Transcript Highlights:

• provisions, the data classification provisions, the data classification provisions<00:36:14.960>
• <01:19:19.760> This<01:19:20.080> classification This classification would subject
• Because the notification, that's where the classification becomes active, and the classification is on
• becomes active and the classification becomes active and the<01:28:35.040> classification<01:
• 28:35.760> is the classification is the classification is on<01:28:37.679> f<01:28:38.159

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're looking for the money that they're spending, not just on tuition, but housing and food, and how
• I think controlling tuition is one of the top issues there, and that would be a top concern for me.
• Co controlling tuition um is is<00:09:47.320> one<00:09:47.440> of<00:09:47.560> the
• And so we hear from the students and families that tuition has gotten to a level that's very difficult
• programs be it promise programs tuition programs be it promise programs tuition promises<00:58:38.359

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The forum focused on the University of Minnesota system’s future, with candidates largely agreeing that the five campuses should remain distinct while working more closely together. Speakers emphasized the land-grant mission, the importance of serving Greater Minnesota, and the need for each campus to have a clear value proposition tied to local communities. Several suggested stronger cross-campus partnerships, more use of technology, and more seamless student pathways between campuses, while also noting enrollment declines and the need to preserve campus identities. A second major topic was public trust in higher education and the perceived value of a college degree. Candidates pointed to rising tuition, student debt, and concerns about post-graduation job prospects as key challenges. Proposed responses included better storytelling about university outcomes, stronger partnerships with schools, legislators, and communities, more targeted fundraising and commercialization of research, and clearer evidence of return on investment for students and families. The discussion then turned to athletics, where most candidates described sports as the university’s “front door” but said academics must remain the priority. They raised NIL, revenue sharing, and the need to keep athletics funding separate from core university funding, while also recognizing athletics’ role in campus culture and student recruitment. In later questions, candidates discussed why they sought regent service and how to support diversity, equity, and inclusion, with responses stressing access, belonging, open debate, and meeting students where they are. No formal votes or actions were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• That we could get that's based partly on the amount of tuition that we waive.
• And so it's a percentage of the tuition that we waive that we are reimbursed.
• And in that sense, do they pay full tuition? Mr. Chair, Senator Woodson.
• But The tuition is still generally waived.
• Tuition costs are going to attract students, right?

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the student and the cost of tuition and those kinds of things, can you speak to your experience and
• From the student perspective, tuition and cost of attendance is a big concern for students.
• From my experience, tuition is a lot of money for families and students.
• Tuition is a lot of money for families and students.
• Additionally, the board administers the Student Tuition Recovery Fund to compensate students who are

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The enlistment incentives provide state tuition reimbursement and state re-enlistment bonuses.
• Incentives, like I said, include state tuition reimbursement and state re-enlistment bonuses.
• State tuition reimbursement is something that continually increases with state tuition, and it sets the
• We offer state tuition reimbursement for them to pursue higher education or trade school because they
• This is generally enough to cover state tuition reimbursement, plus a little extra.

Transcript Highlights:

• and then you have the outside uh tuition and then you have the outside uh tuition for<00:12:08.399
• Bill 491, uh, which deals with tuition Bill 491, uh, which deals with tuition and<00:42:03.359> transportation
• <00:43:06.240> and is primarily that issue of tuition and is primarily that issue of tuition
• tuition and transportation uh<00:43:48.000> funding.
• <00:47:38.240> So funds for tuition transportation. So funds for tuition transportation.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A study back in 2023 of the state's compensation and classification system was conducted.
• means relatively the same thing as a manager in another classification.
• So throughout state classifications, there's a... Uniform system of leveling.
• There's about 680 classifications in this job catalog. That's down from a little more than 800.
• Compensation and classification that you want to have on behalf of all state employees.

Transcript Highlights:

• This includes, but is not limited to, the classifications and definitions of Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes
• This includes, but is not limited to, the classifications and definitions of Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes
• This includes, but is not limited to, the classifications and definitions of Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes
• This includes, but is not limited to, the classifications and definitions of Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes
• This includes, but is not limited to, the classifications and definitions of Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The meeting included a joint public hearing of the House Housing and Transportation committees, followed by a Transportation Committee hearing. In the joint hearing, members considered SB 662 SD1, which concerned transportation and included two parts: transferring certain streets to the city and clarifying police authority on state streets. The chair recommended moving the bill out as an HD1 with Part One removed, explaining that the street-transfer issue should be worked out by the county and state and that removing it would improve the bill’s chances. The committees voted to pass the measure with amendments, and the recommendation was adopted. The Transportation Committee then heard several bills. SB 1095, relating to license plates, would increase decal size restrictions for special number plates; the Department of Transportation offered written comments, with testimony split between two individuals in opposition and one in support, and no questions were raised. SB 344 would require skateboard users under 16 to wear helmets; DOT supported the bill, as did TRIAA Hawaii, the Injury Prevention Coalition, and other individuals, while two individuals opposed it. SB 30 would require all moped riders to wear helmets regardless of age; DOT supported it, but Moped Doctors and Hawaiian Style Rentals and Sales opposed it, arguing the bill was overreaching, could be hard to enforce, and should be more narrowly targeted or replaced with education efforts. The committee also heard SB 1216, which would tighten noisy muffler and exhaust enforcement by conditioning inspection certificates, adding inspection-station penalties, increasing fines, and prohibiting repair or installation of noisy systems. DOT supported the measure, and Waiʻanae Neighborhood Board testified in support, while Moped Doctors and the Motorcycle Industry Council opposed it, saying the bill would burden inspection stations, create liability concerns, and raise questions about insurance-related language as applied to mopeds. The hearing included discussion of enforcement, inspection burdens, and whether the bill’s insurance references applied to mopeds. No final vote was taken on the Transportation Committee bills in the portion provided, and the hearing adjourned after testimony and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• the community college system tuition the community college system tuition rate.<00:21:32.080>
• We were supposed to be funding on a tuition basis 75% of the cost of tuition from the sending school
• support buys down instate tuition. support buys down instate tuition.
• tuition is double instate<00:57:26.000> tuition<00:57:26.640> because<00:57:26.880>
• market will not bear in a tuition market will not bear in a tuition increase<00:57:33.680> to

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met to review the annual report on collaboration between the University System of New Hampshire and the Community College System of New Hampshire, and the meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and a gubernatorial proclamation recognizing the community college system’s 80th anniversary. Both chancellors praised the proclamation and described the report as a statutory follow-up to the public higher education task force. They said the two systems have built a close working relationship and that the collaboration is intended to continue, though progress may be limited by resources and staffing changes. Much of the discussion focused on transfer pathways and new academic models. The chancellors said House Bill 1530 helped drive the creation of more than 100, and possibly about 130, “universal pathways” between the systems, with a reported 30% increase in community college associate-degree graduates transferring to the university system in the last academic year. They also discussed direct-admit outreach for community college graduates, early college and CTE-to-workforce pathways, and the development of three-year bachelor’s programs at Plymouth State and in some health-care fields. Members asked about nursing, allied dental health, and radiologic technology, and the chancellors said they are exploring whether some programs can be streamlined, while noting that nursing’s requirements may limit how short a pathway can be. Members also raised concerns about whether transfer pathways could affect university enrollment, but the university chancellor said declining enrollment is more likely due to a smaller pool of college-age students and broader competition, not the transfer programs. Another topic was the ERP/technology platform recommendation from the task force: the university system is moving to Workday, while the community college system is working to align business practices and move from an on-premises system to a cloud-based solution. Officials said a shared enterprise system could create efficiencies in the future, but it is not expected in the short term; student-facing tools like Canvas are already shared. The committee also discussed House Bill 112, which would require passing a civics test for graduation, and the chancellors said they support civic education but see implementation challenges. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes and receiving the report.

Transcript Highlights:

• So Preschool Open Doors is for community-based centers that charge for tuition, and so the way that supports
• <02:38:18.560> and<02:38:18.640> so centers that charge for tuition and so centers
• that charge for tuition and so the<02:38:18.960> way<02:38:19.160> that the way that the
• You keep saying school security, but is it in the classification attendant? Yes, yeah.
• um attendant yes yeah classification um attendant yes yeah they're<03:59:28.080> not<03:59:28.359

