Transcript Highlights:

• SB 866 requires all jurisdictions that do not receive HAP grants, which are Homeless Housing, Assistance
• in their communities and that have been advocating for increased access to programs such as HAP.
• in their communities and that have been advocating for increased access to programs such as HAAP.
• Implementation as well as funding to implement policies and programs.
• State approved apprenticeship programs ensure workers are properly trained.

Summary: The committee heard several housing-related measures. SB 866 by Senator Blakespear would require jurisdictions that do not receive HAP homelessness grants to include homelessness data strategies and regional coordination in their housing elements. Supporters said the bill would close a planning gap and improve transparency and accountability; opponents, including the League of California Cities and several cities, argued it would impose costly, duplicative reporting requirements and ask cities to collect data outside their control. Members raised concerns about burden on small cities and possible amendments for lower-population or low-homelessness jurisdictions, but no final vote was taken because the committee initially lacked a quorum. SB 967, also by Senator Blakespear, would allow qualifying interim housing units to count toward a portion of a jurisdiction’s RHNA obligation for acutely low-income housing, with safeguards against double counting and reporting requirements. Supporters said the bill would incentivize rapid, dignified interim housing and help move people out of encampments; opponents warned it would blur the line between temporary shelter and permanent housing and could reduce pressure to build deeply affordable permanent units. After extensive debate, the committee reached quorum and voted the bill out on a due pass basis to the Senate Appropriations Committee, with members noting continued work on amendments. The committee also considered SCR 131, a resolution calling for a coordinated state effort to end unsheltered homelessness and prioritize a broad range of interventions, including interim housing, permanent supportive housing, and prevention. Supporters emphasized the scale and urgency of unsheltered homelessness and the need for clearer state goals and funding. One member said the resolution’s language was too broad and abstained, but the author agreed to consider wording changes. The resolution was adopted on a roll call vote and held on call for absent members. Finally, SB 1238 by Senator Wahab would increase oversight and transparency for homeowners associations and HOA managers, including disclosures, reserve-fund rules, and a proposed fiduciary-duty standard. Realtors and homeowner supporters backed the bill as a way to improve accountability, while community-manager groups opposed the fiduciary-duty provision and raised concerns about litigation and insurance costs. Members discussed the reserve-fund language and fiduciary-duty issue, noting that further changes would be considered in the Judiciary Committee; the bill was not yet voted on in this hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 866 requires all jurisdictions that do not receive HAP grants, which are homeless housing assistance
• and prevention grants, to include comprehensive homelessness data, strategies, and regional coordination
• in their communities and that have been advocating for increased access to programs such as HAP.
• in their communities and that have been advocating for increased access to programs such as HAAP.
• State-approved apprenticeship programs ensure workers are properly trained.

Committee: Senate Housing

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've already increased production in our state programs by 50%.
• We got the biggest bridge grant ever given to a state for the Cape Cod bridges.
• That's a real program, and I want parents out there to understand what's going on.
• That's a real program, and I want parents out there to understand what's going on.
• Grant us patience and resilience to keep building a better future.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House and Senate met in joint convention for the Governor’s annual State of the Commonwealth address. Before the address, the chamber handled routine organizational motions, including recesses, the appointment of committees to escort the Lieutenant Governor, constitutional officers, and the Governor into the chamber, the posting of colors, the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem, and an invocation and benediction. The joint convention then heard Governor Maura Healey’s address, followed by remarks from legislative leaders and a closing benediction. In her speech, Governor Healey said the state is strong and highlighted accomplishments from the past session, including tax cuts, expanded child care support, the Affordable Homes Act, transportation improvements, federal funding gains, veterans’ services, and health care measures. She also emphasized ongoing priorities such as reducing housing costs, improving transit and infrastructure, expanding primary care and mental health services, supporting education and career pathways, strengthening clean energy and AI investment, and protecting reproductive health care. She called for abolishing tenant broker’s fees, creating a statewide graduation standards council after the MCAS requirement change, and continuing efforts to address the emergency shelter system and other cost pressures. No roll call votes were taken on legislation during the address itself, but the convention adopted the various ceremonial orders and motions by voice vote. After the Governor’s remarks and the benediction, the joint convention adjourned, and the House later adjourned to meet the following Tuesday in informal session.

