Transcript Highlights:

• The clerk will display the tally.

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• requirement from the school because what has been happening, senators, is that districts are spending time tallying

Summary: The Senate Education Committee heard House Bill 515, which would require schools to have a procedure for notifying families when a serious bullying incident occurs, defined as one resulting in suspension. Representative Chris Matthias said the bill also removes an annual bullying-reporting requirement to reduce administrative burden, and he noted earlier versions included suicide-prevention and law-enforcement notification language that was removed after concerns. With no testimony in opposition, the committee voted to send HB 515 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation; Senator Blaylock was named as the floor carrier. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1244, a code-cleanup measure repealing eight obsolete statutes related to regional library systems that have not existed for decades. Senator Carrie Semmelroth explained the bill came from the post-HB 14 cleanup process and contained no policy changes. The committee had no questions or opposition testimony and voted to send SB 1244 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. Finally, the committee took up RS 3318 for print, a proposal from Senator Kevin Cook to reduce the school choice tax credit by 4% in fiscal year 2026 and 5% in fiscal year 2027 as part of broader budget holdbacks. Supporters framed it as a revenue measure and part of spreading reductions across education, while opponents argued the program is new, still in its application window, and should not be cut before implementation is fully underway. After discussion about K-12 budget reductions, the committee approved the RS on a 6-3 roll call vote and sent it to print. The meeting then adjourned, and members were reminded there would be no committee meeting the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• requirement from the school because what has been happening, senators, is that districts are spending time tallying

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Senate Education Committee heard House Bill 515, presented by Rep. Chris Matthias, which would require schools to have a procedure for notifying families when a serious bullying incident occurs, defined as one resulting in suspension. Matthias said the bill also removes the annual bullying incident reporting requirement to the Department of Education because districts see it as burdensome and ineffective. There was no testimony in opposition, and the committee voted to send HB 515 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1244 from Sen. Carrie Semmelroth, a cleanup bill repealing obsolete statutes related to regional library systems that have not existed for decades. Semmelroth and State Librarian Dylan Baker explained the bill was part of broader code cleanup work with no policy changes. The committee approved the bill and sent SB 1244 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. Finally, the committee took up print hearing RS 3318 from Sen. Kevin Cook, which would reduce the amount available for the school choice tax credit program by applying a 4% holdback for fiscal year 2026 and 5% for fiscal year 2027. Supporters argued the state needs across-the-board budget reductions and that education programs, including K-12, have already been cut; opponents said the program is new, still being implemented, and should be left whole for now. After discussion about impacts on Launch and the tax credit program, the committee approved the RS for print on a 6-3 roll call vote and then adjourned, noting there would be no meeting the following day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, the final tally is 11 votes yes, 0 no.

Transcript Highlights:

• for adults, We always have to use the manual override function.
• I select fee to the manual override.
• I select fee to the manual override.
• My first map results iselect fee to the manual override.
• It's just being one manual that folks use for one of the systems.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> There are all These are all manual There are all These are all manual numbers<00:09:20.560><c> that
• Having to do this type of manual County.
• </c> our worker and then have to be manually our worker and then have to be manually done. done. done
• The policy manual for very, very rigid.
• A thousand-page manual, Mr.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The work to be performed consists of manual labor. Company A's owner, Mr.
• If they're substantially engaged in manual labor. Okay, good.
• But is this traditionally manual labor? Maybe that's a bit simpler question.
• If that 1099 worker is engaged in, substantially engaged in manual...
• So we took it... ...what is not manual labor, right? Yes. Okay.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee first adopted prior meeting minutes and voluntarily deferred three bills before taking up House Bill 232, which would shift the employment-certificate process for minors away from school boards and to Louisiana Works. Rep. Carlson said the bill is intended to reduce burdens on schools and make it easier for 16- and 17-year-olds to work, especially in the summer. A youth advisory council testified in support, describing the current process as cumbersome for students and families. The committee adopted amendments, including a change making the bill effective upon the governor’s signature, and then reported HB 232 favorably with amendments. The committee next considered House Bill 951, creating an Office of Talent Accelerator within Louisiana Works and a Business Workforce Committee to coordinate employer-facing workforce services. Rep. Bamberg and Secretary Susie Schowen described it as a centralized, regional, business-facing effort to respond more quickly to workforce needs tied to major economic development projects, while also supporting existing small and mid-sized businesses. Supporters, including Bollinger Shipyards and Leaders for a Better Louisiana, said similar models in Mississippi had helped expand training pipelines and better match employers with workers. The committee adopted a large amendment set and reported HB 951 with amendments. House Bill 923, a cleanup measure reorganizing Louisiana Works statutes and updating language after last year’s agency restructuring, was then adopted with technical amendments and reported with amendments. The committee also took up House Bill 301, which would create a voluntary portable-benefits framework for independent contractors and gig workers. Supporters said it would give contractors a way to negotiate benefits such as health care or retirement contributions, while opponents warned it could encourage misclassification, weaken workers’ compensation protections, and shift costs to workers and the state. After debate, the committee adopted amendments and reported HB 301 with a 6-5 vote. Finally, House Bill 185 was introduced as a workers’ compensation measure to expand the definition of independent contractor and restore tort immunity for employers in certain contract-labor situations. The sponsor said it was part of the Attorney General’s package and aimed at addressing a recent court decision; the bill was just beginning discussion when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• The work to be performed consists of manual labor. Company A's owner, Mr.
• This inclusion, I should say, of the manual labor exception.
• If they're substantially engaged in manual labor. Okay, good.
• If that 1099 worker is engaged in substantially manual labor...
• Okay, so we took out what is not manual labor, right? Yes. Okay.

