Transcript Highlights:

• And Senator Scott, Block, and Hickey. So we have the J Block, Senator Jay Block.
• The caucus, the Block caucus. The advisory members will be senators.
• And Johnson As well as block our block. Chatfield, supposed to be a joke.
• Jay Block. Boon and pinto.
• Armstrong Lord, And block. Yeah. Am I good? I can't, I can't, I can't read lips.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, there's two Blocks, yeah. I'm the good one. There's two Blocks, yeah. I'm the good one.
• Senator Block, I will not editorialize there.
• Senator Block. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• Senator Block. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Senator Block. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• Senator Block. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Bills: HB10, HB12, HB34, SB130, SM21

Keywords: physician assistants, interstate compact, medical services, licensure, cross-state practice, military families, regulatory authority, physical therapy, licensure compact, interstate practice, healthcare, military spouses, criminal background check, HB34, school nurse, school nurses, nurse licensure, charter school, charter schools, school district

Transcript Highlights:

• Next up in the block is Senate Bill 402.
• I'd like to take those amendments in a block. They'll be considered a block.
• I'd like to take those amendments in a block. They'll be considered a block.
• I'd like to take those amendments in a block. They'll be considered a block.
• I'd like to take those amendments in a block. They'll be considered a block.

Keywords: March 06, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ongoing funding for community schools, and the full restoration of the learning recovery emergency block
• So first on LCFF and special... and professional development discretionary block grant, subject matter
• We also are pleased to see the investment in our quality rating and improvement system block grant.
• That is an investment that will go far in ensuring that our block grantees do not have services cut.
• We also are appreciative of the increase in the discretionary block grant.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard the Governor’s May Revision proposals for TK-12 education, beginning with a Proposition 98 overview from the Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Finance said the May Revision increases the Proposition 98 minimum guarantee by about $6.4 billion relative to the Governor’s January budget across the three-year window, with higher guarantees in each year, continued full payment of the outstanding settle-up obligation in 2024-25, and a reduced $3.9 billion settle-up amount in 2025-26. Finance also described larger mandatory and discretionary deposits into the Proposition 98 reserve, ending with an estimated $10.3 billion reserve balance. The LAO said the overall estimates were reasonable, but urged the state to fully fund the guarantee and use other budget tools, including reserves, to manage volatility rather than delay settle-up payments. Members questioned the remaining settle-up amount, the risk of revenue volatility, and possible alternatives such as advance payments or other reserve strategies. The second panel covered Department of Education proposals and trailer bill language. Finance outlined additional state operations funding and positions for CDE, along with trailer bill changes affecting community schools, preschool, literacy, special education, charter accountability, teacher-related programs, and other technical cleanups. The LAO supported the overall structure of the package but recommended changes to several items, including rejecting some additional one-time community schools, literacy, math, multilingual screener, and inclusive college proposals, while supporting the ongoing LCFF and special education increases and raising concerns about the paid pregnancy disability leave proposal’s cost and implementation complexity. CDE supported the special education increase, community schools, literacy and math investments, homelessness funding, and the paid pregnancy leave proposal, while asking for more funding for county office support, clearer homelessness definitions, and continued preschool parity. Members also asked about immigrant student supports, community schools reporting, and the rationale and cost estimate for the paid pregnancy leave proposal, which Finance estimated at $218 million annually. The final panel addressed the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Finance proposed additional legal staffing for SB 848 implementation and educator misconduct caseloads, a fee increase for clear credential renewals from $100 to $125, a $5 million one-time Proposition 98 investment to build a transcript review platform, $2 million ongoing for transcript review staffing, and $30 million one-time for the statewide residency technical assistance center. The LAO had no concerns about the legal staffing, supported the transcript review platform if the fee increase and ongoing staffing were adopted, and recommended rejecting the residency technical assistance center expansion because existing funding runs through 2029. The Commission explained that the misconduct workload has grown over several years, that AI would assist but not replace human review in transcript matching, and that the residency technical assistance center helps recruit and retain teachers and support rural districts. Public commenters largely supported special education, discretionary block grants, community schools, literacy investments, homelessness funding, and teacher credentialing alternatives, while some urged rejection of the settle-up proposal and preschool COLA reduction.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those are out of the block.
• The remaining in-block memorial resolutions are before you, in addition to two that can...
• Does any member desire to remove a resolution from the block?
• We adopted in block listed on pages 5 through 16, with the exceptions of House...
• Does any member desire to remove a resolution from the block?

