Transcript Highlights:

• We should have centralized places that allow for those that want to seek education and to improve their
• And then also to something that Senator Pizzo was talking about, we have a need for education in the
• They're in a place where they can concentrate on education and programming without fear of assault.
• About a little over a decade ago, that changed, and most of our education buildings in Florida...
• Now, we average a sixth-grade education.

Summary: The Senate Criminal Justice Committee met with Vice Chair Smith presiding in Chair Martin’s excused absence. After opening remarks from several senators, the committee heard a presentation from Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon on the state’s incentivized prisons program and related population-management efforts. Dixon said the department now operates eight incentivized prisons, which use enhanced privileges and programming for well-behaved inmates, and reported major reductions in disciplinary reports, staff assaults, inmate-on-inmate assaults, and uses of force compared with average institutions. He also described administrative management units for more disruptive inmates, short-sentence correctional institutions for those with less than a year to serve, and a reentry strategy that places inmates closer to home within 18 months of release. Dixon said Florida’s recidivism rate has fallen to about 21 percent, among the lowest in the nation, and emphasized that staffing, programming, and facility repairs remain ongoing needs. Committee members asked about access to education and workforce training, staffing levels, contraband, technology upgrades, heating and air-conditioning maintenance, and whether incentivized prisons could be expanded. Dixon said educational access is improving but remains limited by eligibility and staffing, that the incentivized facilities are at capacity, and that expansion depends on adding more administrative management unit beds. He also said the department is increasing use of technology, improving maintenance oversight, and continuing efforts to reduce contraband and improve staff recruitment and retention. Several senators praised the department’s work and urged more funding for prison infrastructure and officer pay. Public testimony largely supported the incentivized prisons model while calling for more seats, better staffing, and broader reforms. Family members of incarcerated people said the facilities were safer, more stable, and better for rehabilitation, though they asked for more programming, better treatment by staff, and clearer access to education and release-related opportunities. A Florida PBA representative emphasized that programs can only succeed with safe staffing levels and better pay and retention for correctional officers. No formal committee vote or bill action was taken, and the meeting ended after public testimony and closing remarks.

Transcript Highlights:

• One of our fastest growing areas, for example, is early education.
• We have apprenticeships in bio, in early education.
• of education and preparedness?
• So you gave two examples, early education, right? especially, right?
• Because we're going to do a panel with different states, but that just educates us.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The subcommittee opened with roll call and approved the January minutes. Members then heard from Undersecretary of Labor and Workforce Development Josh Cutler, who gave an update on the Healey-Driscoll administration’s apprenticeship efforts and emphasized apprenticeship as an earn-while-you-learn model that can help address workforce shortages while including people with disabilities. He described growth in apprenticeships across sectors such as banking, bio, early education, health care, and human services, and noted recent milestones including the state’s 10,000th registered apprenticeship, expanded tax credits, reduced program fees, added apprenticeship liaisons, and Grow grants to support program development. Committee members focused on how apprenticeship could be adapted for human services and disability-related jobs, including early education, direct care, PCA work, sterile processing, and related health occupations. They asked about funding structures, employer participation, community college involvement, and how to make programs accessible to people with disabilities. Cutler explained that apprenticeship programs are employer-designed but must meet core requirements such as paid employment, at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning, related technical instruction, mentorship, and progressive wages. He said the state can support programs through the registered apprenticeship tax credit, which he said is $4,800 per apprentice and can be stacked with the disability employment tax credit, and through Grow grants, which were most recently awarded at about $2.1 million statewide. Members and Cutler discussed using intermediaries such as trade associations, nonprofits, and disability organizations to help employers set up programs and navigate incentives. He said the commission could be useful as a convener and suggested a targeted panel or information session with apprenticeship liaisons, employers, and existing sponsors to identify a few specific occupations and build a proof of concept. The meeting ended with agreement to follow up offline on potential partner employers, including Eastern Bank, and on possible next steps for a focused panel or pilot opportunities.

