Transcript Highlights:

• Our program officers—we have four program officers—keep in touch.
• And it's a program that we funded now, I think, two summers.
• But I wanted to give you some data from the operating support program, the one program that we've had
• But I wanted to give you some data from the operating support program, the one program that we've had
• programming.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• our athletic programs.
• <00:24:11.960> if camps and our athletic programs uh if camps and our athletic programs uh
• In addition, parent communication, increased scholarships, and summer pathway programs are being prioritized
• In addition, parent communication, increased scholarships, and summer pathway programs are being prioritized
• In addition, parent communication, increased scholarships, and summer pathway programs are being prioritized

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Sorry—providing the money on the SNAP benefits for the summer food program.
• “With the summer EBT program, which I’m assuming is the money that we give people on SNAP cards to provide
• EBT program.
• It is a large program. And you're right.
• Deals with DBE program and all that. Solution. Deals with DBE program and all that.

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• programs.
• We’ll talk about our ASPIRE program, which is a new program.
• Aspire program.
• program.
• A month-long program in the summer, so it's a real commitment by those students.

Summary: The Higher Education Institutions Committee met on the Minot State University campus for presentations on campus operations, enrollment, and new academic initiatives. President Shirley reviewed recent audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings, and highlighted MSU’s broad academic offerings, specialized accreditations, athletics, and partnerships with Minot Air Force Base and the MSU Development Foundation. Members asked about declining interest in teacher education, tuition waivers for athletes, dual credit incentives, and how MSU decides when to launch new programs and avoid duplication within the university system. Shirley also discussed several workforce-focused initiatives supported by the Legislature’s Workforce Education Innovation Funds, including the purchase of the Trinity Health Center West building for a downtown health sciences hub, a new daycare/preschool partnership near campus, the Aspire program to recruit rural students into teaching, and a paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Enrollment data showed overall headcount was flat at just under 2,750, but full-time equivalent enrollment rose slightly and new student numbers increased, including the largest freshman class in 15 years. The committee also discussed Minot State’s in-state tuition rate for all students, its dual credit “Emerging Scholars” scholarship, and concerns about the share of high school graduates who do not immediately pursue postsecondary education. Faculty then presented two new programs funded in part by WEAF: an Innovation Engineering degree and a master’s program in counseling with an integrated addiction studies focus. The engineering program was described as industry-driven, designed with broad early coursework, hands-on learning, and local employer input to prepare students for western North Dakota workforce needs; officials said it had already drawn more applicants than expected and would use renovated library space and donated or grant-funded equipment. The counseling program will be mostly face-to-face with hybrid options, aims to address shortages in mental health and substance use providers, and is structured to help students meet licensure requirements. Committee members asked about startup costs, licensure supervision hours, and whether the programs would be on campus rather than online, and presenters said both programs had recently received required approvals and were moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• I love the MVP program.
• all summer long at exactly the same time.
• All of our fantastic programs we have for that work, like the MVP program you've heard about, DER's culvert
• upgrade program, they're totally maxed out.
• Practices right now in the summer are very tough.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee hearing focused on a broad set of climate, energy, and environmental justice proposals. Early testimony strongly supported the Climate Change Superfund or “Polluter Pays” bill (H.1014/S.58), which would assess the largest fossil fuel emitters for a one-time fee based on historic emissions to fund climate adaptation. Sponsors argued the bill is modeled on Superfund cleanup principles, would target only the largest multinational polluters, would not be passed on to consumers, and would direct a significant share of funds to environmental justice communities. Committee members asked about the number of companies covered, consumer impacts, and whether the bill would address other forms of environmental destruction; sponsors said it was limited to major fossil fuel companies with a Massachusetts footprint and did not cover other pollution sources. The committee also heard testimony on a fusion energy compact proposal (S.673) that would direct the administration to develop a framework for a New England regional compact to accelerate fusion research, workforce development, and supply-chain growth. Supporters from MIT and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities said fusion could become a major clean-energy and economic opportunity, but acknowledged the technology is not yet commercially viable and still has unresolved technical, cost, and waste-management questions. Members pressed on environmental impacts, siting, waste, costs, and whether the bill would create a compact or only a framework; sponsors said it would only create the framework and that the administration would need to negotiate with other states. Another major topic was a pilot program for nature-based climate solutions (H.971/S.??), backed by legislators, Boston Harbor Now, and UMass Boston’s Stone Living Lab. Witnesses said the bill would help speed permits for research and demonstration projects such as living shorelines, marsh restoration, and hybrid “green-to-gray” flood protections, while maintaining safeguards and protecting Indigenous and historic resources. Committee members asked how the proposal would interact with other permitting reforms and whether it could conflict with housing or wetland-related streamlining; supporters said it was complementary and aimed at making projects faster, more affordable, and more data-driven. The hearing also covered climate-safe buildings and climate adaptation funding bills. Supporters of H.1004/S.583 said current building codes do not adequately account for future flooding, heat, and wind, and the bill would add climate expertise to the building board, allow stretch resilience codes, expand floodplain standards, and create a retrofit program. Related testimony backed H.938/S.572, which would create a dedicated climate and community resilience fund financed by a small fee on property insurance premiums; advocates said it would provide stable long-term revenue for adaptation, especially in environmental justice communities, and help replace unreliable federal funding. One witness from CLF supported the climate-safe buildings and funding bills but opposed S.560/H.939 as too broad. The committee also heard testimony on airport air-quality legislation (H.997) calling for more monitoring and mitigation of ultra-fine particulate pollution around Logan Airport and Massport communities. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• and summer academies.
• and summer academies.
• and summer academies.
• and summer academies.
• and summer academies.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House Republican leaders and Speaker Melissa Hortman held a press event promoting House File 3490, which would opt Minnesota into a federal education tax credit program. They argued the bill has no state cost and would keep donations made by Minnesotans benefiting Minnesota students and schools rather than out-of-state scholarship organizations. Supporters said the funds could help with tutoring, extracurriculars, school supplies, special education-related services, learning loss, and other school needs, and they repeatedly urged Governor Tim Walz to opt in or publicly explain why he would not. Rep. Andrew Myers, the bill’s chief author, said the proposal is personal to him as a parent and legislator and described recent school budget pressures, including staff and resource cuts and larger class sizes. Rep. Ben Bakeberg, a middle school principal, said the bill could generate significant funding if many taxpayers participate and argued it could help offset school district shortfalls and the Blue Ribbon Commission. Rep. Griesbach also backed the bill, calling it a “no-brainer” and saying he would not work with the governor on other budget items unless the governor opted in. In response to questions, supporters said scholarship-granting organizations could be created by a variety of entities, including education foundations, and could support both private-school tuition and public-school-related costs such as extracurricular fees, field trips, and transportation for summer learning. They rejected the idea that the bill pits public and nonpublic schools against each other, saying it is meant to expand educational opportunity for all students. No vote or formal committee action was taken during the event; it ended with questions from reporters on the bill and other Republican priorities such as rental assistance, gas taxes, and energy costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• program, but we've tried to really focus on the programs that serve the state.
• Food programs.
• Additionally, we have the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs and the Summer EBT (Electronic
• These programs are for kids during the summer when they're not in school, providing funding through SNAP
• This is just a few programs. So some programs, like summer... ABT, so summer meals for kids.