Keywords: June 22, 2026 - Special Session 1, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, sorry, you moved a second, and we'll continue with the block.
• Okay, sorry, you moved a second, and we'll continue with the block.
• So in the block, which is easier to say what's in the block? Senate Bill 124 and Senate Bill 455.
• So we're going to move forward with those in a block, and then... Amendments. Okay.
• All right, so we're going to move forward with those in a block, and then...

Keywords: House Committee Room B, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• district from expending their block district from expending their block grant<00:27:14.640> dollars
• <00:27:32.480> The<00:27:32.600> block account for those dollars.
• The block account for those dollars.
• Um, the allocation in total is for their block grant dollars.
• So, if the their block grant dollars.

Bills: HB0034, HB0035, HB0036, HB0106

Keywords: HB0034, Wyoming retirement system, Wyoming Retirement Act, firefighter retirement, public employee retirement, retirement benefits, state pension, wildland firefighting, wildland firefighter, crash and rescue, Wyoming National Guard, Office of State Lands and Investments, Wyoming Retirement Board, correctional forestry crew, correctional crew supervisor, correctional forestry crew manager, general fund appropriation, state agency employees, service credit, benefit eligibility

Transcript Highlights:

• set the miles and rides rate to fit within that block grant.
• So that's where that block grant concept would come from.
• So that's where that block grant concept had come from.
• Like, I guess it depends on what the administration has blocked.
• Like, I guess it depends on what the administration has blocked.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee met to hear and discuss three education bills and related budget items. House Bill 1214 would revise K-12 transportation funding by replacing the current rider-based formula with a new formula tied more closely to district size, square mileage, building counts, and the weighted student payment. Sponsors and DPI said the change would better reflect actual transportation costs, hold districts harmless overall, and likely increase funding by about $4 million beyond current spending; they also said parent-provided transportation and open-enrollment mileage rules would remain largely unchanged. No opposition was heard, and the committee closed discussion without taking final action in the transcript. The committee then reviewed House Bill 1013, the education appropriations bill, and walked through proposed adjustments to program and pass-through grants. The chair proposed keeping or reducing some items, eliminating others, and moving one-time items to the stabilization fund; examples included leaving free meals at $4.5 million for now, keeping the paraprofessional-to-teacher program, reducing some grant lines, and removing several new or one-time grants. DPI also explained that the student information system would remain a flow-through grant for this biennium but would move in-house after July 1, 2026. The committee also discussed adding an FTE for the School for the Blind and making a small equipment swap at the Center for Distance Education. House Bill 1369 was discussed as the main school aid bill, including a proposed 2 percent and 2 percent per-pupil payment increase, higher construction bidding thresholds, elimination of the 12 percent cap, and a transfer of $75 million from Foundation Aid to the School Construction Revolving Loan Fund, with the chair suggesting $100 million instead. DPI explained that the bill also included a policy change returning placement decisions for students with disabilities in congregate care to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with support from the governor’s office. The committee heard testimony from school officials seeking gap funding for Title I losses caused by a switch from free-and-reduced-lunch to census-based allocations, saying districts with many open-enrolled students could lose substantial funding and staff positions. Later, the governor’s office presented a proposed $1.5 million one-time appropriation to help schools buy secure storage for student cell phones if a statewide device policy is adopted; members raised concerns about cost, local control, and whether the money would be enough. The committee also heard student testimony and then recessed without voting on the amendment in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Got it by block.
• Got it by block. second to your motion. Got it by block.
• group, and census block.
• would also become new block boundaries. would also become new block boundaries.
• census blocks have been gener generated. census blocks have been gener generated.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Block? Aye. Senator Block votes yes. Senator Boone? Yes. Senator Boone votes yes.
• Senator Block? Aye. Senator Block votes yes. Senator Boone? Yes. Senator Boone votes yes.
• Will Senator Block yield, please? Senator Block yielded. Madam President, I yield. He yields.
• Senator Block: aye. Senator Block votes yes. Senator Boone: yes. Senator Boone votes yes.
• Senator Block: Aye. Senator Block votes no. Senator Boone: No. Senator Boone votes no.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Local Control Funding Formula and also categorical COLAs, an augmentation to the Learning Recovery Block
• Okay, issue number two is a learning recovery block grant.
• The original $7.9 billion appropriation for the block grant was delayed.
• I could only speak to the Learning Recovery Block Grant portion of this.
• So there isn't the spending data we're collecting for the Learning Recovery Block Grant.

