Transcript Highlights:

• </c> ...educate Black and promote and educate people about Black history and culture, as he believed
• </c><00:35:25.040><c> in</c> civil rights activist, and educator in civil rights activist, and educator
• But education, some other things.
• Educational Health inequities persist. Educational disparities<01:15:45.920><c> persist.
• It has been ceremonial education.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, I rise to present AB 560, the Supporting Special Education Act, Special Educators Act.
• , bilingual education.
• To support school districts that want to build education workforce housing.
• Brings us to file item 415, AB 1255 by the Committee on Education.
• Students have a right to an equitable education.

Transcript Highlights:

• An act relating to public education, enacting the Special Education Act, creating the Office of Special
• Education in the Public Education Department, and providing... ...Act, creating the Office of Special
• Education in the Public Education Department, providing for a Deputy Secretary of Special Education,
• An act relating to driver education, requiring driver education courses and schools to include at least
• An act relating to driver education, requiring driver education courses and schools to include at least

Transcript Highlights:

• threatened federal funding for universities in our own state by authoring the compact on higher education
• threatened federal funding for universities in our own state by authoring the compact on higher education
• Provides physical security enhancements to nonprofits that include educational, medical, ideology-based
• We have nursing homes, we have rest homes, we have places that only deal with individuals, people with
• We have nursing homes, we have rest homes, we have places that only deal with individuals, people with

Transcript Highlights:

• For 28 years, Marie served as a certified nursing assistant, surgical technologist at Cape Cod Hospital
• In 2024, she became a licensed practical nurse. In 2024, she became a licensed practical nurse.
• This achievement was a significant step toward her future goal of becoming a registered nurse.

Summary: The Senate session was largely ceremonial and began with the Pledge of Allegiance and recognition of the Wellesley swim team for winning its fifth straight state championship. Members praised the team’s consistency and accomplishment, but no formal action was taken on that recognition. The chamber then adopted a motion that the Senate adjourn in memory of Marie Nancy Azor of Harwich, honoring her life, community service, work as a nursing assistant and later licensed practical nurse, and her support of family and local youth sports. The motion prevailed, followed by a moment of silence. The Senate also welcomed and honored two championship athletic teams: the Tri-County High School football team for winning the MIAA small school state vocational Super Bowl, their first such title, and the Westborough girls varsity volleyball team for winning its third consecutive MIAA Division II state championship. Members and guests congratulated the students, coaches, and families. Finally, the Senate adopted an adjournment order and adjourned to meet again Monday at 11:00 a.m., again in memory of Marie Nancy Azor.

Transcript Highlights:

• um and our fish and wildlife education um and our fish and wildlife which<00:03:37.840><c> are</c><00
• It adds psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners to the list of providers who can diagnose PTSD
• It adds psychiatric<00:19:27.760><c> mental</c><00:19:28.080><c> health</c><00:19:28.400><c> nurse</c
• > psychiatric mental health nurse psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners<00:19:29.840><c> to</
• Um, my mom is a proud educator. She's a teacher.

Transcript Highlights:

• It can help our educators ensure that they can live in the community that they teach in.
• And my grandfather, the bookbinder, with no education besides that, was put in a nursing home so he wouldn't
• They're my children's teachers, our firefighters, our nurses.
• All youth deserve a steady education and a safe environment.
• And every time we had to move, it disrupted my education.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Summary: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a long public hearing focused mainly on two sets of issues: proposals to amend or repeal the MBTA Communities Act, and bills to allow local rent stabilization. Committee chairs opened by explaining the hearing would be tightly managed because of the very large number of speakers, with testimony limited to two minutes per person and written testimony still accepted by email. Members and witnesses were called in a mix of in-person and virtual order throughout the hearing. On the MBTA Communities Act, several legislators and local officials argued the law is too rigid and should be revised to account for local conditions. Speakers from small, rural, or infrastructure-limited communities such as Hanson, Halifax, Marshfield, Winthrop, Dracut, Carver, Rehoboth, and others said the law’s one-size-fits-all approach does not fit towns with limited water, sewer, transit access, or buildable land. Some filed bills would repeal the law, exempt certain communities, or create appeals processes based on infrastructure, environmental, or historical constraints. Supporters of the law’s changes emphasized local control and the need to avoid forcing development where communities believe it is impractical or inconsistent with town character. A large portion of the hearing was devoted to rent stabilization legislation, especially S. 1447 and related House bills. Supporters included legislators, city councilors, tenant advocates, labor leaders, housing nonprofits, public health organizations, and residents who described sharp rent increases, displacement, homelessness risk, and the strain on working families, seniors, students, and people with disabilities. They argued local-option rent stabilization would let municipalities cap excessive increases and prevent no-fault evictions while preserving flexibility for local conditions. Opponents, including small landlords and property owners, said rent control would discourage investment, worsen housing quality, burden responsible owners, and drive small landlords out of the market. Some witnesses also supported a Cape Cod/Island transfer fee bill and a suburban infrastructure fund, arguing those would provide local revenue for housing or roads. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We work diligently with school districts, with our educators, and those in the educational landscape
• We have heard about the broad interest in this work from educators, leaders, and Work from educators,
• We can build an education system that serves all ...an education system that serves all kids, not just
• Department of Education The U.S.
• of Education can.

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, DJJ employs four nurse program administrators who currently oversee the medical program
• </c> additionally DJJ employs four Nurse additionally DJJ employs four Nurse Program<00:16:21.600><c>
• </c><00:17:23.280><c> structure</c><00:17:24.120><c> uh</c> RNs LPNs and uh our nursing structure uh
• RNs LPNs and uh our nursing structure uh or<00:17:24.400><c> sorry</c><00:17:24.760><c> our</c><00:17
• </c><00:21:40.320><c> and</c><00:21:40.679><c> with</c><00:21:40.919><c> a</c> it's basically nursing

Summary: The committee heard an overview from Department of Juvenile Justice Commissioner Randy White on the state’s juvenile detention network and several facility projects. He identified the currently operating detention centers as Boyd County for females, Breathitt County for low-risk males, Fayette County for high-risk males, Adair County for high-risk youth from Jefferson and surrounding counties, Warren County for high-risk males, and McCracken County for low-risk males. Members asked about capacity and staffing; White said Boyd County houses 33 and is usually near full, Breathitt County is about half full, Fayette County runs about 80-90% full, Campbell County’s operational limit is about 25 due to staffing, Adair County can hold 60 and has hit capacity several times this year, Warren County holds 43 and usually runs near capacity, and McCracken County holds 43 and is not currently full. He said staffing is generally harder in higher-risk facilities and in metropolitan areas because of wages and housing costs. White then updated the committee on the Louisville Detention Center downtown renovation and the Lyon facility project. For the Louisville downtown facility, he said schematic design and design development are complete, construction documents are expected by late February or early March, bids are anticipated in April, and completion is projected for March 2027. He explained the delay is due to extensive renovation work needed to bring the building up to current building, life-safety, ACA, and PREA standards, including security, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, food service, and roof work. The project is designed for 64 beds for high-risk Jefferson County boys, with the facility currently vacant and those youth being housed in Adair County and Campbell County. For the Lyon project, he said the contract was issued November 21, 2024, demolition is underway, completion is expected June 14, 2026, and the facility will have 34 beds in four pods for low-risk offenders; he said the project appears to be on time and on budget within the $4.5 million authorization. The committee also discussed the medical services contract. DJJ officials said they are reviewing whether to continue with the current state contract provider, Wellpath, or pursue an RFP, while retaining current merit staff and continuing oversight through four nurse program administrators. They said DJJ uses a state master agreement to staff nurses, APRNs, and the chief medical officer, and that the current contract is about $20 million per year. Members asked about Wellpath’s bankruptcy filing; officials said they were aware of it, asked questions, and were told it would not affect Kentucky service delivery or contracting, though they could not recall the bankruptcy type and offered to provide more detail later. They also said DJJ is working with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to become a Medicaid provider, and any future contractual partner will need to be a Medicaid provider. Finally, White described the proposed high-acuity juvenile mental health treatment facility. He said DJJ must accept court-ordered youth even when they have severe mental illness, but detention centers are not equipped to treat those youth and private psychiatric hospitals often refuse them or discharge them early. He argued that a dedicated secure treatment facility is needed for a small number of highly violent, high-need youth who require intensive psychiatric care and are disruptive in detention. The facility would provide behavioral and psychiatric treatment, reduce delays caused by lack of beds or outside placements, and serve youth determined by clinical assessment to need a secure treatment environment. No votes were taken during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• You're going to have your port taxes, the City of Houston Port, the Department of Education.
• , an assistant nurse.
• Translator: "If she had to choose between the monthly income and education even..."
• Translator: "...education for others, which would you prefer? Which would be a better choice?"
• I'm not sure if we're talking or not with food bank programs, educational programs for adult career education