Transcript Highlights:

• You have to meet a didactic program.
• </c><01:21:17.040><c> now</c> the it used to be a match program now the it used to be a match program
• </c><01:21:19.120><c> once</c> you're accepted into a program once you're accepted into a program once
• “The other point was that if you’re working in a grant-funded program, you might work in community health
• </c><01:38:52.000><c> funding</c> machines through through grant funding machines through through grant

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held public hearings on House Bill 144 and House Bill 145, both related to professional licensing for dietitians and dental hygienists. HB 144 was described as a technical fix to align statute with existing Board of Dental Examiners rules allowing dental hygienists to administer nitrous oxide and local anesthesia, with supporters saying the bill would add needed training and examination requirements to statute. A dentist and dental society representative testified that the practice is already being done safely within scope, and committee members discussed whether nitrous oxide is still used and whether the bill was mainly to keep the paperwork and law consistent. The committee moved HB 144 forward on a 12-0 vote and placed it on consent. HB 145 would join New Hampshire to a dietitian licensure compact and add a criminal history check for initial licensure to match compact language. The sponsor and board witnesses said the compact would improve portability, support telehealth, help military families and spouses, and maintain public safety by ensuring qualified practitioners and information-sharing among member states. Committee members asked about withdrawal from the compact, the difference between single-state and compact licensure, and why a background check was included; the witness said the compact is not yet active, with four states enacted and seven needed, and that the background check is required by the compact language. Additional testimony from a private-practice dietitian supported the bill, citing continuity of care, rural access, and workforce mobility, while some members raised concerns about telehealth across state lines and the practical effect of the background check.

Transcript Highlights:

• think we all can really use to think about this when we go about our lives: "I no longer take for granted
• think we all can really use to think about this when we go about our lives: "I no longer take for granted
• And so, it is important that we not only work through programs in trying to improve access, but also
• AND SO, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE NOT ONLY WORK THROUGH PROGRAMS IN TRYING TO IMPROVE ACCESS, BUT, ALSO
• "We have examples from a Wegmans in Brooklyn which was doing a facial recognition program.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with routine business, approved the prior journal, and received several motions to discharge identical Assembly bills from committee and substitute corresponding Senate bills. Members also offered brief recognitions for visitors, including Yemeni American community advocates and Cheri Davis, who was honored for her Alzheimer’s advocacy and support work. The chamber then took up several previously adopted resolutions, including Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, Period Poverty Awareness Week, and Nurses Week, with senators speaking in support of each measure’s purpose and importance. The body then moved through a long calendar of bills, passing a wide range of measures on education, public health, correction law, environmental conservation, municipal law, agriculture, and consumer protection. Notable floor discussion included Senator Ramos explaining her support for a bill requiring salons and similar businesses to display multilingual domestic violence resource information, and Senator Gianaris and Senator Borrello debating a bill to prohibit electronic shelf labeling in stores over concerns about surveillance, dynamic pricing, and impacts on brick-and-mortar retailers. Senator May and Senator Skoufis also spoke on an environmental conservation bill concerning American eel management, with May supporting the species protections and Skoufis objecting to the bill’s structure. Most bills were adopted by wide margins, though several drew recorded negative votes. The Senate passed the domestic violence information bill, the electronic shelf-labeling bill, and multiple other measures, including bills on eviction notice procedures, surrogate court procedure, and environmental conservation. After completing the calendar, the Senate reported no further business and adjourned until the next day at 11:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• I also want to thank the House and Senate Tax Committees for granting the city of Rochester back in 2023
• :04:20.079><c> Tax</c><00:04:20.440><c> Committees</c><00:04:20.959><c> for</c><00:04:21.079><c> granting
• </c><00:04:21.680><c> the</c> Senate Tax Committees for granting the Senate Tax Committees for granting
• February, student athletes training for track when it's 15 below, adaptive sports, after-school programming
• February, student athletes training for track when it's 15 below, adaptive sports, after-school programming

