Transcript Highlights:

• other licenses that also do not recognize alternative schools, non-public schools, as accreditation.
• school—think private, religious, homeschooled—are fully equivalent to an accredited public high school
• It only fixes the high school diploma hurdle that we currently have. It supports Idaho's economy.
• It simply says if you've earned a high school diploma in Idaho, you've earned a high school diploma,
• had public school.

Committee: House Business

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Another one would be tribally controlled schools.
• necessary for that child to go to that school, and the school will have to bear the cost.
• And, Madam Chair and Representative, so if you can't prove to the school that you're of Indian blood,
• So I'm familiar with that change, and so this is reversing that for school boards.
• The only change is really to allow the school districts a choice to be on the general.

Summary: The committee first heard House Memorial 54, which would ask the Public Regulation Commission to convene a working group on utility service problems in manufactured home communities. The sponsor described repeated water, electricity, and gas outages in mobile home parks and said current remedies are too slow and often require attorney general lawsuits. Supporters from PNM and the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty said manufactured home communities are an important source of affordable housing and that clearer coordination and oversight are needed. The memorial passed on a due pass motion with no opposition. House Bill 166 then drew substantial debate. The bill would create a statewide permitting framework for battery-charged electric fences used by commercial businesses, while sponsors said municipalities would still retain zoning authority. Supporters argued the measure would reduce confusion, provide uniform standards, and help businesses deter crime without taxpayer cost. Several members raised concerns that the bill would override local zoning practices, favor a specific product type, and create conflicts with existing local codes and historic or mixed-use districts. Despite those objections, the committee advanced the bill on a 4-3 vote, with members noting it should be worked on further before floor consideration. House Bill 20 proposed allowing Native American applicants to request a Native American designation on state driver’s licenses and ID cards, using tribal documentation but not naming a specific tribe. Supporters, including tribal representatives, State Police, and the sponsor, said the designation could help with law enforcement, turquoise alerts, child welfare, health and education verification, and recognition of tribal political status. Opponents and some members expressed concern about racial profiling, stigma, and whether the designation could create unintended consequences or extra bureaucracy. The bill ultimately passed, with several members explaining their votes and asking for continued discussion with tribes. The committee also heard Senate Joint Resolution 1, which would remove constitutional language requiring school elections to be held separately from partisan elections, allowing school bond and mill levy questions to appear on the general election ballot. Sponsors and school board advocates said this could reduce special-election costs and increase turnout, while some members questioned ballot crowding and whether county clerks had been consulted. The resolution passed by due pass motion. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 295, a committee substitute creating an Office of Accessibility to centralize reporting and technical assistance on ADA compliance for state buildings and websites. Disability advocates and supporters said the office would improve coordination and accessibility, while opponents argued it lacked enforcement power and would not by itself change compliance. The discussion was ongoing when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Who is a student at Issaquah High School from Issaquah and Michelle Sampson, a student at Vashon High
• School from Seattle.
• It focuses in on school zones.
• Previously, of course, schools, airports, voting centers, government buildings.
• You know, what complete streets has to do with Safe Routes to School?

Bills: SB5068 , SB5109 , SB5188 , SB5223 , SB5280 , SB5420 , SB5467 , SB5581 , SB5649 , SB5705

Keywords: employment eligibility, firefighters, law enforcement, citizenship, legal authorization, public safety, mortgage lending, fraud, prosecution, financial regulations, consumer protection, broadband, infrastructure, loan assistance, economic development, technology access, criminal offense, fingerprinting, state regulations, SB 5280

