graduate student also described the value of hands-on storm-chasing and operational forecasting experience, saying it helped prepare her for work in forecasting and emergency management. Members asked about her motivation for joining the program and about the practical realities of storm chasing. The discussion also touched on whether Kentucky’s tornado risk is shifting east; WKU said the evidence from tornado observations and other studies points in that direction, with added concern about nighttime events and communicating warnings to vulnerable communities. The task force then heard from Amy Shaquinn of the Mayfield Graves County Long-Term Recovery Group, who outlined the county-level recovery process after the 2021 tornadoes. She said Kentucky ranks among the top states for federally declared disasters, has seen a high number of tornadoes in recent years, and also faces major flood risk and earthquake concerns along the New Madrid fault. Shaquinn stressed the distinction between immediate response and long-term recovery, explaining that response covers rescue, cleanup, temporary housing, and short-term assistance, while recovery is the longer effort to restore survivors to safe, sanitary, and secure housing through local long-term recovery groups. She said community-led recovery is essential and that preparedness and mitigation follow once immediate recovery needs are addressed.

Transcript Highlights:

• And they're not learning while this is going on.
• where now, through working with career tech, you can maybe take a welding class where you... are learning
• high-level math and science concepts, but you're not... learning them in theoretical terms inside of
• You will learn principles of flight applied when you're grabbing the stick and yoke of an aircraft.
• You're also meeting your personal financial literacy because you may be learning about the things that

Bills: HB1937, HB2153, HB3674, HB2978, HB3885, HB3671, HB3261, HB3021, HB3029, HB4274, HB3701, HB3076

Keywords: HB1937, Oklahoma schools, student communications, electronic communication, digital communication, parent notification, legal guardian, school personnel, teachers, coaches, administrators, charter schools, public schools, administrative leave, corroborated report, investigation, employee file, discipline, termination, school board

Transcript Highlights:

• Now I learned from people in this room, but it's important, right, because it's actually what I learned
• We want to teach them to learn how to win or lose.
• minds for a while, and have learned answers.
• Of course…” “For a while and have learned answers.
• We’ve learned a lot today. Everyone has learned a lot today.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:18:31.199> It is an important thing to learn from.
• It is an important thing to learn from.
• And we've learned a lot about how to stop fraud over the course of that.
• And we've learned a lot about how to stop fraud over the course of that.
• And we've learned a lot about how to stop fraud over the course of that.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The students participate in competitions, service learning, and work-based learning leadership roles
• The students participate in competitions,<00:04:11.360> service<00:04:11.760> learning,
• <00:04:12.239> and competitions, service learning, and competitions, service learning, and work-based
• <00:04:12.959> learning<00:04:13.360> leadership<00:04:13.760> roles<00:04:14.080
• > as work-based learning leadership roles as work-based learning leadership roles as they<00:04

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Maryland Senate met on Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026, with a quorum present. The session opened with an invocation by Chaplain David Stadler, followed by journalization of his remarks and several introductions recognizing guests in the chamber, including dentists, an intern, a former legislative staffer, and representatives from the University System of Maryland and other groups. Senators also noted upcoming committee meetings and a Legislative Black Caucus photo the next day. The main floor action centered on a resolution honoring Maryland Career and Technical Student Organizations for Career and Technical Student Organization Week. The sponsor described the role of CTSOs in serving more than 12,000 students statewide and in building leadership, professional, and career skills. The resolution was read in full and adopted unanimously, with the Senate expressing congratulations and appreciation for the organizations’ work with young people. The Senate then took up layover items and calendar bills. Senate Bill 56, concerning Maryland Longitudinal Data Center external data sharing for multi-state reporting, was special ordered for one day after members raised privacy-related questions. Senate Bill 99, the Open Meetings Act/Local Board of Education Transparency Act measure, was also special ordered for one day after discussion of its committee amendment. The chamber also received administrative corrections from the Governor and referred them to the Executive Nominations Committee, and the majority leader later moved adjournment until February 19 at 10:00 a.m., which was adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Following the passage of the Arkansas Access Act of 2025, an accelerating learning course will be able
• The accountability systems are the methods for ensuring that students are actually learning what's in
• I'm just worried we've ruined a generation of kids by sending them home and not letting them learn.
• Results from the Dynamic Learning Maps, the alternate assessment for students with disabilities, are
• Then looking at that same information for the Dynamic Learning Maps...