Transcript Highlights:

• Outside of that, just providing some more parameters around the summer teacher credentialing academies
• Speaker, can you talk a little bit about the rollout of this program? How many years will it take?
• academies this summer.
• And so by having an emergency on the bill, we'll be able to do that starting this summer.
• Yes, the Inspired to Teach program Has been a resounding success. And I think you look at the data.

Bills: HB4420, HB3974, HB3016, HB3062, HB3021, HB3145, HB4128, HB3131, HB3015, HB3472, HB3453, HB1638, HB4126, HB2696, HB2710, HB3552, HB3031, HB3544, HB3521, HB4490, HB4488, HB1746, HJR1069, HB4428, HB4429, HB1170, HB3538, HB4124, HB3904, HB4106, HB2999, HB3982, HJR1077, HB3464, HB2588, HB3462, HB4440, HB3674, HB3345, HJR1067, HB4326, HB4331, HB4337, HB4338, HB4359, HB4392, HB3557, HJR1076, HB4003, HB3495, HB3497, HB3501, HB3505, HB3749, HB3011, HB4336, HB4346, HJR1087, HB3240, HB3647, HB3796, HB3969, HB3972, HB3983, HB3984, HB3989, HB3383, HB3130, HB4358, HB3327, HJR1055, HB3386, HJR1089, HB3087, HB2970, HB3314, HB4129, HB4199

Keywords: reading, intervention, literacy, education, third grade retention, teacher training, funding, Strong Readers Act, tort claims, inmate housing, government immunity, public trust, private prison, emergency legislation, vision screening, binocular vision, kindergarten, elementary education, health, firearm rights

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Talk about the program. >> Talk about the program.
• So, as Senator Rafa indicated, if they don't want to have a robust summer school or extended day program
• school or extended date robust summer school or extended date program,<00:36:29.920> they<00:
• <00:37:08.640> If programs or dual enrollment programs.
• If programs or dual enrollment programs.