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: Representative Hicks presented House File 4194, which would change how Rochester’s approved local option sales tax funds could be used for a regional athletics facility. Hicks argued the city’s 2023 ballot materials promised substantial community and stakeholder engagement and an indoor/outdoor community recreation complex, but that the project shifted to an outdoor-only plan without meaningful public input. She said the bill was needed to center Rochester residents’ voices and prevent a precedent of approved projects being changed after the vote. Rochester City Council President Randy Schubring opposed the bill, saying the city is following the 2023 authorization and building as much as possible within the approved funding. He said the ballot question passed with 53% support and urged the committee not to overturn local election results, while asking lawmakers to work with the city and Rochester delegation on the remaining funding shortfall. Testifier Kamau Wilkins also opposed the city’s current direction, saying voters were promised indoor recreation facilities but are now getting mostly outdoor baseball diamonds, which he described as a bait-and-switch. Several members supported Hicks’ concerns, saying legislators have a duty to ensure local sales tax projects match what voters were told. Representative Lee raised a broader issue about legislative oversight of local option sales taxes and referenced a possible St. Paul-related fix. Hicks closed by saying she supported the tax originally but no longer believes the project matches what voters approved. The committee then laid House File 4194 over for possible inclusion in the omnibus tax bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• This campaign has been developed through a one-year grant from the Minnesota Department of Health.
• <c> the</c><00:02:10.200><c> Minnesota</c><00:02:10.759><c> Department</c><00:02:11.160><c> of</c> Grant
• from the Minnesota Department of Grant from the Minnesota Department of Health<00:02:12.000><c> we're
• I'm also an American Dental Association Wellness Ambassador, a program they began in 2022.
• <00:13:39.800><c> they</c><00:13:39.959><c> began</c> program they began program they began in<00:13:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the administration of the program. the administration of the program.
• </c> a service or program a service or program um<01:15:22.800><c> in</c><01:15:23.040><c> in</c><01:
• uh reinstatement of the the program. And uh reinstatement of the the program.
• Now you get a new grant for this and not grant for that, and so the recent item we had was moving money
• It does increase the transparency of the program.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: Division Three of the Finance Committee met in work session on April 20, 2026, to consider Senate Bills 481, 603, and 663, with the discussion focused primarily on SB 481, relative to the sale of the Sununu Youth Services Center property. The chair explained that the bill was advisory only and that the committee’s recommendations would go to full Finance on April 27. For SB 481, members reviewed conflicting provisions in the prior budget law about whether sale proceeds should go to the general fund or the Youth Development Center Claims and Administration Settlement Fund, and the bill was described as a compromise that would direct proceeds to the general fund before June 30, 2027, and to the settlement fund after that date. It was noted that the settlement fund had originally received about $20 million and had roughly $10 million remaining. The committee also received an extensive update from DCYF Director Marie Noonan on the new Youth Development Center in Hampstead. She reported that construction remained on schedule, with major structural and interior work complete, substantial completion expected in late summer or early fall 2026, and occupancy anticipated in early 2027. The presentation highlighted the facility’s design features, including single-occupancy bedrooms, sensory rooms, an education wing, medical and clinical suites, visitation space, a gym, and multiple outdoor courtyards, all intended to support a trauma-informed setting. Members asked about the facility’s funding, square footage, fencing, and scanner; staff said the building is about 34,000 square feet, funded entirely with federal ARPA state recovery funds to date, and that the scanner is on site but not yet operational pending policy and staff training. Committee members also raised concerns about the facility’s design and security. In response, DCYF said some concrete walls are required for structural and safety reasons, but they are being painted to maintain a brighter environment, and that the fencing will be about 15 feet high with privacy netting because the campus is shared with Hampstead. Officials said the new facility is legislatively limited to a maximum of 12 youth, while the current center can house 12 to 18, and emphasized that courts ultimately determine placements. No votes or final actions were taken during the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Continuing fines as well as grant ineligibility. That's an important point to stress.
• The update in 2024 really strengthened those, the grant ineligibility and other aspects of...
• Madam Chair and Representative Abeyta, we do have specific grants with each of the agencies, and they
• do pay for a number of potential part-time employees as well that we can hire through those grants.
• When it comes to that program, maybe if you could just help me a little bit on that, Madam Chair.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• , Camp Pilot Program.
• Even when parole isn't granted, hearings typically get reset every three years.
• Notably, California has the third lowest parole grant rate in the nation.
• Reportably, California has the third lowest parole grant rate in the nation.
• I do think that there are issues that need to be addressed in our CCW program.