Transcript Highlights:

• President of Diaz. and they work to engage, educate, and empower Democratic women to take active roles
• Chairman, I move that the amendment to House Bill 4034 by the Education Committee be adopted.
• Chairman, I move that the Education Committee amendment as amended be adopted.
• This program is an opt-out program, while sex education is an opt-in program.
• The Education Committee on H.H.R. 1 will start 10 minutes after floor, at 2:00. Thank you.

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the pledge, attendance, and a series of guest introductions and recognitions, including the Dr. of the Day, Korean community guests, students, local officials, and a proclamation honoring the future USS Arizona SSN-803 and the USS Arizona Legacy Foundation. The chamber also announced committee assignments and took up several procedural motions, including reconsideration motions on HB 4027 and HB 2444, both of which were granted and returned to third reading. The House then moved into Committee of the Whole to consider measures on Calendar Numbers One and Two. In Committee of the Whole, HB 4034, dealing with CTE-related issues, was amended and reported do pass after debate over concerns from Tempe Union High School District and EVIT, with supporters saying the bill clarified statute and reduced future disputes. HB 2444 was amended and reported do pass. HB 2992, a pilot program related to sexual abuse prevention, drew opposition over concerns about opt-out instruction, pilot status, and classroom burdens, but it passed Committee of the Whole on a 31-21 division vote after amendments. HB 4027, involving highway naming, was amended and reported do pass despite objections that the amendment still appeared to elevate Charlie Kirk over the existing Ed Pastor designation. On third reading, HB 293 passed 31-22 and HB 2502 passed 37-16. HB 2229, relating to maternal services and funding for pregnancy resource centers, generated extensive debate over abortion-related implications and was defeated 26-27, though a motion to reconsider later succeeded 27-21. HB 2533 failed on reconsideration, while HB 2750 passed 44-9 and HB 2999, a special taxing districts bill tied to housing affordability, passed 32-21 after supporters argued it would lower financing costs and help build more affordable homes. H.C.M. 2009, urging federal action to streamline access to minerals on federal land withdrawals, passed 31-22. The House adjourned until the next day after additional announcements and personal privilege remarks, including a proclamation for Sleep Apnea Awareness Month and a call for more efficient floor action.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education.
• Is somebody here from the Department of Education? Is your question on education, or D2 or D1?
• Greg Rogers, Department of Education. Courtney Sallis-Ford, Department of Education.
• It's from the Department of Education, Career and Technical Education, for $1.1 million in spending authority
• education or careers.

Summary: The committee considered several appropriation and transfer requests, beginning with a $273,000 temporary appropriation for the Department of Labor and Licensing to cover administrative costs for its enterprise licensing platform, funded by license and application fees. It then reviewed two large Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requests: $280 million for the Department of Transportation for the final quarter of the fiscal year, and $195 million for the State Broadband Office to support the Arkansas BEAD broadband grant program, including an extra help position and grants to internet service providers. The broadband item drew extensive questions about awardees, contract amendments, accountability, build-out timelines, backup plans if providers default, the definition of broadband serviceable locations, and the cost per location. The State Broadband Director said no providers had requested amendments, the program would use milestone-based disbursements and a four-year build-out period, and the first tranche would serve 51,566 homes and businesses with $126.1 million in grants. Both Section B and Section C items were approved. In Section D, the committee approved a $458,000 transfer within the Department of Correction from the female work release program to the Tucker Unit water treatment plant, a $25 million transfer within the Department of Education to cover declining enrollment, teacher incentive, school recognition, and Easter Seals funding, and a $229,000 transfer for the Department of Shared Administrative Services to support two project management office positions. The education transfer prompted questions about how declining enrollment funding is calculated, how many districts receive it, and how long districts can continue to receive it; agency staff said 152 districts were on the preliminary list and the formula is based on the prior two-year average ADM compared with the previous year. The committee also gave favorable advice on a proposed $4.7 million loan for the Office of State Technology to implement ServiceNow and related IT modernization tools; agency officials said the loan would be repaid through cost recovery rates over five years and would replace an existing loan that is ending, with expected savings from consolidating applications but no precise savings estimate yet. The committee then reviewed cash fund and federal grant requests, including $200,000 for wage and hour claimant payments, $15 million for unclaimed property claims, $8,000 for a heritage program grant, and $1.1 million for a College and Career Coaches grant to expand services in rural districts. It also reviewed pay plan and budget manual items without objection. The most extensive report discussion focused on the Medicaid trust fund, where DHS and DFA officials said the balance has been declining and that the state may need to add capital back into the fund. Senators and representatives asked about the current balance, the projected year-end level, the role of the $100 million set-aside, the impact of outstanding Medicaid rules from the prior session, and whether future federal funding could help reduce long-term Medicaid costs. Officials said they are still working through more than 10 outstanding rules with CMS and do not yet have a final price tag for those changes. The meeting ended after the reports were reviewed and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Nobody but the Arkansas state government... ...early childhood education and pre-K.
• We recently released a report that found in order for Arkansas's public education spending to match the
• In order to merely catch up to our peer states in public education spending, we need to be spending at
• early childhood education in Arkansas.
• Health care, K-12 education, reducing childhood hunger, and reducing poverty.