Summary: The committee first handled House Bill 232 by Rep. Carlson, which would shift the process for minors’ employment certificates away from schools and school boards and instead have Louisiana Works create and collect the forms directly from employers. An amendment set was adopted to update the title, revise a section heading, add a collection procedure, and make the bill effective upon the governor’s signature. Carlson and supporters, including members of the Legislative Youth Advisory Council, said the change would reduce burdens on schools, make it easier for 16- and 17-year-olds to enter the workforce, and better fit summer hiring. The secretary said the department could move quickly to notify schools and employers. The bill was reported with amendments. The committee then took up House Bill 951 by Rep. Bamberg, which creates an Office of the Talent Accelerator within Louisiana Works and a business workforce committee to coordinate employer-facing workforce services. After adopting a large amendment set, Bamberg and Secretary Schowan said the office would help Louisiana respond more quickly to business needs, especially as major economic development projects create demand for skilled labor. Supporters from Leaders for a Better Louisiana and Bollinger Shipyards described similar results in Mississippi’s centralized workforce model and said employers need a one-stop, regional approach to training and recruitment. Members discussed needs in welding, electrical, HVAC, data centers, and other sectors. The bill was reported with amendments. House Bill 923 by Rep. Barrault, a technical cleanup bill related to the reorganization of Louisiana Works and related workforce and social service statutes, was then amended and reported with amendments. Finally, House Bill 301 by Rep. Weibel, which would create a voluntary portable benefits framework for independent contractors and gig workers, drew the most debate. Supporters said it would let contractors and hiring entities voluntarily contribute to portable benefit accounts for health, retirement, and similar needs, with examples from other states and the gig economy. Opponents from labor and injured workers argued it could encourage misclassification, weaken workers’ compensation protections, and shift costs to workers and the state. The discussion continued with questions about who would benefit and how the bill would interact with existing contractor law and protections.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're tallying up all those students, getting the average daily members and residents, and then we're
• And so we're tallying this all up to get the cost of inadequate education. our uh sped bu uh special
• It's just a tiny part of the formula, but we're tallying up all those students and we're getting the
• So when we do the cost of inadequate education, we look at all the students in Alton and we tally that
• that up we get a cost of tally that up we get a cost of inadequate<00:22:17.559><c> education</c><00

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Education’s Bureau of School Finance provided an adequacy-funding training for Division II, led by Mark Mello. He walked the committee through the adequacy formula using Albany, Allenstown, and Alton as examples, explaining average daily membership, base adequacy aid, and differential aid for free/reduced-price meals, special education, and English language learners. He also noted a recent change requiring home-education differential aid and emphasized that these aid streams are generally unrestricted district funding rather than money tied to specific students or programs. A major focus was the ongoing litigation over the adequacy base amount and the statewide education property tax, or SWEPT. Mello explained the historical basis of the current base amount, the 2008 legislative report that set the original methodology, and the later court ruling that the adequacy amount should be $7,356, which is now before the Supreme Court. He also described how SWEPT currently raises a fixed statewide amount of $363 million and how that revenue is used to offset the state’s adequacy obligation. For the example towns, Albany and Allenstown receive state adequacy grants because their SWEPT revenue is below their calculated adequacy cost, while Alton is an excess SWEPT community because its local SWEPT revenue exceeds the cost of adequate education. The discussion then turned to the pending “excess SWEPT” issue in the Supreme Court and what would happen if excess collections had to be remitted to the state. Mello said the Department is preparing a hypothetical walkthrough and explained that, if the court upholds the Superior Court ruling, DRA would likely be directed to collect excess SWEPT. Members raised concerns about whether SWEPT must be used for educational purposes and about the cash-flow burden on towns if money had to move from municipalities to the state and then back to districts. Mello and members discussed possible administrative workarounds, such as credits against other state aid distributions, and noted that the committee would continue reviewing the mechanics if the court decision comes down during budget work.