Summary: The committee received a lengthy Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on Arkansas academic standards, accountability systems, and adequacy requirements. Staff reviewed how state curriculum and standards have evolved from the 1997 Public Education Act through the 2003 Quality Education Act and the 2017 Educational Support and Accountability Act, including required coursework, standards for accreditation, career and technical education, graduation requirements, and recent additions such as computer science, personal finance, firearm safety, and fetal growth and development instruction. Members asked for a chart comparing the major laws and repeals over time, and staff agreed to provide one. The presentation then turned to federal ESSA requirements and Arkansas’s state accountability system. Staff explained Arkansas’s long-term goals for proficiency, English learner progress, and graduation rates, and reported 2025 ATLAS proficiency results, which remained below the 80% goal across student groups. They also reviewed English learner progress, graduation rates, school support and improvement, and equitable access to educators. Data showed gaps by subgroup and by school poverty/minority concentration, with Title I and high-poverty schools more likely to have emergency/provisional teachers and less experienced staff. Members questioned the lack of recent data for some ESSA measures, including equity labs and school index calculations, and asked staff to follow up with the Department of Education. The committee also discussed NAEP results, ACT scores, and teacher quality measures under the state accountability act. Arkansas’s NAEP performance remained below national averages in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math, and ACT composite scores and benchmark attainment were also reviewed. Members asked for additional information on historical highs and lows, the number of assessments students take by grade, dropout data, and comparisons with other states. No formal votes were taken; the main action was agreement to request additional information from DESE and to schedule department follow-up at a future meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• And on my last slide, I have my contact information and our website, where you can learn a little bit
• What they’ve learned and what they’ve tasted at UCLA. You know, vegetables are good.
• If it’s an opportunity to learn and do something better, more sustainably, for our campus and for our
• And what we learned from that, which I didn’t mention, was that it was not just the marketing pitch.
• So we learned that that’s what drives the selection toward the vegetarian option.

Summary: The Select Committee on Alternative Protein Innovation held its second informational hearing at UCLA, focusing on California’s alternative protein sector and the role of public institutions in expanding plant-based, fermentation, and cultivated protein options. Chair Ash Kalra opened by highlighting prior state investments in UC research centers, the importance of student engagement, and the hearing’s three panels: reducing the carbon footprint of institutional meals, addressing market challenges to scaling alternative proteins, and advancing future food research and workforce development. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan also briefly praised the committee’s work and its relevance to climate and health goals. The first panel featured Friends of the Earth, UCLA Dining, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Megan Jones described California school food efforts, including technical assistance and microgrants that helped districts expand plant-based meals, reduce water and carbon footprints, and improve student satisfaction. Pete Angelese explained how UCLA Dining uses concept-driven venues, sustainable purchasing, and marketing nudges to increase plant-forward choices, while Dr. Michelle Wood outlined Los Angeles County’s 2024–2025 board motions to expand plant-based options in county food venues and programs, including joining the World Resources Institute’s Cool Food Pledge. Committee members asked about costs, procurement, and how student and consumer behavior can be influenced. The second panel addressed market barriers to scaling alternative proteins. Zach Weston and Daniel Gertner emphasized that the sector faces a cost-and-scale trap, high capital needs, and financing gaps, and they recommended grants, tax credits, loan guarantees, procurement commitments, and workforce development. T.K. Pillen of Beyond Meat argued that the category has faced a recent downturn due to consumer skepticism, industry attacks on “fake meat,” and pricing pressures, and said the key to renewed growth is increasing demand through better taste, health, pricing, and messaging around “plant protein.” Panelists also discussed hidden subsidies and structural advantages for conventional animal agriculture, and committee members raised questions about iBank loan guarantees and supply chain challenges. The final panel highlighted UCLA’s research and training efforts. Dr. Amy Roet described the Future Food Fellows program, which trains students across disciplines in science, communication, leadership, and community-building, and supports research on scalable, safe, and nutritious alternative proteins. Corinne Smith shared her cultivated meat research and student leadership in the Alternative Proteins Project at UCLA. Dr. Janet Tomiyama presented consumer psychology findings showing that disgust, gender norms, and terminology strongly affect acceptance, with “plant protein” and “complementary proteins” testing better than “fake meat.” The hearing concluded with support for continued public investment, clearer messaging, and expanded education and workforce pipelines to help California remain a leader in alternative protein innovation.

