Transcript Highlights:

• do pass as amended to Higher Education.
• Delays in implementation of special education support to military children can create a loss of educational
• To well-prepared educators, but also educators that can reflect their demographics.
• and aspiring educators.
• of Education in support.

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard a full agenda of bills, first adopting a consent calendar of 11 measures without individual presentations. The committee then took up AB 1412, which would require California schools to implement or adopt a transferred special education student’s IEP within 30 days for out-of-state transfers and to coordinate more quickly on records. The author and military-family witnesses said the bill would reduce delays for highly mobile students, especially military children; a school administrators group opposed it. The bill received initial support from committee members and was moved on call. The committee also reconsidered AB 281, which would require notice to parents when outside consultants provide sex education instruction; the author accepted amendments removing a copy-right provision, but the bill remained on call after a split vote. The committee heard AB 1005, which would create a statewide drowning-prevention education and swim-lesson voucher framework for underserved communities. The author and supporters described drowning as a preventable public health and equity issue, while the bill was clarified as developing a plan rather than immediately launching a voucher program. It was voted out on a 3-0 roll with the measure placed on call. AB 908, as amended, would add compliance monitoring for existing requirements that schools use LGBTQ-inclusive instructional materials and curriculum under the FAIR Act. Supporters said the bill would improve implementation and student safety; opponents raised concerns about privacy, girls’ sports, and school burdens. The committee approved the bill 5-2 and sent it to Appropriations. The committee then heard AB 1401, which would affirm parents’ access to school records, including unofficial records unless exempt by law. The author argued that parents need clearer access to information held by schools and vendors, while school officials and teachers’ union representatives warned the bill was too vague and could sweep in personal notes, journals, and other sensitive material. The bill failed on a 2-3 vote and was placed on call. Finally, AB 727 would require student ID cards to include the Trevor Project hotline for LGBTQ youth; supporters framed it as a suicide-prevention measure, while opponents argued it conflicted with parental rights and religious beliefs. Committee discussion focused on whether 988 already provides similar access and whether the Trevor Project is an appropriate resource to print on IDs; the hearing continued with the bill still under consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• education aid streams.
• education aid streams.
• education aid streams.
• </c> article five, special education. article five, special education.
• special</c><00:51:09.760><c> education</c> amount of special education amount of special education transportation

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> as a result of the federal education as a result of the federal education freedom<00:04:14.400><
• , the current educators in the House and former educators, supported this measure.
• educators in the House and former educators<00:07:37.759><c> supported</c><00:07:38.240><c> this</c>
• </c><00:07:39.599><c> It</c> educators supported this measure. It educators supported this measure.
• And those that are very interested in education will want to apply it to education.

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call: 0:03 Bills for Consideration: 3:10 Adjournment: 56:19, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So uh 49.9 education trust fund.
• </c> fund versus the um education trust fund. fund versus the um education trust fund.
• </c> relative to the education trust fund. relative to the education trust fund.
• And then DOE adult education, an additional $400,000 in education trust fund support for adult education
• </c> 25 is your category six your education. 25 is your category six your education.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Summary: The Legislative Budget Assistant staff presented an overview of the Senate changes to the House-passed budget, focusing on revenue estimates, appropriations, and ending balances across the general fund and education trust fund. The presentation emphasized that the Senate’s budget reflected higher revenue assumptions than the House, driven in part by updated April revenue figures, changes to business, tobacco, and real estate transfer tax splits, and different assumptions about video lottery terminal revenue. The Senate also adjusted lapse estimates upward, especially for HHS, after receiving updated information that lapses could be much larger than originally assumed. The presenter walked through the major differences in the surplus statements for fiscal years 2025 through 2027. Compared with the House, the Senate budget generally showed higher revenues, lower or different appropriations in some areas, and larger balances carried forward, including a larger education trust fund balance and a different rainy day fund transfer. The Senate’s approach also changed several policy assumptions, such as maintaining liquor revenue dedication, removing the House’s meals-and-rooms distribution cap, changing the treatment of unique revenue, and altering the process for meeting a targeted revenue amount by giving the governor more flexibility. On the appropriations side, the Senate removed or modified several House reductions and added funding or adjustments in areas including the judicial branch, corrections, HHS, the Human Rights Commission, and certain settlement costs. The presenter also highlighted Senate changes in House Bill 2 and related budget provisions, including a new arts tax credit, a nursing home bed fee, changes to Medicaid premium assumptions, and differences in how motor vehicle inspection repeal and BLT-related revenue are handled. No votes were taken in the portion shown; the discussion was informational and comparative, aimed at explaining the Senate budget changes before conference committee negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Memorial 30 is the study of public education governance.
• Jessica Hathaway, Deputy Director with the Legislative Education Study Committee.
• Education is a big deal.
• Education is a big deal.
• You invest more dollars in educational your state funds than any other First.

