Transcript Highlights:

• The 2027-28 year is going to be the new testing year, and there's actually some language in here that
• In reading, reading is actually a reading language.
• Well, first off, when I say beta site, in TEA language, it means field testing, right? Yes, sir.
• understand what they are doing so that they can have, where they have roughly one in two students learning English
• We can do an end-of-year check-in to make sure that I'm supporting LGBTQ learners at home.

Bills: SB8, SB 8

Keywords: education, accountability, public school assessment, state law, transparency, intervention, performance ratings, sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is maybe not my first language.
• have these consent forms in languages have these consent forms in languages that<00:55:01.440>
• <02:10:09.280> Instead, facial covering language. Instead, facial covering language.
• will be the facial covering language. will be the facial covering language.
• <02:14:46.719> for individuals who speak languages for individuals who speak languages for

Bills: HB1838, HB1870, HB2445, HB2540, HB1886, HB1839, HB2269, HB1939, HB2037, HB1635, HB1941, HB1576, HB2568, HB2267, HB2590, HB2266, HB2597, HB2499, HB2500, HB2502, HB2607, HB2137, HB2357, HB1782

Keywords: HB1838, Hawaii, Act 142, U visa, T visa, U nonimmigrant status, T nonimmigrant status, immigration certification, visa certification, Form I-918 Supplement B, Form I-914 Supplement B, noncitizen victims, crime victim, human trafficking, victim helpfulness, law enforcement certification, prosecutor certification, judicial review, circuit court, confidentiality

Summary: The committee opened testimony on House Bill 1838, relating to visas. Testifiers from the State Health Planning and Development Agency, the legal clinic, the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the ACLU, CARES, and immigrant-rights groups strongly supported the bill, saying it would bring Hawaii into compliance with federal law, standardize and speed up certification for U and T visa applicants, and better protect survivors of crime and trafficking. Supporters emphasized that delays in certification can leave eligible survivors waiting years for federal visa access and can undermine public safety by discouraging victims from reporting crimes. The chair announced there were 103 testimonies in support and one in opposition, and the committee then moved on without taking a vote on the bill in the hearing. The committee next heard House Bill 1870, concerning protected locations and immigration enforcement. Testimony from the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, ACLU of Hawaii, educators, students, and community advocates supported limiting immigration enforcement at schools and other essential-service sites, arguing that families should be able to access education, health care, shelters, libraries, and social services without fear. The Department of Education said it had already issued guidance in March 2025 for how staff should respond when law enforcement comes onto campus, and the Public Charter School Commission noted implementation would need to occur at the school level. Testifiers said the bill would create standardized protocols and protect students and families from fear and disruption; the chair reported 142 testimonies in support, one in opposition, and five comments. The committee then took up House Bill 2445, relating to student safety and law enforcement on campus. The Department of Education again said it had already rolled out statewide guidance and described its process for staff to notify administration, verify law enforcement identification and purpose, and route matters through the complex area superintendent and attorney general, while noting emergencies would be handled differently. A committee member questioned whether the procedures were sufficiently standardized and whether staff were trained for unusual situations. Student and community testifiers supported the bill, saying schools should remain safe havens and that clear procedures are needed if federal immigration enforcement appears on campus. The Department of Law Enforcement testified in opposition to parts of the measure, raising concerns about masking requirements, vehicle markings, officer safety, doxxing, retaliation, costs, and possible supremacy-clause conflicts, and suggested more exemptions and a compromise approach. The chair reported 106 testimonies in support, two comments, and no opposition for the bill before moving on to the next measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have notices go out in every language.
• <00:05:53.360> um have notices go out in every language um have notices go out in every language
• It’s an English language arts curriculum used in some of our schools.
• with wit and wisdom it's an English with wit and wisdom it's an English language<02:14:36.320>
• language arts class uh an English language arts class uh an English language<02:14:39.000> arts

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1564, Arambula, confidential communications, due pass as amended to remove intent language, with Republicans
• AB 2360, Arambula, plain language, due pass as amended to narrow the scope and implementation of the
• as amended to strike the rebuttable presumption, strike certain revisions of existing exemption language
• AB 2555, Patel, English learner reclassification, do pass. That's out on an A roll call.
• In most cases, amendment language will be available Monday through the California Legislative Information

