Transcript Highlights:

• It's college, okay, high school and college, but the Be Smart program is...
• Okay, high school and college, but the Be Smart program is about training adults.
• Students Demand Action is for when—and that's not in the schools—that's a program that's outside of schools
• in a school district-sponsored interscholastic activity or program if the student has been convicted
• districts give religious programs access to public school students during the day.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• WE EXPANDED THE LINE PROGRAM TO ALLOW SCHOOLS TO BE ABLE TO USE A LINE FUNDING TO DO THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM
• PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONSTITUTE 35.6 PERCENT OF THE LPN PROGRAMS BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
• ONLY PRIVATE SCHOOLS PROGRAM DIRECTORS.
• ONE THING I ALSO WANT TO ADD IS THAT MY SCHOOL ALSO DOES A PRECEPTORSHIP PROGRAM ALREADY.
• WITH THE PRECEPTORSHIP PROGRAM, YES, WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS THAT DO IT ON A TOTALLY VOLUNTARY

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Out-of-school time programming, excuse me, 10 million of the earmark would go to the school districts
• We see a great need for out-of-school programming based on our experiences in the public schools.
• We are an out-of-school time program serving 106 middle schools and high schools throughout the state
• Program that funds after-school programs, and they have a lot of data on the outcomes that out-of-school
• we fund out-of-school time programs through this bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• THE STATE IN BUDGETING FOR THE FES PROGRAM FOR THE 24th 25 SCHOOL YEAR ALLOCATED APPROXIMATELY $2.79
• HOWEVER, BY THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, JUNE 2025 FES PROGRAM EXPENDITURES NET RECRUITMENT OF AN ELIGIBLE
• HOW MANY YEARS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT IN A FORM THAT CAN BEST IMPLEMENT THE SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM IN THE
• IT'S THE SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM.
• SOMETIMES THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES LIVE IN BOTH WORLDS FROM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND

Transcript Highlights:

• The chart that's in front of you is really just comparing last school year to this school year.
• I mean, present at the school?
• It's not just a public school.
• public schools.
• For the high schools and for the public schools.

Summary: The committee first approved the November 3 minutes, then received an extensive update from Arkansas Division of Higher Education and Division of Career and Technical Education officials on LEARNS and ACCESS implementation. Witnesses said the state’s goal is for students to graduate employed, enrolled, or enlisted, and described expanded career pathways, student success plans, merit and distinction diplomas, and school accountability measures tied to pathway completion and tangible credentials. They reported increases in K-12 CTE enrollment and concurrent enrollment, and explained that some secondary career center programs were reduced or eliminated because they no longer aligned with state workforce demand. Members asked detailed questions about how merit/distinction affects school letter grades, how AP, concurrent credit, CTE completers, apprenticeships, and work-based learning fit into the system, and whether homeschool and private school students can access the same opportunities. Officials said multiple pathways can satisfy the requirements, including AP Scholar, concurrent credit, technical certificates, and apprenticeships, and that counselors are being trained to advise students. They also discussed scholarship changes: ACCESS broadened eligibility for the Arkansas Academic Challenge and Governor’s Scholar awards, with diploma of merit or distinction now qualifying students for additional aid, while the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship itself remained unchanged. Questions were raised about whether homeschool and private school students can meet the new diploma-of-distinction criteria; officials said the intent is to make them eligible if they meet the same standards, and that guidance is being finalized. The discussion also covered workforce scholarships and grants. Officials said the Workforce Challenge was expanded to include vocational-technical schools and increased funding, and that the Division is reworking policy around “professional skills training” to support shorter-term, stackable programs. They reviewed the new federal Workforce Pell Grant, noting its narrow hour and duration limits and the need for programs to meet completion, placement, and earnings thresholds. Members also asked about the state lottery scholarship fund balance and whether more aid should be directed to students; officials said the fund remains healthy and that ACCESS has already increased awards and expanded eligibility, with more implementation data still to come. The final presentation came from the Director of Workforce Connections on a $35.8 million U.S. Department of Labor cooperative agreement for the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund. Arkansas will administer the national fund, which is aimed at expanding advanced manufacturing registered apprenticeships across the country through a pay-for-performance model. Officials said the program will support occupations in aerospace, automotive, biotech, maritime, nuclear, semiconductors, supply chain, and automation, and that applications will open soon. Members asked who can apply and how the money will be distributed; the answer was that registered apprenticeship sponsors—sometimes companies, sometimes colleges, sometimes intermediaries—will apply, with Arkansas setting eligibility criteria, vendor requirements, and outreach efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• tuition, online learning private school tuition, online learning programs,<00:10:15.040> or<00
• The SAU19 school boards serving roughly 10,000 students like our EFA program meets twice monthly.
• There are a few things that need to be examined by the state's school board of the EFA program.
• <00:28:37.279> I'll school board of the EFA program.
• I'll school board of the EFA program.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The prep program will consist of summer enrichment, summer camps, for example, after-school programs,
• The prep program will consist of summer enrichment, summer camps, for example, after-school programs,
• The prep program will consist of summer enrichment, summer camps, for example, after-school programs,
• And in our case, our program, they have been, as I said before, our schools, our seven schools have been
• The money stays with the school, but the school districts in order to facilitate the program are paying

