Transcript Highlights:

• I hope that we're close. Thank you so much for being with us today.
• So, thank you for the opportunity to support the proposed constitutional amendment, and I hope we have
• Active in the defense of rights not just for ourselves, but for our family, friends, neighbors, and for
• Thank you for your testimony and for being with us today.
• Effort, and I'm hoping for bipartisan support today.

Bills: HF1837 , HF361 , HF2725 , HF2566 , HF2744 , HF1685 , HF501 , HF1889 , HF1389

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Keywords: state policy, employment, health insurance, fossil designation, public funds, community resources, Capitol Mall, grantmaking, community vitality, livability, funding, healthy aging, aging policy, older adults, seniors, elderly, gerontology, long-term care, assisted living, nursing homes

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, anywhere they'll probably settle into the high fives, so low sixes is probably for the next
• You know, anywhere, they'll probably settle into the high fives, so low sixes is probably for the next
• So, for example, if a public housing authority's project like the Lashkowitz high rise was in dire need
• Thank you for that.
• On the right is our menu for success, which are high-level agency initiatives, the goals of every individual

Summary: The committee met as the Budget Section’s Regulatory Division and first reviewed base budget materials for the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency and the Department of Mineral Resources. Legislative Council explained the blue-sheet budget summaries and historical funding trends. The Housing Finance Agency then reported on its ongoing homeownership, housing incentive, and homelessness programs, noting that its new FTEs are being filled, loan servicing remains above benchmark, and the agency is operating largely on special and federal funds rather than general fund dollars. Housing Finance officials said the Housing Incentive Fund continues to be heavily oversubscribed, with requests far exceeding available dollars, and described how funds are being used for multifamily gap financing, rural single-family development, community land trusts, and homeless prevention/rapid rehousing. Members asked about performance measures, the number of people served, and the relationship between housing costs, wages, and homelessness. The agency said it uses scoring criteria tied to performance and outcomes, and requested that the Legislature maintain or increase funding for HIF, single-family housing, and homeless grants. Committee members also discussed the need to coordinate housing finance efforts with Commerce and broader site-preparation and workforce issues. The Department of Mineral Resources reported that it is on track with its budget, has filled most of its newly authorized reclamation positions, and is moving ahead on several initiatives, including IT modernization through Project North Star, organizational succession planning, and rulemaking for critical minerals and oil and gas programs. The director gave an extensive update on oil and gas activity, explaining that longer laterals and operational efficiencies are keeping production relatively flat even as rig counts decline, and that gas capture remains around 95 percent. Members asked about oil prices, hedging, spacing units, and the effects of geopolitical events on markets and state revenues. The committee also received an update on the enhanced oil recovery grant program and the Pipeline Authority. The EOR program’s $25 million appropriation was fully allocated to six projects, with additional oil and gas research funds also committed, and officials said the projects will require public status reports and final reports. The Pipeline Authority described major natural gas transmission projects, including the upcoming Bakken Express line and the proposed Bakken East project, which recently completed a binding open season after the Industrial Commission selected WBI Energy’s proposal to move forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• To the Waverly High School band, thank you for the great lengths you went to in order to honor our nation's
• For the first time in history, the Magnolia Junior High 7th grade basketball team completed a season
• America is the land of freedom and the beacon of hope for many around the world.
• </c> for their purposes. for their purposes.
• It's okay for him to entertain, but not okay for us to recognize him for his military skills.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, February 9, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It shows, even more for females but also for males, the percentage of high school students who reported
• But we don't have the specifics for New Mexico or for youth, so it's going down for youth having for
• For us, along with—so ladies, thank you so much for your flexibility and for being here and for all your
• opioid treatment programs, and high out-of-network usage and denials for behavioral health care services
• None of the ones were reported by the manufacturers for price increases high enough to meet reporting

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• It will open later this year, and we hope you'll all join us for the ribbon-cutting.
• Like I stated, I hope you all move forward and continue supporting the funding for homelessness and housing
• That doesn't mean we can keep everyone here, but that is a really high success rate for us.
• I hope that we can also do something for them. We need to support the individuals affected by this.
• What I would hope is that, as we create these additional opportunities for growth in the School of Medicine

Transcript Highlights:

• We increase substance use disorder rates by adding inflation to the rates for low and high intensity.
• We increase substance use disorder rates by adding inflation to the rates for low and high intensity.
• When it comes to pay paying for for.
• It's not to pay for health care, for child care, for housing. Mr.
• </c> for child care, for housing. Mr. for child care, for housing. Mr.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• most kids are going to go to high school, enter high school, whether it be in a building in a small
• That's a really high bar.
• So just for your information. Yeah.
• And then would you be able to develop something for the web page for our parents professionally?
• I hope we do. I hope we do. I hope we have extra money at the end of this. That would be nice.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Senate conference committee on Senate Bill 2330 met to resolve differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill, which concerns human trafficking and exploitation prevention and awareness education in schools. House members explained their amendments, including adding non-public schools, narrowing some statutory language, removing the appropriation section because funding had been moved into the Attorney General’s budget, and changing the bill’s structure to reduce what they viewed as an overly broad mandate. Senators and House members then debated whether the education should be required for all grades or limited to specific grades, and whether it should be delivered every year or every other year. Testimony from Amy Boyd-Bomey of YouthWorks and Stacey Schaefer of the 31A Project supported focusing the program on grades 6 and 10, with later discussion adding grade 12. They said sixth grade is a key entry point into junior high and social media exposure, tenth grade is important because of dropout risk, and twelfth grade would be the last opportunity to reach students before adulthood. They also said repeating the same material every year could dilute the message, that the curriculum should be thoughtful and trauma-informed, and that “best practices” may be preferable to the bill’s “evidence-based” language because of cost and feasibility. They emphasized that presenters must be prepared for disclosures from students after the training. Committee members also discussed logistics and funding. The witnesses said the Attorney General’s budget line for the program would fund third-party organizations through a grant process, with reporting requirements, and that the proposed amount was based on their cost estimates. Members raised concerns about whether the funding would cover all schools and grades, especially if non-public schools were included. Several members argued against mandating the program in non-public schools at this time, citing uncertainty about related legislation and the need to maximize available funds, while others said private school students also face trafficking risks and should not be excluded. The committee did not take final action on the bill; instead, members agreed to continue working on amendments, including grade levels, annual versus biennial implementation, the “may include” language, the “evidence-based” standard, and the non-public school issue, and to reconvene at a later meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• the agency asked for for FY27.
• So, basically, at a high level The LFC recommendation for both revenues and expenditures is that they're
• One special for $250,000 for the Office of Special Education Ombudsman for outreach to students with
• We're grateful for LLC for putting their base budget.
• I hope that we're continuously refining our onboarding, training, and practice model for greater effectiveness

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• CoreCivic refused to give my mom her medications for high blood pressure, asthma, pre-diabetes, prescription
• Course of I refused to give my mom her medications for high blood pressure, asthma, pre-diabetes, prescription
• So thank you for coming. Thank you for sharing, for being vulnerable enough to tell your story.
• So I respectfully ask for your aye vote for SB 1089.
• Courts were forced to quickly identify alternative placements for high-risk individuals, often without

Committee: Senate Health

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Communications Director for the House Republican Caucus, and I want to thank you for joining our event
• , for just high earners, that future question remains open for future legislatures and would do nothing
• And it’s just wrong for our state.
• for Washingtonians.
• I had a question for Rep. Connors.

Summary: House and Senate Republican leaders held a press availability focused on the late-session legislative agenda, with repeated criticism of Democratic proposals they said would raise costs and expand state control. Their main targets were a proposed state income tax on high earners, which they described as an unconstitutional income tax likely to expand over time, and an anti-initiative bill they said would make it harder for voters to use direct democracy. They also objected to bills they said would restrict local authority over camping bans and housing permits, and to a series of tax and fee increases affecting bottles, tires, groceries, food, health care, energy, labor, and licensing costs. The Republicans said the income tax proposal drew more than 60,000 opposition sign-ins and argued that the level of opposition showed Washingtonians broadly reject it. They said any legal challenge would likely come from outside the Legislature, not from caucuses, and cited former Attorney General Rob McKenna’s testimony as support for their view that the measure violates the state constitution. They also discussed capital flight and said prior tax increases, including the estate tax and capital gains tax, were already prompting businesses and wealthy residents to leave the state. The caucus highlighted several Republican-backed affordability bills they said remain alive, including a diaper tax exemption, a prepared-food tax exemption, repeal of last year’s services tax, and sales tax exemptions for certain continuing education and licensing fees. They also said they had helped block or weaken several Democratic bills, including proposals involving grocery stores, wildfire utility costs, college encampments, plastic bag fees, and a juvenile justice bill they said would have allowed earlier release of violent offenders. On child welfare, members criticized a bill addressing the Keeping Families Together Act as insufficient and said they would keep pushing to change the “imminent harm” standard, while also supporting a separate bill to add fentanyl exposure to the child endangerment statute. No formal votes were taken in the press event itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• for our students.
• Thank you for having us. Thank you for the opportunity to speak.
• That wasn't just for his county. That was for the entire consortium.
• issue for us.
• For example, payroll. Insurance. For example, payroll, MIS.