Summary: The Assembly Public Safety Committee met to consider several bills, with six measures approved on consent, including bills on background checks, female offender prison facilities, a juvenile justice hunger survey, protective orders and firearms, a youth offender camp pilot, and peace officer behavioral health training. AB 710 and AB 848 were pulled by the authors. The committee also took up AB 458, AB 394, AB 1094, AB 1092, and AB 1036, with extensive testimony on each. AB 458, by Assembly Member Stephanie, would require state agencies purchasing firearms, ammunition, or accessories to vet vendors for compliance with firearms laws and procurement standards. Supporters, including Brady and the California Police Chiefs Association, said taxpayer funds should not go to dealers with serious violations; opponents argued the bill added burdens and vague standards. The committee approved the bill as amended and sent it to Appropriations. AB 394, by Assembly Member Wilson, would expand protections for transit workers and riders by broadening enhanced battery penalties, clarifying who may seek temporary restraining orders in the transit context, and making those orders system-wide. Transit agencies, labor groups, and law enforcement supported the bill, while public defender and civil liberties groups raised concerns about vagueness, duration, and impacts on access to transit. The committee passed AB 394 to Judiciary as amended. AB 1094, by Assembly Member Baines, would raise the minimum parole eligibility term for child torture convictions involving a child under 14 in the perpetrator’s care or custody from seven years to 20 years. Prosecutors, sheriffs, and police groups supported the bill, citing the severity of the abuse and the need to protect child victims; opponents argued the parole system already screens for risk and that harsher sentences do not improve public safety. The committee approved the bill as amended to Appropriations. AB 1092, by Assembly Member Castillo, would extend concealed carry weapon license renewals from two years to four years; supporters said it would reduce costs and administrative burdens, while the chair and others opposed it as unnecessary. The committee ultimately voted the bill down. AB 1036, by Assembly Member Schultz, would expand post-conviction discovery access for people convicted of felonies with sentences of one year or more, including Brady materials and jury selection notes. Innocence organizations and defense groups supported it, while district attorneys opposed the broader discovery obligations; the committee passed it to Appropriations as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are programs under our sister agencies, like farmer and the alternative ag burning programs under
• for the SAFER program.
• I've heard that from members at the Farmer Program, Sweet Program; they just are not efficient programs
• Whether or not they do proceed to be part of a program or workforce development certification program
• that program.