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 1001, sponsored by Representative Les Eaves, which would lower Arkansas’s personal income tax rate to 3.7% retroactive to the current year and reduce the corporate income tax rate to 4.1% beginning in 2027. Eaves argued the bill continued a decade-long strategy of broad-based tax relief, would help working families, and would keep Arkansas competitive with other states. He said the measure would reduce future surpluses rather than cut current services, and noted the average taxpayer could see roughly $800 to $1,000 in annual savings from recent tax changes. Several witnesses testified against the bill. Arkansas Appleseed’s Anna Morchetti, Missy Wyatt Joyce, Pastor Preston Clegg, Michelle Pedro of the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese, and Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families’ Pete Guest all argued the state should prioritize funding for public schools, health care, supported living services, food assistance, rural hospitals, and early childhood education instead of further tax cuts. They said Arkansas faces significant unmet needs, including underfunded schools, food insecurity, and shortages in disability and community-based services, and warned the tax cut would mainly benefit higher earners while reducing resources for essential programs. After testimony, the committee limited debate time for witnesses to five minutes. Representative Eaves closed by saying the state had been responsible in prior tax cuts and that the bill would return money to taxpayers without reducing services. Representative Bray also spoke in support, saying the legislature has continued to fund major priorities while still providing tax relief to working families. The committee then voted to pass the bill, and HB 1001 was approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, we're here today to revise the adopted analysis of Prop 212, also known as the Protect Education
• While it may be tempting for us to turn this hearing into a debate over the future of educational freedom
• judgment while it may be tempting for us to turn this hearing into a debate over the future of educational
• I'm speaking on behalf of myself today as an advocate and a former retired special educator.
• And let's not forget that this pays a certain portion of the state's contribution to public education

Summary: The Arizona Legislative Council met to revise the adopted analysis for Prop. 212, the Protect Education Act, after the Arizona Supreme Court issued a ruling that would remove the measure from the ballot. Chair members emphasized the meeting was procedural and limited to adopting a revised analysis prepared by Legislative Council staff, with the only changes noted as being on page one, lines 20 through 23. Staff said the revision complied with the court order and the relevant statute, and one public speaker urged removal of a sentence she viewed as unnecessary while also saying the revised language was less biased than the earlier version. During discussion, Democratic members argued the prior analysis had been unlawful, biased, and struck down by the courts, while Republican members defended the committee’s earlier interpretation and said it was not illegal to pass language later found unconstitutional. Several members criticized the earlier process and said the revision fixed only part of the problems, while others said the committee was correcting the specific court-ordered issue. One member used the debate to argue the initiative would have added guardrails to ESA voucher spending, including fingerprint checks, limits on luxury purchases, and caps on rollover funds, while opponents said those points were outside the narrow procedural question before the committee. The committee then voted on the motion to adopt the revised analysis. The roll call resulted in 7 ayes, 6 noes, and 1 not voting, and the revised language was adopted. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee will come to order. Connor, please call the roll.
• With a quorum being present, I want to welcome everyone to the Higher Education Budget Subcommittee.
• We spent time with the Department of Education, universities, and other stakeholders to learn more about
• the funding of Florida's higher education system.
• And along with passing a few bills, we crafted the House's higher education budget for fiscal year 2025

