Transcript Highlights:

• We can spend it for acquiring land, even if it has permanent structures on it or not.
• So it is what it is. We own the land.
• Seems like it go hand in hand—the ability to upgrade facilities to modernize is extremely important,
• I can see it. I can give it to you, but I don't have it memorized. Okay.
• It is what it is.' And we kind of laughed about it.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Higher Education met to review interim charges on the Permanent University Fund (PUF), the Available University Fund (AUF), the Higher Education Fund (HEAF), and the Texas University Fund (TUF). Legislative Budget Board staff outlined how each fund works, including PUF’s constitutional role for UT and Texas A&M, HEAF’s capital support for institutions outside those systems, and TUF’s research funding for eligible universities. They also described TUF’s growing corpus and distribution changes, and noted which institutions are nearing eligibility. Committee members asked about distribution formulas, comparisons to other states, and how funds are allocated among system institutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a it's a it hasn't changed much.
• </c><00:16:36.000><c> of</c> Um, the modernization of legislative, this is what we're calling it: the
• So, first it modernizes the definition of a modern major highway project in terms of cost thresholds
• Um and um it uh reference it out.
• &gt;&gt; It<00:41:39.040><c> is.</c> &gt;&gt; It is. &gt;&gt; It is.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've heard about it. Our military is stronger when it reflects the diversity of our country.
• We appreciate it. Thank you.
• We appreciate it. Thank you.
• Boyd, I appreciate it.
• Opposition, what I said, if that's a part of it. Okay. Anyone else? I do support. I missed it.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, one year they pass it, one year they repeal it.
• It was really hard.
• It was really hard.
• c><00:36:55.720><c> was</c> because uh I think it was mdh but it was because uh I think it was mdh but
• It could be him; it could be any number of other groups.

Bills: HF1345, HF71, HF993, HF1943

Keywords: HF1345, statutory city, public utility commission, municipal utilities, city council, local government, utility governance, commission membership, staggered terms, vacancy appointment, ordinance, Minnesota Statutes 412.341, municipal ordinance, city commission, public utilities, HF71, Minnesota, public safety, peace officers, correctional officers

Transcript Highlights:

• It has provided inspiration for us all.
• Let's give it up for Ms. Cooper, everyone. Members, let's give it up loud and proud.
• It just showed. And, you know, that showed. It just showed.
• It was telling. It was telling.
• It really meant a lot to me.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It likely get care when they need it.
• I think it was a easy way to do it.
• So it was very go along with it.
• It will be higher than it was when Yes.
• of it, how deep it And what the nature of it, how deep it is,<00:19:28.960><c> let's</c><00:19:29.200

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So it hurts and impacts the local school from being able to modernize, maybe...
• So it hurts and impacts the local school from being able to modernize maybe a high school they have in
• I appreciate it. Thank you for its consideration.
• Financial trainings are offered, and we encourage it, and we hope people take it, but it is a fee.
• So that would be providing it, or not providing it, but making it possible. It's still free.

Bills: SB5901, SB5860, SB5956, SB5574, SB5922, SB5858

Keywords: school construction, school facilities, capital budget, school plant project, state funding assistance, school construction assistance program, on-base schools, military base, Department of Defense school, military families, public school facilities, instructional space, Superintendent of Public Instruction, SIP, school district capital funding, school housing burden, rapid growth, enrollment growth, free and reduced-price meals, alternative learning experience

Transcript Highlights:

• So it hurts and impacts the local school from being able to modernize, maybe...
• So it hurts and impacts the local school from being able to modernize, maybe a high school they have
• I appreciate it. Thank you for its consideration.
• Financial trainings are offered, and we encourage it, and we hope people take it, but it is a fee.
• So that would be providing it, or not providing it, but making it possible. It's still free.