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee held its May 14, 2026 suspense-file hearing and considered 637 Assembly bills, plus several committee bills and one Senate bill. The chair opened by explaining the committee’s budget constraints and the factors guiding decisions: fiscal impact, return on investment, avoiding added costs to constituents, and protecting the state’s social safety net. The agenda was organized alphabetically by author, and the committee noted that results would be posted later that day online. The committee then took action on a very large number of measures, with many bills receiving do pass or do pass as amended recommendations and many others held in committee. Topics covered a wide range of policy areas, including housing, health care, education, public safety, labor, environmental regulation, wildfire mitigation, water, transportation, cannabis, AI, and state governance. Several bills were amended to reduce costs, narrow scope, remove provisions, or make them contingent on appropriations or existing resources; some were advanced on A or B roll calls, while others were held. Among the notable actions, the committee advanced bills on Medi-Cal, CalFresh, child care, school and higher education programs, wildfire and fire safety, housing financing, and various criminal justice and public safety measures. It also moved forward a number of bills related to tribal issues, consumer protections, energy and utility policy, and environmental programs. At the end of the hearing, the chair stated that the committee had moved a large number of bills to the Assembly floor and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• in the licensed practical nursing programs around the state of Florida need additional support in English
• language acquisition skills.
• And while the pipeline funds have been helpful, amplifying that English language acquisition skill piece
• of the fact that those are programs that are essentially creating a culture of desire among those learners

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education met to focus on nursing education funding, workforce supply, and Florida’s low NCLEX pass rates. The chair emphasized that Florida ranks last nationally in nursing exam pass rates and said the committee wants to use budget decisions and a forthcoming nursing bill to improve outcomes. The Florida Center for Nursing at USF presented preliminary workforce and education data showing RN supply is moving toward equilibrium with demand through 2037, while LPN shortages are projected to worsen, especially in some regions. The center also reported on enrollment, retention, faculty vacancies, and NCLEX trends, noting Florida still underperforms the national average but has shown some recent improvement, including higher RN pass rates in 2024 despite fewer test takers. The center highlighted that students who test sooner after graduation tend to pass at higher rates. A panel of nursing education leaders from public universities, state colleges, technical colleges, and private institutions described how prior state pipeline and line-item funding helped expand enrollment, simulation labs, faculty hiring, student support services, and partnerships with hospitals. UNF, Galen College, College of Central Florida, Keiser University, and Lorenzo Walker Technical College each reported strategies such as expanded simulation, mental health and social work support, test-prep and remediation, and efforts to grow faculty pipelines. Several speakers said faculty recruitment and retention remain major barriers because of salary competition with hospitals, faculty debt, and aging faculty. Technical college representatives also stressed the need to strengthen LPN pathways, English-language support, and LPN-to-RN bridge programs. Members asked for ideas to improve NCLEX outcomes and discussed possible policy options, including student loan forgiveness, critical shortage supplements for faculty, incentives for students to test soon after graduation, and possible changes to timing or regulation around NCLEX eligibility. Several witnesses supported more flexible or recurring funding, while noting that one-time line funding has been useful for simulation, scholarships, and faculty support but is harder to sustain. The committee adjourned after the discussion, with the chair saying the ideas would be considered in future funding and policy decisions.

Transcript Highlights:

• I just want to ground us in the language that the SMHS is sometimes utilized synonymously with the MD
• And I think that's language you'll hear from us in the next assembly as well.
• There's a cost to that technology in the millions to do that across our learners.
• Every student has to meet, you know, I have to take English. I have to take four science classes.
• I know we talk a lot about out of state online, the English class, maybe in Kentucky or whatever, but