Transcript Highlights:

• Back to Representative Harris' original question, issues of manual compliance.
• They do have the manual system still in place.
• They do have the manual system still in place for emergencies.
• They do have the manual system still in place for emergencies.
• Floyd: There is still an emergency process to issue manual attempts.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee first approved the January 26 and January 28 minutes, then introduced RS 33089, which would amend Idaho Code 44-443 to eliminate the 10-year replacement requirement for license plates and instead require replacement only when plates are worn out or no longer legible. The committee also introduced RS 33080, a change to the RCARS fund language clarifying that reimbursement eligibility applies to an Idaho resident, or someone who was an Idaho resident at the time of purchase, to avoid out-of-state misuse of the fund. The committee then reviewed two Idaho Transportation Department rule dockets. Docket 39-0260-2501 covered license plate rules and related administrative cleanup, including removing unused definitions, updating terminology, and clarifying special plate program cancellation language. Members raised concerns about removing the rule language on manually completed temporary registrations when the computer system is down; after discussion and confirmation that an emergency manual process still exists, the committee voted to approve the docket but retain the manual-registration paragraph in the rule. Docket 39-0349-2501 covered ignition interlock device rules. ITD said the changes were mostly cleanup, including removing an ethanol-specific reference because no device measures ethanol separately from other alcohols, and deleting redundant references to the department. After brief questions, the committee approved this docket in full. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• , maybe in the election procedural manual, they could.
• , maybe in the election procedural manual, they could.
• , maybe in the election procedural manual, they could. >> Yeah, please do. >> Well, what I mean, we can
• , maybe in the election procedural manual, they could. >> Yeah, please do. >> Well, what I mean, we can
• , maybe in the election procedural manual, they could. >> Yeah, please do. >> Well, what I mean, we can

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• my understanding is that there's still a process by which these temporaries can be issued, but the manual
• Back to Representative Harris' original question, issues of manual compliance.
• They do have the manual system still in place. Take a second. We just got word from Lisa.
• They do have the manual system still in place for emergencies.
• we've got a motion to approve docket 39-0-260-2-501, with the exception of 12.3, the issuance of manual

Summary: The committee first approved the January 26 and January 28 minutes. It then introduced RS 33089, which would amend Idaho law on license plates by eliminating the 10-year replacement requirement so plates would be replaced only when worn or no longer legible, and by removing the expiration year from certain plates. The committee also introduced RS 33080, which would clarify the RCARS Fund so it applies to an Idaho resident, or someone who was an Idaho resident at the time of purchase, to prevent out-of-state misuse. The committee next reviewed two Idaho Transportation Department rule dockets. Docket 39-0260-2501 covered license plate rules and made mostly cleanup and clarification changes, including updating terminology and removing provisions already covered in statute. Members raised concerns about striking the rule language on manually completed temporary registrations when the computer system is down; after discussion and confirmation that an emergency manual process still exists, the committee amended the docket to keep that provision in the rule. Questions also addressed special plates and the Centennial plate, with ITD stating those programs would still exist because they are established in statute. The second docket, 39-0349-2501, concerned alcohol ignition interlock devices and made minor cleanup changes, including removing a specific ethanol reference from the breath alcohol concentration definition because no device measures ethanol separately from other alcohols. After a question about redundant wording in the definition of department, the committee approved the docket in full. The meeting ended with all motions passing and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that tallied roughly 100 million dollars. And that was his estimation based on the fraud.
• And that tallied roughly 100 million dollars. And that was his estimation based on the fraud.
• And that tallied roughly 100 million dollars. And that was his estimation based on the fraud.
• And that tallied roughly 100 million dollars. And that was his estimation based on the fraud.
• And that tallied roughly 100 million dollars. And that was his estimation based on the fraud.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• the end of the night, when polls close, those votes go from that polling place, after everything is tallied
• I would say that would be part of the advantage of using technology within elections is that quick tally
• Anything that's done by hand as opposed to an electronic tally of results is naturally going to take
• When you're hand-marking a ballot, what does your machine do when tallying a ballot? Tallying?