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 5901, which would change the school construction assistance program so that instructional space on military bases is excluded from a district’s available space inventory when calculating state construction aid. Staff explained the bill would also require state assistance to equal approved project cost minus federal funding received. Senator Christian said the measure is intended to prevent military-base facilities from unfairly reducing districts’ ability to modernize or build schools. Testimony in support came from OSPI, Clover Park School District, and Medical Lake School District, which said the current formula penalizes districts serving military families and can leave them unable to secure needed renovation funding. No opposition was heard, and the bill was later described as having an indeterminate fiscal impact. The committee then took up Senate Bill 5860 on school board compensation. The bill would raise director pay from $50 to $100 per day, increase the annual cap, allow child care expenses to be reimbursed, require OFM to periodically adjust compensation, and direct WASDA to develop finance training for school directors. Senator Cortez said the changes are needed to broaden who can serve on school boards and to help working families participate. Supporters from OSPI, WASDA, and South Sound superintendents said compensation could improve diversity and help recruit and retain board members, though WASDA noted concerns about diverting district funds and said its members do not have consensus on mandatory training. Opponents argued the bill would misuse levy funds and that child care and other expenses should not be paid from local education levies. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5956 on artificial intelligence, student discipline, and surveillance in schools, which would bar automated systems from being the sole basis for discipline decisions, prohibit risk scores and biometric surveillance, require OSPI guidance updates, and direct WASDA to create model policy. Senator Nobles and supporters said the bill is needed to protect students from discriminatory and inaccurate AI-driven decisions; no vote was taken in the hearing. Finally, the committee heard a proposed substitute for Senate Bill 5574, which would require districts to include instruction on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Latino American, and Black American history in required social studies courses during the regular curriculum review cycle, with reporting beginning in 2030. Senator Nobles said the bill is meant to address exclusion and bias in history education and to help students see themselves reflected in the curriculum. Testifiers from education, student, parent, and community groups overwhelmingly supported the measure, saying it would improve belonging, reduce bullying, and build on existing curriculum resources without creating a new course or major new cost. The hearing ended without a vote or other formal action on SB 5956 or SB 5574.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it sort of spread them out.
• it later.
• Now, certainly if there was an appeal from that district court decision, it could make it up.
• But it is awkward, sorry.
• It is not a state agency, so you won't see it on the state organizational map.

Transcript Highlights:

• While the bill's intent may be to modernize civic engagement, it will significantly undermine longstanding
• It enhances it by putting complex financial data where it can actually be understood in the voter guide
• It enhances it by putting complex financial data where it can actually be understood in the voter guide
• It was $1,500, I think, two years ago or three years ago. It was originally $1,000.
• Lord, it was $1,500. I think it was two years ago or three years ago. It was originally $1,500.

Summary: The Assembly Elections Committee met on April 30, 2025, beginning as a subcommittee until a quorum was established. The committee first approved six bills on consent, including AB 950, AB 953, AB 1214, and three committee bills. It then heard several measures dealing with election administration, ballot transparency, and campaign finance, with most authors accepting committee amendments and several bills being held on call for absent members. AB 930 by Assembly Member Ward would extend the deadline for counting timely postmarked vote-by-mail ballots from three to seven days after Election Day and update recount procedures, including online posting of recount results and clearer rules for recount requests. The bill was supported by county election officials and passed out of committee with a due-pass recommendation, though it was initially held on call. AB 459 by Assembly Member DeMaio proposed allowing electronic signatures for initiatives, referenda, and recalls; the Secretary of State and labor groups opposed it over security, implementation, and cost concerns, and the committee ultimately rejected the bill after reconsideration. AB 699 by Assembly Member Stephanie would change how local tiered tax and bond measures are described on ballots by allowing more detail to be placed in the voter guide; housing, school, and local government groups supported it, while taxpayer and realtor groups opposed it as reducing ballot transparency. AB 1188, presented on behalf of Assembly Member Ortega, would list the top three funders supporting and opposing statewide initiatives and referenda directly on the ballot; transparency advocates and labor supported it, while county election officials and business groups raised concerns about ballot length and processing costs. Both AB 699 and AB 1188 passed out of committee with amendments and were held on call. The committee also heard AB 827 by Assembly Member Berman, which would standardize and extend the deadline for curing vote-by-mail signature problems, add a link to cure forms in ballot-tracking notifications, and make other changes to improve ballot curing. It drew no opposition in the hearing and passed with a due-pass recommendation. AB 351 by Assembly Member McKenna would raise the Levine Act contribution threshold for local officials to $1,500 and add CPI adjustments; supporters said it would reduce administrative burdens and reflect modern campaign finance realities, while good-government groups and the League of Women Voters opposed it as weakening anti-corruption protections. The committee initially failed AB 351, then granted reconsideration, but the transcript ends before a final disposition is clearly completed. Finally, AB 1079 by Assembly Member Farías would eliminate the automatic appellate stay in California Voting Rights Act and Fair Maps Act cases; it was supported as a way to prevent delayed remedies in voting rights cases, opposed by the City of Santa Monica over impacts on ongoing litigation, and passed with amendments. After taking up the held items, the committee recorded final votes on the bills, including passage of AB 930, AB 699, AB 1188, AB 827, and AB 1079, and rejection of AB 459.

Transcript Highlights:

• It may be fusion, and it may be fission, but right now we know fission works, and they've got it down
• For grid modernization.
• , have at it.
• I think we all, let's put it this way: electricity is a commodity every modern society needs, and it
• And they needed it from a supply point of view; it became free.