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee met with a quorum present for what was described as its final committee meeting of the session. Chair Busatta opened the meeting by outlining the upcoming budget conference process, explaining that the House and Senate had both passed their budget bills and that conference negotiations would begin soon, with the Senate serving as the hosting chamber this year. She reviewed how the conference process works, including side-by-side budget documents, chamber offers, subcommittee negotiations, escalation to the chairs and then to the Speaker and President, and the required 72-hour cooling-off period before final budget passage. The main discussion focused on the differences between the House and Senate higher education budgets for fiscal year 2025-2026. The chair noted a total $62.5 million difference, with the Senate budget higher overall. Key differences included House reductions for vacant FTE positions, differing approaches to recurring versus nonrecurring funding in financial aid and workforce programs, the Senate’s larger funding level for workforce development capitalization incentive grants, and differing allocations for colleges and universities. In the university budget, the Senate centralized nurse education funding at the University of South Florida’s Center for Nursing and funded several specific initiatives, while the House proposed additional funding for performance-based metrics, faculty recruitment and retention, and tuition waivers. The chair also highlighted a major proviso difference involving the EASE grant, where the House proposed minimum benchmark metrics for institutional eligibility. No testimony was taken and no votes were held on the budget differences. After the overview and brief explanation of the budget and proviso side-by-side documents, the committee concluded its agenda and adjourned on a motion by Representative Blanco, without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> importantly uh multiple public education importantly uh multiple public education campaigns<00:08
• </c><00:24:24.840><c> them</c> about cannabis and simply educate them about cannabis and simply educate
• just as we would give them education just as we would give them education<00:43:16.920><c> on</c><00
• </c> F to the funds to ramp up our education F to the funds to ramp up our education efforts<01:10:24.080
• that's what needs to there's education that's what needs to there's no<01:54:55.360><c> education</c