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Votruba Young Scholars Academy 00:01:55 Taxation of Financial Deposit Institutions 00:36:50, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have expanded the line program to allow schools to be able to use line funding to do this type of
• The program director is held responsible for the school and, you know, presumably on their website, they
• So public schools constitute 36.5% of the LPN programs that are below the national average, but they
• One thing I also did want to add is that my school already does a preceptorship program.
• So with the preceptorship program, yes, we do have a number of schools that do it already on a totally

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and took up a series of health and human services bills, beginning with CS/SB 1602, which would require hospital emergency departments to have evidence-based pediatric care protocols, staff training, child-sized equipment and medications, a pediatric care coordinator, and participation in a national pediatric readiness assessment. The bill was reported favorably after no public opposition. CS/SB 1224, aligning Florida law with federal requirements for paramedics to administer controlled substances under physician or nurse practitioner direction, also drew supportive testimony from the Florida Fire Chiefs Association and was reported favorably. CS/SB 1182, requiring coverage of continuous glucose monitors under both pharmacy and durable medical equipment benefits, was likewise reported favorably after brief support from AARP. The committee then considered CS/SB 890, the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act, which addresses venous thromboembolism by defining certain conditions as chronic diseases, creating a statewide registry, and requiring screening and training in hospitals, surgical centers, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. Family members and blood clot advocates strongly supported the bill, but assisted living representatives objected to being included, arguing the bill would impose unrealistic medical expectations and liability on residential care facilities. Senators also raised concerns about the assisted living provisions, but the bill was reported favorably after the sponsor said more changes were likely later. CS/CS/SB 954, dealing with recovery residences and treatment centers, was amended to reduce the number of active patients from 500 to 300 and then reported favorably after extensive debate over zoning, clustering, neighborhood impacts, and access to recovery housing. CS/SB 1050, which expands the developmental disabilities pilot program and creates an adult pathways waiver option, generated the most extensive testimony. Supporters said it would help reduce the long APD waitlist and expand services, while many families and advocates warned against managed care, citing provider shortages, weak oversight, and the importance of consumer-directed care. Committee members emphasized that participation is voluntary and that people can disenroll, and the bill was reported favorably. CS/SB 614, requiring a public educational webpage about background screening and level-two screening requirements, and CS/SB 1578, expanding breast cancer screening coverage, were both reported favorably with little opposition. CS/SB 1060 created a joint legislative oversight committee for Medicaid financing and operations; after an amendment expanding the committee from three to five members, it was reported favorably. CS/CS/SB 1240, updating DCF substance abuse and mental health procedures including 988, methadone assessment, forensic evaluators, and Baker Act transfer timing, was amended and reported favorably after debate over transfer deadlines and facility responsibilities. Finally, the committee began hearing CS/SB 526, a major nursing education bill aimed at improving Florida’s low NCLEX passage rates by tightening program standards, requiring exit exams and remediation, mandating reporting and inspections, and limiting accreditation extensions. A strike-all amendment was introduced that would also require certain low-performing programs to offer a three-month graduate preceptorship. The transcript cuts off before the bill’s full debate and final action are completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• At the school site level, school districts have autonomy to do that.
• California has launched program after program, but these programs are often too disconnected and operating
• : despite changes in superintendents, teachers, programs, initiatives, school boards, and funding levels
• AB 2316 simply strengthens our facilities program by allowing charter schools to apply for that.
• AB 2316 simply strengthens our facilities program by allowing charter schools to apply for that same

