Transcript Highlights:

• Through more than a decade of work, we have demonstrated that SSIDs assigned to children in our state preschool
• Articulation System, the Stimulating Inter-Institutional Student Transfer system, the California Preschool
• Data Collection System, the Child Development Management Information System, and the Preschool Language
• Management, management-managed information system, and the Preschool Language and Information Census

Committee: House Privacy and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• And to my 5-year-old son, who is in his preschool right now, blissfully unaware of what his mother is
• 40.000><c> his</c> And to my 5-year-old son, who is in his And to my 5-year-old son, who is in his preschool
• <00:21:40.800><c> right</c><00:21:41.040><c> now,</c> preschool right now, preschool right now, blissfully

Summary: The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the confirmation of Kursha Kauahi Kani Mililani Durrant to the District Court of the First Circuit, but announced it would not vote until April 2. The chair also noted a backup plan if Zoom failed. Testimony was limited to two minutes per speaker. The hearing focused on Durrant’s qualifications, judicial temperament, and readiness for the bench, with no opposition presented. Support came from the Office of the Public Defender, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Native Hawaiian Bar Association, Hawaii State Bar Association, Hawaii Women’s Lawyers, and numerous individuals. Witnesses described Durrant as highly experienced in both criminal and civil practice, including district, family, circuit, appellate, ICA, and Supreme Court work. Several speakers emphasized her legal reasoning, mentorship, civility, cultural grounding, and ability to listen and treat litigants with dignity. Personal supporters also highlighted her public service, hula background, and character. Committee members questioned Durrant about how she would approach district court cases involving repeat offenders, mental illness, substance abuse, houselessness, and diversion. Durrant said she would follow the law, consider the full range of sentencing factors, and use available probation, diversion, and treatment options where appropriate. She said she would be committed to using legislative tools such as Act 26 and other diversion powers, and to looking beyond advocacy toward practical justice and reducing recidivism. She also said her clerkship with Judge Marsha Waldorf, including exposure to drug court and mental health court, shaped her approach to problem-solving on the bench.

Transcript Highlights:

• For a toddler or a preschooler, one question can take over: Will my parent or caregiver still come back
• For a toddler or a preschooler, one question can take over: Will my parent or caregiver still come back
• For a toddler or a preschooler, one question can take over: Will my parent or caregiver still come back
• enforcement at sensitive locations, including venues where families and their children are present, like preschools

Transcript Highlights:

• I can remember this from the preschool conversations with the previous governor Beshear and the removal
• I can remember this<00:59:12.640><c> from</c><00:59:12.880><c> the</c><00:59:13.440><c> preschool</c>
• <00:59:14.000><c> conversations</c> this from the preschool conversations this from the preschool conversations

Summary: The committee met on November 5, 2025, and first approved the minutes after a moment of silence for the UPS airport tragedy. The main presentation was from the Personnel Cabinet on the state health insurance plans and executive branch salary schedule adjustments. Officials said the health plan covers roughly 265,000 active members and up to about 300,000 across all benefit offerings, including school board employees, retirees, and other eligible groups. They described rising claims and expenditures, especially from high-cost claimants and pharmacy spending, and said recent premium and benefit changes were intended to balance costs while preserving recruitment and retention efforts. They also explained that employee premiums had not increased for several years, while employer contributions rose sharply in recent years, and projected a 10% employer increase and 3% employee increase going forward based on actuarial analysis. Committee members asked about deductibles, GLP-1 drug costs, claims validation, and the causes of cost growth; officials said the plan uses multiple payment-integrity vendors and that the increases reflect utilization, drug trends, and high-cost cases rather than a change in coverage. The committee also discussed executive branch salary schedule adjustments. Personnel and budget officials explained that when the legislature approves annual pay increases, the salary schedule is adjusted by the same percentage through executive order so the minimum and midpoint stay aligned with approved compensation levels. They said the 2025 adjustment was a 3% match effective September 16 and that the change was costless because salaries had already been increased. Members raised concerns about salary compression, noting that new hires can sometimes be paid near the level of long-serving employees. Officials said the adjustment helps prevent compression from worsening but does not solve it, and they acknowledged prior RFP efforts to address the issue were unsuccessful because no qualified bidder met the requirements. After the health plan and salary discussions, the committee began a presentation from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services on Kentucky’s senior meal program. Secretary Stack explained that the program is a federal-state-local partnership under the Older Americans Act, with area development districts helping deliver services. He outlined eligibility rules, noting that congregate meals at senior centers are available to people age 60 and older, with a spouse of any age allowed to join, and that home-delivered meals have additional homebound and assistance requirements. Members asked whether there was any means test for congregate meals, and the secretary said there is not; the only threshold is age for the center-based meals, while the home-delivered program has additional criteria.