Bills: HB0159

Keywords: student rights, free expression, K-12 education, speech protection, religious views, political speech, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• programs.
• I'm proud to share that we have actually coming up for the first time this summer our summer bridge program
• And then those students actually have a chance to work and to participate in the VPK Summer Bridge program
• I'm proud to share that we have actually coming up for the first time this summer our summer bridge program
• And then those students actually have a chance to work and to participate in the VPK Summer Bridge program

Summary: The subcommittee first heard an overview from Department of Education Chancellor Paul Burns on Florida’s K-12 governance structure and major divisions, including early learning, public schools, safe schools, school choice, and accountability. He highlighted school readiness and VPK, teacher preparation and licensure, school safety functions, scholarship and virtual/home education programs, and FAST progress monitoring. Burns also cited statewide gains such as higher mid-year reading performance, a record graduation rate of 89.7%, and record CTE enrollment, while members questioned the meaning of Florida’s “number one” education rankings, teacher pay, post-COVID learning loss, vacancies, and chronic absenteeism. St. Lucie County Superintendent John Prince then described the scale and responsibilities of a mid-sized district, emphasizing student safety, transportation, meals, hurricane shelter operations, career and technical education, teacher recruitment and retention, progress monitoring, remediation, and mental health supports. Members asked about school shelter construction standards, remediation funding, late school start times, attendance, and concordance scores; Prince argued for more flexibility for CTE pathways and noted that local districts use a mix of state and federal funds to support remediation and staffing. The committee then moved to an early warning systems panel. Burns explained that Florida law requires districts to use attendance, behavior/suspensions, course performance, FAST results, and other academic indicators to identify students needing support, with districts and families developing intervention plans. Superintendents from Putnam, St. Johns, and St. Lucie counties said chronic absenteeism is tied to achievement and NAEP decline, but causes vary by district, including poverty, transportation, daycare, family instability, travel, and student athletics. They described MTSS, PBIS, home visits, attendance letters, and community partnerships as responses. Members also discussed VPK access, full-day VPK funding, excused versus unexcused absences, and the need for earlier intervention in pre-K and K-2. Finally, Vice Chancellor Darren Norris outlined Florida’s post-Parkland school safety measures, including armed school officers, anonymous reporting, behavioral threat assessment teams, mental health training, panic alert systems, emergency drills, active assailant response policies, and firearm detection canines. Superintendents said compliance is costly and often requires shifting local funds, but they praised state grants for mental health, hardening, and mapping. They noted ongoing challenges with new mandates, capital costs, manual reporting burdens, and the need to balance safety requirements with classroom resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• They got unemployment this summer, or they worked, you know, getting kids to different programs or summer
• and different programs or summer school and different programs or summer school and they're they're
• He said schools still have a problem getting employees for summer programs, so there is more work to
• He added that schools still cannot get the employees they need for summer programs, so there is more
• c> run<02:56:13.200> so many summer programs that they run so many summer programs that they

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Program.
• Sun Bucks, a summer EBT program that helps cover meals for students when school is out, replaced summer
• program.
• the summer months.
• Like other programs, The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT program, like other programs you've heard about

Summary: The joint oversight hearing focused on food insecurity in California and how state and federal nutrition programs, agricultural production, and food distribution systems intersect. Assemblymembers emphasized that many Californians, including farmworkers, seniors, children, and communities of color, remain food insecure despite California’s agricultural abundance. Panelists and members discussed CalFresh, WIC, school meals, Sun Bucks, food banks, and the impact of federal policy changes, including possible nutrition cuts, tariffs, and immigration enforcement, on access to food and the agricultural workforce. Secretary Karen Ross described CDFA programs aimed at improving access to fresh food and supporting local agriculture, including the senior farmers’ market program, California Nutrition Incentive Program, Healthy Refrigeration Grant Program, Community Food Hubs, Farm to School, urban agriculture, and a proposed tribal food sovereignty program. She said these efforts help connect local producers to consumers, expand healthy food access, and build infrastructure such as refrigeration, mobile markets, and aggregation hubs. Department of Social Services Deputy Director Alexis Fernandez Garcia outlined CalFresh, CFAP, Sun Bucks, CACFP, emergency food programs, and tribal nutrition assistance, noting that CalFresh and related programs significantly reduce poverty and food insecurity, but participation gaps remain for non-English speakers, some Asian American communities, and undocumented households. PPIC researcher Tess Thorman presented data showing that 13% of California households experienced food insecurity in 2023, with higher rates among households with children and Latino, Black, and other households. She said nutrition programs reduce poverty and food hardship, but federal rules, income thresholds, immigration restrictions, and high living costs limit their reach. Members asked about simplifying applications, improving call center access, increasing outreach in multiple languages, and adjusting benefits for inflation. Officials said the state has used available federal options to streamline enrollment, improve customer service, and target outreach, but many core rules and benefit levels are set federally. The second panel shifted to food production and market access. A farmer, a UC food systems leader, and a produce distributor described efforts to connect small and medium farms with food banks, schools, universities, and Medi-Cal food-as-medicine programs. They highlighted programs such as Farms Together, the USDA Southwest Regional Food Business Center, Farm to School, food hubs, and climate-smart infrastructure grants as ways to create stable markets for local growers while improving food access. Speakers also raised concerns about land tenure, consolidation, regulatory burdens, labor constraints, and the loss of federal funding, and members discussed whether state investments and Prop. 4 funds could help sustain and expand these efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• that the program was more functional.
• <00:02:49.440> was meant to make sure that the program was meant to make sure that the program
• program based on credible allegations program based on credible allegations nothing<00:06:10.800>
• programs back to the general fund. programs back to the general fund.
• to<00:15:26.079> take programs without decent programs to take programs without decent