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And was that special education was already included?
• And then you have to have a special education director.
• own director and become their own special education unit.
• Delivery methods for continuing education. And this is found on page 369.
• So this is allowing all of the continuing education to be virtual.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first approved the December 3 minutes, then heard a request from the Board of Clinical Laboratory Practice to amend its proposed rule on exempt test methods to add certain closed-system DNA/RNA tests, including rhinovirus. After testimony explaining that the board had considered late comments from BioMérieux and wanted the rule record to reflect that review, the committee agreed to a limited amendment and passed the motion unanimously. The Department of Agriculture then outlined broad rule updates affecting dairy, eggs, poultry, pesticides, animal health, environmental mitigation, and the Egg Product Utilization Commission. The commissioner said the changes mostly clarified existing requirements, updated references, and reduced some burdens, such as easing dairy hauler training/licensing timing and clarifying out-of-state grade A milk language. Members asked about dairy industry decline, the APUC scoring system, and the rationale for the milk-hauler and out-of-state milk provisions. The State Board of Dental Examiners presented extensive rule changes tied to recent legislation and workforce issues, including a new professional health program for dentists, expanded duties for assistants and hygienists, broader local anesthetic authority for hygienists, and fee increases to fund the program and cover administrative costs. Testimony from Dr. Edward May strongly supported the professional health program based on his own recovery experience. The committee also heard from Game and Fish on rules easing some guide/outfitter experience requirements, allowing electronic exams, and modifying boating safety equipment rules, with no public comment and no fiscal impact. Later, Health and Human Services received approval for an extension to update tattoo/body art rules and a separate motion to repeal an obsolete nurse aide training chapter. HHS also described nursing facility rule updates, lodging sanitation revisions, and related clarifications on licensing, safety, pest control, and fire requirements. The Department of Environmental Quality received an extension for septic-system installer rules, and also presented rules for above-ground storage tanks and water/wastewater operator certification, including new fees and third-party testing options. The Industrial Commission’s oil and gas division described multiple rule changes, some withdrawn after comments, including drilling unit flexibility, site stability, wildfire authority, and streamlined transport/reporting procedures. Finally, DPI began presenting several rule packages, including school construction loan limits, school bus standards, cooperative agreements, special education rules for public charter schools, and new math curriculum and intervention requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> conditions and improving education conditions and improving education awareness<00:03:29.599><c>
• Two, it extends higher education.
• It was &gt;&gt; but it wasn't an educator. It was separate. >> I'm sorry. They weren't an educator.
• </c> education and tree planting efforts. education and tree planting efforts.
• Mel was named education efforts.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with an invocation by Reverend Jod Gun, whose prayer was journalized by unanimous consent. The chamber then recognized several guests, including representatives from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, who were present for a resolution honoring Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week, as well as former Delegate and physician Dan Moheim, Towson University students, a veteran guest, and parents and young children visiting for Maryland Family Network’s Day in Annapolis. The Senate adopted a resolution recognizing the National Alliance on Mental Illness for its advocacy on tardive dyskinesia screening, early detection, and treatment, and designated May 5–9 as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week. The resolution was read and adopted without objection. The chamber also unanimously welcomed the guest groups and thanked them for their service and advocacy. In second-reader action, the Senate advanced several bills with committee amendments adopted without objection. Senate Bill 113, the Longevity Ready Maryland Act, was amended to refine aging-related planning, website reporting, and Commission on Aging membership, then ordered to third reading. Senate Bill 123 updated the membership of the Oversight Committee on Quality of Care in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and was also sent to third reading. Senate Bill 336 extended the Task Force on the Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances for one year and added an HBCU representative. Senate Bill 394 expanded expedited partner therapy to bacterial vaginosis and added licensed certified midwives as authorized practitioners. Senate Bill 444 changed certificate-of-need requirements for certain intermediate care facilities, and Senate Bill 461 conformed the SNAP Heat and Eat Program to federal eligibility rules; both were advanced to third reading. The Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee then took up Senate Bill 108, which would authorize the Maryland Department of the Environment to impose administrative penalties for certain water, wetlands, dam, and riparian-rights violations and expand administrative enforcement tools. Several senators raised concerns about the scope of the bill, its effect on shoreline restoration, dams, stormwater and wetlands enforcement, and whether it could allow penalties without adequate process or encourage payment instead of correction. The floor leader responded that the amendment requires notice, an informal meeting, and consideration of good-faith efforts before penalties are imposed in certain cases, and said the bill does not change permit requirements. The debate continued as members sought clarification on how the bill would apply to private dams, HOAs, farmers, and shoreline projects.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, the first part clarifies Education.
• </c> that we deal with educational issues. that we deal with educational issues.
• Does they'd get a better education here.
• ,</c><02:26:46.080><c> and</c> New Hampshire Partners in Education, and New Hampshire Partners in Education
• ,</c><02:26:50.880><c> and</c> the state department of education, and the state department of education

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Little submitted a uh, topic for mainly looks like education.
• Little submitted a topic for mainly looks like education.
• So, I'll mainly looks like education.
• If safety education for these CMVs.
• </c><00:42:12.360><c> for</c> industry go back to and education for industry go back to and education