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Joint Resolution 1, which would amend the New Mexico Constitution to remove language requiring school elections to be held at different times from partisan elections. The sponsor and the Secretary of State’s office said the change would let school bond and mill levy questions appear on general election ballots, reduce the number of costly special elections, increase turnout, and address an outdated discriminatory provision dating to 1910. Testimony from the New Mexico School Board Association and school superintendents supported the resolution for its potential cost savings and faster access to local and state capital outlay funding. A committee member asked for clarification that school board member elections would remain on the regular local election cycle and nonpartisan. There was no opposition, and the committee approved the resolution on a due pass motion. The committee then heard House Memorial 30, which asks the Legislative Education Study Committee to study public education governance and convene a broad working group to review roles, responsibilities, statutes, and long-term planning across the education system. The sponsor and LESC staff said the memorial is intended to improve coherence, support long-term goals, and consider governance structures that could better align education policy across administrations, including lessons from the Martinez-Yazzie response and models from other states. Supporters from charter schools, Kids Can, the school board association, superintendents, and Teach Plus backed the study as a way to improve coordination and student outcomes. Several committee members raised concerns about who would be included in the process, emphasizing the need for meaningful participation by families, plaintiffs in the Martinez-Yazzie case, tribal leaders, and students with disabilities, as well as clear notice and access for working families. Members also asked about guardrails, accountability, and whether a future statewide education commission could dilute local or tribal voices. LESC staff said the memorial would allow the committee to define the study’s structure, composition, metrics, and potential recommendations, including whether any commission should be created by statute or another mechanism. There was no opposition, and the committee passed House Memorial 30 on a do pass motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• California Department of Education.
• They provide a full special education program.
• Charles Wilkes, assistant professor of mathematics education at the School of Education at UC Davis.
• The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and state education privacy law.
• The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and state education privacy laws restrict disclosure of

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• complete their post-secondary education complete their post-secondary education<00:05:23.280><c> at<
• . ...education.
• ><00:08:10.480><c> needs</c> put, the developmental education needs put, the developmental education
• </c> education. They're starting from behind. education. They're starting from behind.
• </c> college education. college education. Ms.<00:15:39.680><c> Coleman.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And then ag education—like if it's agriculture education, that's not core education, right?
• I ask that home education.
• educational benefit?
• educate our students.
• What item is a core educational expense and what item is not a core educational expense?

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Eva Hernandez, who's a career technical educator. career technical educator.
• Education Department to enter into five pilot state tribal education compacts, providing for the application
• requirements for the operation of state tribal education compact schools, exempting state tribal education
• disbursements from the Educational Television Equipment Replacement Fund to be made for educational
• Fund to the Physician Graduate Medical Education Trust Fund and the Physician Graduate Medical Education