Transcript Highlights:

• So there's a number of different avenues, including the existing formerly student learning objectives
• or student learning goals, to ensure that teachers have outcomes.
• There's math on that that some of them have not learned yet.
• What it is at a particular school that's causing the disruption in student learning, and there are, we
• But there's a statewide professional learning for the transition to the science of reading across the

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Through the Braille Institute Library, I learned to read Braille because as I get older, my eyesight
• I can continue to do the work to help children learn to read in the ways that they need it.
• And the state, what we learned is that the state Has budgeted this way for a long time, but we've lost
• We have learned that there is no statute or regulations that require you to do it that way.
• Patel, the issue of transferability of what we learned through this process. Oh, absolutely.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to—I might even just take some classes just to see what they're like and what we're not learning
• So I would have done one of those majors, international studies, and as I learned in the military, to
• I do believe that not every child wants to learn Shakespeare and read it and be in place and never seen
• Via Opening Nights events and STEM areas through the Challenger Learning Center.
• And not every student learns the same way, wants the same degree, or can even be successful in the same

Summary: The subcommittee began with an informal “college day” exercise in which members described what careers and colleges they would choose if starting over, often citing factors such as program reputation, location, cost, graduation rates, employment outcomes, and family or personal interests. Members mentioned a range of possible paths including law, aviation, education, construction management, psychology, social work, criminal justice, nursing, intelligence studies, and the arts. Several also highlighted the value of historically Black colleges and universities, dual enrollment, and career/technical education. The chair used the exercise to frame the meeting’s broader focus on Florida’s higher education pathways and student outcomes. Dr. Kathleen Plinsky of Valencia College then gave an overview of the Florida College System and Valencia’s role in it, emphasizing Florida’s statewide articulation and transfer framework, open-access mission, affordability, and workforce alignment. She described Valencia’s record enrollment, high retention, large share of first-generation and working students, and partnerships such as Direct Connect to UCF, Osceola Prosper, and Open Door grants for short-term training. Members asked about guaranteed transfer, apprenticeships, enrollment trends, student demographics, out-of-state residency, county scholarship costs, dual enrollment outcomes, and barriers to expanding career dual enrollment. Dr. Plinsky said the system supports transfer and acceleration well, but funding constraints limit growth in some areas; she also noted that dual enrollment participation is high and that Valencia’s affordability and student support efforts have driven recent enrollment gains. Dr. Jim Clark of Florida State University followed with an overview of the State University System, describing its governance, performance-based funding, low tuition, and strong graduation and research outcomes. He highlighted FSU’s enrollment, research profile, transfer student success, FSU Health, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, partnerships with K-12 schools and Tallahassee State College, and efforts to expand nursing and medical education to address workforce shortages. After the presentations, the committee heard from a panel on student acceleration and mobility: Shannon Mercer of the Department of Education explained the Office of Articulation, the statewide course numbering system, FASTER records, the 2+2 transfer model, specialized AA transfer degrees, and credit for industry certifications, military, medical, and law-enforcement training. Panelists from Kaiser University, Florida State University, and Pinellas County Schools described their institutions’ roles in transfer, advising, career pathways, apprenticeships, and dual enrollment. No formal votes or bills were taken up in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I urge a no vote on this bill. learning to be a parent. learning to be a parent.
• same time, we have to learn. same time, we have to learn.
• learning themselves. learning themselves.
• There's a whole are we going to learn?
• That's why straight, you can't learn.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is there any research that says the changes you're proposing do not cause any learning problem?
• Or is there anything that says the learning is exactly the same? Or is this just about money?
• But, I mean, I have not seen any material that said class sizes and daycare impact learning.
• I understand that learning is not the issue here, but what about safety?
• I understand that learning is not the issue here, but what about safety?

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, you know, there's a lot of work-based learning, um, so you have, you know, facility visits, guest
• In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts shut down, virtual learning was utilized by teachers
• I believe it's important that our students are in the are in the school learning, excuse me here.
• I believe that it's important that our students are in school learning new skills and socializing with
• I just learned something, I, I think. So you said the state requires 171 days. But again.

Transcript Highlights:

• Up next is House Bill 549, HD3, SD1, relating to an early learning apprenticeship grant program for the
• You know, we do have to factor in workforce needs for early learning. passed to see if there's any money
• relating to an early learning relating to an early learning apprenticehip<00:04:11.120> grant
• :04:37.759> early factor in workforce needs for early factor in workforce needs for early learning
• Senate Bill 423, SD1/HD2, relating to the Early Learning Board.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm looking forward to learning from all of our speakers today and using what we learn to redouble our
• It can affect the learning environment. It can affect our economy.
• It can affect the learning environment. It can affect our economy.
• It can affect the learning environment. It can affect our economy.
• And that's everything from fresh air to activities to learning opportunities and more.