Transcript Highlights:

• quite a bit about just that ability to handle conflict and training our young people candidly from preschool
• 09.920><c> from</c> training our young people candidly from training our young people candidly from preschool
• 11.120><c> the</c><01:09:11.279><c> way</c><01:09:11.440><c> through</c><01:09:11.839><c> high</c> preschool
• all the way through high preschool all the way through high school<01:09:12.799><c> around</c><01:09

Summary: The subcommittee first heard from the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet’s Grants Management Division on federal victim-services funding. Staff described the main grant programs they administer, including STOP VAWA, VOCA victim assistance, sexual assault services, Byrne state crisis intervention, and Project Safe Neighborhoods. They emphasized that VOCA is especially volatile because it is funded by the federal Crime Victims Fund, which has declined sharply in recent years, reducing Kentucky’s available awards and forcing cuts to state, local, and nonprofit subgrants. They also outlined steps the cabinet has taken to stabilize funding, including changing the subaward formula, aligning the grant period with the state fiscal year, subawarding one year behind the federal cycle, and retaining a reserve. Members asked about how funds reach victims, how subgrantee amounts are determined, and requested a breakdown of grant recipients and amounts; staff said they would provide that information later. The committee then received a detailed presentation from the Department of Juvenile Justice on alternatives to detention. Commissioner Randy White and staff explained that ATDs are short-term, less restrictive placements for low-risk youth, including electronic monitoring, home supervision, group homes, foster care, private child care, community programs, mentoring, evening reporting centers, and in-home wraparound services. They described the referral and approval process involving court-designated workers, detention alternative coordinators, courts, and county attorneys, and said DJJ currently has 16 ATD-related contracts, with placements, programs, and electronic monitoring among them. They also reported that between July 1, 2024, and July 30, 2025, 1,652 juveniles were involved in the process, including 168 diversion cases. Members questioned the cost of juvenile detention versus adult incarceration, whether families pay for electronic monitoring, whether there is a national model for juvenile detention, and what alternatives exist for truancy and contempt cases. DJJ said families do not generally reimburse for electronic monitoring, there is no single national model, and day treatment centers are an important alternative for some youth. The department also said it builds daily routines and wellness education into its facilities, and that more than two-thirds of its programs are evidence-based. Officials said they currently monitor vendor performance through quarterly reviews and can end contracts for poor performance, but that data tracking is still largely manual. They said the new JCOM system, now in pilot in the eastern region, should improve reporting and help identify outcomes and recidivism more effectively.

Transcript Highlights:

• Children may be identified in preschool, and parents who notice a child is not meeting particular developmental
• 00:32:43.279><c> be</c><00:32:43.559><c> identified</c><00:32:44.559><c> uh</c><00:32:45.279><c> preschool
• </c><00:32:46.279><c> um</c><00:32:47.200><c> again</c> may be identified uh preschool um again may be
• identified uh preschool um again uh<00:32:48.120><c> parents</c><00:32:48.720><c> identifying</c><00

Committee: House Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• He said that even with income requirements, he would urge the committee to amend the bill for preschool
• He said that even with income requirements, he would urge the committee to amend the bill for preschool
• families I would urge you to amend it families I would urge you to amend it for<00:34:38.720><c> preschool
• 39.919><c> all</c><00:34:40.800><c> um</c><00:34:41.079><c> the</c><00:34:41.240><c> way</c> for preschool
• lunches for all um the way for preschool lunches for all um the way the<00:34:41.599><c> income</c><