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on the state of agricultural production in California, with opening remarks from the Senate and Assembly Agriculture Committee chairs and Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry emphasizing agriculture’s economic importance and the need for stronger state investment. They highlighted concerns about water scarcity, labor shortages, rising costs, extreme weather, tariffs, pesticide and regulatory pressures, and the lack of agricultural funding in recent climate-related allocations. Aguiar-Curry also urged immediate action on the glassy-winged sharpshooter outbreak, which CDFA said would cost about $18.5 million annually to detect, monitor, and eradicate. The first panel featured CDFA and the Department of Water Resources. CDFA described California agriculture as a $61.2 billion industry producing more than 400 commodities, but also noted farm bankruptcies, rising input and compliance costs, climate stress, trade issues, and crop removals in vineyards and almonds. DWR focused on hydrologic variability, snowpack decline, groundwater overdraft, subsidence, and SGMA implementation, and discussed tools such as forecast-informed reservoir operations, groundwater recharge, basin characterization, and the 2028 water plan update. Members asked about immediate legislative priorities, flood response after 2023, Prop. 4 and greenhouse gas reduction funding, and regulatory alignment; officials pointed to pest control, science-based water management, affordability, infrastructure, and better coordination across agencies. The second panel examined water, climate, and resource sustainability. PPIC presented estimates that SGMA, climate change, and environmental regulations could reduce irrigation water in the San Joaquin Valley by about 20% by 2040, potentially requiring 500,000 to 900,000 acres of fallowing and affecting billions in agricultural GDP and tens of thousands of jobs. UC Merced discussed practical adaptation tools including FIRO, managed aquifer recharge, on-farm recharge, land repurposing, agrivoltaics, and crop flexibility. The Agricultural Energy Consumers Association argued that energy costs are unsustainable, that electricity and natural gas rates are rising sharply, and that state programs supporting climate-smart agriculture, biomass, and food processing need more funding and coordination. Members and witnesses discussed how limited Prop. 4 and GGRF dollars might be used for recharge, conveyance, subsidence mitigation, and regulatory improvements. The final panel addressed workforce innovation and the future of food production. Industry representatives said food and fiber processors cannot pass along rising costs from energy, labor, workers’ compensation, packaging rules, and compliance mandates, and warned that SGMA-driven land fallowing, pest pressure, and abandoned orchards threaten small farms and processing jobs. The Almond Alliance called for periodic review of regulations, stronger invasive species response, and targeted support for orchard removal, ag burn alternatives, and water efficiency. The California Farmworker Foundation described its work providing health, education, and civil assistance services to farmworkers in multiple counties, including health navigation, field-based clinics, and food support, and stressed the needs of an aging labor force and food insecurity in rural communities. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational, with members and witnesses discussing possible future legislation and funding priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><00:03:47.560><c> and</c> dependent care assistance program, and dependent care assistance program
• </c> And events reimbursement program.
• This article establishes a sports and events reimbursement program and establishes a revenue ruling program
• </c><00:45:33.080><c> is</c> Another key feature of this program is Another key feature of this program
• </c> shortly after the program opens. shortly after the program opens.

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Grant us your wisdom that we may act with clarity and righteousness.
• and the State Civil Service Commission on the feasibility of creating a housing rental assistance program
• and the State Civil Service Commission on the feasibility of creating a housing rental assistance program
• So how can we determine if these PILOT programs are doing what they should do if we don't know what the
• public trust, three economic development agencies, and four IDBs stated they had the authority to grant

Summary: The House met with a quorum present, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then took up introductions of several resolutions and bills. Resolutions introduced included measures to recognize Funeral Directors’ Day, commend the crew of Eve, recognize Crime Stoppers of Greater New Orleans, honor Nurse Practitioner Day, and express condolences for several deceased public figures and former members. Several resolutions were adopted immediately by suspension of the rules, including condolences resolutions and commendations for Bernardo de Gálvez, Codafield Day, Drew Brees, the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, and support for continued National Guard operations at Camp Beauregard. The House also received multiple bills and committee reports. Introduced bills included appropriations measures to pay consent judgments, a property tax exemption bill for certain trusts involving property owners age 65 or older, a nursing medication administration bill, and a prisoner transfer notification bill referred to the Committee on Justice. Committee reports were read showing numerous House bills reported favorably or with amendments from Civil Law and Transportation. No floor votes on those bills were taken in the transcript, and many items were noted as lying over. During personal privilege remarks, members discussed PILOT (payments in lieu of taxes) data and transparency, with concerns about foregone revenue and local taxing authorities. The chamber also recognized visiting 7th grade students from Trinity Episcopal School and held a moment of silence honoring the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson. Announcements were made for upcoming committee meetings, an ethics training after adjournment, and a Bible study event. The House then agreed to adjourn until 2:00 p.m. the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• To teach these programs.
• So for a lot of our bread-and-butter programs that we offer, there are career and technical programs
• put more programs in place.
• But what TSAC did is grant an additional year.
• it already addresses teacher prep programs.