Summary: The Senate opened with ceremonial business, including the roll call, colors, pledge, and prayer, then approved the previous day’s journal and referred committee reports and new introductions. Members also suspended rules to consider multiple resolutions and bills. Senate Resolution 8669, honoring National Blood Donor Month, was adopted after remarks emphasizing the life-saving importance of blood donation and recognizing the Northwest Blood Coalition, whose members were introduced in the gallery. The chamber then adopted Senate Resolution 8667 honoring Monica Alexander, executive director of the Criminal Justice Training Commission, with multiple senators praising her career in the State Patrol, her leadership on regional training academies, sexual assault kit reform, and public safety culture. The Senate also confirmed several gubernatorial appointments to college boards, including Rosa Peralta to the Seattle College District Board of Trustees, Stephen A. Zimmerman to Wenatchee Valley College, and Tara Lear to Walla Walla Community College, each by 49-0 roll call votes. The Senate spent much of the session on third-reading bills, often amending them before final passage. Measures passed included SB 5068 on agencies, firefighters, prosecutors, and limited authority; ESSB 5252 on property tax exemptions for nonprofit public assembly halls; SB 5280 on virtual currency kiosk consumer protections; ESSB 5124 on patient access and skilled nursing facility identification; ESSB 5436 on interference with access to places of worship; SB 5705 on traffic safety penalties in school zones; ESSB 5594 on biosimilar medicines; SSB 5169 on out-of-court testimony for child victims and witnesses; ESSB 5098 on weapons restrictions in certain public buildings and parks; SB 5188 on broadband infrastructure repair loans; SB 5109 on the mortgage lending fraud prosecution account; SSB 5240 on anaphylaxis medications in schools; SB 5420 on veterans’ benefits access; SB 5467 on water-sewer district surplus property sales; SSB 5331 on insurer accountability; ESSB 5071 on endangerment with controlled substances involving fentanyl or synthetic opioids; and ESSB 5581 on safe system/complete streets transportation strategies. Most of these bills passed with broad bipartisan support, though some drew opposition over firearms restrictions, insurance penalties, or transportation costs. Several bills were amended on the floor before final passage, including changes to dates, scope, and technical language, and the session concluded with additional business beginning on SB 5649.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are 40 other Castle High School students.
• So when I call your Castle High School.
• </c> There are 40 other Castle High School There are 40 other Castle High School students.<00:11:19.519
• </c><00:11:30.720><c> meals</c><00:11:31.839><c> um</c> expand access to free school meals um expand
• access to free school meals um for<00:11:32.720><c> um</c><00:11:32.880><c> public</c><00:11:33.200><

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the Iroquois Middle School Science Bowl champions coached by Elizabeth Keny.
• And the Iroquois Middle School Science Bowl champions coached by Elizabeth Keny.
• It is a, I think, the only Holocaust center in a New York City public school.
• HOLOCAUST CENTER IN A NEW YORK CITY CERTAINLY PUBLIC SCHOOL.
• Now, I have gotten up before and said we lost civics in our— Schools.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the prior day’s journal, and then processed a large number of motions to discharge bills from committees and substitute identical Senate or Assembly versions for third reading. The chamber also adopted the resolution calendar with exceptions and took up several resolutions and ceremonial recognitions, including a resolution mourning Hudson Talbott, a Dairy Month resolution highlighting New York’s dairy industry, and introductions honoring Niskayuna academic teams, Gabriella Scheer for receiving the Liberty Medal, the Hartstein family’s civic engagement, and Diana Cochran’s advocacy for safe firearm storage. The Senate then moved through the calendar and passed many bills on topics including insurance, public health, education, labor, social services, banking, local government, veterans, public service, consumer protection, criminal procedure, cannabis, parks, taxation, election law, and highway matters. Several members explained votes on notable measures: support for acupuncture insurance coverage, consumer protections for doorbell-camera data sharing, expanded protections in debt collection cases, trauma-informed procedures for sexual assault survivors, a Legionnaires’ disease awareness program, changes to mandatory minimum sentencing, and universal safe storage of firearms. A number of home rule and local authorization bills were also approved, including parkland alienation measures and local tax exemption authorizations. Most measures passed with broad bipartisan support, though some drew recorded opposition. Notable roll calls included the consumer debt uniformity bill, the mandatory minimum sentencing bill, the safe storage/firearms bill, and the public housing and public health measures, each with more divided votes. The chamber also accepted a lengthy Rules Committee report sending many additional bills directly to third reading, and then began the supplemental calendar, passing at least the first items before the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill requires schools to notify parents when their child's school vaccination rate falls below the
• McClatchey High School, in support.
• AB 1264 focused on ultra-processed foods in schools.
• These folks have to go to a lot of schooling.
• student loans from going to their schooling.