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• is a woman I bet you can get any a woman I bet you can get any a woman I bet you can get any a preschooler
• and you point that for says preschooler and you point that for says preschooler and you point that for
• live child that's in and I looked at a live child that's in and I looked at a live child that's in preschool
• or kindergarten playing and preschool or kindergarten playing and preschool or kindergarten playing

Bills: SB 2

Transcript Highlights:

• . $27.6 million for CPPI, which expands access to pre-K and preschool in gateway communities and continues

Summary: The Senate took up debate on the FY2026 general appropriations bill, with several members speaking in support of the Ways and Means budget. Senators Comerford, O’Connor, Feeney, and DiDomenico emphasized the budget as a values-driven response to federal uncertainty, highlighting investments in MassHealth, education, housing, food security, local aid, libraries, transit, mental and behavioral health, and support for vulnerable residents. They also praised the budget’s lack of new taxes and its focus on spending within available revenues, while noting major cost pressures from health care and federal policy instability. Specific programs and items repeatedly cited included universal free community college, expanded financial aid, rural and minimum school aid, TAFDC/EAEDC increases, the Healthy Incentives Program, universal school meals, housing supports, Home and Healthy for Good, and funding for Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital. Speakers framed these investments as both fiscally responsible and morally necessary, and several noted that amendments would be considered during the debate. No votes on the budget itself were taken in the excerpt. After the budget remarks, Senator Miranda spoke in recognition of Haitian Flag Day and the history of Haiti, including foreign interference and the importance of protecting Haitian immigrants in Massachusetts. Another senator then honored Malcolm X on the 100th anniversary of his birth, connecting his legacy to the budget process and calling for investments in equity, education, housing, and health care. The Senate then adopted an order to meet the next day at 10 a.m. with the general appropriations bill as the only item on the calendar, and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Jacob got a job with the help of job foundations at WeCare Preschool, which went well until he lost his

Bills: SB5681 , SB6024 , SB6036 , SB6063

Committee: Senate Human Services

Keywords: employment services, community inclusion, age limitations, disability services, home and community living, community residential services, oversight, monitoring, service providers, streamlining, foster care, licensure, adoption, child welfare, support services, terminology alignment, social services, Washington state code, department reorganization, legislative amendment

Transcript Highlights:

• housing duplexes awarded and Hatch, 5 teacher housing units along with uh Rio Rancho Shining Star Preschool

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• PROVISION IN HOUSE BILL 47 BY REPRESENTATIVE MCFARLAND THAT AUTHORIZES MUNICIPALITIES TO EXEMPT PRESCHOOLS

Transcript Highlights:

• I am an owner of a child care center, preschool. 462 incentive that is there with Texas Workforce Commission

Bills: HB74 , HB175 , HB460 , HB576 , HB2271 , HB2294 , HB2874 , HB3016 , HB3133 , HB3191 , HB3458 , HB3929 , HB4063 , HB4115 , HB4394 , HB74 , HB175

Committee: House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Keywords: Puerto Verde, Port Authority, eminent domain, bonds, tax assessments, economic development, infrastructure, transportation, public welfare, child care, certifications, Texas Rising Star Program, grant program, disability inclusion, family income, affordability, economic impact, state study, cost analysis, government support

Transcript Highlights:

• IT INCLUDES AN AUTHORIZATION PRESCHOOL HOPE OPERATING IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TO CO-LOCATE IN ANY PUBLIC

Transcript Highlights:

• But I actually have two daughters that started Irish dancing when they were in preschool and did all

Transcript Highlights:

• THE HARRIS ROSEN FOUNDATION OF PHILANTHROPIC ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES FUNDS FOR PROJECTS SUCH AS PRESCHOOL

Transcript Highlights:

• I was an infant teacher, preschool daycare teacher, fresh out of high school, so I knew what the specs
• I was an infant teacher, preschool daycare teacher, fresh out of high school, so I knew what the specs