Summary: The committee heard presentations on the Governor’s education budget proposals for the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), Learning Recovery Block Grant, and Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), followed by testimony from State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond. On LCFF, Finance outlined the proposed 2.43% COLA, repayment of prior deferrals, and a trailer bill penalty for LEAs that fail to adopt Local Control Accountability Plans on time. The LAO said its COLA estimate was slightly lower and raised concerns that the Governor’s proposed TK staffing ratio increase may be more costly than estimated. Members also discussed whether the current COLA formula should better reflect California-specific or district staffing costs, and whether TK should be more clearly separated from the K-3 grade span adjustment to avoid larger K-3 class sizes. The chair asked staff to work with the LAO on both the TK/K-3 issue and alternative COLA calculations. For the Learning Recovery Block Grant, Finance proposed restoring the first of three delayed payments, $378.6 million one-time Proposition 98 General Fund, while the LAO recommended adopting the proposal but extending the expenditure deadline by at least a year. The LAO reported that districts had spent $1.6 billion of the $6.8 billion received through 2023-24 and said most districts were only now shifting from federal COVID relief to block grant spending. Members questioned whether the large state and federal investments were improving outcomes, citing declining reading and math trends, while Finance and the State Board president pointed to some signs of improvement, especially in math, attendance, and gains for some student groups. Darling-Hammond emphasized that student needs have grown, that recovery spending has gone to devices, ventilation, staffing, tutoring, summer school, and community schools, and that targeted interventions appear to be helping some districts recover faster than others. On ELOP, Finance proposed adding $435 million to expand universal access by lowering the Tier 1 threshold from 75% to 55% unduplicated pupils, bringing ongoing funding to $4.4 billion. The LAO said the estimate was reasonable but recommended delaying implementation for a year, aligning ELOP with ASES to reduce overlap, moving toward funding based on participation rather than enrollment, and considering a fixed Tier 2 rate. Members and witnesses discussed staffing challenges, the use of funds for students with disabilities, and uncertainty in Tier 2 funding caused by unspent dollars and opt-outs. Darling-Hammond supported ELOP as part of California’s broader after-school and summer learning strategy, said most districts are now offering full-day TK and expanded learning, and urged the state to reduce fragmentation across categorical programs and build more unified systems for funding, reporting, and support.

Transcript Highlights:

• no need to make the motion and block no need to make the motion and block because<00:16:03.519><
• There's a couple of these that I will take up and block, or I will move to take up and block as we work
• the request to take those items up in block.
• 1916, and 1919 and block. 1916, and 1919 and block.
• items up and block. All in favor say I. items up and block. All in favor say I.