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> further your education? further your education?
• </c> educate students better. educate students better.
• So education.
• </c> education. Is that not correct? education. Is that not correct?
• </c> study the cost of special education. study the cost of special education.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For our educators.
• And certainly interested in your educator housing ideas.
• These are essential core functions of public education.
• Issue three is the education funding deferrals.
• LEAs, or local education agencies, fiscal health.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance met for its annual Proposition 98 overview, with Chair Alvarez outlining the committee’s focus on K-12 funding, student outcomes, and use of one-time funds. Superintendent Tony Thurmond gave an update on education issues, including wildfire recovery support for affected school communities, ongoing concerns about federal threats to education funding and immigration enforcement, progress on literacy and math, dual-language immersion, educator housing, and support for dual enrollment. Members broadly expressed support for these priorities, while also raising concerns about implementation, funding stability, and the need for schools to remain safe places for students. The committee then reviewed the Governor’s Proposition 98 proposal. The Department of Finance said the 2025-26 Proposition 98 guarantee is projected at $118.9 billion, with higher revenues and TK-related rebenching driving the increase. The LAO said the budget adds about $7.5 billion over two years and discussed the volatility of the guarantee, especially in 2024-25, when changes in revenue could have an outsized effect on school funding. Members questioned the proposed $1.6 billion delayed settle-up payment, the legal basis for delaying it, and the impact of possible federal funding freezes. The LAO presented alternatives such as a reserve deposit or delayed disbursement, while Finance said the proposal is intended to manage uncertainty. Members also raised concerns that ethnic studies implementation was not funded in the January budget, and Finance said the administration was not proposing funding for it. The committee next heard on the Proposition 98 rainy day fund and education deferrals. Finance said the reserve would receive a mandatory deposit of about $1.2 billion in 2024-25 and a discretionary deposit of $376 million in 2025-26, leaving a balance of about $1.5 billion. The LAO supported rebuilding the reserve as a way to manage volatility. On deferrals, Finance described the Governor’s plan to eliminate remaining deferrals by 2025-26, and the LAO said paying them off improves cash flow and budget resilience. Members generally supported eliminating deferrals and rebuilding reserves, though some asked about acting earlier if revenues allow. The committee also reviewed the proposed $1.8 billion student support and professional development block grant; Finance said it would fund professional development, recruitment and retention, and dual enrollment, while the LAO recommended clearer language on local discretion and use for one-time costs. Members were divided, with some supporting flexibility and others warning that one-time block grants can create instability and confusion for districts.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education Education um<00:14:09.399><c> good</c><00:14:09.560><c> afternoon</c><00:14:10.079><c> thank
• education.
• education.
• education.
• It automatically pays educators more per their years of service and per their education.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Education met on January 30 and heard testimony on several bills, beginning with an announcement asking testifiers and members to keep remarks brief because of weather. The vice chair also explained that HB 440, relating to immigration issues in schools and state hospitals, was removed from the agenda because the proposal would not create meaningful legal protections and immigration policy is governed by federal law. The committee then moved through a series of education-related measures, with testimony largely from the Department of Education, the School Facilities Authority, the Attorney General’s office, unions, advocacy groups, and individual testifiers. On HB 330, concerning school impact fees, the School Facilities Authority supported the bill as aligning policy with implementation, while the Tax Foundation of Hawaii said the fee accounts have accumulated large balances, including more than $20 million in impact fee funds and nearly $9 million from predecessor fair-share contributions, and urged that collected money be used rather than left idle. DOE said it would follow up on the balance and why it was not being used. On HB 1188, dealing with workforce housing, DOE and the Charter School Commission offered comments or support, the Attorney General suggested clarifying the phrase “within commuting distance” by using a mileage standard and adding repayment language, and HSTA, HGEA, and others supported the bill, with HSTA saying teachers need housing to be able to live and work in Hawaii. On HB 624 and HB 625, both related to school psychologists, DOE said it would participate in a work group on the pathway bill and supported the incentive program bill; school psychologists and related groups supported the measures, while one testifier said DOE should not lead the work group alone because school psychologists may work in many education settings beyond DOE schools. The committee also heard HB 1314 on youth mental health in schools. DOE described its student support process, universal screening tools, and behavioral health services, saying schools already identify and respond to concerns and that staff are trained to report issues, while the Attorney General warned the bill could expose schools to liability and recommended a broad liability waiver. Testimony was mixed, with several supporters and one opponent. On HB 616, concerning school safety and harassment protections for educational workers, the Attorney General sought clarifying amendments on harassment definitions, temporary restraining order costs, and paid leave, while HSTA, HGEA, and individual teachers strongly supported the bill, describing harassment incidents and arguing for a standardized statewide response. DOE said it already has reporting pathways, visitor codes of conduct, trespass notices, and an ethics hotline, but acknowledged implementation varies by school and that staff can escalate concerns if needed. The committee also began hearing HB 88 on a three-year pilot program for athletic travel, but the transcript cuts off before that bill’s testimony is completed or any votes are taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• "They may choose a regular education setting, or they may choose a special education setting.
• </c><00:39:03.359><c> is</c><00:39:03.599><c> this</c> special education is this special education is
• </c> they may choose a regular education they may choose a regular education setting<00:39:35.920><c>
• special education; they're under regular education.
• </c> it's only there for special education it's only there for special education Aid<00:50:26.400><c>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The work session focused on special education, especially the differentiated aid component and special education aid, which members noted is still often called “catastrophic aid.” The chair said the committee was trying to better understand how special education costs are growing, how districts are delivering services through SAUs or internally, and how reimbursement formulas affect local costs. Members also discussed the need for better data before making decisions on several education funding bills, and Representative Brown was tasked with capturing questions for follow-up information from the department or elsewhere. Testimony from the state special education director, Becky Fad, centered on why student counts in various disability categories have shifted over time. She said the categories themselves have not changed much, but autism has increased because of greater understanding and identification, developmental delay has grown because it applies to children under age 10 who may not yet have a clear diagnosis, and some students previously classified under speech/language or other health impairment are now identified in more specific categories such as autism. She emphasized that the IEP is based on a child’s individual needs, so a change in category would not necessarily change services, though it may help educators support the student differently. Members asked about whether the shifts reflect better diagnostic capability, whether the department should gather more data on the reasons for the changes, and whether autism-spectrum data could be broken down further. Fad said the department does not currently have data on the causes of the shifts or on where students fall within the autism spectrum, but that collecting and analyzing such data is on its list of priorities and a new data manager had recently been hired. She also explained that each child is counted only once on the chart by primary disability, that the IEP or eligibility team determines the primary category based on evaluations, and that any child can be referred for special education by a parent, teacher, or doctor, after which the district must meet within 15 days to decide whether to evaluate. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Invite the Department of Education to the table. Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.
• And then ag education—like if it's agriculture education, that's not core education, right?
• educate our students.
• instead cause educational limitations and stunt the educational growth of Arkansas students.
• What item is a core educational expense and what item is not a core educational expense?