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The committee opened by taking roll for the Joint Transportation, Highways, and Military Affairs Committee and noting that 20 topics had been submitted for discussion, including one late addition. Members were asked to number the topics for reference, and the chair explained that each presenter should give a brief overview before the committee returned to the dais for questions and possible ranking or action. No votes were taken during the portion provided. The first topic was a request from the Associated General Contractors of Wyoming to have TRIP, a third-party transportation research organization, present a report on Wyoming’s highway system. The report is intended to identify transportation needs and 25 priority projects, and the committee generally supported hearing the report and methodology directly from TRIP. The next topic combined two similar railroad safety proposals. Representative Chestek described a bill addressing train length, wayside detectors, and track inspections, citing the East Palestine derailment and concerns about reduced inspection frequency. Committee members raised questions about federal preemption and enforcement authority; Chestek said states can be more protective of safety where federal rules leave gaps, and WYDOT said it would need additional expertise and staffing to administer such a program. No public testimony was offered on the railroad topic. The committee then heard two proposals from the Wyoming Military Department. One would study Tricare subsidies for mental health providers by comparing Tricare reimbursement rates with other insurers, gathering de-identified data on eligible members and provider participation, and then returning to the committee with findings before any legislative recommendation. Members discussed whether the issue might fit better in Labor, Health, and Social Services, but the military department said it believed the committee had a strong connection to the topic. The second military topic would study Service Group Life Insurance for state active duty, comparing state and federal death benefits for Guard members to identify any shortfalls. The committee also briefly discussed a VSO program review raised by Representative Neff, focusing on the number of veterans service officers and retention, but no action was taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our support for higher education: we have to be the best state in the nation for higher education, making
• We want safe streets, good education.
• He is not proposing to eliminate Head Start and education, the Education Department.
• Above all else, we need to invest in education. Above all else, we need to invest in education.
• We will educate.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate convened with routine opening business, including the Pledge of Allegiance and the filing of several reports, such as the Parole Board’s 2023 annual report and a fiscal year 2025 prior-year deficiency report from the Comptroller. Those reports were ordered placed on file. The remainder of the session was devoted almost entirely to a series of brief statements by the Senate President and many senators responding to what they described as federal actions under the Trump administration, especially immigration enforcement without due process, court defiance, and broader threats to democratic norms. Senators repeatedly condemned the detention and deportation of immigrants, students, researchers, and even some U.S. citizens, citing specific Massachusetts cases including Ramesa Ozturk of Tufts, Juan Francisco Mendez, Sunua Petrova, and others. Members also raised concerns about cuts to federal funding affecting Massachusetts, including NIH and university research, asthma prevention, education, climate resilience, and veterans’ services. Several senators tied these issues to the state’s economy, higher education, health care, and immigrant communities, and many invoked Massachusetts and American history to argue for due process, the rule of law, and resistance to authoritarianism. A few policy responses were mentioned, including support for increasing funding for the Attorney General to handle lawsuits, and references to bills or proposals such as the Immigrant Legal Defense Act, the Dignity Not Deportation Act, the Safe Communities Act, and the Location Shield Act. The Senate President also referenced the chamber’s broader “Response 2025” initiative. No substantive legislation was debated or voted on during the statements themselves, aside from the adoption of an order to adjourn and the setting of the next meeting for Thursday at 11:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we charge for some experiences, but not the core educational experiences, as well as making money
• We're doing education.
• We want them to fill in that education gap. And that is done through our probation process.
• educated elsewhere.
• Be licensed here if they're educated elsewhere.

Summary: The subcommittee heard a series of budget proposals, beginning with Exposition Park. Park leadership described the 160-acre state property’s historic role, growing visitation, and major upcoming events, including the FIFA World Cup fan fest and the 2028 Olympics. The governor’s proposal sought $96.5 million for utility replacement, site improvements, code compliance, accessibility, and public safety/traffic systems, plus $1.698 million for operational sustainability. The LAO said the proposals had merit but suggested the Legislature could consider downscaling some work given the budget condition. Members generally supported the requests, emphasizing deferred maintenance, public access, and the park’s statewide importance; both Exposition Park items were held open. The California Science Center requested funding to open and operate the new Air and Space Center, a major expansion featuring the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The LAO supported the proposal but suggested the Legislature consider alternative funding sources such as admission fees, higher parking fees, or private funds. Members debated whether the state should continue to fund operations without charging admission, with the Science Center explaining its public-private funding model and warning that fees could sharply reduce attendance, especially for underserved communities. The item was held open. The committee also reviewed continuation funding for the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation’s consumer protection and debt collection programs. DFPI and Finance said the requests would extend existing expenditure authority and were not General Fund asks. The LAO supported limited-term funding but urged cumulative reporting or a sunset-style review before permanent funding. Members pressed DFPI on outcomes, workload, and the high cost of the debt collection licensing program, noting that the number of licensees was far below early estimates and that assessments on the industry were substantial. Public commenters from the debt collection industry echoed those concerns, while others supported DFPI’s consumer protection work. The committee then heard a Board of Registered Nursing request for $1.4 million to fund eight special investigators. The board said complaint volume has risen with licensee growth and more complex cases, and members asked about complaint outcomes, regional caseloads, med spa oversight, viral complaints, and bias-related complaints. The board explained its investigation, probation, and intervention processes and said most cases reaching the Attorney General result in discipline. That item was also held open. After public comment on additional agenda items, the committee voted on several vote-only items. Items 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, and 17 were approved 4-0. Items 7, 9, and 14 were also approved, with the chair correcting the tally to 4-0. The hearing then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education and Training is part of the... ...Education and Training is part of the SNAP program.
• We provide some Education and Training, aiming to get you into a job.
• Need as far as mental health services or proper education services.
• So, I think as we try to educate ourselves, it's good that we educate them too.
• Why can't that come out of the Education Fund?