Transcript Highlights:

• Literally, it...
• , whatever it might be, where does it go from there?
• You lost it. Let’s find it.”
• So it draws down from the broader pools of new construction or modernization funding, depending on which
• who put it there.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education heard the Governor’s proposals on dual enrollment, reading difficulty screeners, special education, school facilities, and Commission on Teacher Credentialing programs. On dual enrollment, the Department of Finance described a $100 million one-time Proposition 98 investment to expand the Dual Enrollment Opportunities Grant Program, along with changes to make regional occupational centers eligible, add funding for justice-involved youth, prioritize higher-need LEAs, support teacher professional development, and reduce daily instructional minute requirements for some dual enrollment students. The LAO recommended rejecting the new funding as not clearly addressing implementation barriers, while CDE supported the proposal and suggested reserving $10 million for technical assistance. Committee members and public commenters generally supported the expansion, with some asking for technical assistance and broader access, including adult dual enrollment. The committee also reviewed a $40 million one-time Proposition 98 proposal for reading difficulty screener implementation and related trailer bill language that would require screening after 91 school days for kindergarten and 46 school days for grades 1-2. Finance said the timing was intended to reduce over-identification and align with evidence from preliminary data; the LAO recommended rejecting the funding and redirecting it to a discretionary block grant. CDE supported the funding and the general approach but acknowledged the need for local support and training. Several committee members and public witnesses raised concerns that the proposed timing restrictions were too rigid and could delay early intervention, while others supported the delay as a way to improve accuracy and avoid misidentification. For special education, Finance proposed ongoing Proposition 98 increases to adjust for COLA and enrollment changes and to raise the statewide special education base rate to $99 per ADA, equalizing rates across SELPAs. The LAO said the proposal should be adopted but estimated it could be funded for less than the Governor’s figure. CDE and multiple local education representatives strongly supported the increase, citing rising special education enrollment, cost pressures, and large local funding gaps. The committee also heard a brief overview of the school facilities proposal, which continues $1.5 billion in Proposition 2 bond funding for the School Facility Program; OPSC reported significant remaining bond authority but also substantial pending demand, and explained that natural disaster school rebuilding draws from the broader new construction and modernization pools. Finally, the committee reviewed Commission on Teacher Credentialing proposals, including the already-funded $300 million Student Teacher Stipend Program, new state operations resources for misconduct investigations and grant administration, and a $250 million one-time continuation of the Teacher Residency Grant Program. CTC said its grants management system is ready and that it expects better data tracking; public testimony broadly supported the educator workforce investments and urged continued funding for the Golden State Teacher Grant Program and additional support for rural and leadership pipeline programs. No votes were taken, and the hearing adjourned after public testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• You name it. I get cruise ships. We've got it all going on in district 8. So I'm glad to be here.
• It absolutely supports that.
• And it is now a field that requires requires modern sophisticated skills.
• Is it coming?
• So you think about it.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It looked like, uh, modernizing some of these, if there was old equipment from ones that maybe were extending
• it.
• convert it, enrich it, and then fabricate it before it goes into the reactor.
• convert it, enrich it, and then fabricate it before it goes into the reactor.
• 58.480><c> the</c> fabricate it before it goes into the the fabricate it before it goes into the the