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a robust clinical law program and we are one of the few law schools in the country where clinical
• legal writing program at Southwestern Law School, and Jasmine Johnston, who's currently at the Atler
• year of law school. to run that program in the summer.
• I think she has had a lot of internal work to do at the School of Law, getting the program where we want
• It's just a recovery project or post-bar program, or excuse me, post-law school bar program for our students

Bills: SB1, SB3

Keywords: interstate medical licensure compact, physician licensure, medical license reciprocity, expedited licensure, medical practice act, New Mexico medical board, compact commission, physician mobility, telemedicine, license portability, background check, disciplinary action, joint investigation, reproductive health care, gender-affirming care, scope of practice, medical board transparency, multistate compact, licensure renewal, health care workforce

Transcript Highlights:

• well as the gate program in which participants work toward earning both the high school diploma and
• Thank you. >> I am the assistant principal for the Leon County Schools Transition Program, which is the
• But anyway, so I a day to day job is running our program for students that have deferred their high school
• And so all of our programs must become federal program.
• That school is attending that school.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and other private schools have reached out to share how scholarship programs have opened doors that
• HMS School in Mount Joy, the Easter Seals support schools and special education programs statewide, and
• is involved in many volunteer activities at her school, along with her gymnastics program, while my
• We were at the forefront on school choice with the EITC and OSTC programs.
• , the economically disadvantaged schools program.

Summary: The House convened, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved several journals, and welcomed a number of guests, including Irish dignitaries, scholarship winners, interns, student pages, and members of Omega Psi Phi. After confirming a quorum, the chamber received committee reports and referred new bills and resolutions, then recessed for caucuses and committee meetings before returning to floor action. In the afternoon session, the House considered several bills and amendments. It approved amendments to House Bills 426, 1127, 2551, and Senate Bill 146, while rejecting an amendment to HB 1127 that would have tightened background-check requirements for out-of-state dentists. The chamber also agreed to HB 2234, which creates a spent grain donation tax credit and updates the malt beverage tax credit, and HB 2551, which limits text-message notices by the Turnpike Commission and other agencies about unpaid fines, fees, or tolls. Senate Bill 146, creating the Veterans Trust Fund Board, was amended to add audit-related changes and then agreed to. The House then took final passage votes on several bills. HB 133, allowing a process to petition for reinstatement of parental rights, passed 191-11; HB 138, barring parental incarceration as the sole basis for termination of parental rights, passed 200-2; HB 2207, on capital development loans, passed 202-0; and HB 2224, dealing with utility rate and tax-related changes, passed 202-0 after extensive debate over affordability, consumer protections, and tax relief. HB 2473, repealing the Flood Insurance Education Information Act of 1996, also passed unanimously, and HB 2544, addressing school administrator rights and compensation disputes, passed 141-61. The most extensive debate centered on HB 2632, which reallocates educational tax credit caps and replaces the EITC and OSTC programs with a new options tax credit framework beginning in 2027-28. Supporters said it would improve transparency, accountability, and access for the poorest students, while opponents argued it would reduce scholarship opportunities, add burdens, and harm families and schools that rely on the current programs. After lengthy debate, the House passed HB 2632 by a vote of 105-97. The chamber then announced a Finance Committee voting meeting, recommitted several bills to Appropriations, and adjourned until June 23, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have expanded the line program to allow schools to be able to use line funding to do this type of
• So public schools constitute 36.5% of the LPN programs that are below the national average, but they
• to want to come to a private school because not only is their ability to be a nursing program director
• One thing I also did want to add is that my school also does a preceptorship program already.
• So with the preceptorship program, yes, we do have a number of schools that do it already on a totally