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• PBS educational story right now. Congratulations, Senator. Mr.
• It affects their education, employment, their relationships, and their dignity.
• Mostly special education students. For 20 years, I took my students to the state fair.
• It had to be all the educational buildings.
• The Education Committee will meet Monday in Room 311 at 9 o'clock.

Summary: The Senate convened for an Indian Day/Native American Day session featuring prayers, drum and color guard presentations, and extensive recognition of tribal leaders, students, royalty, and community advocates from across New Mexico and neighboring tribal nations. Senators used the morning to introduce guests and speak about Native sovereignty, language preservation, education, water access, economic development, and the importance of tribal-state relationships. Several speakers highlighted personal and family ties to Native communities, while others emphasized ongoing work on issues such as clean water for Navajo communities, Native youth leadership, and missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives. A major non-ceremonial item was the reading of Senate Executive Messages from the governor authorizing consideration of Senate Bills 306, 309, 312, and 313. Those bills would, respectively, change licensure rules for certain institutions, alter lottery tuition fund deposit requirements, and repeal or revise provisions related to safety helmets and child restraint devices in negligence and damages law. The Senate also received committee reports advancing House Bill 34, Senate Bills 204, 241, 77, 152, 190, and 143, along with confirmations for Elaine Luna and Grace Margaret Herrera to the New Mexico Highlands University Board of Regents. The Rules Committee also reported on the governor’s appointment of Don Walters as child advocate for the Office of the Child Advocate. The chamber also adopted a Senate resolution recognizing February 6, 2026, as New Mexico Speech, Language, and Hearing Association Day, with Senator Pope speaking in support of audiologists and speech-language pathologists. Throughout the session, members repeatedly acknowledged the prior night’s Senate-House basketball game, which raised more than $26,000 for cancer, and used the occasion to thank participants and guests. No roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript beyond voice votes adopting the committee reports and the unanimous-consent actions on floor procedures and guest access.

Transcript Highlights:

• The EIPA is for education only.
• The EIPA is for education only.
• The EIPA is for education only.
• The EIPA is for education only.
• The EIPA is for education only.

