Transcript Highlights:

• demonstrating skills, and accessible for an employee search when they're looking for a new job.
• , and two, compensate them properly. them as employees, and two, compensate them properly.
• . of the law provided they reclassify the drivers as employees.
• This bill will provide clarity and fairness benefiting both employers and employees.
• Nevni Perrier on behalf of the California School Employees Association, also in support.

Summary: The Assembly Labor and Employment Committee heard and advanced several bills focused on worker protections, training access, wage enforcement, outreach, and workplace safety. SB 513 would require employees to have access to their training and certification records; supporters, including laid-off refinery workers and labor organizations, said employers sometimes withhold records during layoffs, while committee members called the practice unacceptable. The bill passed 5-0 and was re-referred to Appropriations. SB 809 addressed misclassification of construction truck owner-drivers by offering employers amnesty if they reclassify workers as employees and adopt a two-check payment system; labor and construction trades groups supported it, and it passed 5-0 to Judiciary. SB 578 would codify the California Workplace Outreach Program, which funds trusted community organizations to educate workers about their rights. Supporters described the program as a proven way to reach low-wage, immigrant, and hard-to-reach workers, especially amid wage theft, retaliation, and immigration enforcement concerns. The bill passed 5-0 to Appropriations. SB 261 would strengthen collection of wage theft judgments by creating a public list of nonpaying employers and adding penalties after six months of nonpayment; county enforcement officials and labor advocates said it would help workers recover unpaid wages. It passed 6-0 to Judiciary. The committee also approved SB 369, which would require skilled and trained workforce standards for Salton Sea restoration projects, with supporters saying the work is hazardous and should use trained labor; it passed 6-0 to Appropriations. Finally, SB 20 sought to address silicosis in stone countertop fabrication by requiring training and certification protections for workers; supporters said the disease has caused deaths among mostly Latino workers, while industry groups supported the bill with amendments and requested implementation resources. It passed 6-0 to Appropriations. The committee also adopted a consent calendar of four additional bills and adjourned after all listed measures were moved forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• IT agency as I did total employees.
• many employees do y'all have We have about 1,200 employees total.
• The employee, or 10% for some law enforcement, it gets 10%, and then the employee contributes 9.5%, and
• They include our own employees and all the HHS employees.
• If I allotted for a certain number of employees and gave them. a budget for that number of employees

Committee: House Delivery of Government Efficiency

Transcript Highlights:

• So to my knowledge, businesses with potential employees or current employees can't ask if they're on
• Won't employers only look for maybe employees that don't have any gaps?
• That's $12 per employee. So it's not a long-term sustainable solution.
• That's $12 per employee. So it's not a long-term sustainable solution.
• It's the law to have workers' comp for your employees.

Committee: House Labor and Employment

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a 20-year employee, a current employee of DHS, and I am one of the very, very few DHS employees
• I am a 20-year employee, a current employee of DHS, and I am one of the very, very few DHS employees
• State employees don't do that.
• State employees don't do that.
• State employees don't do that.

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> been</c> maintenance employees have been maintenance employees have been recognized<00:03:50.640
• Uh, you asked about our request for funding for employee health exams.
• Is that on the uh employee health.
• What how do for new employees coming on?
• um reimbursements that we give employees um reimbursements that we give employees for<00:29:08.559><c

