Transcript Highlights:

• Baylor achieved R1 status in 2021.
• Texas' public universities and colleges are institutions of academic freedom and security, but there's
• Academic buildings across the country...
• That's what that line is intending to achieve.
• I serve as vice president and academic dean for Southwest University at El Paso.

Bills: SB2972 , SB1909 , SB2815 , SB735 , SB2233 , SB800 , SB1069 , SB2683 , SB2986 , SB2058 , SB2310 , SB2055 , SB1032

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Summary: The Senate Education K-16 Committee heard several bills before recessing to the floor, with most measures left pending subject to the call of the chair. SB 2986 would allow public schools and universities to permit after-hours facility use by religious groups on the same terms as other nonprofits, and SB 1032 would open the Governor’s University Research Initiative to private and independent universities; both had committee substitutes adopted and were left pending after brief testimony. Supporters of SB 1032 from Rice and Baylor said the change would help Texas recruit top researchers and strengthen the state’s research economy. The committee also heard SB 2058, which would require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to publish annual data on nursing clinical training sites to improve placement coordination, and SB 2683, which would bar public colleges from giving benefits or recognition to student organizations that receive support from foreign entities of concern; both were left pending after testimony. A large portion of the meeting focused on SB 2233, which would require public institutions of higher education to adopt policies prohibiting students or employees on nonimmigrant visas from publicly supporting terrorist activity or organizations, with enforcement through investigations, reporting to Homeland Security, and possible Attorney General action and fines. The author said the bill was intended to reinforce existing federal definitions and campus safety, while senators questioned the bill’s scope, the definition of terrorist activity, and the clause tied to U.S. policy or practice. Public witnesses, including civil rights advocates, law students, and others, argued the bill was vague, overbroad, unconstitutional, and likely to chill protected speech and increase surveillance of international students and Black and brown communities; several Jewish witnesses also said the bill misused Jewish safety concerns and could be used for viewpoint discrimination. SB 2233 was left pending after public testimony. The committee then took up SB 735, which builds on prior Holocaust education legislation by funding optional age-appropriate and bilingual curriculum, museum field trips, teacher preparation partnerships, annual reporting, and regional collaboration with Holocaust museums and education service centers. The author and invited witnesses said the bill responds to survey findings showing uneven Holocaust instruction and a need for better teacher training and accountability. A fifth-grade teacher and the director of the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio testified in support, emphasizing the need for accurate, age-appropriate instruction and professional development. The committee recessed before finishing the agenda, and SB 735 was set to resume after the floor session.

Transcript Highlights:

• jeopardizes our children's welfare and undermines the significant progress that our state has made and achieved
• there be some different things that might occur outside the scope of what I believe you're trying to achieve
• Senate Bill 1618, Strengthening Florida's VPK to 12 education system, enhances academic instruction,
• It also focuses state academic standard documents on standards and benchmarks and requires the cost of
• The bill also repeals the Florida School for Competitive Academics and allows schools to purchase and

Committee: Senate Education Pre-K - 12

Summary: The Pre-K-12 Education Committee took up a series of education, school safety, health, and student access bills. SB 754 on International Baccalaureate bonus funds was amended to clarify the theory of knowledge course and then reported favorably. SB 370 would allow routine non-invasive school health screenings, such as vision, hearing, and dental checks, to proceed with written notice and an opt-out process rather than active parental consent; supporters said it would improve participation and access, while opponents argued it was too broad and weakened parental rights. After debate over scope, funding, and consent, the bill was reported favorably. The committee also advanced SB 1070, which would require ECG screenings for student athletes under a phased rollout beginning in 2026, with religious and medical opt-outs. The bill was renamed the Second Chance Act in honor of Chance Gainer. Supporters described it as a life-saving measure to detect hidden cardiac conditions, while some members raised cost and implementation concerns. SB 508, the Family Empowerment Scholarship bill, would require private schools to disclose in writing what accommodations and services they will provide to students with IEPs, 504 plans, or ELL plans before enrollment; it was supported by parents, advocacy groups, and some school representatives and was reported favorably. School safety measures were also considered. SB 1470 would refine campus locking and supervision rules, create clearer exceptions, expand training and security options for school safety personnel, and allow district-employed law enforcement officers to use canines for threat detection. Witnesses from school safety and Parkland-related advocacy groups supported the bill but urged caution on exemptions and implementation details. SB 1472 would extend a public records exemption to certified school security guards, matching the protection already given to school guardians, and it was reported favorably. Finally, SB 248 would expand participation in FHSAA sports for private school and home education students at public schools when their own schools do not offer the sport, and SB 1618 made broad changes to VPK through grade 12 policy, including reading instruction, financial literacy, school funds restrictions, teacher certification, and advisory council rules; both bills were reported favorably. Several members later recorded votes in support of specific tabs before the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• achievement gap and dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.
• achievement gap and dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.
• But we are going to redraft this to achieve that objective and send it to you very soon.
• good student progress, that achieves cost-effective... ...that achieves good student progress, that
• achieves cost effectiveness, that achieves the most judicious use of our resources in an area that is