Summary: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee reviewed a long agenda of agency rules, with most items approved without objection after brief presentations and no public comment. Early items included Department of Energy and Environment rules on landfill post-closure trust fund spending thresholds and liquefied petroleum gas standards, DFA’s electronic odometer disclosure rule, and several Department of Health rules covering ionizing radiation, mobile home and RV parks, lead-based paint, counseling board revisions, hearing instrument dispensers, athletic training, dental examiners, nursing, pharmacy, medical board, speech-language pathology and audiology, radiologic technology, massage therapy, community health workers, doula certification, and cosmetology/body art. Most of these changes were described as updates to match recent acts, federal standards, compact participation, fee adjustments, or cleanup/clarification, and the committee repeatedly approved them without objection. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the Arkansas State Board of Nursing’s broad set of rule changes implementing multiple 2025 acts. Those changes included creating a dialysis patient care technician registry, updating contact information requirements, expanding APRN authority to delegate certain tasks, clarifying death certificate and pronouncement authority, allowing substitution of therapeutically equivalent medications, permitting purchase of compounded products, and updating certified medication assistant rules and training standards. Members asked detailed questions about the meaning of therapeutically equivalent substitutions, delegation limits, compounded products, and how often medication lists would be updated; the board said it would review rules annually and use future rulemaking as needed. The committee also approved new nursing rules for declaratory orders and the new dialysis registry. The Department of Education’s rules drew the most discussion, especially the Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program. The department said the revisions, based on Act 920 of 2025, were intended to add guardrails, clarify eligible expenses, and streamline approvals. Changes included defining core educational expenses, limiting sports-related spending, adding an intentional misuse standard, restricting certain technology purchases and requiring extra justification over $1,000, capping carryover funds at $8,500, and creating a reconsideration process for denied expenses. Members raised concerns about oversight, appeal timelines, sports equipment, provider credentialing, and whether the rules were too restrictive; department officials said the rules were meant to protect taxpayer funds while preserving flexibility, and they noted the program had received extensive public comment. The committee also approved Education rules for scholarships, residency classification, teacher programs, accelerated learning, and graduate medical education, as well as Labor and Licensing rules on wage and hour standards, boiler rules, motor vehicle commission requirements, professional wrestling regulation, appraiser qualifications, and military recruiting incentives.