Summary: The joint Senate and Assembly Environmental Quality/Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials informational hearing focused on the Tijuana River Valley sewage crisis, with members from both parties emphasizing that the problem is long-running, cross-border, and severe enough to require federal, state, local, and binational action. Opening remarks described the crisis as an environmental and public health emergency affecting beaches, air and water quality, marine life, tourism, and residents’ quality of life in South Bay communities. Assembly Member Boerner and Senator Jones both stressed the need for continued funding and cooperation, while Senator Padilla said the issue is underappreciated because of where it occurs but has major public health, economic, and educational consequences. Congressman Mike Levin’s office reported more than $650 million in federal funding secured for infrastructure and cleanup, along with federal legislation and requests for CDC and EPA involvement. Supervisor Paloma Aguirre gave a detailed overview of county efforts and the scope of the crisis, citing decades of sewage flows from Tijuana, nearly four years of beach closures, and the county’s expanded water-quality monitoring. She said the county is pursuing warning signs, an air purifier distribution program, an epidemiological study, soil testing, an economic impact study, and a feasibility analysis to remove the “hot spot” near Saturn Boulevard, which she described as a key local source of airborne pollution. She also pointed to binational funding for treatment plant upgrades and said the county is seeking state support, including from Proposition 4 cross-border river funds, to expand relief and mitigation efforts. Scripps researchers Dr. Sarah Giddings and Dr. Kimberly Prather presented scientific findings on water and air transport. Giddings described a high-resolution forecast model that predicts wastewater movement and beach closure risk up to five days ahead, using real-time observations and showing about 72% accuracy against county measurements. Prather said the main exposure route is through air, not just water, and reported that turbulence at the river hot spot aerosolizes pollutants, with hydrogen sulfide and other gases spiking at night and dropping when river flow is diverted. She said the team has identified thousands of gases and linked measurements closely to odor complaints, while also noting that air purifiers can reduce indoor exposure but are not a permanent solution. Dr. Paula Stigler Granados added that community health surveys and CDC assessments show widespread symptoms, sleep disruption, anxiety, and daily life impacts, especially during nighttime odor events. She said her team has found more than 900 contaminants in river water and 106 chemicals uniquely associated with the Saturn Boulevard hot spot, with passive air sampling showing similar chemical fingerprints in nearby homes. The panel discussion ended with questions about standards and accountability, and witnesses and legislators agreed that the crisis requires updated air-quality standards, more health research, and continued coordination to reduce exposure and address the source of pollution.

Transcript Highlights:

• Everything is always new and complicated, and you had to learn it as you went.
• What I learned about Tony that I think a lot of us could learn from is that he can be in a position,
• But that was one of the very first lessons I learned from you.
• So, you know I'm new and still learning.
• Somewhat, I've learned about them.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you very much, Director Yaman, DHS, and the Executive Office on Early Learning providing comments
• Yuki ARA Cross, Executive Office for Early Learning, in support.
• Elain Yamashita, Early Learning Board, in support. Please proceed. Aloha from Mai.
• <00:24:54.960> and executive office for early learning and executive office for early learning
• <00:25:00.880> board um elain Yamashita Early Learning board um elain Yamashita Early Learning

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several health-related bills. HB 72 on pharmacy drew only support, with testimony from the University of Hawaiʻi system, the Board of Pharmacy, pharmacists, and others; no questions were raised. HB 237 on peer support programs also received broad support from the Department of Health, DHS, early learning officials, families, and advocates, with testimony emphasizing the value of peer-to-peer mentoring and support for parents, youth, and people with disabilities; no opposition or questions were noted. HB 250, the prior authorization bill, generated the most discussion. SHPDA supported a revised version focused on reporting prior authorization practices and creating a nonbinding working group to develop automation standards, while PCMA, HMSA, Kaiser Permanente, and others raised concerns about duplicative pharmacy requirements, unintended consequences, and alignment with federal timelines and reporting. Several medical groups and individual patients supported the measure, describing delays and burdens caused by prior authorization. A committee member asked whether the bill’s working group differed from a similar group in Senate Bill 1449, and the witness said it was intended to be the same. HB 303 on health care preceptors was supported by the Department of Health, University of Hawaiʻi, nursing and health care organizations, and the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, which asked that pharmacists’ residency programs be specifically tied to national accreditation standards. HB 341, relating to issuance of SPURS to assist the Hawaii Island Community Health Association, drew support from the health center and related groups. HB 692 on Preschool Open Doors received extensive support from early learning, education, family, labor, and community organizations; testimony stressed the shortage of child care and preschool slots, especially on Kauai, and the need to expand access for families. Committee members asked about adding family child care providers and about licensing/certification barriers, and DHS said the bill was focused on current licensed child care facilities and that certification issues were a separate, broader problem. HB 700 on cognitive assessments also drew strong support, with the Department of Health, the Executive Office on Aging, disability advocates, the Alzheimer’s Association, caregivers, and others urging use of a validated cognitive assessment tool during annual wellness visits and asking that the age 65 threshold be removed; some witnesses supported keeping the data-collection portion as a pilot and emphasized early detection and reporting.

