Bills: SB2350, SB2349, SB2178, SB2101, SB2373, SB2905, SB3231, SB3296, SB2704, SB3162, SB2885, SB2174, SB3256, SB2333, SB2713, SB2100, SB3012, SB2805, SB2102, SB2478, SB2103, SB3233, SB2678, SB2461, SB2645, SB3247, SB2005, SB2022, SB2083, SB2128, SB2130, SB2240, SB2306, SB2547, SB2603, SB2756, SB2782, SB2818, SB2944, SB2982, SB2986, SB3022, SB3031, SB3032, SB3035, SB3053, SB3288, SB2435, SB2970, SB2938, SB3110, SB3251, SB3322, SB2068, SB2268, SB3046, SB2526, SB2231, SB2448, SB2567, SB3095, SB3264, SB3131, SB3069, SB3180, SB2119, SB2137, SB2209, SB2180, SB2949, SB2431, SB2410, SB3199, SB3245, SB2274, SB2277, SB2175, SB2080, SB2799, SB2491, SB2310, SB2489, SB2925, SB2709, SB17, SB2227, SB2887, SB2006

Keywords: agriculture, aquaculture, livestock, agribusiness, Department of Agriculture, regulatory functions, employee benefits, restorative practices, sustainability, environmental stewardship, local food systems, Native Hawaiian, workforce development, industrial hemp, Hawaii, Native Hawaiian practices, regulation, cultural stewardship, economic development, organic waste

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Art Education. Art Education.
• </c> the Mississippi Senate to Art Education the Mississippi Senate to Art Education Mentor<00:21:42.400
• </c> Award for Excellence in Art Education. Award for Excellence in Art Education.
• driver's education program.
• driver's education program.

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 12 February, 2026; 9:30 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of assessment which would retain the current methodology for the purposes of statewide property education
• He goes on to say, for example, in 2021, the DRA set a local education tax rate for Hail's Landing in
• </c> in 2021, the DRRA set a local education in 2021, the DRRA set a local education tax<00:48:43.680
• taxes and um there was also in education taxes and um there was a<00:50:10.400><c> question</c><00:50
• </c> more than they need for their education. more than they need for their education.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're trying to stem any fraud behavior.
• So we wanted to get somebody in there who would educate the leadership on a culture of privacy. citizens
• ><03:47:48.159><c> there</c><03:47:48.760><c> who</c><03:47:48.920><c> would</c><03:47:49.199><c> educate
• </c><03:47:49.720><c> the</c> somebody in there who would educate the somebody in there who would educate
• </c><04:25:39.279><c> trust</c><04:25:39.560><c> fund</c> the general funds education trust fund the

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: House Finance Division III convened a work session on the DHHS budget, with the chair noting there would be no votes and that the committee would spend the day hearing from the commissioner’s office. Nathan White, DHHS Chief Financial Officer, opened with the Division of Finance/Office of Business Operations, explaining that the unit supports the department through daily financial management, AP/AR, audit work, expense projections, transfers, and procurement functions such as contracts, amendments, RFPs/RFAs, and grants management. He also described the division’s revenue and reporting work, including federal draws, CMS-64 reporting, and the public assistance cost allocation plan, and said the department had centralized rate-setting work and a small team handling Medicaid rate analysis and nursing facility rebase work. Members asked about vacancies, turnover, and budget changes. White said the division had 18 positions unfunded in the governor’s budget, reducing personal services from about $10.8 million to $9.9 million, and estimated the division’s vacancy rate at about 11 percent, below the department average. He said turnover was relatively low, with one retirement at the manager level and higher turnover mainly at lower AP-level positions. He also explained that some budget lines reflected reallocations rather than new spending, including fringe benefits centralized elsewhere and an EBT card contract moved into this unit because the staff member overseeing it works in Finance. When asked about a rent/lease increase, he said it was due to higher copier leasing costs under a statewide DAS contract. White highlighted several management and technology improvements. He said a business intelligence tool procured in 2022, using Salesforce and Excel-based data, helped DHHS better track federal revenue and maintenance-of-effort spending, reducing FY24 General Fund lapse by about 70 percent and federal/other revenue lapse by 88 percent compared with FY23; he warned that the tool is not funded in the current budget. He also described Lean Six Sigma efforts in the contracts team, training for vendors and nonprofits on procurement and indirect cost rules, and a Finance Academy to standardize policies and procedures. On the contracts side, he said the department uses Smartsheet for project management and DocuSign for electronic signatures, which cut contract execution time dramatically, but noted DocuSign is also not funded in the governor’s budget. The session ended as the committee prepared to move on to the Employee Assistance Program presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this stems from the subcommittee's meeting on unemployment and some of the lessons learned from people