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a hearing focused primarily on special education-related bills, with testimony centered on two major themes: transition planning for students aging out of school-based services at age 22, and the fiscal strain special education costs place on districts. Committee members explained hearing procedures, noted the House was in formal session, and periodically stepped out for votes while staff recorded testimony. A separate bill on special education due process was also taken up briefly, along with a bill on special education finance and another on equitable access/data reporting. On House Bill 752 and Senate Bill 313, witnesses from the Arc of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, the Developmental Disabilities Council, families, self-advocates, and Senator Comerford described the “Turning 22” transition as a crisis point that often leaves families without adult placements, services, or clear communication. Testimony emphasized earlier planning, more accountability, better data collection, and a commission to improve coordination and residential placement. Several parents and advocates shared personal accounts of traumatic transitions, delayed placements, and the need for plans to begin at least a year before age 22. The committee later closed testimony on these bills after hearing from all signed-up speakers. House Bill 4217, on special education due process, drew support from Representative Sullivan-Almeida, parents, and advocates who argued that the burden of proof should shift from families to school districts. Testimony described costly legal battles, delays, and parents having to become experts in reading instruction or hire advocates and attorneys to secure services. Brody Dwyer, a 10-year-old student with dyslexia, and his mother described how evidence-based instruction helped him after years of struggle. The committee also heard testimony on House Bill 546/Senate Bill 317, which would require DESE to publish cross-tabulated data on race, disability, gender, income, and other factors; advocates said this would better expose disparities and help address the school-to-prison pipeline. Finally, on House Bill 691/Senate Bill 430, school leaders, educators, and union representatives testified that special education costs are outpacing district budgets and that increasing circuit breaker reimbursement and creating a commission to study long-term sustainability would help prevent staffing cuts and service reductions. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee repeatedly closed testimony on individual bills as speakers finished and moved through the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• operating in nearly every county, Head Start. actively demonstrates a supply of infant, toddler, and preschool
• So with the announcement of the universal preschool in New Mexico, we celebrate that more families will

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• When my kids were in preschool, they came home as 3-year-olds and said, 'Hey, Dad, today in preschool
• "Hey, Dad, today in preschool we did the hide from the bad guys drill."

Transcript Highlights:

• Members of the committee, many of the preschool teachers in public and private do follow that quality
• What was out was the Perry Preschool Project.
• We have funded a very strong modernization and beginning implementation of this through Preschool Development

Summary: The committee heard first from LFC staff on a brief about New Mexico’s universal child care expansion. Staff said child care assistance has clear benefits for parents and families, but LFC has not found evidence in New Mexico that it improves children’s educational outcomes; they argued pre-K is the better tool for that goal. The brief highlighted four concerns with universal access: an estimated annual cost of about $849.7 million, a sharp decline in registered homes, possible crowding out of lower-income families, and reduced access for children under age two. Staff also suggested possible mitigations such as prioritizing slots for low-income and at-risk families, reinstating sliding-scale co-pays, and tying quality improvements to workforce wages. Members raised questions about the cost estimate, funding sources, provider quality, and whether the data showed actual crowding out. Several lawmakers expressed support for child care generally but concern about the fiscal impact and whether universal access would divert resources from the families most in need. Others emphasized the importance of child care for workforce participation, rural communities, and family stability, and questioned how registered homes are counted and regulated. LFC staff clarified that the cost estimate was for child care assistance only, not the entire ECECD budget, and that the data showed declines in the share of lowest-income children and infants/toddlers served, though not causation. The ECECD secretary then presented the department’s response, saying universal child care is intended to complete a cradle-to-career system and that the department has already seen strong uptake, increased capacity, and rising workforce participation. She said 6,206 families were found eligible in the first month, the share of infants and toddlers served rose, and new provider applications and licensed slots increased after the November rollout. The department also emphasized wage increases, quality improvements, and a new wage scale/career lattice, while projecting a lower near-term cost than LFC’s estimate and requesting additional funding for child care, early pre-K, home visiting, workforce systems, and capacity-building. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided; the discussion was informational and focused on questions and testimony.