Transcript Highlights:

• Once they received education, of course, they did not want to administer this to patients.
• Once they received education, of course, they did not want to administer this to patients.
• Regulation, education, and access are the path forward.
• Regulation, education, and access are the pass forward.
• Prevention is essential, but education alone is not enough, and we need action from you.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Health

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health held a lengthy hearing to take testimony on a wide range of bills related to environmental health, PFAS, medical device chemicals, food access, lead poisoning, air quality, oral health, and school food additives. Chair Driscoll and Chair Decker emphasized that the hearing was for testimony only, no decisions would be made that day, and that written testimony could still be submitted. They also noted the high volume of speakers and asked witnesses to keep remarks brief. A major portion of the hearing focused on PFAS-related legislation, including bills to restrict PFAS in products and food packaging and to create a PFAS remediation trust fund. Municipal officials and advocates described the high costs of PFAS cleanup, especially for drinking water systems, citing Easton’s multimillion-dollar treatment investments and rate increases. Testimony from legislators and advocates argued that Massachusetts should act despite federal uncertainty, and that the state should stop PFAS at the source rather than leaving municipalities and residents to pay for remediation. The committee also heard strong support for a bill banning DEHP in medical devices, with physicians, nurses, and a bill sponsor saying the chemical can leach from IV bags and tubing and that safer alternatives already exist. The committee also heard testimony on bills to establish statewide food truck permitting, with food truck owners and a senator describing the current system as costly, duplicative, and inconsistent across municipalities. Another set of witnesses supported the “Bean New Deal,” which would expand plant-based food options in public institutions, senior nutrition programs, and WIC, citing health, equity, and cost savings. On lead poisoning, housing advocates and a representative backed bills to expand lead-safe housing requirements to all rental units, arguing the current law contributes to discrimination against families with children and leaves too much pre-1978 housing uncertified. The committee also heard support for an outdoor air pollution bill that would create an advisory committee, identify pollution hotspots, expand monitoring, and set reduction targets, with testimony from environmental justice groups, pediatricians, and legislators describing disproportionate asthma and other health harms in overburdened communities. Later testimony addressed oral health bills to create dental therapists and allow dental hygienists to administer nitrous oxide, with supporters saying the measures would expand access, reduce costs, and help underserved patients. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to prohibit harmful food dyes in competitive school foods, with parents describing behavioral and health concerns tied to synthetic dyes. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, to act at the discretion of the Industrial Commission, there's 10% of that we use for education
• and outreach to help educate the public and educate the next generation of North Dakota citizens through
• Okay, the third thing here is education and outreach. So...
• These activities are focused on advocating for and educating about North Dakota energy.
• And that really is where that education outreach... ...the question. It's a great question.

Committee: Joint Energy Development and Transmission Committee

Summary: The committee met in Grand Forks, approved the February 26 minutes by voice vote, and recessed for a tour of the Mincota Power Cooperative headquarters before returning for presentations on large energy consumers, especially data centers. The first presentations focused on how North Dakota should respond to rapid growth in energy-intensive projects, with speakers emphasizing the need for reliable transmission, local decision-making tools, and factual information for county and township officials who are being asked to weigh major projects with limited staff and technical support. The North Dakota Transmission Authority director said local governments are being asked to make high-impact decisions on pipelines, transmission lines, large agriculture, wind, solar, carbon dioxide pipelines, direct-air capture, and data centers, and urged development of simple statewide decision tools and support from the League of Cities and Association of Counties. The Department of Environmental Quality’s air division director said North Dakota’s air remains among the cleanest in the nation, but large data centers can create air-quality concerns because of diesel backup generation; he said the department is requiring air monitors at some facilities and expects grid power and, potentially, cleaner natural gas backup to reduce emissions. Members asked about emissions standards, misinformation, monitoring costs, and staffing succession at DEQ. The Department of Water Resources director said North Dakota’s water law is based on common ownership and prior appropriation, and that data centers generally use relatively small amounts of water, often in closed-loop systems. He said the Missouri River and groundwater supplies are ample for projected needs, that the department’s permitting process protects senior water rights, and that even a worst-case data center scenario would use a very small share of Missouri River flow. Members asked about downstream impacts and compared data center water use with fracking. Later, McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd Erickson urged the committee to study how other states regulate data centers, warned against litigation-driven delays and overly broad local ordinances, argued reclamation bonding should be handled at the state level if at all, and said data centers can bring jobs and tax base but should remain subject to local zoning. The committee ended the morning session for lunch and later heard an EERC update from CEO Charles Gorecki on the center’s 75 years of work in energy and environmental technologies, especially oil and gas development and related research.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I believe that with the new substitute bill, it should be debated in Education Committee, not the
• This is Appropriations, not Education. Everybody knows where they're going to be on this bill.
• This is appropriations, not education. Everybody knows where they're going to be at on this bill.
• Well, I was assuming we're going to recommit this education.
• Are we going to move on the motion to move to education?