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This was a kind of time-limited issue stemming from this transition.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• They just aren't able to keep up with programming, with educational space.
• programs but there's no educational space there.
• Um, and we have three educational space.
• </c> also want to participate in educational also want to participate in educational programs<02:31:10.720
• So, in the end, educational space there.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I think part of today, but also this year, is going to be trying to educate folks on what water
• </c> year is going to be trying to educate year is going to be trying to educate folks<00:15:31.319><
• folks on on why these trying to educate folks on on why these things<00:15:43.120><c> are</c><00:15:
• </c><00:25:46.240><c> so</c><00:25:46.840><c> I</c> a little bit more for my education so I a little
• But they're, you know, barring that, and it's really educating folks on what the requirements are from

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• c><00:38:58.640><c> of</c> liability, they start some type of liability, they start some type of education
• for people in an academy education for people in an academy through<00:39:01.599><c> their</c><00:39
• If the question is, I have the PTSD and it's stemming from a work-related injury I'm treating, and that's
• </c> An employee may have failed to plan for due to lack of understanding or education on the subject
• Our employers were educated. It is not for remote workers.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Bixby: The farmer has the license to use these materials and is probably the most educated
• One of the examples that was brought up in a review with a Connecticut educator who has been involved
• One of the examples that was brought up in a review with a Connecticut educator who has been involved
• So unless we can educate all those pollinators, bees and fish on where the property lines are and where
• So unless we can educate all those pollinators, bees and fish on where the property lines are and where

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of Education.
• of Education.'
• education.
• Education is adjourned.
• education is adjourned.

Summary: The joint Senate Education and Budget Committee hearing focused on the Governor’s proposed education governance overhaul, which would shift day-to-day management of the California Department of Education from the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction to a new appointed education commissioner, while giving the Superintendent new voting roles on the State Board of Education and the Community College Board of Governors. Chair Perez opened by stressing that the proposal raises major policy questions beyond the budget process and should be evaluated for its effect on students, local control, and accountability. Brooks Allen of the State Board of Education argued the change would unify policymaking and implementation, reduce fragmented authority, and create clearer accountability, citing decades of reports criticizing California’s “crazy quilt” governance structure and noting the proposal is timed for the 2026 transition. Amber Alexander of the Department of Finance outlined the fiscal and staffing transfers, describing the plan as largely cost-neutral and explaining how positions would shift between the State Board, the Department, and the new Superintendent’s office over 2026-27 and 2027-28. Sarah Cortez of the Legislative Analyst’s Office said the LAO supports shifting management to an appointed commissioner but recommended several refinements: preserving legislative oversight, requiring Senate confirmation of the commissioner, clearly defining the Superintendent’s duties as a public representative/advisor/evaluator, and refining the State Board’s role to focus on major policies requiring public input. She also said the fiscal plan should be cost-neutral and more fully specified. Senators raised concerns about the timing during an election year, the constitutional status of the Superintendent, whether the proposal should instead be a constitutional amendment, and whether governance changes actually improve student outcomes or simply rearrange the org chart. Some members questioned whether the proposal would confuse voters and undermine democratic accountability, while others said the current structure is already confusing and that the reform could improve clarity for districts and local boards. The discussion also covered how curriculum is set, with LAO explaining that the Legislature has broad authority but has delegated much curriculum work to the State Board and the Instructional Quality Commission. Members asked how the new structure would affect local districts, who they would call for guidance, and whether the commissioner would have authority over policy; the presenters said policy authority would remain with the State Board, while the commissioner would handle administration and implementation. No votes were taken during the panel discussion, and the hearing was organized to continue with additional panels and public comment later in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, the Board of Education will have to listen to the Education Commissioner? Yes.
• of Education.
• of Education.
• education.
• Education is adjourned.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> direct educate to direct the education direct educate to direct the education of<00:19:19.440><c
• . education. education.
• Education is incredibly education.
• educate and not every kid works best educated at home.
• </c> educate them. educate them.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the state education agency.
• Department of Education and Workforce as the state education agency.
• Department of Education.
• policy and our education, the execution of an implementation of our operations within the education
• The Department of Education and the State Board of Education have been working very well currently.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• professionals or para educators, or commonly referred to as par educators, it will be raised to at least
• About a quarter of pair educators earn less than $25,000 a year, and only about 30% of para educators
• It often requires educators to increasing educator pay, and their work is deeply admirable.
• Not for the general education.
• And not for the other special educators and the early childhood educators.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a public hearing on a large slate of bills, with most testimony focused on two main topics: improving access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for students with disabilities, and raising educator pay statewide. On the AAC bills (House 514/Senate 418), parents, advocates, and attorneys described how AAC devices and communication books help nonverbal or minimally verbal children communicate, participate in class, and reduce frustration and behavioral issues. Testimony emphasized that while districts are generally required to provide devices, many teachers and school staff lack training to use them effectively; the bill would direct DESE to update licensure and training requirements so newly licensed teachers are prepared to support AAC users. Committee members asked about current teacher-prep practices, implementation, and whether DESE could act without legislation, and witnesses said the proposal was intended as a long-term solution and had previously received some support and compromise language. The committee also heard extensive testimony on House 733/Senate 370, which would set a statewide minimum salary of $70,000 for teachers and $55,000 for education support professionals (ESPs/paras), with inflation adjustments and a phase-in structure that would shift costs over time from the state to municipalities. Supporters, including the bill sponsor, MTA leaders, and school employees from several districts, argued that current pay is not a living wage, contributes to staffing shortages and turnover, and forces many educators to work multiple jobs or rely on public assistance. They said the bill would help recruit and retain staff and better reflect the importance of the work. Committee members raised questions about how the state would fund the mandate, how it would interact with Chapter 70 school aid and local budgets, whether other states have similar mechanisms, and whether the proposal could create disincentives for districts already paying above the floor. Witnesses pointed to the Student Opportunity Act, the Fair Share Amendment, and the need for a broader school funding formula review as possible parts of the solution. The committee also briefly heard and discussed Senate Bill 435/House Bill 736, which would require de-escalation training for school bus operators, with the training paid for by employers. The sponsor and a parent advocate said the bill was prompted by a school bus incident involving a child with cerebral palsy and epilepsy and would improve safety and reduce reliance on law enforcement. Members asked whether the bill should also cover bus monitors and other transportation staff, and whether private contractors and public operators currently provide similar training. At the end of the hearing, the chairs closed testimony on the full list of bills and adjourned the hearing without taking any votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• the state education agency.
• Department of Education.
• I serve as the executive director of the State Board of Education and as the Education Policy Advisor
• I serve as the executive director of the State Board of Education and as the Education Policy Advisor
• The Department of Education and the State Board of Education have been working very well currently.