Bills: HB21 , HB211 , HB223 , HB323 , HB524 , HB530 , HB636 , HB762 , HB21 , HB211 , HB223

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: housing finance, multifamily residential, low income, tax exemption, audit requirements, affordable housing, local government, development bonds, housing assistance, financial assistance, low income housing, community support, affordability, veterans housing, community involvement, air conditioning, tenant support, healthcare, elderly, taxation

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill requires any general education course that integrates the use of technology to provide students
• Next, we will take up PCS for HB 1279 relating to education.
• Florida kids that we have already invested in through K-12 education.
• Florida kids that we have already invested in through K-12 education who have graduated.
• Our post-secondary education system is actually number one.

Summary: The committee first took up PCS for HB 1503, which would require general education courses that use technology to provide students opportunities to build digital literacy, including instruction on applications of artificial intelligence and related topics such as software engineering, computer networks, database systems, and cybersecurity as applicable to the course. It would also require high school computer science courses offered by school districts to include instruction on AI. There was no public testimony or debate, and the bill was reported favorably on a unanimous roll call vote. The committee then considered PCS for HB 1279, an education bill that the sponsor said was intended to improve consistency, oversight, and transparency while putting Florida students first. The bill drew extensive questioning and opposition over provisions affecting university admissions and funding, including a 95% Florida-resident first-time-in-college enrollment target tied to preeminent funding, a cap on nonresident students from any one country, standardized GPA weighting, limits on institution-wide graduation requirements, and changes related to accreditation references and other education programs. The sponsor argued these changes would open more seats for Florida students, preserve academic rigor, and align statutes with existing regulations and court action, while opponents said the bill would harm university competitiveness, research, revenue, faculty recruitment, and access for international and nontraditional students. Public testimony on HB 1279 was largely opposed. Speakers included a student advocate, a dental hygiene representative concerned about dual regulation of expanded-function dental programs, and faculty representatives from FSU and FAMU who warned the bill would politicize admissions and curriculum, reduce competitiveness, and create negative fiscal impacts. During debate, supporters emphasized taxpayer investment in Florida students and the need to prioritize in-state applicants, while opponents argued the bill would weaken the state university system and undermine its national standing. The committee reported PCS for HB 1279 favorably by a 12-5 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education is key in making sure that the past is remembered and learned from.
• We must continue to advocate for education and remembrance. Thank you.
• Justice and education are vital to preventing this from occurring.
• He's a man of many talents, and he's a champion for bilingual education.
• Senator Menendez: ...was a champion for bilingual education.

Bills: SJR36 , SR8 , SR14 , SR15 , SR17 , HCR54

Transcript Highlights:

• Since that time, the community college system is no longer under the state board of education.
• . school buses by that local board of education to the community college.
• ... to provisional release from educational intervention.
• You want them to go get a court order to order that hospital, that physician, that nurse.
• This allows them to expend money that they are already allocated on materials for education purposes

Transcript Highlights:

• With our state being 50th in education, I think we can be first in honesty.
• And especially whenever childhood education is what it's at, from what I've heard from a lobbyist was
• $800,000 for pre-prek education for all of Oklahoma citizens.
• She's the nurse practitioner. I believe that's on the board. She's been pretty helpful.
• We're fifth in education. This is the fourth state that I've operated in.