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> until it switched over and then um it until it switched over and then um it would<00:07:34.080><
• </c><00:18:06.799><c> full</c> is it is not being utilized to its full is it is not being utilized to
• Appreciate it, Chair.
• Appreciate it, Chair.
• Appreciate it, Chair.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Roll Call 00:29 SB 162 Discussion 01:03 SB 162 Vote 13:48 SB 1 Discussion 14:49 SB 1 Vote 34:43 SB 25 Discussion 38:45 SB 25 Vote 40:31 SB 50 Discussion 41:09 SB 50 Vote 42:55, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 162, a measure on unemployment insurance fraud. The sponsor said the bill would create a clearer process for state unemployment staff to refer suspected fraud cases, especially smaller-dollar cases that may not draw federal attention, and would help protect employers and the integrity of the unemployment system. Testimony from Brian Sikma supported the bill as a common-sense anti-fraud proposal, but several senators raised concerns that suspending benefits during an investigation could unfairly burden claimants, especially if the claim later proves legitimate. The sponsor and witness said the bill was intended to allow quick adjudication and that benefits could be reinstated after review, and the sponsor noted the referral process would include identifying information and details about the suspected fraud. The committee then voted on the bill; it passed with favorable expression, 8-1, and was sent to the floor. The committee then returned to Senate Bill 1, which would create a Kentucky Film Office and Film Commission and fund the office with a portion of the state transit tax and production-related fees. Senator Wheeler and invited guests described the bill as an economic development and tourism measure meant to expand Kentucky’s film industry, attract productions statewide, and build on existing tax credits. Witnesses, including Mary K. Po... and Misty Wrigley Miller, said a state film office would help market locations, provide a searchable database for producers, and make it easier for rural communities to compete for productions. They cited an economic impact study showing about $200 million in film-related economic activity in 2022, with additional ripple effects and tax revenue, and argued the office would help create jobs and workforce opportunities for Kentuckians. Members generally praised the concept of Senate Bill 1 and compared Kentucky’s potential to Georgia’s film industry growth. Witnesses said Kentucky already has strong incentives but needs a dedicated office and commission to better promote the state and coordinate production activity. The discussion emphasized that the commission would help ensure a return on investment and that local crews and businesses would benefit from more productions. The transcript ends during continued discussion of the bill and questions from senators, with no final vote on Senate Bill 1 shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> beginning um often times not and so it beginning um often times not and so it it<00:23:29.240><c
• of it is Public Safety, about a quarter of it is roads and bridges, and about a quarter of it is everything
• And it thinks about solving a problem, taking a comprehensive approach that includes system modernization
• earlier: the modernization issues that are facing the state are really, it should be prioritized. inflation
• Representative Keeler mentioned it earlier: the modernization issues that are facing the state are really

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:04:42.080><c> name</c> are made public it is it is our name are made public it is it is our name
• c><00:06:44.280><c> be</c> rate whichever one it is so it would be rate whichever one it is so it would
• draft for the modernization, and I didn't know about it until they kept referring to this the second
• draft for the modernization, and I didn't know about it until they kept referring to this the second
• draft for the modernization, and I didn't know about it until they kept referring to this the second

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't know that it has made it hard to budget. I think at this.
• I don't know that it has made it hard to budget.
• Appreciate it. Which is not a board. It's a council. Appreciate it.
• So, it is a voluntary certification, yes, it is voluntary. Okay.
• It doesn't deny you. It doesn't bar you from doing that.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It sounds simple.
• It sounds obvious that, of course, if you buy a car and it has some advanced features on it, you will
• We'll keep it on call. Thank you. The bill's out. We'll keep it on call.
• And now, and it also, and then you have to apply it there where you may or may not need it.
• Well, I just—if it was, it was not a total loss, correct?

Summary: The committee first heard SB 1315, the “Drive My Car Act,” from Senator Cabaldon. The author explained that the bill was intended to address the overlap between autonomous features and human driving, with a focus on preventing software updates from disabling a purchaser’s ability to drive a vehicle they bought for that purpose. He said the bill would be redirected to the Transportation Committee and amended to remove insurance provisions. Members broadly supported the concept as a forward-looking issue, and the committee voted due pass to Transportation on a roll call vote, with the bill held on call until all members were recorded. The committee then took up SB 876, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, presented by the Insurance Commissioner and the committee chair. The bill would make a broad set of changes to disaster claims handling and coverage after declared wildfires, including stronger replacement-cost and contents coverage, higher additional living expense limits, building code upgrade coverage, faster claim payment timelines, adjuster status updates, insurer emergency response plans, and stronger penalties and restitution for unfair claims practices. Supporters, including United Policyholders, California Environmental Voters, the Los Angeles Mayor’s office, AARP California, and the Consumer Federation of California, said the measure would help wildfire survivors avoid underinsurance, delays, and repeated trauma in the claims process. Opposition came from insurance industry and related groups, including APCIA, the Personal Insurance Federation of California, the Pacific Association of Domestic Insurance Companies, the Civil Justice Association of California, and the California Building Industry Association. They argued the bill remained too broad even after amendments, would raise premiums, increase claim severity, reduce flexibility, and potentially worsen availability in an already fragile market. Committee members questioned several provisions, especially the cost and feasibility of mandatory coverage expansions and faster timelines. The commissioner and author said the bill was about disaster recovery rather than rates, that many provisions were optional or limited to declared disasters, and that any cost impacts could be reflected in future rate filings. The committee ultimately passed SB 876 as amended to Judiciary on a due pass vote, with one member absent and the bill held open briefly for additional votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• It sounds simple.
• It sounds obvious that, of course, if you buy a car and it has some advanced features on it, you will
• It is also about making sure that there is modern responsiveness and transparency to the policyholder
• And now—and it also—and then you have to apply it there, where you may or may not need it.
• Well, I just—if it was, it was not a total loss, correct?

Keywords: 987, senate, all