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation met without a quorum at first, then later approved the minutes once quorum was established. The committee heard presentations from Transportation Cabinet officials Mike Hancock, Jeremy Slinker, and Sean McCarnieran on maintenance, vehicle regulation, general administration, highways, and related capital projects. Hancock emphasized that maintenance is the cabinet’s most visible public service, especially for snow and ice removal and routine roadway upkeep, and said rising costs have outpaced funding. He cited a 61% increase in highway construction costs since 2020 and said maintenance spending was $488 million in FY 2024 and $511 million in FY 2025, while the FY 2026 baseline request was $483.3 million. The cabinet’s additional maintenance request would add $23.6 million in FY 2027 and $38.6 million in FY 2028, with expected impacts on litter pickup, mowing, vegetation management, and pothole repair if not funded. The cabinet also outlined five maintenance-related capital projects: additional funding for Ballard County maintenance/salt storage, Hopkins County maintenance/salt storage, Whitley County maintenance/salt structure, and the District 2 office and materials lab, plus reauthorization of the Breckinridge County maintenance and salt facility. Hancock also asked for budget language allowing the cabinet to use unexpected restricted and federal funds more quickly, similar to existing authority for federal earmarks. McCarnieran described the governor’s inclusion of funding for the ASHTOWare system, employee health exams, priority IT projects, and a District 7 office renovation request, noting that some items were not funded because they ranked low among competing projects. He also said the governor’s budget included a $7.5 million annual maintenance pool for the cabinet’s 1,200 facilities and requested additional restricted fund authority for Trimark and the Cumberland Gap Tunnel. Slinker focused on the Department of Vehicle Regulation, saying recent investments in staffing and equipment had reduced wait times and improved customer service in driver licensing offices. He requested $535,600 to keep temporary contract workers in place for the rest of the year, warning that without it regional office operations would have to be reduced. He said the surge in demand was driven by new 15-year-old licensing requirements, vision testing, and Real ID implementation, but believed the volume was beginning to level out. He also outlined FY 2027 and FY 2028 plans totaling $20.38 million and $19.85 million, including six new regional offices and a shift away from temporary workers toward state positions. Additional requests included $106,000 for debt service on the new driver’s license modernization system and operating costs of $5 million in FY 2027 and $2.5 million in FY 2028 to support the transition from the old system. Members asked about the cabinet’s funding sources, and officials said the road fund is the primary source, supported by motor fuels tax, usage tax, driver-related receipts, and some restricted funds; they stressed that the requests were not for additional general fund dollars. Questions also covered employee health exam reimbursements, the annual Trimark/Cumberland Gap contract, and the District 7 renovation request. No votes were taken on the budget items during the meeting, beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Stuart Henderson, retired employee and citizen.
• I am also a state employee.
• I'm a union member with Washington Federation of State Employees.
• All 1,000 folks in our bargaining unit are state employees.
• All 1,000 folks in our bargaining unit are state employees.

Bills: SB5439 , SB6109 , SB6304

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:

• Employees are trained physical conduct.
• </c><00:32:11.640><c> and</c> ca- sino and the casino employees and ca- sino and the casino employees
• </c> different levels of casino employees. different levels of casino employees.
• to make sure that the employees and that, you know, our members obviously make sure that their employees
• </c><00:33:32.360><c> standpoint,</c> the training of employees standpoint, the training of employees

Bills: SCR145 , SCR132 , SCR31 , SCR110

Transcript Highlights:

• The Arizona State Retirement System administers a public pension program for qualified employees.
• Five must be members of ASRS and include an educator and employee of a political subdivision, a retired
• member, a state employee, and an at-large member who represents an ASRS group.
• It could also create a disincentive for recruiting future public safety employees.
• But most importantly, it can impact response times if on-call firefighters ...safety employees.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance Committee of Reference

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee approved the February 16, 2026 minutes and then heard House Bill 2173, which would let tax officers and taxpayers communicate electronically about proposed property tax corrections or claims unless certified mail is required. County and assessor representatives supported the bill as a modernization measure, and the committee voted 6-0 to give it a do pass recommendation. The committee then considered several Arizona State Retirement System-related measures and nominations. It recommended confirmation of Thomas J. Connolly as a public member of the ASRS Board and Charles Essex as a retired member, both by 6-0 votes. The committee also passed House Bills 2089, 2090, and 2092, which clarified ASRS health subsidy eligibility, changed the disability determination timing for long-term disability benefits, and adjusted the waiver window for new eligible members age 65 or older. Each of those bills received unanimous or near-unanimous support. Members next approved House Bill 2693, as amended, which revises Arizona’s association health plan and multiple employer welfare arrangement rules to align with current federal law and adds a study by the Department of Administration on state and school employee health insurance options. Supporters said it could expand affordable coverage for small businesses, while Senator Epstein raised concerns about consumer protections, preexisting conditions, and prior fraud issues; the bill passed 5-1. The committee also passed House Bill 2120, allowing Social Security disability determination letters to help certify eligibility for the property tax exemption for disabled persons, and House Bill 2138, clarifying workers’ compensation coverage for firefighters traveling directly to or from duty, both with some discussion but no opposition. Finally, the committee approved House Bill 2273, which creates a one-time $300 income tax rebate for certain Pinal County residents using remaining escrow funds from the county transportation tax litigation, though members debated whether the money should instead go to roads. The bill passed 3-2 after comments from the sponsor, a Pinal County mayor, and senators who said they wanted the funds directed to transportation projects. The committee then passed House Bill 2786, exempting income from renting required college textbooks from transaction privilege tax, and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Article 5, employee representation...
• All other employees in the unit would get 2 percent. There's a couple non-economic issues.
• Anytime employees are called back to work outside their room. the accrual of overtime hours.
• We asked that vehicles and vessels used by employees, whether issued to employees or not, shall be maintained
• So We're asking that employees with more than three years, but less. that employees with more than three