Bills: HB28 , HB50 , HB196 , HB268 , HB271 , HB285 , HB316 , HB649 , HB807

Committee: House Education

Keywords: teacher certification, certification appeals, BESE, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Teacher Certification Appeals Council, educator licensure, teaching license, teacher licensure, appeals process, certification denial, administrative appeal, special meeting, board president, retroactive application, education board, Louisiana teachers, Department of Education, statutory entities, re-creation, termination date

Transcript Highlights:

• There are three divisions in this budget, which include court operations, guardian ad litem programs,
• Beginning with the FY 2027 JFAC program maintenance budget, add $77,900. Hold on a minute.
• Beginning with the FY 2017 JFAC program maintenance, Please do.
• for the guardian ad litem program.
• A grant administrator for the guardian ad litem program.

Summary: The Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committee met to consider several budget items and related language. For the Idaho Judicial Branch, the committee approved a motion adding $3.9 million from dedicated funds for court operations, including money for the Senior Magistrate Judge Fund, treatment court and family court services funds, the Substance Abuse Treatment Fund, and the Court Technology Fund. Members noted the court technology funding was being shifted to dedicated funds to replace general fund support, and the motion passed with a do-pass recommendation. The committee then approved a Guardian ad Litem Division budget increase of $165,300 from the general fund, including support for the Second Judicial District CASA program and restoration of part of a prior rescission. Testimony emphasized the role of CASA volunteers and guardian ad litems in child welfare cases. The motion passed despite some dissent, and the committee also adopted related language. For the Millennium Income Fund, the committee approved a motion totaling $9,872,200, including funding for the Kamiah recovery center, the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund, youth assessment centers, children’s advocacy centers, a statewide drug awareness media campaign, and an added $30,000 for statewide training and coordination of school resource officers. The added SRO funding drew questions about committee consultation, but the substitute motion passed. The committee also adopted maintenance and new appropriation language for the Millennium Fund items, including reporting and oversight provisions. Finally, the committee approved $486,300 in dedicated funds for the Idaho State Historical Society for archival moving and IT hardware, along with reappropriation language for unspent archive-move funds. It also adopted statewide language making conditions, limitations, and restrictions in appropriation bills binding law. The meeting concluded with notice of the next day’s agenda and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Governor Landry, charged this commission with the development of a strategic plan and investment program
• Governor Landry, charged this commission with the development of a strategic plan and investment program
• Grant competitiveness is increasingly favoring coordinated systems here and taking a look at how that
• So we hope this is a good pilot program. ...vessel to kind of allow us to work as a body.
• So we hope this is a good pilot program for everybody else to be able to, you know, follow suit and do