Transcript Highlights:

• Run on the idea of cutting the fat out of government, but we don't want to touch education.
• We don't want to touch higher education, don't want to touch health care, and all of a sudden definitely
• Even more so, the do shrink even more when you get into the non-defense portion of this education and
• The second is for nursing homes to enhance quality as well as stabilize their, their operations.
• reoccurring federal funding streams, delving farther into Medicaid and the Title I, all the other education

Committee: House Federal Funding Stabilization Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• So the entirety of the bill is removed, and that concludes my remarks. of nonprofit nursing homes in
• </c><00:53:19.240><c> home</c><00:53:19.480><c> rates</c> uh state uh nursing home rates uh state uh
• And, um, some places it's kind of back—this is the nursing home side.
• It's just a requirement um to have... facility um or nursing home, but now as facility um or nursing
• </c><01:21:06.400><c> home</c> have a conservator, but the nursing home have a conservator, but the nursing

Committee: Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• Next, we have Hawaii American Nurses Association in support.
• </c><00:05:45.520><c> Next,</c><00:05:45.759><c> we</c> Nurses Association in support.
• Next, we have the Hawaii affiliate of the College of Nurse Midwives in support.
• , which is consistent registered nurses, which is consistent with the exemptions currently granted to
• >> Just a question of the nurses. >> Come on up. You're board of nursing. >> Yeah.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Summary: The HHS committee met in Room 224 and announced the hearing was being streamed live, with a one-minute limit on testimony. The chair explained that written testimony had already been reviewed and that speakers should either add new comments or stand on their written testimony. The committee first heard SB 2211, an emergency appropriation to the Department of Human Services. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support, including DHS, Aloha United Way, the Hawaii Food Industry Association, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, Catholic Charities, and many individuals. Supporters emphasized the importance of maintaining SNAP-related food assistance and emergency food delivery, while Catholic Charities raised a question about whether the bill’s language would also reach food banks serving food-insecure households that are not on SNAP. No opposition was heard and the bill was moved on without questions from members. The committee then heard SB 2025, which would exempt actively practicing advanced practice registered nurses from jury duty. Testimony was broadly supportive from nursing and health organizations, including the Hawaii American Nurses Association, the Hawaii affiliate of the College of Nurse Midwives, the Hawaii State Board of Nursing, and others. One witness from Kaiser Permanente requested an amendment to include physician assistants, and a committee member asked the Board of Nursing to review that request. The bill otherwise drew no opposition and no further member questions. SB 2038, relating to medication labeling, drew the most extended discussion. The measure would change labeling requirements for certain abortion medications, and testimony was split between supporters who framed it as a privacy and access issue and opponents who raised patient safety, ethics, and transparency concerns. The Department of Health supported the intent but requested an amendment to allow quicker access to private information during investigations without a subpoena. The Board of Pharmacy said it supported the written comments but noted operational challenges and possible cost impacts, while Kaiser said compliance would likely require manual workarounds and could slow pharmacy processes. The chair and members questioned whether patients could simply remove labels themselves, but witnesses said there could still be safety and access issues if the patient is not the one receiving the prescription. The committee then moved on to SB 2050, relating to chiropractic, which received support from the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic and the Hawaii State Chiropractic Association, with no substantive opposition noted. The hearing later turned to SB 201, relating to insurance, which appeared to be a new mandated-benefit measure tied to infertility/IVF coverage. The Hawaii Civil Rights Commission provided comments, while Hawaii Family Forum opposed the bill, arguing it went beyond medical infertility and raised ethical and public policy concerns. Kaiser and the Hawaii Association of Health Plans both asked for a study or audit, saying the measure could create new insurance mandates and increase costs for residents and employers. Private Work Hawaii strongly supported the bill as an equity issue. The committee noted there was no quorum for decision-making and deferred action on the measure to a later hearing, then recessed.