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard a long agenda of health-related bills, beginning with AB 2651 by Bonta, which would require schools to notify parents when school vaccination rates fall below herd immunity thresholds. Supporters, including family physicians, PTA representatives, and medical groups, said the bill would improve transparency and help parents protect children and vulnerable family members. Opponents argued the data could be misleading, could identify medically exempt or conditional students, and might lead to stigma or discrimination. The bill was later moved out of committee on a due-pass-as-amended motion, with one no vote recorded on the roll call. The committee also heard AB 2123 by Aguirre-Curry on medical debt relief, AB 1570 by Wilson to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for medically necessary breast diagnostic and supplemental imaging, AB 2201 by Berner to restore Medi-Cal eligibility and renewal flexibilities, AB 2448 by Berman to strengthen privacy protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care records, AB 2034 by Addis on food additive safety and transparency, and AB 2598 by Krell to require better notification of next of kin when a patient dies in a hospital. Each bill drew strong support from authors, advocates, and affected individuals, while some drew opposition from insurers, industry groups, or transparency critics who raised concerns about cost, duplication, implementation, or unintended harm. Several bills were moved forward on due-pass-as-amended motions, including AB 2123, AB 2201, AB 2448, AB 2034, and AB 2598. The committee also heard AB 2551 by Elhawary, which would require health plans to collect and publish data on how often enrollees must go out of network for behavioral health care and why. Supporters said the measure would expose access barriers and high out-of-pocket costs, especially for communities of color and people with language access needs; opponents said it would add another reporting mandate and might not solve provider shortage problems. Members generally expressed support for the bill’s goals and several described personal or district-level experiences with behavioral health access problems. The bill was then moved out of committee on a due-pass motion. The committee also took up consent items and other procedural motions, with multiple bills reported out and some placed on call.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:32:15.280><c> safety</c> community safety, school safety community safety, school safety uh<00
• ,</c><00:47:31.840><c> so</c> in this bill because so many schools, so in this bill because so many schools
• </c> students involved in these school students involved in these school shootings<00:48:14.000><c> are
• </c> which means hardening our schools which means hardening our schools doesn't<00:48:25.840><c> necessarily
• </c> wrote him a note to pass him in school wrote him a note to pass him in school the<00:59:07.200><

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:03:59.439><c> district</c> schools in here that school district schools in here that school district
• Um I would love former school moderator.
• </c> books to be used at town and school books to be used at town and school deliberative<00:10:04.240
• The response was, “School districts to add school districts. You know, I’m fine with it.
• The response was, “School districts to add school districts.”

Committee: House Election Law

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You're just part of the... now the fun thing about this, they're all green in color, just like old school
• </c><00:03:55.840><c> kids</c> visit the public and school kids visit the public and school kids visitors
• State, reaching over 83,000 students over 1,000 schools.
• This includes routine zoo guests, as well as school field trips.
• um and we collaborate with them school um and we collaborate with them in<00:24:18.440><c> a</c><00:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• His son, Ben, earned a Ph.D. in space resources at the Colorado School of Mines.
• And members, Zoe and the gentleman who did the prayer are from Wilcox Christian School.
• Xavier is 11 years old, a sixth grader at Wilcox Christian School.
• HB 4107 — school enrollment tribal. Education. HB 4109 — safety school procedures classification.
• HB 2013 — technical correction, school district board. Education.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• providing school nursing support and psychiatric support.
• In the schools telemedically.
• we could get an hour in our Sunday school.
• Actually, all of our inpatients receive school through Norman public schools.
• And the kids actually receive school services through Norman public schools on site at JD McCarty Center