Summary: The committee took up a series of health and human services bills, beginning with CS/SB 1602, which would require emergency departments to have evidence-based pediatric care protocols, training, appropriate child-sized equipment and medications, a designated care coordinator, and participation in a pediatric readiness assessment. It was reported favorably. CS/SB 1224 followed, aligning Florida law with federal requirements so paramedics may administer controlled substances in the field under physician or nurse practitioner protocols; it also passed favorably after supportive testimony from fire chiefs. The committee then adopted a strike-all for SB 890, the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act, which addresses venous thromboembolism by creating a statewide registry, requiring screening and training in hospitals and long-term care settings, and adding assisted living facility response requirements. Assisted living representatives objected to the ALF provisions as unrealistic and potentially harmful, while supporters argued the bill would save lives; the bill was reported favorably. CS/SB 1182, requiring continuous glucose monitors to be covered as both durable medical equipment and a pharmacy benefit, also passed favorably with support from AARP. The committee next considered CS/SB 12, a claim bill for a child severely injured after a DCF home visit allegedly failed to meet standards, and it was reported favorably without opposition. CS/CS/SB 954, dealing with substance abuse treatment centers and recovery residences, drew substantial debate. The bill would limit local zoning restrictions on treatment facilities and allow larger recovery residences if staffing ratios are increased; a late-filed amendment reduced the maximum active patients from 500 to 300. Municipal and county representatives warned that the bill could override local reasonable-accommodation efforts and create institutional-scale facilities, while supporters said housing is essential to recovery and that clustering concerns are overstated. The committee ultimately reported the bill favorably. CS/SB 1050, expanding the developmental disabilities pilot program statewide and creating a statewide family care council, also passed after extensive testimony from families and advocates. Supporters emphasized the long waitlist and the need for more services, while some speakers opposed managed care and warned about provider shortages and loss of individualized supports. Later, CS/SB 614, requiring a public educational webpage about background screening clearinghouse and level two screening requirements, was reported favorably. CS/SB 1578, which would require coverage for mammograms and supplemental breast cancer screening in certain circumstances, was also reported favorably. CS/SB 1060 created a joint legislative oversight committee to review Medicaid operations and financing; members discussed the need for stronger oversight of large midyear spending adjustments, and the bill passed favorably. CS/SB 1240, a Department of Children and Families substance abuse and mental health bill, was amended to clarify Baker Act transfer timing and notification requirements after debate over whether facilities could hold patients too long; it was then reported favorably. Finally, Senator Harrell presented CS/SB 526, a major nursing education bill aimed at Florida’s low NCLEX passage rates. The bill would require nursing programs to use exit exams, remediation, reporting, and stricter oversight, and the strike-all would add graduate preceptorships for low-performing programs and temporary provisional licenses for graduates pending NCLEX passage. The transcript ended while that bill was still being explained, before final action was taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• districts' and charter schools' school safety practices.
• I am not anti-public school. I went to a public school.
• I was a high school substitute teacher at a public school.
• I'm saying that the school board members sitting on that school board do everything the school superintendent
• CDF program.

Summary: The committee first heard an update on Topok Elementary School District’s long-running noncompliance with Arizona’s Uniform System of Financial Records. The Auditor General’s office explained the USFR noncompliance process and reported that Topok had made substantial progress, correcting many deficiencies in areas such as open meeting law, procurement, payroll, attendance reporting, property control, and information technology. The district’s superintendent and staff described the corrective actions they had taken, the use of outside consultants, and their plan to maintain compliance through stronger leadership, training, and consistent procedures. Members praised the district’s progress and asked about the remaining deficiencies and the status of the 3% state-aid withholding, which the Auditor General said would be addressed by the State Board of Education. The committee then considered a request for a fourth school safety special audit, tied to concerns raised by Representative Martinez about Phoenix Union High School District and school violence response practices. The Auditor General said the proposed audit would be a new topic focused on policies and procedures for responding to credible threats of violence and allegations of staff misconduct affecting student safety, and could include Phoenix Union in the sample. Representative Martinez described a fatal 2024 shooting, weapons incidents, and concerns about district oversight. The committee approved the motion 10-0. Next, staff presented the fiscal years 2027-2028 school district performance audit schedule, describing 26 randomly selected school districts and career and technical education districts, plus 84 planned follow-ups. The Auditor General said the schedule is intended to shorten the average time between audits and that the school audits division is now fully staffed. Members asked about county coverage and the inclusion of ESA accountability, but the schedule was ultimately presented for review rather than approval. The committee also heard a detailed federal compliance audit presentation on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) administered by DES. The Auditor General reported repeated findings involving missing provider documentation, questioned costs, and FFATA reporting errors, including a 2024 sample that led to questioning $2.88 million in costs. The office recommended stronger documentation, record retention, reporting procedures, and staff training; DES concurred and said it would correct the findings in 2026. Members discussed the limits of the single-audit scope, the possibility of a broader special audit, and the federal government’s recent actions on CCDF oversight in other states. Finally, the committee considered and discussed a special audit request for CCDF that would broaden review to provider oversight, licensing, site visits, and billing accuracy across multiple state agencies, with estimated costs of $547,000 to $625,000 and a projected report date of July 31, 2027.