Summary: The Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining met to hear impasse presentations from the Department of Management Services and several bargaining units. The department reported that most articles had been resolved in each of the full-book contracts, with remaining disputes centered largely on wages and a handful of non-economic issues. For the FDLE special agents, security services, law enforcement, Florida Highway Patrol, and Florida State Fire Service units, the state described its wage offers as generally a 2% competitive increase plus a 3% special pay increase, along with various bonuses, retention funds, or career-development funding in some units. The department also said it wanted to keep existing language on work schedules, seniority, grooming, equipment, grievance procedures, and other items, often characterizing its changes as housekeeping or alignment with current practice. The department noted that insurance had been agreed to with no increased employee cost, and it confirmed that correctional officers do receive overtime pay. Representatives for the Florida State Fire Service Association strongly disputed the state’s position, arguing that firefighters should not be required to perform major construction work, that their work schedules and on-call/callback arrangements unfairly suppress overtime, and that wildfire and fire-rescue employees are underpaid and underprotected. They also pressed for better compensation for EMT/paramedic-certified firefighters, additional protective clothing, on-site decontamination and shower/laundry facilities, and stronger cancer-prevention language. The association said the state had not bargained in good faith and urged the committee to support the union’s proposals. The Police Benevolent Association’s Florida Highway Patrol unit focused on wages and a career development plan, saying troopers remain underpaid compared with other states and are leaving for better-paying agencies. It also sought a veteran stipend, broader grooming/tattoo language, safety improvements for high-mileage vehicles, and changes to seniority and inflation-related pay. The PBA law enforcement unit raised similar safety concerns about aging vehicles, sought limits on performance evaluations tied to case presentations, and requested a $7,000 across-the-board wage increase. The security services unit, representing correctional officers, probation officers, and ISS officers, said its main issue was wages and asked for an $8-per-hour starting pay increase, retention bonuses, special pay for death row and close-management staff, added pay for SOTEC officers, and overtime pay for lieutenants and captains who currently receive comp time instead. No votes were taken, no public testimony followed, and the committee adjourned after taking the presentations under advisement.

Transcript Highlights:

• It protects all employees from viewpoint discrimination.
• So if as an employer, under your bill, if I have a male employee...
• And then in C, an employee shall not be required as a condition of employment to address another employee
• Employees shall not be required as a condition of employment to address another employee or any other
• It's protecting you as the employee.

Bills: HR153 , HR154 , HR155 , HR156 , HR157 , HR158 , HCR57 , HCR58 , HCR59 , HR133 , HR134 , HR135 , HR136 , HR137 , HR138 , HR139 , HR140 , HR141 , HR142 , HR144 , HR145 , HR146 , HR147 , HR148 , HR149 , HR150 , HR151 , HR152 , SCR28 , SB141 , SB169 , SB206 , SB233 , SB417 , SB421 , SB429 , SB437 , SB477 , SB510 , SB521 , HR1 , HR17 , HCR5 , HB55 , HB385 , HB394 , HB396 , HB406 , HB608 , HB622 , HB676 , HB772 , HB897 , HB902 , HB943 , HB1030 , HB1035 , HB1038 , HB1045 , HB1049 , HB1056 , HB1058 , HB1059 , HB1092 , HB1100 , HB1117 , HB1160 , HB1161 , HB1162 , HB1177 , HB1180 , HB1189 , HB1216 , HB1239 , HB1240 , SB127 , HB284 , HB1 , HB2 , HB3 , HB312 , HB313 , HB383 , HB314 , HCR3 , HB983 , HB1126 , HB21 , HB24 , HB29 , HB31 , HB39 , HB45 , HB77 , HB136 , HB150 , HB263 , HB273 , HB299 , HB315 , HB376 , HB377 , HB431 , HB444 , HB450 , HB519 , HB533 , HB538 , HB559 , HB562 , HB663 , HB664 , HB715 , HB717 , HB805 , HB822 , HB823 , HB834 , HB864 , HB867 , HB1017 , HB1018 , HB1068 , HB1134 , HB1137 , HB1234 , HB1235 , HB1236 , HB211 , HB27 , HB71 , HB214 , HB225 , HB241 , HB244 , HB306 , HB345 , HB366 , HB446 , HB511 , HB514 , HB655 , HB730 , HB743 , HB1027 , HB1037 , HB1043 , HB1082 , HB1091 , HB1096 , HB1103 , HB1167 , HB1174 , HB1175 , HB1230 , HB1237 , HB1238 , SB162 , SB349 , SB350 , SB382 , SB383 , HB401 , HB51 , HB58 , HB140 , HB982 , HB1010 , HB132 , HB193 , HB635 , HB690 , HB1003 , HB750 , HB911 , HB151 , HB180 , HB192 , HB310 , HB961 , HB1146 , HB977 , HB181 , HB901 , HR20 , HR74 , HB9 , HB393 , HB459 , HB577 , HB582 , HB605 , HB614 , HB615 , HB682 , HB733 , HB773 , HB996 , HB1113