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee first heard two bills. AB 1665 by Assemblymember Pacheco would require school sports coaches to complete approved mental health training. Supporters said coaches are trusted adults who are often first to notice student-athlete distress, and a witness described personal experience with body image and disordered eating pressures in athletics. There was no opposition, and the bill was moved out of committee on a due pass as amended motion to Appropriations, ultimately passing 9-0 after add-on votes. AB 2316 by Assemblymember Hoover would allow charter schools to apply for the same financial hardship relief in the state school facilities program that traditional districts can seek. Supporters argued this would improve parity and help smaller and low-income charter schools access permanent facilities; some initially opposed agencies said their concerns were addressed by amendments. The bill also passed unanimously, 9-0, to Appropriations. The committee then took up a consent calendar containing 12 additional measures, including bills on education funding, facilities, and other school-related matters, plus a resolution. Those items were approved on a 7-0 vote, with the roll left open for add-on votes. After the bill hearing portion was recessed and later reconvened, additional members added votes to AB 1665, AB 2316, and the consent calendar, bringing each to 9-0. The committee then held an informational hearing on state-level education governance, centered on Governor Newsom’s proposal to restructure the California Department of Education and the role of the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, with AB 2117 serving as a policy vehicle carrying the same language and no action to be taken. Testimony came from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the Education Commission of the States, and former CDE chief deputy Richard Zager. Witnesses reviewed the history of California’s governance structure, compared it with other states, and discussed accountability, legislative oversight, and the role of the superintendent under the proposal. Committee members raised concerns about preserving checks and balances, the fiscal implementation plan, county-office relationships, and whether the superintendent’s role would be reduced too far; no vote was taken at the informational hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is my 32nd year on education. And so, you know where my passion is, it's in education.
• of education.
• Doe, that very clearly states that education, public education dollars for education purposes, cannot
• You know, the purpose of education, the purpose of education funding is to educate the student.
• education is a civil right.