Committee: Senate Education Pre-K - 12

Summary: The Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee met to discuss the needs of rural school districts and the role of Florida’s three regional education consortia: the Panhandle Area Education Consortium, Northeast Florida Educational Consortium, and Heartland Educational Consortium. Executive directors and several rural superintendents described the consortia as member-led organizations that provide shared services, professional learning, leadership development, grant support, cooperative purchasing, risk management, IT/cybersecurity help, and back-office assistance that small districts could not afford to provide on their own. They emphasized that rural districts are often very small, have limited staff, and must still meet the same state reporting and compliance requirements as large urban systems. Testimony focused heavily on teacher recruitment and retention, alternative certification, and the difficulty of staffing specialized roles such as CFOs, MIS directors, IT staff, and content-area teachers. Superintendents said many new hires are career changers or alternatively certified teachers who need consortium-supported training, and several argued for more flexibility in funding so districts can raise salaries and compete with neighboring districts and nearby states. Members also asked about the impact of declining enrollment, homeschooling, and voucher-related school choice; superintendents said those trends are reducing FTE and creating budget instability, while also requiring districts to right-size staff and programs. Several speakers described the financial strain on rural districts, including rising insurance costs, transportation costs, and the challenge of forecasting budgets when enrollment changes after the school year begins. One superintendent recounted major hurricane damage and said consortium risk-management support was essential to recovery. Others said the consortia help districts pool resources for property and health insurance, payroll, student data systems, and procurement, and that this shared approach saves money and improves services. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• And when it comes time for you to sit down and talk to your constituents, I would hope that you would
• I mean that for industry and for businesses and also for AB 617 communities.
• They're considered a high emitter because they produce these products for us.
• And so the hope of, you know, fast EV infrastructure is quite a number of years away for us, if not decades
• And so the hope of, you know, fast EV infrastructure is quite a number of years away for us, if not decades

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The committee first established quorum and then approved several governor’s appointments not required to appear, including Indira Cameron Banks to the Civil Rights Council, Sonar Loma Lee to the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, and two University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Board of Directors appointees, along with reference of bills to two committees and floor acknowledgments. All of those items passed by voice or roll-call votes, mostly unanimously, with the Civil Rights Council appointment approved 3-2. The main portion of the meeting focused on the Air Resources Board appointments of Linda Hopkins and Patricia Lock Dawson. Both nominees emphasized climate action, public engagement, and balancing environmental protection with economic realities. Members questioned them extensively about cap-and-trade/cap-and-invest, leakage and job losses, agricultural impacts, warehouse and truck traffic burdens, emergency vehicle and wildfire evacuation needs, low-carbon fuel standards, gas appliance rules, hydrogen, nuclear energy, and the need for socioeconomic analysis and better communication with affected communities. Public commenters from labor, environmental, local government, and industry groups spoke in support of both nominees. The committee approved Hopkins 4-0 with one member not voting, and Lock Dawson 5-0, sending both nominations to the full Senate. The committee then heard Andrew Rakestraw’s appointment as chair of the Board of Environmental Safety/DTSC oversight board. He described his background in climate and regulatory negotiations and said he would focus on transparency, accountability, fiscal stability, and listening to both regulated entities and disproportionately burdened communities. Senators asked about DTSC reform, the Moss Landing battery fire, community engagement in places like Hinkley/Herupah Valley, fee-setting and the generation-and-handling fee, the Environmental Justice Advisory Council, the Exide cleanup, and the hazardous waste management plan. After supportive public testimony, the committee approved his appointment 3-0, with one member not voting, and sent it to the full Senate for confirmation before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• , when it gets too high or stays high for too long, there is a negative impact on consumer spending.
• When it stays high for too long, there is a negative impact on consumer spending.
• We're hoping to have up and, you know, able to cards for the future. Okay.
• high-risk individuals, assistance, housing support for high-risk individuals, improve statewide housing
• And I hope you are as excited and proud of these as we are. Are you ready for me? I'm ready.