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 12 March, 2026; 10:30 AM, 925, all

Summary: The committee began by noting the plan to suspend the rules later that afternoon so several measures could be taken up on the floor, including bills that may be on final passage or contain reverse repealers. Members were reminded to clearly identify which bills were final passage measures so the chamber would know it might be the last opportunity to vote on them. The committee then moved through a series of appropriations bills. In the education and judicial budgets, Senator DeBar explained House Bills 1928, 1933, 1935, 1936, and 1937, covering the legislative operations budget, DFA buildings reappropriations, K-12 education, MPB, and the library commission. He described increases for teacher pay, special education supplements, testing contracts, ELC coaches, financial literacy, ESA funding, and other adjustments, along with reductions in some areas and a decline in student enrollment affecting the funding formula. The bills were adopted by title sufficient, do pass, with strike-all motions where applicable. Senator Wiggins presented House Bills 1924, 1926, 1927, 1930, and 1931, covering the Attorney General, Capital Postconviction Council, district attorneys and staff, the Office of State Public Defender, and the Supreme Court/AOC budget. He highlighted salary increases for agency attorneys, human trafficking funding, new district attorney positions from judicial redistricting, public defender support for family defenders and the rural legal services pilot, and major court-system items such as judicial salary increases, youth court intake, CCID courts, and the MyCIDS replacement system. Questions focused on the meaning of personal services, vacancy funding, and possible use of opioid settlement funds for AOC; the committee was told those issues could be handled through the reverse repealer or other vehicles. The bills were advanced, with the committee noting which ones contained reverse repealers and which were final action. Subcommittee 5 and 6 then handled human services, health, licensing, and transportation-related measures. House Bills 1906, 1909, 1912, and 1921 covered Child Protective Services, Human Services, Medicaid, and Rehabilitation Services, with explanations for new attorney positions, salary and vacancy funding, SNAP administration, Medicaid agency funding, and restoring positions in rehab services. House Bill 1908 for the Department of Health added money for Jackson water litigation and public health priorities such as obesity management, remote monitoring, cancer screenings, and maternal-infant health. House Bills 1913, 1914, 1915, 1917, and 1918 were taken up together for licensing boards, with most changes described as cloud services, PIN restoration, or vacancy funding; only the Board of Medical Licensure bill had a reverse repealer. Finally, Senator Thompson handled special fund and transportation bills, including the Port Authority, waterway and river districts, Yellow Creek, and MDOT. He noted overtime concerns at the Port Authority, special-fund increases for contractual services and capital improvements at the water districts, and MDOT increases for salaries, commodities, equipment, and the three-year highway plan. Senator Wiggins raised a question about utility relocation costs in transportation projects, saying some municipalities were being told to pay those costs themselves; Senator Thompson said he would follow up with MDOT.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's a discretionary block grant, cost of living adjustment, and additional base increases beyond the
• So just to clarify, you’re considering one-time and ongoing things like the discretionary block grant
• grant, which is a flexible block grant community colleges can use for various purposes.
• The student support discretionary block grant... The student support discretionary block grant.
• But there's no expectation that the block grant gets used specifically for teacher pipeline.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up the May Revision update on Proposition 98 and the school rainy-day fund. The Department of Finance said the minimum guarantee rises by $6.4 billion over the Governor’s Budget across the three-year window, with lower average daily attendance projections offsetting some of the revenue gains. Finance also described a reduced $3.9 billion settle-up proposal, increased deposits into the Public School System Stabilization Account, and an ending reserve balance of about $10.3 billion. The LAO said the revenue and LCFF adjustments were reasonable, but urged the Legislature to be cautious about delaying settle-up payments and to consider more budget resiliency, including larger cushions or other tools to protect ongoing programs. Members then questioned the administration and LAO about the size of the settle-up, the rationale for the reserve deposit, declining enrollment, and how lower attendance is creating savings that can be redirected to other school priorities. The LAO said the May Revision’s mix of one-time and ongoing spending was generally reasonable but recommended keeping a strong cushion and considering alternatives such as advance payments or pension-related savings. Questions also focused on how the May Revision’s funding mix affects districts if revenues weaken, and on the treatment of special education, discretionary block grants, and paid family leave costs for LEAs and community colleges. The committee next heard the community colleges portion of the budget. Finance described a higher SCFF COLA, increased apportionment costs, a student support block grant, deferred maintenance, Common Cloud, Calbright, credit for prior learning, and a one-time adult learner demonstration project. The Chancellor’s Office supported the core investments but asked for more funding for enrollment growth, changes to the SCFF growth formula, and a COLA for Student Equity and Achievement. The LAO recommended funding the statutory COLA increase, noted a $52 million current-year apportionment shortfall not yet included in the May Revision, and suggested the Legislature could instead direct some funds to enrollment growth, categorical COLAs, or one-time uses. Members also clarified how COLA and hold-harmless rules apply to different community college districts. Finally, the committee reviewed the proposed state implementation of the federal Workforce Pell program. Finance proposed one-time funding for the Student Aid Commission and Cradle to Career data work, plus trailer bill changes to set up state approval of eligible programs. CSAC said the program is promising but highly complex, with new federal rules just released and significant data, regulatory, and systems work still needed; it said the state will not be ready by July 1 and that ongoing funding will likely be necessary. The LAO agreed that implementation will require careful trailer bill language and noted that ongoing administrative costs remain unresolved. Members asked about other states’ approaches and the practical effect on short-term workforce programs in California.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and Recovery Services Block Grant.
• one is called the Mental Health Block one is called the Mental Health Block Grant<01:13:21.120><
• <01:13:27.320> We Services Block Grant. We Services Block Grant.
• Three of them are for the mental health block grant, five of them are for the substance use block grant
• for you, under the substance abuse block for you, under the substance abuse block grant,<01:23:01.160