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, opened in prayer, and led the pledge. The bulk of the early portion of the meeting consisted of personal privileges and recognitions, including ARC Appreciation Day, Teach for America, Film Louisiana, the Child Care Association of Louisiana, Textron Systems, Iberville Parish Day, AARP Louisiana Family Caregiver Day, and several visiting groups and honorees. The chamber also received Senate messages, enrolled and introduced resolutions, and referred a number of Senate bills to committee. The House then took up a long series of bills, many of them local or technical measures, with most passing by wide margins. Among the bills adopted were measures on municipal and teachers’ retirement systems, retired clerk insurance funds, fire and police civil service, a local Cameron Parish insurance program, specialty courts, jury bond filing by paper check, non-compete limits for interns and apprentices, a memorial bridge naming for Lance Cpl. Justin D. McLeese, veteran points in civil service exams, provisional fire/police appointments, special masters in complex litigation, judicial and court-cost funding measures, aerial applicator safety rules, cell-cultured food labeling, wine and spirits container standards, nonprofit eligibility to appoint economic development commissioners, a homeless diversion pilot program in Orleans, animal shelter standards, a Fort Oge police chief appointment change, retirement benefit calculations for divorced firefighters, an alcohol-permit moratorium in Shreveport, waste-collection contract renewal authority, and a backdrop retirement option for certain judges. There was one notable defeat: House Bill 444, which would have added legislative seats to the East Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission, failed on a 37-49 vote after debate over whether legislators should appoint themselves to the board and whether the proposal had adequate stakeholder support. House Bill 284 on expropriation also failed earlier by a 48-47 vote and was returned to the calendar. Several other measures were temporarily returned to the calendar or held over, and some bills were referred or received amendments before final passage. Most final votes were unanimous or near-unanimous, and the House repeatedly adopted titles and motions to table after passage.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's no reason this bill can't be amended to exclude California employees.
• The Bane Act provides immunities that apply only to California employees.
• And our concern is that California employees will be left holding the bag.
• Our ask is that you exempt California employees from this bill.
• My concern is your local California employees.

Summary: The committee heard and acted on several bills. SB 479 by Senator Arreguín would allow Berkeley, Long Beach, and Pasadena, as local health jurisdictions, to use multidisciplinary homeless response teams and share specified information across departments; supporters said it would improve coordination and services for unsheltered residents, and the bill passed 9-0 to Appropriations. SB 46 by Senator Umberg would direct the Secretary of State to keep constitutionally ineligible presidential candidates off the California ballot, including anyone who has already served two terms; supporters argued it was a constitutional enforcement measure, while Senator Niello questioned whether it was needed, and it passed 6-1 to Appropriations. SB 99 by Senator Blakespear would improve coordination between military and civilian systems by requiring courts and law enforcement to account for military protective orders and notify military authorities of possible violations; the Department of Defense supported it, while the ACLU raised due process concerns, and it passed 6-0 to Appropriations. SB 719 by Senator Cabaldon would extend the sunset on state reporting about high-risk automated decision systems from 2029 to 2032, and it passed 6-0 to Appropriations. SB 300 by Senator Padilla would strengthen California’s new AI chatbot law by requiring operators to prevent minors from being exposed to sexually explicit material; supporters said the existing law was insufficient, while industry groups warned against expanding a brand-new regime before it had been tested, and it passed 9-0 to Appropriations. SB 381 by Senator Wahab would allow adult adoptees, and descendants of adoptees, to obtain original birth certificates and create a nonbinding contact preference form for birth parents; supporters described health, identity, and dignity concerns, while some members raised privacy concerns, and it passed 13-0 to the Senate Health Committee. SB 33 by Senator Cortese would eliminate the sunset on the public works contractor claim-resolution process, with supporters saying it reduces litigation and speeds payment, and it passed 10-0 to Appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• <02:24:37.840><c> employee</c><02:24:38.720><c> retirement</c><02:24:39.439><c> income</c> employee employee
• </c> its employees. its employees.
• </c> an hourly employees regular pay rate. an hourly employees regular pay rate.
• </c> higher employer employee engagement. higher employer employee engagement.
• . employees. employees.