Transcript Highlights:

• education education um<00:19:20.160><c> category.
• </c> of education. of education.
• </c> year in education. year in education.
• </c> through education. through education.
• </c> of great educators. of great educators.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Education Policy Coordinator Shelby Salmons. With the Department of Education.
• Education Policy Coordinator Shelby Salmons, and we're blessed to have with us our Commissioner of Education
• Number one, The national leader in education is demonstrated by being ranked number one in education,
• number one in education freedom for the third year in a row, and number one in higher education for
• Overall best education possible.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education met to hear the governor’s fiscal year 2026-27 education budget recommendations from the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget and the Department of Education. The presentation highlighted a $117.4 billion overall state budget, with about $32.5 billion for education, including $30.6 billion for K-12. Major items included $486 million for VPK, $483 million for VPK operations, $3 million for the VPK Summer Bridge Program, $10 million for TEACH, $3.9 million for HIPPY, and $4.5 million for Help Me Grow. For K-12, the proposal included a $761.1 million FEFP increase, a $9,406 per-student funding level, $201 million more for teacher pay, $100 million more in base student allocation, and increases for mental health and school safety funding. Members asked detailed questions about mental health staffing, school closures, school choice oversight, the Guardian Program, student data reporting, civics education, and the FISH facilities report. Several senators raised concerns that counselor funding is not enough to provide adequate student mental health services, that school closures may disproportionately affect historically Black schools, and that the FISH report does not fully capture actual campus capacity because it excludes some program spaces and portable conditions. The commissioner said mental health dollars can support existing counselors or additional hires, that the department remains available to assist districts on closures, and that school choice and safe schools staff monitor fraud, safety, and compliance. On the Guardian Program, the commissioner said sheriffs approve training, the program has expanded to private and early learning schools, and it has produced positive safety outcomes. Public testimony came from Pinellas County School Board member Laura Hine, who said her district is an A-rated district with no D or F schools and argued that local districts often spend far more on safety and mental health than state funding provides. She said Pinellas funds full-day VPK for low-income students and credited that investment, along with local partnerships, for a 26-point increase in third-grade reading proficiency over seven years. She urged the committee to consider expanding full-day VPK statewide and noted that Florida’s mental health staffing ratio remains about twice the recommended level. The committee also discussed flexibility in the base student allocation and the need for more accurate facilities data. No votes were taken, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Oh, for special education? For special education. It's up to age 22 now?
• If the student is around other educators, If the student is around other educators, you have eyes on
• I want to start by recognizing educators.
• ESHB 1795, on behalf of the State Board of Education.
• of students eligible for special education services.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Education Finance and the Assembly Education Committee will
• Education.
• That of educators, that of students, and that of families.
• I don't think you can find an educator, and by educator I mean students, teachers, all the way to board
• educational equity within their communities.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So welcome to Education Funding.
• education laws.
• education.
• The uh fact of the educ education.
• Um the education.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Education Funding Committee met to consider eight bills, beginning with HB 443 on the terms of appointment for members of the Higher Education Commission. Department of Education Director Steve Applebee explained that the commission supported a language change to address a holdover issue, but members raised concerns that the bill did not solve the problem of inactive members and might not address the broader question of whether the commission should continue to exist. The committee agreed to retain HB 443 for further work and voted 18-0 to do so. The committee then voted on HB 137, which would allocate excess statewide education property tax funds for local school and municipal purposes. Supporters of ITL argued that using the statewide property tax to reduce the state’s school funding obligation could create a slippery slope and shift more burden to property taxpayers. The committee voted 15-3 to ITL the bill, with a minority report to be written. HB 237, which would prohibit the use of special education and differentiated aid funds on students not receiving special education services, was also ITL’d after members said federal law already governs how IDEA-related funds may be used and that the bill was unnecessary. That motion passed 16-0, with some members not voting because they were out for medical reasons. The committee next advanced HB 354, creating alternative certification pathways for career and technical education instructors. Members said the bill could help recruit qualified tradespeople and retirees to teach in CTE programs, and it was approved 18-0 and placed on the consent calendar. HB 491, establishing a committee to study alternative public education funding methods and reduce reliance on local property taxes, was retained for further study after members said the committee or a subcommittee could continue the work over the year; it passed 18-0. HB 656, concerning local school districts’ authority to accept federal grants, was also retained after discussion focused on transparency, grant conditions, and the need to avoid delays in services; it passed 18-0. The committee then moved on to HB 729, an appropriation for an attorney to recodify education laws, but the transcript cuts off before that bill was acted on.

Transcript Highlights:

• She is the daughter of educators. She has siblings that are educators.
• It's important to the education community that a secretary is an educator.
• I come from a family of educators who have served across all sectors of education and communities throughout
• Educational challenges.
• I'm happy to know that the person who's leading public education is also a former educator.