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Higher Education Funding Committee met to discuss possible changes to North Dakota’s higher education funding formula, with a particular focus on separating the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences MD program from the general formula. Dr. Jenkins outlined several options for the MD program, including a fixed-funding model, a hybrid model, or keeping it in the formula, and emphasized the need to preserve strong support for medical education while making future funding clearer. He also discussed efforts to increase the share of North Dakota students in the MD program through ND85, expanded recruiting, early acceptance pathways, MCAT prep, a four-plus-one program, and the Primary Care Accelerated Track, along with future cost pressures such as AI licensing and residency growth. The committee then reviewed a simplified funding model from the University System Office that would base funding more heavily on student FTE, credentials awarded, and a few incentive factors such as small institution and research adjustments. Members questioned the use of placeholder numbers, the lack of a clear methodology for the small institution and research factors, and whether the model would adequately account for differences among institutions, high-cost programs, and graduate education. Several members raised concerns that arbitrary factors would be hard to defend politically and could distort funding or create competition between schools, while others said the exercise was useful as a starting point for discussion. Alex presented a second alternative that kept the current SIP-code structure but increased CTE weighting, added a progressive economic size factor, and separated out the MD program. His model also added an on-campus face-to-face headcount component and a credentials component, with the intent of rewarding in-person enrollment and completions. Members questioned the use of headcount instead of FTE, how hybrid, online, dual-credit, and off-campus students would be treated, and why face-to-face enrollment was weighted more heavily than completion. No formal votes or final actions were taken; the committee instead continued discussion and asked members to provide direction on which elements, if any, should be developed further.

Transcript Highlights:

• I entered not being an English learner, only having been a monolingual Spanish speaker, and so I still
• our teachers in Head Start and great memories certainly of learning, starting to learn things like English

Summary: The Assembly met with a quorum present after a roll call and prayer, then proceeded through routine journal, procedural, and guest-introduction business. Members recognized several guests, including local district officials, Japanese business leaders, and students/interns, and the chamber also observed remarks about the Texas flooding tragedy during the prayer. The body then moved through the daily file, including second-reading items and concurrence votes on AB 390, which expands the slow-down/move-over law to stationary vehicles, and AB 1478, which allows retailers to absorb mattress recycling fees; both measures had Senate amendments concurred in by recorded vote. The Assembly adopted AJR 12, a bipartisan resolution recognizing Head Start Month and urging Congress and the President to protect and increase Head Start funding. Multiple members spoke in support, emphasizing the program’s role in early education, health, nutrition, and family support, especially in rural and low-income communities; the resolution received 70 ayes and no noes after 69 co-authors were added. The chamber also adopted ACR 96, designating a portion of Highway 101 in Humboldt County as the Patty Berg Memorial Highway, and SCR 50, which calls for state review of climate adaptation and maladaptation criteria to improve climate resilience planning; both measures passed without opposition. On the consent calendar, the Assembly added co-authors to ACR 81 and adopted the second-day consent calendar and remaining consent items, all by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The body also approved a motion to return AB 529 from engrossing and enrolling to the Senate for further action. The session concluded with numerous adjournment-in-memory tributes, most notably for Rincon Tribal Council Chairman Bo Mazzetti and former legislative secretary George Steffes, followed by a moment of silence for each and adjournment until Monday, July 14 at 1 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• I serve 720 middle school students, about half of whom are English language learners and many from immigrant
• <00:04:17.600> language half of whom are English language half of whom are English language
• c> immigrant learners and many from immigrant learners and many from immigrant families.<00:04:21.040
• There's a lot of bad language and shaming language going on in the attendance world and our statutes,
• There's a lot of bad language and shaming language going on in the attendance world and our statutes,

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There will also be operational increases for specialty high schools and additional support for English
• Language Learners moving to our two-year colleges.

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• old language stricken and underlined old language stricken and then<00:20:48.200> kind<00:20:
• language or updated the statute language language or updated the statute language we<00:57:05.319
• first language.
• as providers who don't speak English as their<00:58:09.680> first<00:58:10.039> language
• whose primary language is not English<00:58:29.760> um<00:58:29.920> to<00:58:30.119><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And uh also, uh the small allowance for um English as a second language is removed in my bill.
• <00:14:02.880> is um English as a second language is um English as a second language is removed
• among those 9,500 students, and 2,183, which is just shy of 23%, are English language learners.
• <00:49:52.880> language<00:49:53.359> learners.
• I think it could be better language. I think it could be better language. language. language.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We need more sleep to be better learners and, in turn, be better members and citizens in our communities
• It does this by codifying the language that was developed already by the Massachusetts...
• It does this by codifying the language that was developed already by the Massachusetts Model SRO MOU
• As adults and educators, we must meet the demands of cell phones for our 21st century learners.
• I'm also speaking to the importance of S-461, because it's going to increase my ELL students' English