Transcript Highlights:

• There was a study by the Kentucky Nurses Association recently that studied nurses over a one-year period
• . 80% of the nurses that were surveyed had verbal or physical threats to them in that year.
• </c> There was a study by the Kentucky Nurses There was a study by the Kentucky Nurses Association<00
• ><c> the</c><00:05:24.320><c> nurses</c><00:05:25.080><c> uh</c><00:05:25.160><c> that</c><00:05:25.240
• ><c> were</c><00:05:25.320><c> surveyed</c> 80% of the nurses uh that were surveyed 80% of the nurses

Committee: House Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's take up tab 50, CS for SB 7038 on education by Education Post-Secondary, and Senator Calatayud,
• We're going to take up tab 49, CS for SB 7036 on education by the Education Pre-K through 12 Committee
• Senator, talk to us about the educational emergency.
• Is that what an educational emergency is?
• Senator, talk to us about the educational emergency.

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The committee first confirmed six appointees in a single vote, then took up a series of bills, most of them reported favorably. The early debate centered on SB 208, a land-use bill by Sen. McLean that would require development fees to reflect review costs and create more objective compatibility standards for residential development denials. An amendment adding housing-related provisions, including an OPAGA study of urban development boundaries, drew extended discussion over the Everglades and local control; it was adopted, while a late-filed amendment on rural boundaries was withdrawn. The bill was then reported favorably after supporters and opponents, including Miami-Dade and housing groups, weighed in. The committee also favorably reported SB 686 on agricultural enclaves after amendments adding conservation, wildlife corridor, and Everglades-related protections, with one amendment specifically preserving stronger protections in counties covered by the Northern Everglades/Indian River Lagoon plan. Several criminal justice and public records measures also advanced. SB 436 would add resisting an officer with violence as a qualifying prior offense for battery enhancement and include certain felony battery offenses in prison release reoffender status. SB 830 would extend public-records protections to county and city administrators and related family information. SB 990 would authorize protected cell captive insurers in Florida. SB 600, on bail bonds, drew the most debate: an amendment by Sen. Rouson preserved the current treatment of charitable bail organizations’ deposits, with supporters arguing nonprofits help low-income defendants and critics saying the bill should distinguish commercial and nonprofit bonding; the amendment was adopted and the bill reported favorably. SB 914 on dry needling and SB 1434 on infill redevelopment also passed, the latter with an amendment removing a 10% markup requirement for buyback provisions. The committee then moved through a large education and health agenda. SB 1504 would let high school students who complete an insurance/personal finance elective qualify later for a customer service representative license. SB 1718 would expand educator preparation and temporary certification options. SB 7038 was a broad education package covering tuition waivers for Florida State Guard members, residency rules, consumer protections, dual enrollment, grading, and college funding; amendments clarified workforce licensure and exempted certain dental training from new licensure rules. SB 1092 on podiatric medicine added definitions and restrictions for cellular/tissue-based products. SB 1138 on qualified contractors created a pre-application review program for certain local governments, with historic-preservation carveouts. SB 186 on student health and safety required seizure-training and action plans in schools, and SB 560 on child welfare streamlined psychotropic-medication procedures for children in state care while adding youth advisory meetings and insurance-data review. SB 902, a broad Department of Health bill, addressed medical marijuana facility setbacks, practitioner discipline, autism microcredentials, marriage and family therapy licensure, a neurofibromatosis grant program, and family home health aide delegation; it passed after two amendments. Finally, SB 218 on land-use regulations limited hurricane-recovery restrictions to affected counties, SB 1002 expanded child-neglect definitions tied to parental drug abuse, SB 1474 tightened biosolids land-application rules, SB 1708 eased out-of-state veterinary licensure by endorsement, and SB 314 established a Florida regulatory framework for payment stablecoins aligned with federal law. Most measures were reported favorably by committee vote after brief testimony or no debate.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, that's the end Education. And Mr.
• Senate File 1133 is also a Senator Hoffman bill providing for education reimbursement.
• Senate File 1133 is also a Senator Hoffman bill providing for education reimbursement.
• </c> um providing for education um providing for education reimbursement.<02:21:32.880><c> Uh,</c><02
• We have we are going to education.

Committee: Senate Finance