Committee: House A&B Health Subcommittee

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To what degree of communication have y'all gone into public schools just to make sure that those schools
• To what degree of communication have y'all gone into public schools just to make sure that those schools
• Out to the schools, but obviously we're limited. There's also a ton of videos.
• When you get out of high school, it's just a cliff.
• When we do back-to-school at UCA, we have Lunch on the Lawn. It’s a big event.

Committee: All TASK FORCE ON AUTISM

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from November 17 by motion and voice vote. It then heard a presentation from Arkansas State University on its inclusive postsecondary education programs, HOWL and ATLAS, led by Dr. Kristen Johnson and Shane Broadway. The programs serve students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, by providing on-campus living, academic support, life-skills training, financial literacy, internships, employment support, and community integration. Johnson explained that HOWL is a comprehensive transition program that does not lead to a degree but is eligible for financial aid, while ATLAS is degree-seeking and provides additional supports. She reported strong outcomes, including high goal attainment and a majority of graduates working full time, and emphasized that the programs are designed to help students build autonomous adult lives. Members asked about recruitment, eligibility, costs, school outreach, business partnerships, and transition planning. Johnson said the programs have done extensive outreach through IEP meetings, transition symposia, email blasts, and school visits, but that awareness remains a challenge. She identified major roadblocks as business concerns about liability, fragmented collaboration, and difficulty navigating funding streams such as vocational rehabilitation and Medicaid. She also said more coordinated statewide communication and coalition-building are needed, and noted that ASU is helping launch a state alliance for similar programs, with new programs opening at ASU Mountain Home and the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff. The committee then heard from the University of Central Arkansas about Project Ascend, a new low-sensory living-learning community for neurodiverse students in Hughes Hall. Dr. Debbie Daly and Jeremy Gillum described it as a voluntary, self-identified program focused on community building, belonging, and retention rather than remediation or degree planning. The program has hosted a few low-sensory social events and plans to expand outreach through campus tours, orientation, and targeted communications. Members asked about recruitment, participation, success measures, and how to avoid duplicating ASU’s efforts; UCA said it is still in its infancy and will measure success mainly through participation, retention, and student engagement. The meeting ended with general support from members, discussion of collaboration across institutions and agencies, and adjournment of the task force.

Transcript Highlights:

• Item 11, amendment of Riders 16, communities and schools, adopted.
• Page 9 is Permanent School Fund Corporation.
• School Fund, turning to page 10. This is School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
• Turning to page 13. special provisions for the school for the blind and school for the deaf item one
• Moving to page 36, University of Texas Dale Medical School.

Bills: SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• local governments and local school districts.
• local governments and local school districts.
• local governments and local school districts.
• local governments and local school districts.
• </c><01:47:45.159><c> now</c> account that pays back our schools now account that pays back our schools