Bills: HR3 , HR80 , HB4 , HB172 , HB189 , HB623 , HB944 , HB1185 , HB1199 , HB1222 , SB105 , SB125 , SB461

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: housing assistance, state-owned property, cost-burdened, state employees, affordable housing, fiscal audit, higher education, public funds, underrepresented minorities, Board of Regents, Louisiana legislation, constitutional convention, Louisiana constitution, electoral process, government structure, delegate elections, airport authority, fire protection, supplemental pay, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• work, and educational disruptions from being<00:26:02.000><c> ordered</c><00:26:02.240><c> to</c><00
• This process would allow the recognition for those who put their education on hold and answered their
• This process would allow the recognition for those who put their education on hold and answered their
• This process would allow the recognition for those who put their education on hold and answered their
• </c> Education Policy, was it? Yes, Mr. Education Policy, was it? Yes, Mr.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard an introductory presentation from Sam Daily of Believe It Canine Service Partners, a nonprofit that trains service dogs free of charge for disabled veterans. Daily described the organization’s work with veterans, including placements with MACV and a service dog at Veteran Village in Eagan, and said the group has placed 80 teams so far. Senator Howe asked whether the organization had pursued Support Our Troops grants, and Daily said it had received two SOS grants. The first bill taken up was Senate File 4172, as amended, which would expand eligibility for burial in Minnesota state veterans cemeteries to honorably discharged reservists, National Guard members, and Air National Guard members, and would allow some honor guard use for eligible people. Senator Howe said the bill corrects an inequity for Guard and reserve members who served honorably but are not currently eligible. Glenn Pence testified in support, saying the bill recognizes National Guard service and should allow those veterans to be buried with others they served alongside. MDVA’s David Swantek supported the concept but warned that expanded eligibility would increase demand, especially at Little Falls, and could shorten its projected capacity timeline from about 48 years to about 30 years. The committee adopted the A1 amendment and then laid the bill over for inclusion in the Veterans and Military Affairs Finance Omnibus Bill. The committee then heard Senate File 4026, which sets standards for MDVA competitive grants and adds accountability and residency requirements. Senator Koran said the bill would help the department review grants and ensure funds serve Minnesota veterans and families. MDVA chief of staff Dave Belfi supported the bill, saying it reflects agency feedback, aligns with existing residency rules, and does not affect CVSO, VSO, or Support Our Troops grants. The A1 amendment was adopted, and the bill was laid over for inclusion in the omnibus bill. Next, Senate File 4807 was heard, a bill to update pay for National Guard soldiers and airmen called to state active duty. MDVA and National Guard officials said the bill would simplify statute language and raise the minimum base pay for lower ranks to the E5 level, with future adjustments tied to federal pay tables. Senator Kunesh asked about funding, and staff explained the cost would come through an open general-fund emergency appropriation, estimated at about $30,000 annually but varying with activations. The committee adopted amendments to incorporate SF 4172 and SF 4026 into SF 4807, made technical corrections, and then recommended SF 4807, as amended, to pass and be referred to the full committee. Finally, the committee heard Senate File 3603, which would create a program allowing school districts to issue high school diplomas to Minnesota veterans who left school to serve during the Korean conflict or Vietnam War. Senator Rasmussen said the bill recognizes veterans who interrupted their education for service. MDVA’s John Kelly supported the bill, noting it reflects input from MDVA and the Department of Education and that similar programs exist in other states. The committee voted to recommend the bill to pass and refer it to the full committee. The meeting also began discussion of Senate File 4560, which would formalize the Commander's Task Force, but the transcript cuts off before that bill was acted on.