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee opened a public hearing on 41 bills related to school climate and safety, with chairs Jason Lewis and Ken Gordon outlining procedures and noting more than 125 witnesses. The first major topic was the “Study Act” on cell phones in schools and related social media restrictions (House 666/Senate 335). Secretary of Education Pat Tutwiler and Attorney General Andrea Campbell testified in strong support, arguing that bell-to-bell phone-free policies would improve student focus, reduce anxiety and distraction, and support mental health. Several legislators also supported the approach, though Representative Jeff Turco and Senator John Keenan emphasized narrower bills focused only on school-day phone restrictions rather than broader social media regulation. Senator John Velis likewise backed a comprehensive school-hours restriction, citing student distraction and mental health concerns. Representative Tarsky described successful implementation of a Yondr pouch system in a school where he served as principal, saying it improved engagement and reduced bullying and discipline issues. The committee then heard testimony on a bill to prohibit Native American mascots in public schools (Senate 312/House 575). Senator Joe Comerford, Brittany Wally, and Rhonda Anderson all urged passage, saying Native mascots are dehumanizing, harmful to Native youth, and inconsistent with civil rights and educational values. They described support from tribal nations and noted that many Massachusetts schools have already changed mascots, but some still resist. The hearing also included testimony on school start times (House 647/Senate 360), where middle school students Caroline Duffy and Emery Jarvis described exhaustion and survey data showing widespread sleep deprivation. Former educator Telia Jacobs, former principal Rep. Tarsky, and others argued that later start times would improve health, learning, and student well-being, while acknowledging transportation and scheduling challenges. Zoriana Petrosian, who helped write one of the bills as a student, said the state already has enough research to act now. Additional bills drew testimony on related school issues. Dr. Raul Fernandez supported a bill promoting racially integrated schools (Senate 324), citing a recent advisory council report showing large disparities in segregated schools and urging DESE to develop a statewide integration strategy. On safe firearm storage education (House 548/Senate 397), multiple witnesses from Grassroots for Gun Violence Prevention and school communities supported annual school-based education about secure storage, saying it would help prevent child access to unsecured firearms and build on local resolutions already adopted in some districts. The committee also heard testimony on bills to expand career and academic plans (House 533/Senate 438), with speakers saying more structured planning would help students make informed college and career choices. Later, testimony on child sexual abuse prevention and survivor support bills described the prevalence of abuse, the need for training in schools and youth-serving organizations, and the importance of extending compensation and prevention measures. Throughout the hearing, chairs repeatedly closed bills with no witnesses and moved the agenda forward, but no votes were taken in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also create a $200 million block grant for evidence-based English language arts.
• I really appreciate the language that Dr.
• California supports the rejection and appreciates your support of the rejection of the trigger language
• As you saw firsthand this week, we strongly oppose the proposed language in the budget restricting the
• We urge the legislature to include in trailer bill language key aspects of the alternative methodology

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We did have to slow the that language.
• It's a languages you put around it.
• choosing to have immersion uh language choosing to have immersion uh language programs<01:02:11.599
• Monroe Elementary School has 26% English learners, 16% special education, and 50% free and reduced lunch
• English learners, 16% special education, English learners, 16% special education, and<01:07:01.839>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Our youngest learners are a future, and they need our support.
• Our youngest learners are a future, and they need our support.
• Voluntary pre-kindergarten are direct supports to schools as they support young learners.
• language learner, having experienced homelessness in the last 24 months, being in foster care, or being
• <00:40:37.400> and Development include language and Development include language and speaking

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Very, very skeleton language."
• Very, very skeleton language."
• moving through this is this is language moving through this is this is language that<01:09:24.719
• One of the key adult learners.
• language right. language right.