Keywords: Discussion of BR 25 (2026 RS) 04:15 Presentation on voting systems by ES&S 48:14 Presentation on voting systems by Hart InterCivic and Harp Enterprises 01:13:07, 958, all

Summary: The committee met to approve the October 21 minutes and then took up BR 25 for the 2026 regular session, a proposal relating to prohibited uses of tax dollars and public resources. The sponsors said the bill is intended to strengthen existing law by adding civil and criminal penalties for taxpayer-funded advocacy on ballot questions, especially in light of controversies during the 2024 election over school officials and districts using public resources to oppose a constitutional amendment. They also described related concerns about school districts hiring third-party lobbyists and public relations firms, particularly in Fayette County, and said the proposal was meant to keep tax dollars focused on public services rather than political persuasion. Committee members raised several concerns about scope and drafting. Some asked whether the bill should specifically mention schools, school boards, and school employees, and the sponsors said they would add that language. Others questioned whether the measure would also affect local government lobbying through groups like KLC and KCO, and the sponsors said they intended to focus narrowly on schools while exempting certain advocacy organizations and internal government lobbyists. Members also asked whether public employees could still speak as private individuals, and the sponsors said yes. Several members suggested splitting the lobbying and ballot-advocacy issues into separate bills, and the sponsors said they would consider that. Members also pressed for clarification on how the bill would apply in practice, including whether it would cover legal challenges to petition drives or only advocacy after a question is on the ballot. Counsel for the sponsors said the bill would not cover some petition-related litigation as drafted, though they believed it should. The sponsors and supporters argued the proposal was needed to give the existing prohibition real enforcement, while some members warned that the language could unintentionally limit legitimate public representation or be too broad if not carefully drafted. No final vote was taken during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• the bill deletes this language that says that the head election judge may transmit the accumulated tally
• after the record has been printed, the head election judge in a precinct may transmit the accumulated tally
• c> accumulated</c> a Precinct May transmit the accumulated a Precinct May transmit the accumulated tally
• :17.359><c> device</c><00:48:17.640><c> to</c><00:48:17.839><c> a</c><00:48:17.960><c> central</c> tally
• for each device to a central tally for each device to a central reporting<00:48:19.280><c> location<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• to require a pre-certification automated independent audit of every ballot cast and provide for a manual
• A manual ballot review where the audit shows the vote tabulation system and the automated independent
• I’m wondering if any of them have indicated to you whether requiring a manual review in every race where
• that the Department of State will implement or come up with the rules in regard to what triggers a manual
• This is an additional lock that has to be put into place manually. Yes, ma'am.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And first on the agenda is the DCFS Policy Manual Review.
• What is going to change about the process here within the manual?
• What is going to change about the process here within the manual?
• manual at DCFS and keeping the Going into our internal procedure manual at DCFS and keeping the other
• and procedure manual.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Aging, Children and Youth approved the February 11 minutes and then reviewed a DCFS policy manual update from Director Tiffany Wright. Wright said the changes move internal procedures out of administrative rule into DCFS’s internal procedure manual under an executive order, while also updating terminology, conforming to enacted laws, revising foster family continuing education hours, and removing obsolete requirements. Members asked whether the changes would alter practice; Wright said they were mainly terminology and process-location changes, intended to make the department more efficient and flexible. The committee then accepted the rule review without objection. Wright next presented DCFS quarterly performance data for the third quarter of FY 2026. She reported 8,610 hotline reports accepted, 6,919 assigned to DCFS, 22% of investigations found true, neglect as the most common substantiated allegation, and continued staffing shortages in some counties affecting timeliness. She also reported 3,420 foster care cases, 1,788 in-home cases involving 4,568 children, 72% monthly home-visit compliance, 36% permanency within 12 months, 4.5% re-entry into foster care, and 156 children available for adoption. Members asked about neglect trends, sexual abuse/exploitation data, behavior-related removals, staffing recruitment and retention, training improvements, and whether ACE-style testing should be considered for children; Wright said DCFS is expanding recruitment, retention, and training efforts and was open to further discussion on education-related assessments. The committee also received DCFS’s biannual overturned investigations report, covering July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, which tracks hotline calls, accepted reports, true findings, appeals, and overturned findings by county. A member asked for comparison to the prior year’s report. Major Jeff Drew then presented the Crimes Against Children Division annual report, saying the hotline received 67,987 calls in 2025, 37,986 were accepted for investigation, and CACD handled 6,539 cases with a 28% substantiation rate. Members asked about hotline operator training, qualifications, salary, and whether Arkansas compares with other states; Drew said operators receive a four-week training that includes law, policy, scenarios, recorded calls, live-call monitoring, and evidence-chain/decision-making instruction. Finally, Elizabeth Pooley of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas reported that the statewide network of 29 CACs and 64 multidisciplinary teams served 13,568 children and families in 2025, up about 3,000 from the prior year, and hosted 259 trainings for professionals. She said funding comes from a mix of state, federal, and community sources, with state funding set at roughly $70,000 to $75,000 per center and not based on caseload. Members asked about funding stability and standards of care; Pooley said CACs follow national standards and Arkansas is developing state best practices. The meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it’s AI being used to do those routine manual tasks that our staff were doing.
• Without AI, this would be a manual process that would take weeks to months.
• Without AI, this would be a manual process that would take weeks to months.
• It’s providing access to the contracts and procurement desk manual.
• of information and junior contract specialists are having to go and manually find it.