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm one of the faculty members at the School of Aviation.
• I'm one of the faculty members at the School of Aviation.
• I say or the school in Kentucky.
• </c> include Jessim County Middle School include Jessim County Middle School students<01:03:44.000><c
• and AMT schools can be up to two to five years.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The task force meeting began with approval of the July 14 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Kentucky Aviation Association. Association leaders described general aviation airports as important to rural access, commerce, emergency response, tourism, agriculture, and workforce development, and cited statewide economic impacts they said exceed $1.6 billion and support more than 9,400 jobs. They thanked the legislature for prior airport funding and said it had helped airports with basic operations and repairs. The association asked lawmakers for four things: continued appropriations for general aviation airports; relief or a more workable process for required financial audits, which they said can cost $10,000 to $20,000 or more and sometimes exceed a small airport’s annual budget; a regularized statewide appropriations process for airport infrastructure needs, which they said total about $100 million and are currently addressed unevenly; and funding for the Aerospace Education Reinvestment Opportunity Act to support scholarships and aviation workforce training. Members of the task force asked follow-up questions about the audit burden, the difference between financial and safety audits, and the difficulty of finding audit firms. The presenters said they would bring specific ideas back on audit reform. Eastern Kentucky University then presented on its aviation program. EKU leaders thanked the committee for prior support, including a $25 million appropriation for a new flight school building at Central Kentucky Regional Airport, and said the project is expected to break ground in 2026. They reported strong enrollment growth, with 502 aviation majors, most of them Kentuckians, and said the program has expanded flight hours and job placement. EKU also outlined plans to add an air traffic control program in response to Senate Bill 87 and the national shortage of controllers, saying it could train students to FAA standards if the university receives the needed investment in simulators, equipment, space, and faculty. They also discussed the need to replace an aging fleet of training aircraft, saying the current planes are decades old and costly to maintain, and that newer aircraft would improve training quality and reduce student costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not a new school. It's not a new concept. It's not a new investment.
• It's because all of Idaho's two-year schools use the term college, but not community as part of their
• It's because all of Idaho's two-year schools use the term college, but not community as part of their
• The term “college” is simply outdated for a school like LC State, a school that has offered bachelor’
• LC State is a great school. It does a lot with a little.

Summary: The Senate convened with 32 members present, heard prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and approved the corrected journal. It then received committee reports referring newly printed Senate Bills 1261-1268 to the appropriate committees, and heard a gubernatorial appointment of Trent Ney to the Idaho Health Insurance Exchange Board, which was referred to the Commerce and Human Resources Committee. The Senate also received House Concurrent Resolution 25 from the House for introduction. In the 10th order, the Senate adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 116, concerning findings related to Water District 1. It also adopted Senate Resolution 113, a bipartisan measure condemning political violence and affirming the importance of peaceful political engagement. The Senate then adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 115, supporting consolidation of the Soil and Water Conservation Commission into the Idaho Department of Water Resources, with supporters citing efficiency, improved coordination, and continued support for local soil and water districts. Under final consideration, the Senate passed Senate Bill 1239, which revises Idaho sex offender law to extend residency protections to legally operating daycares approved by local governments as well as state-licensed facilities. It also passed Senate Bill 1234, which changes Lewis-Clark State College’s name to Lewis-Clark State University throughout Idaho Code, with supporters arguing the change better reflects the institution’s degree offerings and would reduce confusion without changing its mission or adding ongoing costs. Both bills were transmitted to the House, and the Senate adjourned until the next day after miscellaneous announcements about upcoming deadlines and the final day for non-privileged committee bill introductions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, seven years ago, Florida's school choice options were capped; they were limited.
• In fact, today I can announce that the high school graduation rate for the 2024-25 school year was 92.2
• Back then, there was no state mechanism to ensure higher pay for our school teachers.
• We have ensured that our schools have a duty to educate, not a right to indoctrinate.
• We have ensured that our schools have a duty to educate, not a right to indoctrinate.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Autism-specific schools in the state.
• ,</c><00:58:21.359><c> we</c> residential and day school, we residential and day school, we specialize
• </c><01:34:30.880><c> to</c> provision that allows their school to provision that allows their school
• We know that SNAP and school meals.
• </c><01:36:41.280><c> meals</c> investment around SNAP and school meals investment around SNAP and school