Bills: HF3635, HF3638

Keywords: teacher mobility, interstate compact, licensure, military spouses, education, teacher regulation, teacher qualifications, state sovereignty, educator licensing, paraprofessional credentials, mental health, professional development, data sharing, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• individual student's English learner status.
• for the languages that their families for the languages that their families speak.<00:56:40.480>
• 28.480> screening<00:59:28.960> for languages around uh screening for languages around
• review, but we feel that the language review, but we feel that the language added<01:02:55.359><
• <01:08:50.319> and detail than the existing language and detail than the existing language

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• ensure that districts that serve especially large numbers of low-income students, large numbers of English
• learners, and students with special needs were the districts that we recognized needed additional funding
• We've passed similar language last year, and I will ask you to do so again this year.
• We've passed similar language last year, and I will ask you to do so again this year.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate took up a long series of FY26 budget amendments during debate on the Ways and Means budget bill. Early on, an amendment on debt service and the Debt Affordability Committee was rejected. A major education amendment offered by Senator Lewis and supported by Senator Comerford was then adopted; it directs DESE to begin a public process, with $200,000 in funding, to review and recommend updates to the Chapter 70 municipal contribution formula and related school funding structures as the Student Opportunity Act nears full implementation. Senators argued that school districts across the Commonwealth are under severe fiscal strain, citing rising special education, transportation, health insurance, and Proposition 2 1/2 pressures, and that the current formulas are increasingly out of alignment with local needs. The chamber also considered and voted on many other amendments, with several adopted and several rejected. Adopted amendments included measures on public payroll transparency, regional EMS, a small business group purchasing cooperative pilot, simplifying Medicaid eligibility determinations, and early education background checks. Rejected amendments included proposals on first-time homebuyer savings accounts, population change studies, competitiveness studies, emergency contract reform, natural gas cost containment, a $200 per pupil aid increase, regional school reimbursement increases, a Foundation Budget Review Commission-related study, special education service studies, welfare benefit audits, short-term capital gains, and an MBTA sustainability plan. Senator Durant also spoke in support of Amendment 766, which would create a crumbling concrete assistance fund for homeowners affected by pyrrhotite, with tax-exempt aid, federal funding applications, audits, and a stakeholder working group. Near the end of debate, Senator D. DiDomenico praised the Shannon Grant program for gang violence prevention, and the Senate adopted a final corrective amendment containing technical fixes and local earmarks. The bill was then ordered to a third reading and, after a roll call on engrossment, passed to be engrossed by a vote of 38-2. The Senate also approved a motion to adjourn to the following Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. and recessed in memory of Yaron Lashinsky, Sarah Lynn Milgram, and Leslie A. Feeney.

Transcript Highlights:

• Social media companies will struggle with the amended bill language of causing injury while being accused
• And so we are concerned to have that sort of language in there.
• We can refine some of the language. And I know conversations are having.
• learners in all diverse populations.
• learners in all diverse populations.

Summary: The committee heard several bills, beginning with AB 2, which would create enhanced civil penalties for large social media companies when negligence proven in court causes harm to children and teens. The author and supporters argued the bill is needed to address addictive algorithms and harmful content, while opponents warned it was vague, could chill speech, and might be preempted by federal law. Members largely focused on whether the bill changed the standard of care or burden of proof; the bill passed out of committee on a roll call vote, with some members noting concerns but supporting it to continue the discussion. AB 282, dealing with housing vouchers and source-of-income discrimination, would clarify that housing providers may prioritize applicants who qualify for rental assistance without violating fair housing law. Supporters from housing authorities, local governments, and advocacy groups said it would help voucher holders find units and improve use of housing funds. There was no opposition, and the bill passed to Appropriations on a roll call vote, with two no votes. The committee also considered AB 882 on court reporter availability and electronic recording in certain cases when a court reporter is unavailable. Supporters said the bill is a temporary, narrowly tailored response to a shortage of reporters and would preserve access to accurate records, while opponents argued it was too narrow, raised access-to-justice concerns, and should be broadened. Members from both sides emphasized the importance of court reporters and electronic recording as a backup; the bill passed with an urgency clause and was sent to Appropriations. The committee then heard AB 325 on algorithmic price fixing, AB 935 on civil rights data clarity, AB 1414 on tenant choice of internet service provider, and AB 67 on Attorney General enforcement of the Reproductive Privacy Act; each drew support from sponsors and advocacy groups, opposition centered on overbreadth or policy concerns, and each advanced on committee votes, with several members requesting further amendments or clarification.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:08:06.720> that situation it's it is only language that situation it's it is only language
• representative Jordan uh the language representative Jordan uh the language right<00:51:57.720><
• We would ask that the author strike this language as well.
• We would ask that the author strike this language as well.
• We would ask that the author strike this language as well.

Keywords: 1183, house