Keywords: 00:00 Call to Order/Roll Call 00:16 Consideration of Referred Administrative Regulations 25:49 Discussion of Hospital Rate Improvement Plan 58:50 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee began by reviewing a large slate of administrative regulations and explaining that it does not approve regulations but can find them deficient and send them back for further work. Members then asked questions on several items, including EMS reciprocity, dental hygienist licensure, and interpreter licensure. The EMS board explained that reciprocity would extend to applicants from any state, not just contiguous states, because the underlying statute had been amended. On the dental regulation, staff said the changes mainly clarified licensure requirements, reinstatement fees, and that dental hygienists administering local anesthetic must do so under direct dentist supervision. The most extended discussion involved the Board of Interpreters for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The board chair said the main concern was that the EIPA is an educational specialty assessment, not a nationally recognized certification, yet the regulation would allow it to support full licensure. Members discussed whether that could let educational interpreters work outside their intended scope and whether a separate educational license or statutory change would be more appropriate. The board said it did not think the regulation could be fixed further at this point and suggested a statute could create a narrower educational interpreter license. After discussion, the committee voted to defer both related interpreter regulations, 201 KAR 39:030 and the companion regulation, for further work. The committee then took up two community mental health regulations, 907 KAR 1:044 and 907 KAR 5:005, which had been found deficient in Administrative Regulations. Department for Medicaid Services staff said the rules would expand and rename the mental health associate role as a behavioral health associate, making the role available in many more facilities, but would also require additional coursework or progress toward licensure. Some members and providers raised access-to-care concerns, especially for rural areas and unlicensed staff already working in the field. Staff said the proposal had been revised through work with CMHCs and licensing boards, but the committee ultimately voted to defer both regulations as well. After finishing the regulation review, the committee heard a presentation from the Kentucky Hospital Association on the ATRIP hospital rate improvement program. Hospital representatives said ATRIP is a Medicaid state-directed payment program funded through a provider tax and federal matching dollars, allowing hospitals to receive payments tied to quality measures. They reported improvements including lower Medicaid readmissions, high sepsis screening rates, reduced infections and opioid prescribing, expanded postpartum depression and suicide screening, and training for more than 1,000 people. They said the program has helped hospitals invest in staffing and quality improvement and warned that without it, many hospitals would face severe financial strain.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education and the National Civil Rights Movement.
• But I've seen firsthand the power of equal access to education.
• Recognizing Sylvia Mendez Day reminds us of the importance of fighting for a quality education.
• discrimination and the path that we took to Brown v Board of Education.
• Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court case that ended school segregation nationwide.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We believe in the power of education and athletics that transform young lives.
• This might fall on deaf ears, but it is my responsibility as a public educator, public school educator
• But this isn't about the education system this. in our education system.
• We still wanted the education that we had at our school.
• We still wanted the education that we had at our school.

Summary: The Judiciary Committee considered a long agenda of claims bills, housing and business measures, and court-administration legislation. It reported favorably several claims bills, including SB 20 for J.N., a minor, SB 14 for the estate of Pennial Janvier, SB 10 for Sidney Holmes, SB 8 for Marcus Button, SB 22 for Eric and Jennifer Miles, and SB 26 for Kristen and Leah McIntosh. Members also approved SB 520 on curators of estates, SB 386 on self-storage lien-sale notices, SB 362 on reusable tenant screening reports, SB 316 creating series LLCs in Florida, and SB 1650 and SB 1652 on vexatious litigants and related public-records issues. SB 248, expanding eligibility for private school and homeschool students to participate in FHSAA sports at public schools, also passed after amendment. Most of the claims bills were described as settled cases with amounts above sovereign-immunity limits, and several senators spoke in support of compensating victims of catastrophic injury or wrongful conviction. SB 10 drew comments about the 34 years Sidney Holmes spent incarcerated after a wrongful conviction, and SB 8 prompted discussion about the long delay in resolving Marcus Button’s injuries from a 2006 school-bus crash. SB 26 was presented as an uncontested claim arising from a DACS employee’s fatal crash that severely injured two teenage girls, and the committee adopted an amendment placing funds for the minor claimant into trust. The policy bills drew more substantive debate. SB 386 would let self-storage operators use websites instead of newspaper ads for lien-sale notices, with newspaper representatives opposing the change and storage-industry witnesses supporting modernization and lower costs. SB 362 would let renters reuse tenant screening reports for 30 days, with the sponsor saying it would reduce repeated application fees. SB 316 would authorize series LLCs while adding record-keeping protections, and SB 1650/1652 would broaden Florida’s vexatious-litigant rules and create a public-records exemption for certain stricken filings. SB 248 passed over concerns from private-school and public-education witnesses about instructional time, funding, and fairness in athletic participation. All measures were reported favorably, with recorded votes ranging from 7-2 on SB 248 to unanimous or near-unanimous support on the other bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education to our young people.
• Helping to educate and train our workforce.
• Education is the best equalizer we have in our society.
• Education gives you knowledge, knowledge gives you power, the power to succeed.
• We're also known for higher education, for medical, for manufacturing, for logistics.

Bills: SJR 1, SB 9, SB 40, SJR 36, SJR 1, SJR 5, SB 9, SB 40

Keywords: bail denial, illegal aliens, felony offenses, constitutional amendment, law enforcement, bail reform, defendants, pretrial detention, public safety, criminal justice, charitable bail organizations, bail bonds, public funds, political subdivision, injunctive relief, taxpayer rights, bail, criminal justice reform