Summary: The Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee held its first meeting of the session and began with member and staff introductions, followed by a work session on emerging technology, digital risks, and governance, focused on artificial intelligence in state government. Washington Technology Solutions officials Gretchen Perry, Katie Ruckel, and James Galvin described the state’s approach to balancing innovation with public trust, emphasizing human judgment, transparency, accountability, and the use of AI to augment rather than replace people. They outlined benefits such as automating repetitive tasks, improving fraud and anomaly detection, supporting multilingual access, and improving customer service and internal productivity. The presenters also discussed AI risks, including algorithmic bias, overreliance, hallucinations, and ethical concerns, and explained the state’s governance framework. That framework is based on NIST AI risk principles and includes statewide AI principles, inventory requirements, risk assessments for high-risk uses, accuracy and monitoring requirements, training, data-sharing controls, and restrictions on creating likenesses without consent. They noted the state adopted a statewide AI policy on December 11 and has created an AI community of practice and related subcommittees to support implementation. They also said the policy was bargained with unions where required and that agencies must give notice before consequential AI-related changes affecting working conditions. James Galvin highlighted current AI use cases across state agencies, including visual and spatial analysis for emergency response and flood recovery, the Department of Licensing’s Dolly chatbot for resident services, and an internal contract-assistance tool for staff that is limited to approved materials. Members asked about audit implications, language services and interpreters, the policy’s applicability beyond government, union involvement, return on investment, and whether the state uses off-the-shelf or custom AI models. The presenters said most uses rely on off-the-shelf large language models, that high-risk generative AI is not yet in production, and that the policy is designed to encourage low- and moderate-risk uses while adding more scrutiny for higher-risk applications. No votes or legislative actions were taken; the meeting concluded with committee housekeeping and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're on page 74 in the manual. That's a 54% increase. It's almost $7 million.
• And when you look at our budget manual, the appropriation...
• I don't see that anywhere in the manual. It doesn't say...
• Okay, that will be in our manual, but I don't see that.
• We're going to be working out of your JBC manual that you've got right here.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of the provisions that are in the bill would live in that towing service standards manual.
• Missouri's towing service standards manual right now is right here. It doesn't exist, right?
• The Tennessee towers manual, do you think that's a good manual? I do.
• And where in Tennessee, their manual... ...more with Tennessee, right?
• So I'm assuming you've looked at the Tennessee manual? I have not.

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2759 in executive session. The sponsor explained a committee substitute that would shift the bill’s disclosure requirement so project completion dates would be posted when work is awarded, rather than during the bidding process. Members discussed the fiscal note and whether the change could affect contractor pricing and MoDOT costs. The committee adopted the substitute and then voted the House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2759 “do pass” by a roll call of 13 ayes and one present. The committee then moved to public hearing on House Bill 1741, which would create procedures for non-consensual towing of commercial vehicles, including a towing and recovery review board, limits on storage charges while disputes are pending, restrictions on liens, access requirements, and penalties for violations. Representative Griffith said the bill is aimed at protecting independent truckers from excessive towing charges while still allowing emergency road clearance. Members raised concerns about the scope of the bill, the lack of a dispute timeline, the proposed $25,000 penalty, the ban on per-pound billing, and whether the bill could interfere with emergency towing or create litigation involving the state. Supporters, including representatives from trucking groups, described large and sometimes excessive tow bills, argued that small owner-operators can be bankrupted by these costs, and said Missouri lacks a meaningful complaint process. Opponents from towing associations said the bill, as written, could prevent non-consensual commercial tows because towers need a lien or other leverage to get paid, especially when vehicles or cargo are abandoned or out of state. They also argued that emergency recoveries are dangerous, expensive, and highly variable, and that the bill should be narrowed and clarified. The sponsor and witnesses on both sides indicated a willingness to keep working on amendments, and no final action was taken on House Bill 1741 during the hearing.