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're taking a look at what tuition revenue is being collected locally.
• We back out tuition revenue, and we arrive at what we call in the model the state funding needs.
• Our tuition and fees estimated for 2425, based on our Institutions' tuition and fees estimated for 2425
• , based on our first FTE calculation, you see there about $704.5 million in tuition and fees.
• state funds and 30% tuition and fees for the Florida College System.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee for Higher Education met to review Florida’s workforce and Florida College System funding models as part of budget planning. Chair Harrell opened by emphasizing the state’s growing focus on technical education and workforce pathways, and the committee first heard from Tara Goodman of the Department of Education on district workforce education. Goodman explained the programs funded through district workforce dollars, including career certificates, applied technology diplomas, registered apprenticeship, and adult general education, and described the model’s reliance on lagged enrollment, program cost weights, local tuition offsets, and supplemental factors such as disability services, GED testing, and minimum funding for small rural districts. She also noted federal support through Perkins and WIOA and said the model is used to determine unmet need and guide appropriations. In response to questions, she said health care programs are generally among the higher-cost offerings and may be supplemented by pipeline funds. The committee then heard from Kathy Hebda, Chancellor of the Florida College System, on the college system’s funding model. Hebda described the main funding sources, including the program fund, student success incentive funds, pipeline funds, tuition and fees, and performance-based incentives, and explained that the current model was developed by the 28 college presidents under legislative direction. She said the model uses a three-year average FTE, weights workforce enrollment more heavily than non-workforce enrollment, gives significant weight to completions, includes a small-college factor and regional cost differentials, and also provides targeted funding to bring colleges up to a floor based on per-FTE funding. Senators asked about colleges below the target, cost differences among programs, faculty salaries, and health insurance costs; Hebda said the model is meant to provide flexible operating dollars that colleges can use for those expenses, but specific salary and benefit decisions are left to the institutions. Seminole State College President Georgia Lorenz also testified in support of the college funding model, saying it holds institutions accountable for enrollment and completions, can be adjusted to reflect state priorities like workforce, and addresses differences in size and regional costs. No bills were voted on, and the committee adjourned after brief closing remarks thanking Seminole State College and the presenters.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then turning to page 21, item 5, state tuition assistance.
• No, this is separate than the Hazelwood tuition for what?
• It's for, um, The state active guard and the National Guard, most of the members that use state tuition
• Then there's a small percentage of the state guard that the tuition is their training tuition?
• No, it's for their semester, their tuition.

Transcript Highlights:

• and trans the available for the tuition and trans the tuition<01:19:24.640> side.
• the CRTC tuition rate.
• the CRTC tuition rate.
• high school's tuition is the CRTC<01:29:28.719> tuition<01:29:29.199> rate.
• first and we pay the tuition.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 292, which would authorize a governor’s warrant to cover special education aid shortfalls from the education trust fund, and from the general fund if needed, so local school districts would not have to absorb prorated costs or raise local property taxes. Senator Lang said the bill was prompted by a prior $15 million special education funding shortfall caused by higher-than-expected catastrophic aid claims, including more qualifying students and the recent increase in the special education age limit to 22. He emphasized that the bill is intended to ensure the state meets its funding commitment and avoid shifting costs to towns. Members asked about how the bill interacts with House Bill 742 and House Bill 773, including whether the language should be merged or whether the state should fund 100% versus an 80% floor. Lang said he was open to improving the bill and to adding a study committee or performance audit on special education costs, but maintained that the state should not push costs to local taxpayers when it has available funds. The hearing on SB 292 was then closed, with no vote taken. The committee then opened Senate Bill 98, which would extend for five more years a tax credit program for donations to regional career and technical education centers. Senator Waters said the program has been successful in building partnerships between CTE centers and employers, especially through equipment donations that support training and apprenticeships. He cited examples including automotive, marine trades, and advanced manufacturing programs, and said the five-year extension would let lawmakers continue to review whether the incentive is working as intended. Several members questioned whether the credit is effectively a 100% subsidy and how the cap works. Waters and another member explained that the underlying program has an aggregate cap of $500,000 and that credits are prorated if requests exceed that amount; they also said the donations are primarily equipment, not cash. Some members raised concerns about whether businesses could also claim other tax deductions or credits, but the sponsor said the existing structure has been in place for years and has been revisited periodically. No vote was taken during the hearing excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are not consistently granted in-state tuition rates across all Texas institutions.
• to ensure that these students, who are actively preparing for military service, receive resident tuition
• It involves the state tuition assistance program, not the federal program. It is a priority act.
• It also extends the ability of tuition assistance from five academic years to seven, an increase of two
• It is my sincere belief that HB 290 rewards the participants of our state tuition assistance program.