Committee: Joint Government Finance Committee

Summary: The committee first received a general fund and revenue update from the Office of Management and Budget. Staff reported that the state started the biennium about $176 million above prior estimates, but year-to-date revenues were now running below legislative forecast, mainly due to lower individual income tax and sales tax collections. The budget stabilization fund was above its cap, the legacy fund continued to grow, and oil revenues were slightly above forecast overall. Members also asked about federal funding uncertainty and mineral leasing variability, and OMB said agencies would be asked to address potential federal reductions case by case during budget preparation. The committee then reviewed compliance reports and trust fund analysis materials, followed by a bill draft for a fixed-route city transportation grant program. Testimony from transit officials in Fargo and Minot supported the proposal, saying state aid would help match federal transit funds and support operations, but members raised questions about the funding source, fare structures, and whether the program should be limited to the current four fixed-route cities or allow future eligible cities. Several members asked for more time to study the formula and possible funding options before moving the bill forward. Next, the committee approved a bill draft repealing obsolete language related to a proposed North Dakota-South Dakota bi-state authority. Staff explained the provision had been unused for about 30 years and that existing law likely already allowed joint powers agreements without the specific language. The committee voted to adopt the repeal bill draft. The Department of Commerce and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site then provided an update on uncrewed aircraft system initiatives, including the Vantis radar data enclave, the drone replacement program, and future revenue models. Officials said North Dakota had received FAA approval to operate the radar data pathfinder, had begun replacing non-compliant drones from restricted foreign sources, and was working on phased procurement and cost-recovery plans. Members asked about deadlines, funding, supply-chain issues, and how the system would be used; staff said the federal restrictions were already in effect and that Vantis was being positioned as infrastructure for future beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. Finally, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation presented on the design of a new minimum-security prison and on a reentry housing task force. The new facility is planned for the penitentiary grounds, with a reduced estimated cost of about $263 million, 600 beds initially, possible expansion to 732 beds, and completion projected around 2031 if funded in 2027. The reentry housing task force described a data-driven effort to identify housing needs for people leaving incarceration, with the goal of reducing homelessness and recidivism through targeted housing support and possible subsidies. Members asked about staffing, site selection, housing duration, and whether employment and transportation needs would be included in the assessment.

Transcript Highlights:

• abuse that exist within the child's home, a home that you hope to be the checks and balances for youth
• These screen for anxiety. They screen for depression, and they screen for suicidality.
• These screen for anxiety. They screen for depression, and they scream for suicidality.
• I'm not for taking rights away from parents, but I am for advocating for that kid.
• We have to consider how we protect vulnerable populations, and we cannot hope the best for them with

Committee: Senate Education Pre-K - 12

Summary: The committee on Pre-K through 12 Education took up SB 1288, a parental rights bill by Sen. Grall, which would expand the Parents Bill of Rights to require written parental consent for minors’ medical care and prescriptions, give parents access to medical records, require parental review/consent for surveys and questionnaires, and restrict use of biofeedback devices without parental permission. The sponsor said the bill is intended to restore parents’ role in major medical decisions and to address concerns about schools or providers collecting sensitive information from children without parents’ knowledge. She said she was open to clarifying language, especially around exceptions and definitions, but maintained that parents should generally be the decision-makers. Committee members pressed the sponsor on how the bill would affect minors who are abused, homeless, estranged from parents, or otherwise without a safe guardian, as well as access to STI treatment, mental health care, contraception, and care after sexual assault. The sponsor repeatedly said children in unsafe situations should come into the child welfare or law enforcement system and that she was open to changes for truly unsafe or unavailable parents, but she rejected the idea that the bill was merely about notification rather than consent. She also defended the survey provisions as a way to stop routine questioning of children about suicide and other sensitive topics without parental awareness, and said the biofeedback language was aimed at school settings where data about children’s anxiety or stress is allegedly being shared with classmates. Public testimony was heavily divided, with many speakers opposing the bill and describing personal experiences with abuse, rape, mental health crises, lack of supportive parents, and the need for confidential access to birth control, STI testing, and counseling. Opponents argued the bill would delay care, endanger vulnerable minors, and reduce access to medically necessary services and surveys that can identify risk. Supporters said the bill would restore parental authority, improve transparency, and protect children from inappropriate surveys and biometric monitoring. During debate, Sen. Berman and Sen. Davis opposed the bill, saying it conflicts with existing law and could harm vulnerable youth, while Sen. Yarborough supported it, arguing that not all parents are bad actors and that the state should not treat all families as if they were. The transcript ends with debate underway and no final vote or action recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> uh for this bill and uh to stand uh for uh for this bill and uh to stand uh for any<00:23:07.039
• These projects are focused on improving spaces for high-cost, high-need workforce programs.
• These projects are focused on improving spaces for high-cost, high-need workforce programs.
• These projects are focused on improving spaces for high-cost, high-need workforce programs.
• </c> smaller dollars across the system for smaller dollars across the system for high<01:05:19.359><c