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:

• By only focusing on institutional support, we ensured that the cuts were not being applied to academic
• The academic side of the house is cut, let's say, 2%. The administrative side should be cut 2.5%.
• I'm pleased to serve as the Provost or Chief Academic Officer of the UC System.
• If we start today, by next academic year, we will be ready to unveil this.
• So the idea of the academic village is to integrate having UCSF learners on our campus.

Transcript Highlights:

• And what they found was that student achievement varied so much that it was equivalent to this achievement
• And then he looked at, well, how does this affect student achievement?
• They said that the resident improved their academic achievement, their engagement, and their sense of
• achievement, engagement, sense of safety and belonging.
• Did you look at the actual academic achievement? Did you see growth in the classrooms with the...

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Historically, the state paid for the construction and renovation of academic facilities at the segment
• Aging facilities are a major concern; currently, 31% of our academic buildings, including nearly 20%
• Again, those projects can run the gamut in terms of academic use.
• But is that concern one of the higher priorities in terms of academic facilities?
• being served in those facilities, but it still has to be academic in nature.

Transcript Highlights:

• Academically and physically.
• um the goal of having a free achieve um the goal of having a free appropriate<00:10:12.240><c> public
• My academic needs were not being met, and over time I began to lose motivation in my love for learning
• This model has proven to be a powerful tool in boosting student engagement and achievement.
• There's research that shows achievement.

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Those students tend to be the students where we see the achievement gaps and the opportunity gaps, mostly
• We've achieved... ...and early childhood education.
• We've achieved universal access to transitional kindergarten, but let's not forget kindergarten.
• They don't even have to do any academic work. Just having exposure to being in school.
• I currently support the academic progress of youth in the juvenile court school, and at the district

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee met without a quorum at first and began as a subcommittee, with the chair outlining hearing procedures and several bills on consent. The committee heard and advanced AB 1581, which would improve collection of tribal affiliation data for California students so Native students are more accurately counted and better served; supporters said current systems undercount Native students and erase their needs. AB 1586 also passed, requiring school resource officers who volunteer to carry naloxone to receive opioid overdose response training every two years; supporters emphasized student safety and the need for rapid response to overdoses on campus, while one school employees’ group raised concerns about retaliation protections for non-volunteers. Both bills were moved do pass as amended to Appropriations, with roll calls held open for absent votes. The committee then approved AB 1943, which updates school notices about secure firearm storage by making the information clearer, more visible, and more likely to reach families at key moments such as counseling or discipline interventions. Supporters from gun violence prevention groups, educators, and parents argued that many school shooters obtain guns from home and that plain-language, digital, and timely notices could help prevent child deaths and suicides; the author shared a personal story about a child accessing a gun at home. AB 1792 also advanced, directing the Instructional Quality Commission to consider updating health education to address digital safety issues such as deepfakes, extortion, grooming, and AI-generated exploitation; supporters said students need instruction that reflects modern online risks, while an opponent objected to language referencing LGBTQIA+ and gender-diverse students. AB 1653 passed as well, adding heat-illness guidance to the health framework after a young Girl Scout described students suffering during extreme heat and not recognizing symptoms. Later, the committee approved AB 1861, which would require the California Department of Education to create a public database of special education investigation reports with personal information redacted; supporters said families need better access to complaint outcomes and accountability, while an opposition witness warned of unintended consequences, misuse of incomplete information, and added burdens on districts. AB 1721 also moved forward, creating a stakeholder work group to review and streamline school safety plan requirements so plans remain practical and focused on emergency preparedness. AB 1631, which would make kindergarten mandatory, received mixed testimony: supporters argued it would help close achievement gaps and improve readiness, while opponents framed it as an intrusion on parental choice; the bill was held on call after a split vote. Finally, AB 1809, extending job order contracting authority for school and community college districts, was also held on call after opposition from contractors who argued project labor agreement requirements raise costs and reduce competition. The committee then began hearing AB 1659, aimed at improving transitions for court school students back to their home districts, with testimony describing re-enrollment barriers and the need for a designated district contact.