Transcript Highlights:

• , based simply on how they walk. ...flagging suspicious individuals, whether customers or employees,
• Surveillance and monitoring of employees has been growing for some time.
• Workplace restrooms, break areas, private vehicles, and employees' homes—they're all subject to some
• The Grooming Academy trains employees to perform the job that they were hired to do.
• I don't think that by itself should restrict the freedom of movement of employees.

Summary: The committee heard a series of labor-related bills, with most measures focused on worker training, privacy, wages, and safety. AB 296 would require schools or districts to host apprenticeship fairs at least once a year, with flexibility on how they are run and whether programs outside the county can participate. Supporters said it would help connect students to skilled trades and address workforce shortages; school administrators opposed the bill as an unfunded mandate that could be impractical for elementary schools. The bill was later moved on call, with the committee noting it could not vote until quorum was established. AB 1221 and AB 1331 both addressed workplace surveillance. AB 1221 would restrict invasive monitoring tools, require notice to workers, limit the use and sharing of worker data, and require human review before discipline based on surveillance outputs. Labor groups supported the bill as a response to AI-driven monitoring, while business groups raised concerns about broad definitions, security cameras, investigations, and data-access provisions. AB 1331 focused more narrowly on privacy in off-duty and private spaces, limiting surveillance in places like restrooms, break areas, vehicles, and homes; hospitals and business groups opposed it as too broad and potentially disruptive to safety, cybersecurity, and facility monitoring. Both bills were advanced by committee vote. The committee also heard AB 1181, which would require firefighter turnout gear to be free of cancer-causing chemicals such as PFAS by 2027, and AB 1198, which would require prevailing wage rates on public works to reflect the wage in effect when the work is performed rather than when the project was first advertised. Firefighter representatives strongly supported AB 1181, while the chemical industry asked to continue working on scope and timelines. AB 1198 drew support from labor and contractor groups but opposition from local governments and housing groups concerned about mid-project cost increases; it was passed to Appropriations after a roll-call vote. Other measures approved included AB 1235 on skilled-and-trained workers for CSU construction, AB 1251 on ghost job postings, AB 552 on locating the Agricultural Labor Relations Board office outside Sacramento, AB 1110 on updating Cal/OSHA workplace posters, AB 1136 on expanding high road training partnerships, and AB 1234 on wage claim enforcement. AB 692, which would ban employer debt agreements that require workers to repay training or other costs if they leave a job, drew strong support from nurses and labor advocates and opposition from business and health care groups; it was also passed on a roll-call vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, so House Bill 47, School Employee Insurance Programs. Mr.
• the legislature provided to all public employees last year. year.
• A reminder that doesn't mean that's all employees.
• It is important that we bring them to parity with other public employees and that...
• . employees not even being made aware that that was coming.

Committee: Senate Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Tax benefits are offered to employers and employees under the traditional employer-employee health care
• To offer low-cost, defined health care plans for their employees and empower the employee to choose with
• In essence, folks, my company has 100 employees.
• I could give money to an employee today, but there's no tax benefit to me.
• It's helping the employers and the employees.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> more employees ask for the same day off. more employees ask for the same day off.
• Um, what we're looking at two employees.
• We need to terminate this employee based on this conduct.
• We need to terminate this employee based on this conduct.
• We need to terminate this employee based on this conduct.