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Local Control Funding Formula and also categorical COLAs, an augmentation to the Learning Recovery Block
• Okay, issue number two is the Learning Recovery Block Grant.
• We support the Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant and the programmatic implementation, as well as
• I can only speak to the Learning Recovery Block Grant portion of this.
• So, our assessment for the block grant is really based on what we've been hearing from districts.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're blocking those and not allowing those to happen.
• The CCDF block grant is 100% federal program.
• We've pulled down from the block grant and how we spend.
• The CCDF block grant is 100% federal program.
• So we always know how much is left in that block grant.

Keywords: 1204, all

Summary: The Legislative Joint Auditing Committee met on June 5 and first adopted the March 2026 minutes, then approved reports from the executive committee and the standing committees on counties and municipalities, educational institutions, and state agencies. The counties and municipalities report noted progress on delinquent private water and sewer audits, compliance improvements by Denning and Gum Springs, and a 60-day compliance window for Omer and Fargo; several reports were deferred, while others were referred to prosecutors, the Attorney General, or the Government Bonding Board. The educational institutions committee filed 103 audit reports, including findings for several school districts, and one Booneville School District finding was referred to law enforcement. The state agencies committee filed 13 reports and deferred one Department of Health report to August. The committee then reviewed the State of Arkansas annual comprehensive financial report and single audit for fiscal year 2025. Legislative Audit reported clean opinions on the state’s financial statements, but identified two material weaknesses: insufficient internal controls at the Office of State Technology over threat monitoring and unauthorized access, and problems at the Division of Workforce Services with changes to year-end accounting estimates and documentation for unemployment-related receivables and payables. The single audit covered $12.4 billion in federal awards across 469 programs, with 16 major programs reviewed; auditors reported 33 findings, including 31 federal findings, $12.9 million in outstanding questioned costs, and qualified opinions for the Summer EBT program, the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, and the Child Care Development Fund cluster. Findings included improper advance draws and reporting issues in Summer EBT, documentation problems in broadband projects, and reporting/reconciliation issues in child care funding. Members questioned agency officials from DHS, the Office of State Technology, the Department of Finance and Administration, the Department of Education, and Workforce Services about the findings and corrective actions. DHS said the Summer EBT issue involved drawing funds in advance and that procedures had been changed for the 2026 cycle; it also explained several repeat findings as timing or provider-enrollment issues. OST officials said they were expanding logging, endpoint detection, and enterprise monitoring, and described cybersecurity as a moving target requiring more investment and training. DFA and Workers’ Compensation officials discussed the workers’ comp fund’s actuarial position and said it should be monitored but did not require immediate action. Education officials said the child care reconciliation problems stemmed from a former employee’s failure to reconcile reports, that staffing and checks had been strengthened, and that the federal funding cut affecting child care was a separate issue. The committee voted to hold the two major state financial reports over until the August meeting, with members asked to submit specific questions in advance, and then received a special report on the Hot Spring County Solid Waste Authority review.