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe that students not only didn't learn, but they actually backed up.
• There was learning loss.
• four day school week on student learning. It's, it's bad. It's pretty unequivocal.
• And you should expect less student learning when there's a four-day school week switch.
• These are externships for teachers so they can learn more about the occupation.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So let me share some of the things that I've learned. She was born in the U.S., I've learned.
• Serota prioritize learning from... Rep.
• I have learned so very much along the way. Truly, every day here I learn something new.
• You might get your way a couple times, but people will learn their lesson.
• And I'm learning that a lot of y'all don't know children's stories.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Or did they just encourage you to learn, read, and grow?
• Or did they just encourage you to learn, read, and grow?
• Or did they just encourage you to learn, read, and grow?
• Or did they just encourage you to learn, read, and grow?
• Or did they just encourage you to learn, read, and grow?

Bills: HJR138, HB42, HB 104, HB 129, HB677, HB426, HB668, HB1699, HB2017, HB2128, HB2038, HB3783, HB3717, HB2316, HB3686, HB2563, HB3883, HB4021, HB2788, HB2663, HB3305, HB3173, HB3474, HB 1105, HB3531, HB3490, HB3597, HB 1295, HB3512, HB3010, HB3112, HB4215, HB3223, HB3464, HB3120, HB4214, HB4511, HB3704, HB4081, HB4783, HB4063, HB2783, HB4937, HB5085, HB2510, HB3426, HB4361, HB 1169, HB2516, HB2347, HB4034, HB4700, HB3560, HB5150, HB3860, HB3146, HB3924, HCR98, HCR92, HB1520, HB1545, HB5265, HB1887, HB1914, HB2402, HB2306, HB2350, HB3000, HB3237, HB3326, HB3211, HB 1056, HB2081, HB2187, HB3092, HB3308, HB3526, HB3750, HB4219, HB4230, HB4290, HB5238, HB4804, HB4749, HB245, HB1465, HB294, HB793, HB809, HB3928, HB334, HB2037, HB1973, HB285, HB4341, HB 1043, HB 1234, HB 1193, HB1729, HB2498, HB1314, HB1353, HB3960, HB3923, HB2221, HB2517, HB2518, HB2213, HB5092, HB3748, HB5246, HB4344, HB1482, HB4044, HB2702, HB4264, HB2807, HB2898, HB3181, HB3250, HB2091, HB2115, HB2542, HB2768, HB3349, HB4406, HB1593, HB1899, HB3133, HB3133, HB4960, HB3214, HB2145, HB 1201, HB5061, SB29, SB879, SB65, SB1745, SB412, SB412, SB1746, SB1238, SB1341, SB522, SB1532, SB1378, SB1062, SB2066, SB1963, SB2204, SB1366, SB2077, SB1967, SB1151, HB1618, HB2156, HB2615, HB2615, HB2349, HB1926, HB569, HB1762, HB38, HJR138, HB42, HB 104, HB 104, HB 129, HB677, HB426, HB668, HB1699, HB2017, HB2128, HB2038, HB3783, HB3717, HB2316, HB3686, HB2563, HB3883, HB4021, HB2788, HB2663, HB2663, HB3305, HB3173, HB3474, HB 1105, HB3531, HB3531, HB3490, HB3490, HB3597, HB 1295, HB3512, HB3010, HB3112, HB4215, HB3223, HB3223, HB3464, HB3120, HB4214, HB4511, HB3704, HB4081, HB4783, HB4063, HB2783, HB4937, HB5085, HB2510, HB3426, HB4361, HB 1169, HB2516, HB2347, HB4034, HB4700, HB3560, HB5150, HB3860, HB3146, HB3924, HCR98, HCR92

Keywords: carbon tax, carbon emissions, greenhouse gas, climate policy, fuel tax, emissions tax, Texas Constitution, Article VIII, tax limitation, environmental tax, fossil fuels, energy policy, legislative taxing authority, ballot proposition, constitutional amendment, higher education, funding, financial allocation, state budget, Texas A&M University