Bills: HB101, HB290

Keywords: voter approval, local tax, disaster declaration, tax rate increases, community funding, PFAS, agriculture, criminal offense, pollution, Johnson County, environmental regulation, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also discount our tuition as needed to help make it reachable for our students.
• We also discount our tuition as needed to help make it reachable for our students.
• We also discount our tuition as needed to help make it reachable for our students.
• colleges who aren't having their tuition colleges who aren't having their tuition tied<00:44:53.359
• so I know you all probably saw a tuition so I know you all probably saw a tuition freeze<01:16:07.960

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Because the Pell is enough to cover the CC tuition, but there would be then this question of indirect
• This bill is relating to the University of Hawaii resident tuition fee.
• Havi to Grant the resident tuition Havi to Grant the resident tuition tuition<00:48:20.520> fee
• Regents to Grant a waiver on all tuition Regents to Grant a waiver on all tuition and<00:54:17.799
• bill to include reinstating tuition bill to include reinstating tuition waivers<01:01:55.000>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Bachman Hall and heard testimony on several UH-related bills. HB 542 would expand the Hawaiʻi Promise Program to provide unmet-need scholarships at four-year UH campuses. UH system officials, the UH Student Caucus, and a Honolulu Community College student testified in support, emphasizing college affordability, student retention, and workforce needs. Committee members asked about current program data, eligibility, transfer patterns, and cost; UH said it had data available, noted about 10% of current Hawaiʻi Promise students transfer to four-year campuses, and estimated the full expansion would cost about $12 million. UH also suggested a possible alternative of focusing on transfer opportunities from two-year to four-year campuses. The committee then heard HB 840, which concerns athletics appropriations for UH. UH Mānoa and UH Hilo supported the bill. UH officials said the funding would help cover recurring athletics operating costs, women’s sports travel and recruiting, Austin Awards, and a new nutrition fueling station, while Hilo said the money would help with travel, per diem, and conference-related costs. Members asked about the history of the athletics funding, the difference between Austin Awards and special talent waivers, NIL planning, and whether the appropriation should be restored to the base budget. UH explained that a $4 million athletics appropriation was originally made in 2018 or 2019, later removed from the base, and has been reappropriated annually since then. Finally, the committee heard HB 842, which would fund three additional permanent mental health practitioner positions at UH Mānoa’s Counseling and Student Development Center. UH supported the bill, and Academic Labor United and a high school student testified in favor, citing student stress, overwork, and the need for more counseling access. In questions, members discussed the current counselor-to-student ratio, recruitment challenges in a tight labor market, and strategies for hiring, including looking at candidates on soft-money grants who may be seeking stable employment. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I think that's what the new classification system will help us do and help us move people downstream
• So, I think that's what the new classification system will help us do and help us move people downstream
• So, I think that's what the new classification system will help us do and help us move people downstream
• So, I think that's what the new classification system will help us do and help us move people downstream
• Professor Janet Davidson from Shaunat University completed a study of our classification system, and

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 3040, which would create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Supporters, including Moms Demand Action and a crime-victim advocate, argued the office would improve data collection, research, and coordination to help reduce gun violence. Opponents, including several gun-rights advocates, said the proposal was duplicative, lacked oversight, and would exclude the firearms community. The chair noted 41 testimonies in support and 77 in opposition, but no vote was taken on the bill in the portion provided. The committee then moved through a series of decision-making items and adopted the chair’s recommendations on several measures. SB 17 on wildfire mitigation passed with amendments from multiple agencies and a report date shifted to the 2028 session. SB 2730 on criminal justice reform passed with a defective effective date amendment, SB 2749 on sentencing passed with a defective effective date, SB 2688 on compassionate release passed with amendments narrowing eligibility and adding notification and funding language, and SB 2798 on law enforcement passed with a defective effective date to make the agricultural enforcement pilot program permanent. SB 2645, a short-form bill, was amended to insert substantive provisions and recommitted to the committee. SB 2383, which would have provided a $15,000 retention bonus for sworn law enforcement officers, was reconsidered and held in committee because it was identified as a duplicate. The committee also passed SB 2575, relating to firearms, with amendments adopting a proposed SD1 that would establish minimum mandatory prison terms for certain class A firearm felonies and add clarifying language. SB 2720, which would create a Hawaii firearm injury restitution fund funded by firearm manufacturer licenses, also passed with amendments clarifying the fund’s scope and eligible injuries. Later, the committee began hearing SB 3107 on parole eligibility. The Office of the Public Defender and the Hawaii Paroling Authority supported language allowing the parole board to waive certain program requirements, while the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission opposed the bill, warning it could keep people incarcerated longer if program access remains limited. The Department of Corrections said it is working on classification changes and a pilot project to move inmates through the system faster.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, tuition will not be able to fully cover.
• You know, tuition will not be able to fully cover.
• So, like, what is the tuition increment that BFET and Workforce are paying?
• So, like, what is the tuition increment that be fed and workforce are paying?
• , $60,000; cost of tuition, $80,000; et cetera.