Summary: The committee opened with routine business, including the Pledge of Allegiance, seating alternates, and approval of the minutes and consent calendar. Both were approved without opposition. The committee then moved to the regular calendar, beginning with Department of Environmental Services drinking water rules (2532). Staff noted that the final proposal deleted requirements that had been in the initial proposal, making the published notice technically inaccurate because it said there were no substantive changes. The agency responded that the requirements still exist in other rules, that regulated entities and the Water Council were notified, and that the public had notice through related hearings. After discussion about whether a new noticed hearing was needed, the committee approved the rule. The next item was Department of Administrative Services personnel rule 2510 on seniority and employee performance evaluation. Staff raised informational comments and one unclear comment about language that appeared to require a checkbox even though no form exists, and about evaluation categories that could overlap. The agency said the checkbox language should be removed, but defended the overlapping categories as part of a long-standing template used by agencies for the past 10 years. Members discussed whether the language was too ambiguous or could lead to inconsistent application, but the committee ultimately approved the rule with a condition striking the checkbox language in the affected sections. The committee then considered personnel rule 25109 on investigations, discipline, non-disciplinary communications, and non-disciplinary removal. Staff recommended clarifying language distinguishing license suspension from termination for cause, and questioned whether the sexual-harassment discipline language was too broad because the same conduct could fit multiple discipline levels. The agency agreed to add the suggested clarification for the license-suspension provision, but argued the sexual-harassment language should remain because another rule already provides the factors for determining the appropriate discipline and the agency needs discretion for fact-specific cases. The discussion included concerns about how non-verbal conduct might be treated, but the committee moved toward conditional approval with the agreed clarification and approval of the rest of the rule as written.

Transcript Highlights:

• Massachusetts in 2006, became employed with Massachusetts Probation Service, whereas one of 110 employees
• have served in the military and would provide them with similar benefits afforded to other state employees
• of the Massachusetts State Employees Retirement System.
• Thank you. ...provide them with similar benefits afforded to other state employees.
• of the Massachusetts State Employees Retirement System.

Bills: S3044 , S3031 , S3017 , H5189 , H5246 , H5297 , H5248 , H5359

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Service

Transcript Highlights:

• Employee retention, the cost of living here in Austin is extremely expensive. 70% of our employees are
• Our agency is currently running off of eight full-time employees.
• Ray Hemel, representing the Texas Public Employees Association.
• We desperately need. a COLA that is recurring for your employees, your employees. retired employees.
• Every Texan partnered with Texas State Employees. employees union last year to survey state employees

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles I, IV, & V

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> demonstrated by wage data and employee demonstrated by wage data and employee retention<00:07:48.400
• I think when any business employees.
• </c><01:28:03.360><c> Um</c> uh employees total. Um uh employees total.
• You have 9,000 employees that are dependent on you making good decisions. >> You have 9,000 employees
• </c> issued to the central office employees. issued to the central office employees.

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including roll call, introductions, and approval of the previous meeting minutes by voice vote. It then heard a presentation on SB 253, focused on expanding support for teacher apprenticeship and teaching-and-learning pathways. Senator Hickman and staff from the Kentucky Department of Education and Nelson County Schools described how the program uses dual credit, work-based learning, and registered apprenticeship to help students earn an associate degree in high school and continue toward a teaching degree. They said the goal is to address the teacher shortage by creating a sustainable pipeline into the profession. Witnesses emphasized that the main barrier is cost. Mary Taylor said Kentucky’s youth apprenticeship model has been successful in other fields and that education should be added as an in-demand sector, but an associate degree alone will not solve the teacher shortage because teachers still need a bachelor’s degree and certification. Laura Arnold of Nelson County Schools described the district’s Lead Nelson program, saying the district has invested more than $800,000 since 2021, currently has 37 students in the pathway and seven committed apprentices, and spends about $85,000 per apprentice from freshman year through certification. She said district staffing, planning, and university partnerships are also significant hurdles. Members asked about job guarantees, tenure, and retirement; Arnold said employment is performance-based and retirement issues are being considered. Senator Hickman said the bill would use lottery funds to help cover tuition and dual credit costs so more districts can participate, noting that a prior version died because of a high fiscal note. Representative Payne and Representative Tipton praised the program but stressed the need for funding and noted inconsistencies between statute and budget language on Work Ready Kentucky and dual credit support. Representative Tipton also cautioned that lottery revenue may not keep pace with demand and said the General Assembly may need to make broader funding decisions. After the apprenticeship discussion, the chair moved the committee to the next agenda item on computer science and AI literacy, where Code.org began a presentation on the importance of computer science for all students.

Transcript Highlights:

• 2,500 retired employees.
• This means the current soft Civil Service employee, also known as a merit system employee, under...
• Employees, future hires of the county.
• In 2022, it then says any part-time employee of the county shall have the option.
• These are for part-time employees, or appointed or elected.

Bills: HB343 , HB345

Committee: House Jefferson County Legislation