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 3379, a technical bill dealing with the housing stabilization supports program in human services. The bill’s author explained that the program had been terminated at the state’s request and approved by CMS, and the bill would remove it from statute so the legislature would have a role if the program is later brought back. The discussion quickly broadened into a debate over legislative versus executive authority in Medicaid and human services programs, with members arguing about whether the department should be able to terminate or redesign programs without legislative approval and how to protect vulnerable participants. Members discussed three amendments. The A1 amendment sought to require 30-day public comment periods for Medicaid waiver and state plan changes, require publication of comment text online, and prohibit the commissioner from terminating legislatively enacted Medicaid waivers or benefits or requesting federal assistance to do so without legislative involvement. The A3 amendment was offered as a modification to A1 to address concerns about requiring the legislature to be called back in during the interim; however, after debate over whether the amendment would give the commissioner too much authority and whether it could affect existing fraud-sanction procedures under section 256B.064, A1 was withdrawn and A3 was also set aside. A2, described as a technical cleanup amendment from nonpartisan staff, was then adopted. The committee then voted on the bill as amended. The motion to re-refer House File 3379 to the General Register passed on a voice vote, and the bill was recommended to be placed on the General Register. Throughout the discussion, members emphasized different priorities: some stressed oversight, public input, and legislative control over program changes, while others argued the department needed flexibility to address fraud and protect services for seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable residents.

Transcript Highlights:

• What happens in the summer when kids are not in school?
• Most camps and summer programs won't accept a child with autism.
• What we want to do is have a grant program that will establish summer programs for children with autism
• We want to make sure that is open all summer long, not just in the school year.
• We have a program where they are working in various facilities across the state.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It makes so much sense to move towards a compact licensure program.
• But what happens when they travel and return home for the summer?
• UCM has a robust athletic training program, and we want to do everything we can to make it as strong
• Additionally, like summer sports camps and things like that, so we can share that resource with you if
• Additionally, like summer sports camps and things like that, so we can share that resource with you if

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and ACES. programs together.
• We know that these after-school, summer, and before-school programs make a huge difference, especially
• Tutoring, summer school.
• Especially when it comes to the summer programs, which tend to be the ones where the evidence I've seen
• Transportation is a big issue for summer school programs quite often in terms of participation rate because

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• law for Education Innovation programs law for Education Innovation programs just<00:34:39.399>
• It's extra tough in the summer, not just because there's no air conditioning, but because during summer
• Also, we need to preserve the program integrity.
• Also, we need to preserve the program integrity.
• Also, we need to preserve the program integrity.

Bills: HF6, HF52, HF53

Keywords: education, literacy, science of reading, school performance, funding flexibility, innovation zones, equity and inclusion, HF52, New Germany, wastewater treatment, wastewater facility, sewer infrastructure, capital investment, bonding bill, state bonds, Public Facilities Authority, municipal infrastructure, water quality, sanitation, sewage treatment

Transcript Highlights:

• We It's schools are hot in the summer.
• <00:06:01.919> is and a day or two more in the summer is and a day or two more in the summer
• might learn something at in the summer might learn something at in the summer home<00:06:09.199>
• So, helping working their summer jobs.
• It will go right to superior court. about their athletic program and how about their athletic program

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They connect to other programs.
• It also runs our certificate of public need program, our COPN program.
• That's cost to the program.
• That's cost to the program.
• a program that I was tracking.

Keywords: House Room C, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that they have to have a pole inspection program?
• So 2020, the summer of 2023 was a very hot summer. We hit that.
• So 24 was a much milder summer.
• So 2023 was. is similar to the 2011 summer, which was another record summer.
• Summer, hot summer, we hit that 85,000 megawatt peak, 2023.

Keywords: 1184, house, all