Transcript Highlights:

• I grew up attending Metro Deaf School myself before the birth-to-three program was in place.
• I grew up attending Metro Deaf School myself before the birth-to-three program was in place.
• He learned to program graphics and run the school scoreboard in the gym.
• to program graphics and run the school to program graphics and run the school the<01:15:13.880><
• School have an FFA and an egg program School have an FFA and an egg program and<01:28:24.719>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Public schools.
• There are a couple of programs that currently fund schools.
• We also operate a charter school funding program. It's just getting its legs underneath it.
• Independent Schools, and House Municipal School Districts.
• School districts as they progress with building new schools. Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• ABC is a 10-month program, and so sometimes it's difficult for parents because it runs along the school
• So if we're increasing ABC and focusing more on school-based programs, I don't want to get to the point
• And I'll tell you, because we've been visiting a lot of schools lately, and we were visiting a program
• We lost families in the after-school program. Garner gave us this piece of paper.
• We lost families in the after school program. What they would have to pay.

Summary: The committee met to review the minutes and then held a workshop-style discussion with Arkansas Department of Education early childhood officials about the state’s early learning programs, funding, and access. Officials explained that the state-funded ABC program has been largely flat for years, rising from $11 million to about $14 million in 2018, while the federally funded SRA/CCDF side is much larger. They described differences between the programs, including ABC’s 10-month school-year structure, current enrollment of about 23,000 children in ABC and about 14,871 in SRA, and a SRA wait list that has grown to roughly 2,971 children. Members raised concerns about rural access, school-based versus community-based providers, reimbursement rates, and the need to align early childhood funding with K-12 and kindergarten readiness goals. A major topic was the recent $14.741 million PDG B-5 competitive grant. Officials said it is a one-year systems-building grant, not a direct services grant, and will support local leads, CLASS observations, workforce efforts, and data systems while helping offset some costs that otherwise would have been paid through CCDF. Members also discussed the end of a federal pre-K funding stream in June, with children either moving into ABC slots or requalifying for SRA, and the state’s new enrollment-based payment approach, which officials said saved about $576,000. The committee also heard that the current cost-of-care study is about three years old and that a new market-rate survey is being planned. Several members questioned dual enrollment in home visiting/HIPPY and ABC, with officials saying about 1,200 children are enrolled in both and that limiting double enrollment could save about $2.4 million and affect roughly 470 children. Members also asked about provider closures after rate changes; officials said eight providers cited funding as a reason for closing, while 26 new providers have been added under the new rates. The discussion ended with broad agreement that the committee should continue regular updates, keep providers and families informed, and explore policy changes, waivers, and possible state investments to improve stability, access, and quality in early childhood education.

Transcript Highlights:

• ABC is a 10-month program, and so sometimes it’s difficult for parents because it runs along the school
• And I'll tell you, because we've been visiting a lot of schools lately, and we were visiting a program
• We lost families in the after-school program immediately, and they became latchkey kids, which creates
• We lost families in the after-school program immediately, and they became latchkey kids, which creates
• and the preschool programs are also saying it's important to send your child to school at every grade