Summary: The committee held a work session on the state of Washington’s community and technical college system with State Board executive director Nate Humphrey and Tacoma Community College president Ivan Harrell. They described the system’s open-access mission, 34 colleges serving more than 307,000 students, relatively low tuition, enrollment growth over 12 consecutive quarters, and strong outcomes such as more than 46,000 credentials awarded last year. They also highlighted system initiatives including guided pathways, I-BEST, dual enrollment, tribal partnerships, a new program search tool, and six colleges named Aspen Prize finalists. At the same time, they emphasized major challenges: high rates of student food, housing, and homelessness insecurity; sharply rising emergency aid requests; and federal funding disruptions affecting TANF, BFET, adult basic education, Carl Perkins, NOAA-related tribal work, and several federal grants. Members asked about SNAP impacts, declining high school graduates, and how BFET and TANF interact with other aid programs. The presenters also discussed system priorities such as AI, Workforce Pell, capital planning, nursing accreditation alignment, and the Washington College Grant. The committee then heard testimony from AFT Washington and the Washington Association of Higher Education on faculty and staff conditions in the community and technical college system. Jackie Kane and Suzanne Sutherland argued that classified staff, professional staff, and contingent faculty are essential to student success but face low pay, instability, and weak retention, and they urged lawmakers to protect existing funding and avoid further cuts. They said working conditions for faculty and staff are student learning conditions, and that underfunding leads to reduced services, shortened advising, and program instability. Marina Parr of the Workforce Board presented on federal H.R. 1’s new Workforce Pell provisions and the updated Career Bridge website. She explained that Workforce Pell would allow federal aid for short-term training programs of 8 to 15 weeks, with high completion, employment, and earnings thresholds and a requirement that credentials be stackable and portable. She said Washington is well positioned to implement the program because of its existing eligible training provider evaluation system and Career Bridge, which now has a redesigned public portal, digital portfolios, multilingual access, and performance data on programs. Members asked about rulemaking, possible gaps in state services, and how the wage and completion standards would be applied. The Washington Student Achievement Council then briefed the committee on the new Washington Completes FAFSA campaign created by executive order. Staff described an advisory board with statewide representation, a pilot that used microgrants and other supports at 25 priority schools, and a new goal of 46,000 FAFSA or WASFA completions this year. They reported that completion rates were tracking slightly ahead of last year, with 24% of high school seniors having completed a FAFSA by the end of November, and they showcased a public dashboard with subgroup data and a WIAA-based leaderboard. Members asked about outreach to rural and homeschool students, legislative communications, Pierce County representation, and barriers to FAFSA completion, and staff said they would provide toolkits and continue expanding outreach. The committee then began hearing from student presenters about affordability, access, equity, and student experience.

Transcript Highlights:

• When I talk about the cost information, when I talk about direct costs, that's like tuition and fees,
• <00:42:31.599> and direct costs, that's like tuition and direct costs, that's like tuition
• The reality for most students is that their non-tuition expenses are now greater than tuition and fees
• net price, especially since many students have to borrow to help cover their non-tuition expenses.
• Uh, next up online we have Mark Salisbury from Tuition Fit. Welcome.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• city council deliberations with the empty homes tax, where they're essentially creating a new classification
• for property tax classification E.
• city council deliberations with the empty homes tax, where they're essentially creating a new classification
• for property tax classification E.
• for property tax classification E.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on three resolutions: HCR 61, HCR 182, and HCR 183. Testimony on all three was generally supportive, with support noted from the Hawaii Children’s Action Network, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, ACLU, Chamber of Commerce, Hawaii Food Industry Association, Hawaii Renewables Fuels Coalition, the University of Hawaii, and CARES. Angela Melody Young testified in strong support on behalf of CARES on multiple items, urging consideration of county processes, financing structures, and the need for procedures free from partisan influence. For HCR 183, the University of Hawaii said it stood on its written testimony and was available for questions. The discussion focused less on opposition and more on suggested policy considerations. Testimony on HCR 61 raised questions about how physical notes or related procedures should be administered and whether the process should be housed in a nonpartisan office. On HCR 182 and HCR 183, testimony emphasized coordinating state and county financing and planning, including references to property tax classifications, general obligation bonds, and long-term statewide projects such as Aloha Stadium. At the close of the hearing, the chair recommended taking all three resolutions together. The committee voted to pass HCR 61, HCR 182, and HCR 183 unamended, with all voting members present voting aye and two senators excused. The resolutions were adopted.