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee approved the October 22, 2025 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel on accidental ingestion of illegal drug products by children. Panel members said pediatric ingestions have become the most common case type they review, with the highest-risk children ages one to four, and that fatal cases have increased in recent years. They reported that the substances most often involved are fentanyl, cannabinoids including THC products, methamphetamine, and increasingly xylazine; they also noted a decline in buprenorphine-related ingestions, which they viewed as a positive trend. The panel used several case examples to highlight recurring problems in investigations and medical response, including delayed DCBS involvement, failure to administer Narcan, inadequate drug testing, lack of child abuse team involvement, and limited or absent law enforcement investigation. They said law enforcement issues are especially common in pediatric ingestion cases and are concentrated in Jefferson County and the Bluegrass/KIPA regions. One example involved a one-year-old who died from fentanyl and Benadryl intoxication; another involved a two-year-old who died after ingesting multiple substances; and a third involved a four-year-old with near-fatal THC gummy ingestion where delayed treatment worsened the child’s condition. They also described a 10-month-old THC ingestion case that resulted in a criminal abuse conviction, which they presented as an example without missed investigative opportunities. Committee members discussed possible policy responses, including creating a more specific criminal child abuse offense or clarifying existing abuse and neglect definitions to cover unsafe access to illegal drugs, while preserving room for true accidents and prescribed medications. Members also raised the need for statewide standardization in reporting, investigation, and medical response, and suggested the panel should be able to call in agencies such as law enforcement, DCBS, judges, and hospitals for closed-session review of selected cases. The panel chair said they were already pursuing meetings with LMPD and would provide Jefferson County-specific breakdowns, and members expressed interest in additional data and agency follow-up before considering legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> off at a technical school or a two-year. off at a technical school or a two-year.
• Therefore, they're not going to school full-time. They're going to school part-time.
• </c> they're not going to school full-time. they're not going to school full-time.
• Um so it's and school and daycare.
• They tell them to go to school.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Higher Education Conference Committee reviewed differences among the Governor’s, House, and Senate proposals for state grant parameter changes and their effects on state grant spending, North Star Promise spending, and average student awards. Nonpartisan staff explained that the proposals use different combinations of parameter changes, with the Governor’s and Senate plans modeled to avoid or minimize rationing, while the House plan would require rationing to balance the program. Staff reported projected biennium balances of a positive $29.836 million for the Governor’s proposal, a negative $60.758 million for the House proposal without rationing, a positive $994,000 for the House proposal with rationing, and a positive $3.623 million for the Senate proposal; North Star Promise balances also varied, with the Senate showing a positive balance and the Governor and House with rationing showing negative balances. Staff also said the Senate proposal would extend availability of the state grant appropriation and suspend surplus procedures through fiscal year 2029, allowing the balance to carry forward. The committee then focused on the House-only tuition and fee cap provision, which would limit the tuition recognized for state grant purposes for four-year programs to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities level, with 1% annual increases in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. House members said the cap was intended to address rising tuition, especially at the University of Minnesota, and to produce savings in the state grant program. The governor’s office confirmed the provision was not included in the Governor’s bill. Representatives from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Private College Council opposed the cap, arguing it would reduce awards for low-income students and shift costs to students rather than address underlying tuition pressures; they also said it could discourage enrollment at higher-cost institutions. Supporters from Minnesota State argued the cap would improve fairness because students at lower-tuition institutions are effectively capped lower, while students at more expensive institutions receive larger awards, and they said the legislature should intervene in a variable that has grown substantially over time. Committee members questioned how the cap would work and whether it was tied to the Twin Cities campus rate. Testifiers clarified that the state grant formula is tied to the University of Minnesota level, but because Minnesota State institutions are below that level, the cap effectively limits their students to their own lower tuition while allowing higher awards at the University of Minnesota and private colleges. No formal vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the chair indicated the committee would continue with item-by-item review of the remaining parameter changes and hear additional testimony from agencies and institutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Last year, Rapides Parish had to shut down their schools for about 10 days, various schools, because
• of school threats.
• Schools are locked down. Parents rush to the schools in fear.
• , school activities, students, or school employees.
• He was married at 18 to his high school sweetheart, who was 19 at the time. at 18 to his high school

Committee: Senate Judiciary C

Keywords: 974, senate, all