Transcript Highlights:

• Committee, House Bills to the Education Committee, House Bills 490,<00:48:17.160><c> 690,</c><00:48:
• President, I move that House Bill 490 be taken from the Education Committee, given its first reading,
• and returned to the Education Committee.
• to the Education Committee.
• House Bill 727, an act relating to the Kentucky Educator Placement Service System.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That the business community is preparing long-term for what will be the ways to educate businesses, to
• These are highly skilled workers with over 10 years of training and education who are being pushed out
• In response here at CFLCA, we focus on educating employers about their rights and obligations, how to
• You know, similar in the education space, where one hour of training typically needs an hour or two of
• You know, similar in the education space, where one hour of training typically needs an hour or two of

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Summary: The Senate Labor and Public Employment Committee held an oversight hearing on federal policy impacts on California’s labor market. In opening remarks, the chair argued that federal actions, including immigration enforcement, tariffs, and cuts to safety-net programs, are harming workers, employers, and communities, and said the committee wanted to document impacts and identify state responses. The first panel featured economist Enrique Lopez Lira of UC Berkeley, who described slow job growth, wage pressures, high housing and care costs, and the large share of California workers in low-wage jobs. He said federal cuts to Medi-Cal and SNAP/CalFresh and increased immigration enforcement would worsen insecurity, especially in health care, retail, hospitality, agriculture, and care work. The chair asked about recession indicators, middle-wage stagnation, and which sectors rely most on safety-net programs, and Lopez Lira said worker organizing and unions were a source of hope. A second panel focused on federal immigration enforcement. UC Merced’s Edward Orozco Flores presented research finding that private-sector employment in enforcement-targeted states fell during escalated enforcement periods, with California experiencing unprecedented declines in 2025. He urged policymakers to consider wage-replacement or stimulus-style support for affected workers, including excluded workers who cannot access unemployment insurance. Shannon Sedgwick of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation said undocumented workers are deeply embedded in the county economy, generating substantial economic activity and supporting over a million jobs. She reported that intensified enforcement in Los Angeles County was associated with business disruptions, reduced sales and customer traffic, workforce instability, lower transit ridership in vulnerable areas, and losses from the downtown curfew. Committee members asked about impacts on small businesses, tax revenue, and recovery, and witnesses pointed to local resiliency funds, business toolkits, and know-your-rights efforts as partial responses. The hearing then heard from worker representatives. Flore Melendres of the Clean Car Wash Worker Center said car washes have been heavily targeted by federal agents, with hundreds of workers taken from workplaces, many businesses disrupted or closed, and workers living in fear; she urged support for AB 2271 to provide financial benefits to families who lost income because of DHS activity. California Nurses Association president Michelle Gutierrez-Vos said H.R. 1’s Medi-Cal and Covered California cuts threaten hospital finances, jobs, and patient care, and she backed CalCare (AB 1900), a hospital closure moratorium, and more support for nursing education. UAW 4811 president Rafael Jaime said federal research cuts are putting UC research funding and postdoctoral jobs at risk and endorsed SB 895, a proposed bond measure for health and scientific research. AFGE representatives Wallace Wade and Kendrick Roberson described the strain on federal workers during shutdowns, unpaid work, staffing losses, and the effects on TSA, Social Security, VA services, and worker housing stability; they supported SB 1155 to protect federal workers from eviction. Committee members thanked the witnesses and said the testimony showed both the human and economic consequences of federal policy. In the final panel, employer groups began responding to the same federal pressures. California Retailers Association president Rachel Michelin said retail is a major private-sector employer and a key entry point for young workers, and that retailers are seeing the effects of rising costs, supply-chain shifts, and consumer pressure at the checkout counter. The hearing continued with additional employer testimony beyond the provided excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Educational occupancies in just the southern third of the state of Minnesota.
• I'm here on behalf of MREA and MASBO, Minnesota Rural Education Association and Minnesota Association
• <00:19:45.480><c> program</c> education program education program which<00:19:46.880><c> serves</c><00
• We are a group of 17 independent schools educating more than 10,000 students across our state.
• </c> away from other important educational away from other important educational and<00:26:33.800><c>

Committee: Senate Labor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We always talk about how we don't have the funding in education, but the state decided to rebrand all
• We talk about how we're going to educate people.
• By Education Administration Subcommittee and Representative Koster and others. C.S.
• By Education Administration Subcommittee and Show the motion adopted.
• By Education Administration Subcommittee and Representative Koster and others.