Bills: SB 2

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Educational Adequacy Fund.
• and institutions of higher education as directed in law to help fund the Educational Excellence Trust
• The Educational Adequacy Fund.
• the Educational Adequacy Fund as requested by the Department of Education.
• The Department of Education also receives general revenue, Educational Excellence Trust Fund, and Educational

Summary: The House and Senate Education Committee first approved minutes from February 2 and 3, then took up an interim study proposal on adult education and the Excel Center model. Representatives from Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, the Excel Center network, and the University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities testified that roughly 300,000 Arkansans over age 19 lack a high school diploma or GED, and argued that the Excel Center provides a supported diploma pathway for adults who struggle with GED testing. Witnesses highlighted wraparound services such as free child care, transportation assistance, tutoring, life coaching, and career services, and cited outcomes including high retention, growing enrollment, and research showing higher employment and earnings and lower criminal justice involvement for graduates. Committee members raised questions about the state’s role, existing adult education programs, and how the study would be structured; the motion to adopt the ISP passed, though there was some procedural disagreement about when questions should have been taken. The committee then heard a detailed adequacy funding overview from BLR staff Katie Walden and Adrian Beck on Arkansas K-12 education finance. They reviewed national funding principles and explained Arkansas’s system, including state and local revenue sources, the Public School Fund, the Educational Excellence Trust Fund, the Educational Adequacy Fund, and the Facilities Partnership Program. Staff said K-12 state and local revenues totaled $6.6 billion in 2025, with foundation funding making up the largest share of district and charter funding, followed by additional, categorical, and supplemental funds. They also explained the matrix-based foundation formula, the role of the uniform rate of tax, and how categorical and supplemental funds support areas such as alternative learning, English learners, special education high-cost cases, teacher salary equalization, declining enrollment, and student growth. Members asked several follow-up questions about how specific funding categories are defined and used, including student support staff, instructional aides, special education high-cost occurrences, ALE funding, teacher salary equalization, and the inclusion of Excel Center amounts in state-local funding totals. Staff said some of those details would be addressed in a later presentation and offered to provide additional records, including district lists and historical information. The meeting ended after the funding overview, with no additional votes or actions beyond the ISP adoption and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Office of Special Education programs, we call them OSEP, that this education programs, we call them OSEP
• So that's the federal special education law.
• Office of Special Education Programs.
• to our special education manual.
• to our special education manual.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Second, the Student and Educator Data Privacy Act would empower DESE, K-12 educational entities, and
• Education Association.
• Education Association.
• As a parent and an educator... ...the last five years training and teaching future educators.
• Education Committee.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education opened a hybrid public hearing on a large slate of bills related to school buildings, school finance, technology, data privacy, safety, and related education issues. Chairs Jason Lewis and Ken Gordon outlined procedures for the hearing, including two-minute testimony limits and the plan to group similar bills together. Several bills drew no testimony and were closed without further discussion, while others drew extensive testimony from legislators, school officials, parents, advocates, and educators. A major theme was school safety and student well-being. Lori Al-Hadeth testified in support of bills on alert systems in public schools, describing the loss of her daughter in the Parkland shooting and urging adoption of Alyssa’s Law-style panic alert technology. Representative Gallagher and disability advocates also supported a bill authorizing, but not requiring, airway clearance devices in schools, arguing they could save lives in choking emergencies and provide an option for people who cannot use the Heimlich maneuver. Another bill on reducing cafeteria waste drew support from a legislator and a Lexington sustainability official, who said installing dishwashers during construction would reduce waste and long-term costs. Much of the hearing focused on Chapter 70 school funding and the inflation cap. Senator Pavel Payano, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Representative Senna, and multiple local officials and school committee members from Bridgewater, Chelsea, Groton-Dunstable, and other districts argued that the 4.5% cap on inflation adjustments has left schools underfunded during years of high inflation, forcing layoffs, larger class sizes, and cuts to programs and student supports. They urged bills to eliminate the cap, restore lost funding, increase the Commonwealth’s share of the foundation budget, or create commissions to study reforms. Testimony also highlighted the impact on special education, English learners, and low-income students, with Chelsea witnesses saying the cap has cost their district about $7 million annually. School construction and MSBA reform were the other major topic. AIA Massachusetts, Boston Public Schools, Lynn officials, and AFT Massachusetts described aging facilities, overcrowding, deferred maintenance, and the difficulty of financing new schools under current reimbursement rules. Boston officials said the district has many pre-World War II buildings and has only built a handful of new schools in decades, while Lynn leaders said reimbursement rates have fallen well below the statutory 80% because of caps and ineligible costs. Witnesses urged modernization of the MSBA program, higher reimbursement rates, and more resources for school construction. The committee also heard support for a bill to study the adequacy and equity of the school building program, and chairs indicated some bills would be closed after no one signed up to testify.