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:29:24.960><c> for</c> then as good entrepreneurs they hope for then as good entrepreneurs they
• hope for a<00:29:25.200><c> return</c><00:29:25.520><c> on</c><00:29:25.840><c> all</c><00:29:26.080
• So I'm hoping for, um, a nice green vote. >> Senator Port. >> Thank you, Mr. President.
• So I'm hoping for um a original bills.
• So I'm hoping for um a nice<00:50:02.640><c> green</c><00:50:02.960><c> vote.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> order for moments of personal privilege. order for moments of personal privilege.
• </c><00:38:17.840><c> over</c> had been living with epilepsy for over had been living with epilepsy for
• </c> chambers for passing Lincoln's Law. chambers for passing Lincoln's Law.
• </c> birthday of the founder of Mile High birthday of the founder of Mile High United<00:42:31.360><c
• </c> standing there for a reason. standing there for a reason.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You've set a very high standard for that work, and I'm very grateful for that.
• We definitely need to have high-quality care for sickle cell warriors.
• We hope that a final budget can include a right-sized COLA for providers.
• On child care, we hope that a final budget can include a right-sized COLA for providers.
• Lastly, I urge the Legislature to allocate ethnic studies funding to fulfill state statute for the high

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee met to consider the 2026 Budget Act, which leaders said was the negotiated compromise with the Senate and was expected to move to the floor that evening. Opening remarks emphasized that the plan balances the budget over two years, reduces the structural deficit, and builds reserves, while also protecting core services in the face of federal cuts. Jason Sisney outlined the legislative budget framework and the likely floor bills, including AB 109, SB 110, SB 122, and SB 125. Department of Finance representative Eric Khali said the administration appreciated the two-year balanced approach and supported the modification in SB 122, while noting the package uses additional revenues and new spending to soften or reject some proposed cuts. Most of the discussion focused on major spending areas. Members and subcommittee chairs highlighted protections and additions for health care and human services, including rejecting the proposed Medi-Cal asset limit change, delaying premium increases, restoring clinic and dental funding, supporting distressed hospitals and county indigent care, and expanding county eligibility staffing to handle H.R. 1-related workload. Education members described record or expanded support for TK-12 schools, child care, special education, community colleges, teacher recruitment, and higher education, including a change to extend Cal Grant eligibility to age 30 for some community college students. Housing and homelessness funding was increased for HAP, multifamily housing, and the low-income housing tax credit, while public safety members pointed to investments in victims’ services, restorative justice, and prison closure savings. Several members also raised concerns or priorities tied to the budget deal. Some praised the package as a moral document that protects vulnerable Californians, immigrant communities, LGBTQ residents, seniors, and people with disabilities. Others noted unresolved issues, including the MCO tax’s impact on districts, the need for more support for local journalism, arts, biotech R&D incentives, transit and GGRF-related concerns, and the need for continued work on Prop. 98 and long-term fiscal resilience. The vice chair cautioned that despite the current progress, the state remains vulnerable to revenue volatility and warned that the budget should build more resilience against a possible downturn. No formal vote was taken in the portion provided, but the committee was preparing the budget package for floor action and final negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for your testimony. Thank you for being here. Thank you. Thank you for your support. Mr.
• I'm hoping that we can get this bill out of committee and to the floor for a vote.
• I'm hoping that we can get this bill out of committee and to the floor for a vote.
• We're also reinventing it, give it potential for new hope, this session.
• I'm grateful to Senator Edwards and Representative Decker for championing this bill, and I hope you will