Summary: The House opened with prayer, a moment of silence for the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Joseph Di Alessandro, the Pledge of Allegiance, and announcements confirming a quorum. Members also adopted the special order report and recognized several guests in the gallery, including former Speaker Dan Webster and law enforcement and civic visitors. The chamber then moved through a long special-order calendar of bills, mostly on third reading, with several measures passing unanimously or by wide margins. Among the bills considered were measures on civil procedure and estates, including C.S. HB 1407 on commencement of civil actions, HB 895 on trustee settlement and discharge, C.S. HB 1337 on estates, HB 131 on curators of estates, and C.S. HB 351 on concurrent legislative jurisdiction over military installations. The House also passed C.S. HB 441 on conservation lands, which would lengthen notice and increase transparency for land swaps involving conservation property, and C.S. CS HB 919 on commercial service airports, which created a statutory definition for major airports and preempted local naming authority for several airports. HB 919 drew extensive debate over the proposed naming of Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald J. Trump, with amendments to delay or alter the naming failing before the bill passed. Other bills approved included HB 409 requiring K-12 schools to observe Veterans Day, CS HB 461 allowing certain students to volunteer at polling places for community service hours, CS HB 1115 creating grants for genetic counseling education, HB 569 revising forensic client services, CS HB 505 regulating virtual currency kiosks to address fraud, and HB 271 on foreign and alien bail bond insurers. The House also passed HB 191 on re-employment assistance eligibility verification after extended questioning about its effects on benefits, appeals, and suitable work standards. One bill, CS HB 243 on electric bicycles, was temporarily postponed, and CS HB 1073 on school districts was also postponed.

Transcript Highlights:

• We always talk about how we don't have the funding in education, but the state decided to rebrand all
• By Education Administration Subcommittee, Representative Koster and others, CS for House Bill 1073, a
• We talk about how we're going to educate people... ...is definitely a good idea.
• By Education Administration Subcommittee and Representative Koster and others. C.S.
• By Education Administration Subcommittee and Show the motion adopted.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This includes the employees of a public educational institution, a university under ABOR, and ABOR.
• Universities used to be there to educate that job.
• House Bill 2060 would prohibit all public education.
• We use science to educate students that life begins at the moment of conception.
• Our students deserve alternatives, protection, and truth when receiving an education.

Committee: House House Government Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from Intel Expert/Expert Works on software intended to help investigators process large volumes of audio, video, and text data more quickly. The presenters said the tool could be adapted for Department of Child Safety work involving neglected, abused, missing, and exploited children by flagging keywords, building link charts, translating transcripts, and aggregating files for faster review. Members discussed possible use with DCS, county sheriffs, DOC, procurement and RFP issues, and whether the software could help triage hotline calls, clear backlogs, and identify trafficking or abuse networks. The presenters said the system is already used in Iowa and elsewhere, and committee members expressed interest in pursuing legislation, appropriations, or a pilot program. The committee then considered HB 2460, which would preempt local ordinances that penalize businesses for theft of movable property, especially shopping carts. The sponsor argued cities were shifting cleanup costs onto victims of theft, while cities and towns opposed the bill, saying local ordinances address blight and public-right-of-way hazards and that businesses should take proactive steps. After testimony from the League of Arizona Cities and Towns and the City of Phoenix, the committee passed HB 2460 on a 4-3 vote. Members also heard HB 2060, which would prohibit public educational institutions and ABOR schools from encouraging or facilitating abortions. The sponsor said taxpayer-funded institutions should remain neutral and not use public resources to promote abortion, while opponents argued the bill would restrict students’ access to constitutionally protected reproductive health care and referrals. Supporters said campuses should provide alternatives such as pregnancy resources and adoption information. The committee passed HB 2060 on a 4-3 vote. Finally, the committee considered HB 2210, as amended, to prohibit the state, local governments, and private entities from using ADS-B aircraft surveillance data to calculate or collect fees from aircraft owners or operators. Supporters said the technology was intended for safety and should not be repurposed for fee collection, warning that pilots might turn it off if used that way; opponents, including the City of Phoenix, said they wanted flexibility to use the system if needed. The committee adopted the amendment and then passed HB 2210 as amended on a 4-3 vote. The transcript then began discussion of HB 2533, which would create an Office of Homeless Services, board, compensation fund, and ombudsman, but the excerpt ends before that bill is fully taken up.

Transcript Highlights:

• But do you know why the Department of Education was completely eliminated from here so all education
• I do know that none of the... >> Take that one too. >> Okay. >> Department of Education, a lot of the
• </c><00:28:48.320><c> was</c> um the the department of education was um the the department of education
• from here so all education funding would be be be not<00:28:58.399><c> included?
• And as I said, education adequacy payments are nowhere.