Summary: The committee met to review early childhood education funding, access, and program sustainability, with Secretary Aleva and Director Ashland Abney providing updates on Arkansas’s ABC state-funded preschool program and the federal CCDF/SRA program. Members discussed the long-standing flat funding for ABC, which rose from $11 million to $14 million in 2018, compared with roughly $137 million in federal CCDF/SRA funding. Officials said ABC serves about 23,000 children, while SRA serves about 14,871 children and has a wait list of about 2,971 children. Members also asked for more data on rural versus urban access, provider types, and the number of slots and providers by region. A major topic was how to improve quality and access while aligning early childhood with K-12. Officials said the department is moving from the Better Beginnings environmental rating system toward CLASS observations, using local leads and a kindergarten-readiness strategy tied to quality improvement. Members raised concerns about deserts and islands in service availability, the cost of school-based versus community-based providers, and the need to support infant-toddler care as well as preschool. The commissioner said early learning should be part of long-term state education investment, but that simply adding money would not solve access gaps without broader structural changes. The committee also discussed recent funding changes and their effects on providers and families. Officials said a $14.741 million PDG-BFV competitive grant will support systems-building work, including local leads, workforce, data systems, and third-party CLASS observations, but it is a one-year grant and not direct service funding. Members questioned the impact of new co-pays, provider closures, and slot reallocations; officials said eight closures were tied specifically to funding changes, and that paying only for enrolled children rather than allocated slots saved about $576,000. They also discussed dual enrollment in home visiting and ABC, with officials estimating that limiting double enrollment could save about $2.4 million and potentially serve about 470 more children. The meeting ended with agreement to continue regular updates and further discussion, and the committee adjourned without a vote on legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need strong after-school programs. We need strong summer programs.
• Or a voucher program or a scholarship program to get my child, maybe to that charter school or to that
• , in your senior year in high school, you could take vocational program, which meant that you went to
• How does the school know whether it's running a DEI program or not?
• Governors have put in programs, you know, for school choice, et cetera, and looking at...

Keywords: educational reform, federal grants, bureaucracy, wealth disparity, public testimony

Summary: The committee meeting engaged in discussions focused primarily on educational reform, the influence of federal grants on local education systems, and the growing disparities in wealth and access to quality education. Members expressed concerns about the bureaucracy surrounding federal funding that hampers schools' ability to obtain necessary resources for improvement. Several members highlighted personal anecdotes from constituents, emphasizing the urgent need for reform to help students succeed in both K-12 and higher education environments. The meeting included public testimonies that provided insights into various community perspectives on these pressing issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• Leo or a faith-based school like Warner and look at the programs, look how much projected earnings there
• That's our understanding of it, so it can't go to a faith-based school. The program, as Mr.
• That's our understanding of it, so it can't go to a faith-based school. The program, as Mr.
• But asking for some program funding for new nursing programs.
• But the school isn't ineligible, the way I see it. Just those students in that program. Follow up.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee heard and advanced House Bill 1145, which clarifies that public charter schools may participate in the CAP Grant Fund. The bill’s amendment expanded a separate “money-back guarantee” concept for state colleges, requiring participating institutions to offer six eligible programs and refund tuition if graduates do not find qualifying employment within six months under standardized job-search requirements. Members asked about refund rates, student notification, fiscal impact, and whether the proposal accounted for disability or out-of-state job searches. Public testimony on the amendment and bill was in support from Nathan Hoffman of the Foundation for Florida’s Future, and the committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably as a committee substitute by a 16-1 vote, with Representative Aristide voting no over the charter school issue. The committee then received presentations on the William L. Boyd IV Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) Grant and the private nonprofit college sector. Department of Education staff explained that EASE, created in 1979, provides tuition assistance to eligible full-time undergraduates at participating private institutions, with a 2024-25 maximum award of $3,500 and an additional EASE Plus incentive of up to $850 for students in high-demand fields. The department reviewed the program’s funding history, disbursement process, and accountability metrics, including access, affordability, graduation, retention, and postgraduate employment/continuing education. Members asked about award proration, eligibility for other aid, religious-program restrictions, and why some institutions had low or unavailable graduation-rate data. ICUF President Robert Boyd argued that EASE is a strong return on investment and described ICUF institutions as not-for-profit, four-year schools serving many Pell-eligible, adult, military, and minority students. He said the sector produces a significant share of Florida’s bachelor’s, graduate, nursing, and education degrees, and highlighted ICUF’s dashboard with additional transparency metrics, program earnings data, and net price calculators. Boyd and members discussed graduation and completion rates, NCLEX passage rates, affordability, institutional flexibility, and whether schools with lower graduation rates should be compared differently because of their student populations. The presentations ended with no further business, and the meeting adjourned.