Transcript Highlights:

• Does any member request to take a resolution out of the block?
• Hearing none. resolution out of the block.
• Does any member request to remove a resolution from the block? Ms. Speaker, I apologize.
• House Resolution 2206 and 2207, which are also in the block. 2206 and 2207, which are also in the block
• and take those up together in a block. Without objection?

Keywords: June 29, 2026 - Special Session 1, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Block. Representative Block.
• Thank you, Representative Block.
• Senator Lujan and then Representative Block. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• Madam Chair and Representative Block?
• Representative Block, do I have any opposition?

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• coaches being moved into the block coaches being moved into the block grant.<00:20:30.880> Um
• and maintaining this as a block grant and maintaining this as a block<01:20:42.400> grant.
• <01:20:43.679> I've block grant. And I'll tell you why. I've block grant.
• this is and should remain a block grant. this is and should remain a block grant.
• <02:09:39.920> block decision-making that the block block decision-making that the block block

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to roughly $14.7 million that could be transferred from other line items to that salaries and wages block
• I understand the intent here, but I hope it doesn't block us from actually changing a system that we
• We are monitoring the FTE block every single month.
• That's the flexibility with the block grant.
• especially in our section about the block grant.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Appropriations Division met in a work session on the draft Rural Health Transformation appropriations bill, 25.1392.01000, with no public testimony taken. Legislative Council and the Department of Health and Human Services walked through the bill, which would appropriate about $397.8 million in federal grant funds over two federal fiscal years, provide transfer authority, allow certain federal funds to be used for salaries and wages without counting against existing transfer limits, and authorize OMB to adjust other agencies’ spending authority if they receive grant awards through HHS. The bill also includes several temporary statutory exemptions to help implement the program, plus recipient acknowledgement/reporting requirements, periodic reports to Legislative Management, and an immediate effective date upon filing. Committee discussion focused heavily on how the federal rural health transformation money can be used and administered. Department officials explained that CMS will review projects for allowability and sustainability, that the state has flexibility to move funds among categories, and that the grant is limited to 10% administrative costs. Members asked about whether the funding could support renovations, equipment, ambulances, bulk purchasing, food distribution, and other rural health ideas, and were told many details will depend on CMS approval and the eventual applications. Questions also addressed cash flow, timing of obligations and reimbursements, FTE funding, and whether grant recipients should be told the program will not continue beyond the federal period; officials said the language is meant to prevent expectations of automatic continuation, not to bar future legislative action. The committee also discussed the bill’s use of a two-year appropriation amount, with staff explaining that the state must appropriate enough authority to cover the federal grant cycle and that unused authority would lapse if the full amount is not received or spent. Members raised concerns about whether the bill’s language could limit creativity or future program design, but department officials and several members emphasized the need for flexibility because CMS may reject overly specific directives. After discussion, the committee voted to recommend the bill draft to the full committee; the motion carried on a roll call vote, and the chair said the full Joint Appropriations Committee would take up the bill at the special session next week.