Transcript Highlights:

• approximately 6,000 positions, 40 to 45% of those are faculty, while the rest are staff providing academic
• quality, and strategic achievements.
• quality, and strategic achievements.
• over quantity, incentivizing universities to maximize enrollment numbers rather than focusing on academic
• They'd have no idea what the bar was that they needed to achieve in order to be eligible for funding,

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on higher education funding, focusing on how Florida’s university system should be financed and whether a new funding model is needed. University system financial officers and Chancellor Ray Rodriguez discussed major cost drivers, including wages and benefits, utilities, maintenance, financial aid, research, and the effects of geography, institutional mission, and student mix. UF highlighted the cost of research and graduate programs; UCF and FAU pointed to growth, location, and cost of living; FAMU emphasized recruiting top-tier talent while relying on other revenue sources; and UNF noted the challenges of growth and long-term planning. Members also discussed the role of internal controls and audits in addressing excessive spending and questioned whether out-of-state tuition should be adjusted to help offset costs. On revenue sources beyond state appropriations and tuition, the panel described auxiliaries, restricted funds, capital projects, and component units such as foundations and health systems. Several universities noted that some revenues are restricted to specific purposes and cannot be used for general operations. FAMU explained that a large share of its capital project funding reflected active campus construction, while UF said its component-unit revenue is largely tied to UF Health. The Chancellor emphasized that the system’s low tuition and strong state support are central to Florida’s national standing, but also noted that some auxiliary revenues are pledged to debt and must be managed carefully. When discussing the current funding process, witnesses praised Florida’s performance-based funding model for aligning incentives with student success, transparency, and accountability. They also raised concerns about non-recurring appropriations, rising employee benefit costs, unfunded mandates, deferred maintenance, and the difficulty of multi-year planning. Suggestions for improvement included more recurring funding, better coverage of mandated costs, greater flexibility in fee-setting, and possible weighting for mission, geography, and institutional type. The Chancellor said the Board of Governors is considering a “version 3.0” of performance-based funding that would benchmark institutions against peers and Carnegie classifications, but any changes would require legislative action. On out-of-state tuition, most universities said they would prefer local board flexibility, while the Chancellor cautioned that increasing out-of-state enrollment or fees could affect future state support and should be balanced carefully.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:10:22.159><c> affairs</c> uh vice president of academic affairs uh vice president of academic
• Uh what we did for academic strategy.
• A three-year average of achievement on the metrics itself, if that makes sense. Achieving what?
• </c><01:20:57.280><c> They</c><01:20:57.440><c> achieved</c><01:20:57.760><c> some,</c> didn't achieve
• They achieved some, didn't achieve it.

Transcript Highlights:

• Through all these activities, have you achieved it?
• What have you achieved?
• How are we going to know we achieved what you wanted to achieve?
• That 2035, by setting that kind of goals, what will achieve, if we achieve, let's say, zero-emission
• It means it helps us achieve our climate goals.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy heard six budget-related items and took no votes, holding all items open for a future hearing. The first item concerned a climate bond expenditure plan for the California Transmission Accelerator Revolving Fund under SB 254. GoBiz, IBank, and the Department of Finance described a request for nearly $26 million and 10 limited-term positions to develop financing strategies and evaluate transmission projects, while the LAO said the proposal was broadly consistent with Prop. 4 but noted that the Legislature may want to provide more direction on program design. Senators questioned how the proposal would lower ratepayer costs, protect state funds, and ensure accountability for billion-dollar transmission projects. The second item covered trailer bill language to redirect funding among demand-side reliability programs. Finance proposed moving $22 million from the DEPA program to DSGS for summer 2026 and using CalSHAPE interest funds for ELRP or an equivalent CPUC program in 2027-28, with CEC and CPUC coordinating the transition. Senators and LAO questioned why CalSHAPE funds should not continue supporting schools, and several members argued DSGS has been more successful and should continue rather than be shifted to ELRP. CEC and CPUC explained that DSGS and ELRP serve different reliability functions and do not address public safety power shutoffs. Public commenters, including school groups and clean energy advocates, split between extending CalSHAPE for school HVAC/plumbing projects and preserving or expanding DSGS. The committee also heard on petroleum market oversight implementation under SBX1-2 and ABX2-1, with the CEC and its Division of Petroleum Market Oversight requesting additional staffing to support inventory monitoring, refinery resupply analysis, and market oversight. Senators pressed for details on investigations, refinery margins, gasoline price spikes, and the transportation fuels transition plan, while staff said the draft plan would be released soon and that DPMO’s work on branded versus unbranded gasoline remains ongoing. Finally, the CPUC presented three additional proposals: implementing AB 1207’s climate credit reforms, studying large-load/data center cost impacts under SB 57, and preparing for regional market participation under AB 825. The LAO repeatedly cautioned that some of these requests may go beyond statutory minimums and urged the Legislature to decide how much policy direction and staffing it wants to provide. Public commenters supported DPMO funding, opposed ending CalSHAPE, and strongly favored continued DSGS funding over a new ELRP structure.

Transcript Highlights:

• I love all our students, and every academic discipline has its strengths and weaknesses.
• Don't destroy Texas' great university by curbing academic freedom.
• Students do not seek higher education and academic specialties lightly.
• Academic freedom is critical to this work, and faculty cannot work effectively.
• It carries dangerous implications for civil liberties and academic freedom.

Bills: SB 37

Committee: House Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the director of academics and elementary school at Rising Christ in Minneapolis.
• I'm the director of academics and elementary school at Rising Christ in Minneapolis.
• barriers young people face to academic barriers young people face to academic success<00:26:18.440><
• academic academic outcomes<00:31:16.399><c> uh</c><00:31:16.919><c> see</c><00:31:17.480><c> improved
• </c> things in terms of like academic things in terms of like academic standards<01:27:19.560><c> or<

Bills: HF984 , HF921 , HF922

Committee: House Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• jeopardizes our children's welfare and undermines the significant progress that our state has made and achieved
• You know, that are outside the scope of what I believe you're trying to achieve with the good motive
• Also focuses state academic standards, documents on standards and benchmarks and requires the cost of
• The bill also repeals the Florida School for competitive academics and allow schools to purchase and
• councils allows pay tutoring to count towards the community service requirement for the Reading Achievement

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Brian Lusk, I'm the Deputy Superintendent of Dallas ISD. the academics and transformation.
• . their graduation and reach whatever goals that they hope to achieve.
• For them, virtual education isn't just in academics.
• I know my children and their learning styles better than anyone. say in the academic setting that best
• Virtual school has allowed me to thrive academically while also allowing me to pursue my passions.

Bills: SB 10 , SB 11

Committees: Senate Education K-16 , Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• His success is not just a personal achievement for him, but The stars.
• His success is not just a personal achievement for him, but for our entire state of California and our
• We achieve this goal by honoring Black history, celebrating Black excellence, We achieve this goal by
• AVID has demonstrated 45 years of closing achievement and opportunity gaps.
• Every place where AVID operates, there is no achievement gap. None.

Transcript Highlights:

• the same thing that this bill tries to achieve.
• I am a parental rights advocate and education researcher focused on academic excellence.
• </c> researcher focused on academic researcher focused on academic Excellence<02:01:41.520><c> um</c>
• I've coached academic teams. I've worked with a lot of kids.
• I've coached academic teams. I've worked with a lot of kids.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• So, of course, we want to pour into academic excellence. We do. And we are doing that. Dr.
• We also see that, you know, LifeWise, again, not being designed as an academic intervention, you know
• across attendance, behavior, and academic achievement.
• We also see that, you know, LifeWise, again, not being designed as an academic intervention.
• improvements across attendance, behavior, and academic achievement.