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Proposition 98 is for funding our K-12, K-14 education. Proposition 2 is for the Rainy Day Fund.
• They're educating Rita as we speak.
• For those of you who are old enough— They're educating Rita as we speak.
• The last thing is on education. Thank you. The last thing is on education.
• The last thing is on education, so our education budget keeps going up through Prop 98 funding, but what

Committee: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Persefield dedicated his life to education and public service.
• I have been on the Public Education Committee now for two sessions, and I have kids in public schools
• And our State Board of Education works to create so that we know just what we have in our curriculum
• In fact, I remember hearing from one of my Republican colleagues on the Public Education Committee.
• Parents and educators have been sidelined.

Bills: SB 1 , HCR 20 , HR 131 , HR 133 , HR 135 , HR 136 , HR 137 , HR 144 , HR 145 , HR 146 , HR 149 , HR 150 , HR 151 , HR 152 , HR 158 , HR 161 , HR 162 , HR 163 , HR 165 , HR 166 , HR 168 , HR 169 , HR 170 , HR 175 , HR 178 , HR 127 , HR 129 , HR 130 , HR 132 , HR 134 , HR 138 , HR 139 , HR 140 , HR 141 , HR 142 , HR 143 , HR 153 , HR 154 , HR 155 , HR 156 , HR 159 , HR 160 , HR 164 , HR 167 , HR 172 , HR 173 , HR 176 , SB 1 , HB 8 , HB 15 , HB 27 , SB 5

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, memorial, remembrance, legacy, condolences, community, higher education, university merger, research, public health, economic impact, healthcare, insurance, affordability, medical coverage, state regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 19, Education<00:50:39.280><c> Freedom</c> Education Freedom Education Freedom Accounts.<00:50
• So this is uh your determination of adequate education grants.
• Education. [Applause] All right. 350, 351.
• I would adequate education grants.
• Education. Education. [Applause] All<00:56:43.799><c> right.

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the senior policy director at the Transgender Education Network of Texas.
• And that includes comprehensive sex education, OK?
• Um, I'm here as a religious educator.
• Um, as a religious educator, I'm asking that you please vote no on 3225.
• I too am a religious educator.

Bills: HB 45 , HB 755 , HB 1232 , HB 1555 , HB 2460 , HB 2702 , HB 2973 , HB 3120 , HB 3225 , HB 3314 , HB 3356 , HB 3371 , HB 3634 , HB 3638 , HB 4247 , HB 4283 , HB 4290 , HB 4302 , HB 4503 , HB 4511 , HB 4565 , HB 4581 , HB 4627 , HB 4632 , HB 4660 , HB 4668 , HB 4960 , HB 5042

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: housing, affordable housing, rent control, landlord-tenant laws, housing rights, lobbying, public entities, expenditures, government code, transparency, Texas Ethics Commission, government regulation, lobbying restrictions, government accountability, taxpayer money, HB 1232, whistleblower, whistleblower protection, public employee, retaliation

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:38:34.560><c> institutions</c> nonprofits like educational institutions nonprofits like educational
• You look above it and you'll see not-for-profit education institutions or districts created for special
• Public housing and not-for-profit educational institutions could be able to do this.
• Public housing and not-for-profit educational institutions could be able to do this.
• education institutions or District<00:42:07.240><c> en</c><00:42:07.560><c> created</c><00:42:07.800

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a place where families gather, where children learn, and where the values of service, education
• They've attacked PBS, which brings educational programming to children who don't have access to cable
• They've attacked PBS, which brings educational programming to children who don't have access to cable
• They've attacked PBS, which<00:53:26.640><c> brings</c><00:53:27.040><c> educational</c><00:53:27.760
• ><c> programming</c><00:53:28.559><c> to</c> which brings educational programming to which brings educational

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, May 15, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> that we're talking about educating that we're talking about educating ourselves<00:29:27.160><c>
• </c> talking [clears throat] about educating talking [clears throat] about educating ourselves<00:29:
• </c> You don't need to work on education. You don't need to work on education.
• &gt;&gt; That we don't need to educate our kids.
• </c> We don't need to have the best education We don't need to have the best education so<00:30:38.760

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Brenda Lewis for reappointment to the State Board of Education. Dr.
• It's supported by a broad array of education and climate advocates.
• Senate Bill 998 by Senator Gonzalez, relating to educational equity.
• Senate Bill 1381 by Senator Cervantes, relating to special education.
• Senate Bill 1328 by Senator Cervantes, relating to equity in public post-secondary education.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Things like education, for example.
• Things like education, for AI exposure.
• Um you close to me be being an educator.
• So we must integrate AI ethics, practical prompt engineering, and other AI education into our K-12 educational
• So we must integrate AI ethics, practical prompt engineering, and other AI education into our K-12 educational

Committee: Senate Labor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all