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a lengthy hearing on June 18 focused on workers’ compensation, independent contractor and classification issues, workplace safety, warehouse worker protections, extreme temperature protections, retaliation against injured workers, and workplace bullying. Committee chairs outlined procedures for the hybrid hearing and noted that members would be leaving intermittently for floor votes. Testimony also touched on a bill to expand workers’ compensation disfigurement benefits by removing the current $15,000 cap and extending coverage beyond scars on the hands, neck, and face. A major theme was workplace safety in warehouses and in extreme heat or cold. Teamsters, warehouse workers, and labor advocates described high injury rates, strict quotas, lack of water, inadequate ventilation, frozen or missing safety equipment, and pressure to work through heat waves and snowstorms. Supporters urged favorable reports on bills protecting warehouse workers and requiring employers to adopt heat- and cold-safety plans, while the NFIB opposed the temperature bill as overly prescriptive and burdensome for small businesses. Sen. Edwards, Sen. Roche, Rep. O’Day, and others argued that the measures are needed to prevent heat illness, provide shade, water, rest breaks, training, and emergency plans, and to cover all workers regardless of immigration status. Another major subject was the “Act to Protect Injured Workers,” backed by labor groups, immigrant worker centers, legal services organizations, and individual workers. Witnesses said employers often retaliate after injuries by threatening deportation, lying about how injuries occurred, delaying care, or firing workers, and they supported stronger anti-retaliation enforcement, multilingual notices, and a rebuttable presumption of retaliation within 90 days of protected activity. The Mass AFL-CIO and immigrant advocacy groups supported the bill and opposed measures they said would weaken employee classification standards. Testimony also supported a funeral-benefits bill to raise workers’ compensation death-benefit reimbursement for burial and funeral costs, based on a family’s experience after a workplace fatality. The committee heard additional testimony on workplace bullying bills, with some witnesses urging a new legal duty for employers to prevent and respond to bullying, while others described the harms of toxic workplaces and the lack of effective remedies.

Transcript Highlights:

• not only academic success, but for lifetime success for, you know, for all California kids.
• Ideally, we were hoping for at least one reading literacy coach for each of the assigned schools or LEAs
• Ideally, we were hoping for at least one reading literacy coach for each of the assigned schools or LEAs
• All, helping kitchens and staff to meet the high increase in demand for meals.
• all, helping kitchens and staff to meet the high increase in demand for meals.

Summary: The committee heard a series of budget proposals focused on education finance, with repeated questions about whether the state’s investments are coordinated, targeted to the highest-need students, and likely to produce measurable results. On the first item, the administration proposed $1 million for a study of California’s curriculum framework, standards, and instructional materials process, plus $250,000 for supplemental ELA/ELD guidance. CDE and Finance said the study would examine how other states organize standards, frameworks, and adoptions, while the chair and members questioned why California has gone so long without updating some standards, what the study would actually accomplish, and whether the proposal was too vague to justify the cost. The issue was held open. The committee then took up a proposed $25 million statewide literacy network within the system of support. CCEE and CDE said the network would coordinate multiple existing literacy leads, create a clearinghouse of evidence-based resources, and improve coherence across the state’s many literacy initiatives. Members pressed on how a one-time, five-year allocation could support a long-term system, how the work would reach distressed and rural districts, and whether the proposal would translate into classroom change rather than just another layer of coordination. The issue was also held open. Next, the committee reviewed a $500 million proposal to expand literacy coaches and reading specialists and to create a math coaches program. CDE described the existing literacy coach cohorts as producing positive reports from participating LEAs, while the LAO recommended modifications, especially for the math coach portion, including limiting eligibility to elementary schools, setting minimum grant amounts, directing funds to eligible school sites, and making eligibility automatic rather than application-based. Members focused on whether coaches were actually being placed at the schools with the greatest need and whether the state has a coherent long-term strategy for literacy and math investments. The committee also heard a $40 million proposal for training and implementation of K-2 reading difficulty screeners, which the LAO said was reasonable but could be reduced because $25 million had already been provided for training; CDE said the new funds were needed for full implementation, procurement, and sustainability. Finally, the committee heard a $10 million proposal for a developmentally appropriate TK multilingual learner screener, with CDE explaining why the preschool language-identification process is different from K-12 EL assessment and the chair asking staff to explore whether a single, more consistent approach could be developed. The meeting concluded with a presentation on universal school meals and kitchen infrastructure, including a $31.5 million backfill, an $84.1 million increase for projected meal growth, a COLA adjustment, and $150 million for kitchen upgrades and training to support freshly prepared meals.