Committee: House Education

Summary: The House Education Committee met on May 12, 2026, and first approved SB 518, which gives LSU limited authority to buy and sell certain real estate within one mile of campus as a two-year pilot program. Supporters said the bill would let LSU respond more quickly to deteriorating properties near campus and improve the student experience, while keeping protections such as appraisals and fair-market-value requirements. Members asked about whether the authority would affect residential property or be expanded to other universities, and the bill was reported favorably without objection. The committee then advanced SCR 33, creating a one-year Work-Based Learning Coordination Task Force to study and better align apprenticeships, internships, job shadowing, and related programs across state agencies and employers. Testimony emphasized the need to reduce duplication and improve coordination so students and employers can more easily connect. HR 168 also passed, directing the Board of Regents to study collegiate athletic program funding after concerns raised by athletic directors about deficits and accounting practices. Members next approved SB 488, establishing a school safety drone response pilot program to supplement school crisis plans. The bill drew detailed testimony from a vendor describing drone deployment, response times, and coordination with law enforcement; an amendment was adopted to require coordination with the Department of Education, State Police, and the Sheriffs’ Association. The committee also favorably reported HCR 97, asking BESE and Wildlife and Fisheries to study adding age-appropriate hunting, conservation, and shooting sports education in grades 5-12, with members clarifying that no live firearms would be used on campus. Finally, the committee approved SB 112, allowing local school boards to adopt parental-consent release-time policies for religious instruction, with amendments adding instructor qualifications, reporting requirements, electronic delivery flexibility, and constitutional safeguards. It also reported SB 504, expanding individual graduation plans to include vocational options and apply to charter schools, with an amendment for standalone elementary charters. The committee then passed SB 346 and SB 347, both dealing with deepfakes—one prohibiting their use against K-12 students and the other adding unlawful deepfakes to campus power-based violence rules—and SB 353, authorizing postsecondary systems to digitize student IDs for use in LA Wallet. Several members raised concerns about naming LA Wallet specifically, but the bill was still reported favorably. The meeting ended with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Measures that we continue to monitor include student success and achievements.
• But I don't know how we achieve that.
• He can achieve anything; they can't even get checks out the door.
• That goal is to be achieved by the end of 10 years.
• You can see that in academics. So, directly to your question.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:16:23.440><c> skills</c> about basic academic skills about basic academic skills testing<00:16
• </c><01:48:31.199><c> requirement</c> needs and meet the academic requirement needs and meet the academic
• </c><03:11:47.239><c> achieve</c> help chairman cordelli achieve achieve help chairman cordelli achieve
• achievement for the whole class can take a dive.
• </c><04:15:49.640><c> achievement</c> allocated time an academic achievement allocated time an academic

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 362, which would give the Department of Education rulemaking authority over educator licensing and testing requirements, including professional education assessments. Representative Ladd argued the bill is meant to preserve New Hampshire’s higher standards for teacher preparation and to avoid lowering requirements for licensed educators, while also allowing flexibility for career and technical education (CTE) instructors who may have strong industry experience but not traditional classroom credentials. Members discussed whether the bill should preserve industry-recognized credentials and basic academic skills testing while exempting CTE teachers from content exams; DOE Director Steven Appy said an amendment would clarify that the bill applies to initial licenses, exempt CTE teachers from the content-testing requirement, and keep current administrative practice on basic skills and industry credentials in statute. The committee also noted that an executive session would be scheduled later, likely the following week, to act on the bills and amendment. The committee then took up House Bill 90, dealing with the definition of part-time teachers. Representative Ladd explained that the bill is intended to let university and community college faculty teach limited hours in high school concurrent enrollment settings, especially in subjects like math and STEM where some schools cannot find locally certified teachers with a master’s degree. He said the measure is designed to expand student access to college-level courses, not to replace fully certified teachers or reduce standards, and emphasized that the bill is limited to faculty employed or contracted by the University System of New Hampshire or the Community College System of New Hampshire, with criminal background checks and ethics/conduct rules still applying. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the discussion ended with the understanding that further action would come in executive session.