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission met on May 14, 2026, with a quorum present to reopen the commission’s work after a long gap. Members approved the July minutes and heard an update that a bill was moving in the Legislature to transfer the commission’s administrative home to the Office of Multimodal Commerce, with the strategic plan expected to be restarted and a consultant likely considered at a future meeting. The chair and vice chair emphasized that the commission now has stronger staffing and a clearer home for its work. The commission then repealed its July resolution that had requested a new ports and waterways infrastructure fund and identified priority projects. Members said the earlier resolution was well-intentioned but premature because the projects had not been fully vetted, LED had not been sufficiently involved, and there was no clear funding structure. They said the projects would still be considered in the broader strategic planning process, but in a more thorough and coordinated form. A major portion of the meeting focused on the collaborative marketing strategy for the five Lower Mississippi River ports, presented by Joe Toomey and Ken Erickson of Polaris, with LED’s Paige Carter confirming LED will serve as the administrative home for the plan. The presenters described a data-driven regional effort built around unity, not uniformity, to promote the ports’ combined strengths, increase trade, attract foreign direct investment, support economic growth, and strengthen funding requests. Members praised the effort as a pilot for statewide coordination, noted that the plan will live at LED, and said it should help the state present a more unified message to investors and policymakers. The commission also received an update from the navigation and safety task force. Members observed a moment of silence for the late Captain Toby Waddingney, and Steve Wall, the new NOBER president, said he would continue the work using Waddingney’s notes. Commissioners reported that several recommendations from the task force are already being implemented, including bridge air-gap sensors, GIS tools, and dredging project coordination. The meeting ended with no public comment, plans for another meeting in the next quarter, and adjournment by motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• So yes, ma'am, it would represent graduate programs, professional programs and all undergraduate programs
• One being a land grant institution.
• And then lastly, just the graduate program portfolio.
• is always a waiting list for those programs.
• What is the market rate for a comparable program?

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To teach these programs.
• So for a lot of our bread-and-butter programs that we offer, there are career and technical programs
• So for a lot of our bread-and-butter programs that we offer, there are career and technical programs
• But what TSAC did is grant an additional year.
• it already addresses teacher prep programs.

Committee: House Education

Summary: The House Education Committee met on March 18, 2026, with 11 members present and adopted prior meeting minutes without objection. The committee first heard HB 649 by Rep. Brass, which would create a statewide common application portal for dual enrollment. Supporters from the Pelican Institute and the Board of Regents said the bill would simplify enrollment, reduce paperwork for counselors and families, and improve awareness of dual enrollment options. Members asked about nonparticipation by institutions and access for nontraditional students; the bill was reported favorably without objection. The committee then took up HB 807 by Rep. Brass, which would establish the Workforce Instructor Capacity Investment Program within LCTCS to help recruit and retain instructors for high-demand workforce programs. Testimony from River Parishes Community College, Dow, and the Louisiana Chemical Association described instructor shortages as a bottleneck for training workers for major industrial projects, and said employer-sharing models and apprenticeships have been successful. An amendment expanded eligibility to include LSU Eunice and Southern University at Shreveport, and the committee adopted the amendments. After debate about whether the state needed a new fund versus using existing systems, the bill was reported favorably by a 13-1 roll call vote. Next, the committee heard HB 285 by Chairman Bacala, which authorizes school boards to cooperate with banks and credit unions to operate branches in high schools as part of financial literacy programs. Bacala said the bill clarifies statutory authority, and an amendment added banks to the original credit union language. Members discussed ethics, exclusivity, student access, and whether the branches could market products; supporters from LABI and financial industry groups said the programs improve hands-on financial education. The bill was reported with amendments without objection. The committee also considered HB 28 by Rep. Owen, which adds a BESE-level appeal for certain teacher certification applicants affected by administrative or contractor errors. Owen described a case in which applicants paid for certification programs but were denied because of a mentor-signature issue, and said the amendment would require BESE or its designee to act within 30 days. Department of Education staff said the Teacher Certification Appeals Council had already granted extensions rather than outright denials in the affected cases, but the committee advanced the bill after a 9-4 roll call vote. Finally, the committee began HB 268 by Rep. Carver, which would strengthen career exposure requirements for students by tying activities more closely to high-wage, high-demand jobs and adding an annual exposure requirement in K-5; testimony emphasized early workforce awareness, and discussion focused on keeping the requirements manageable for schools.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's to bolster after-school and summer school programs.
• And we have a college corps program in this state. You have funded. Thank you.
• New programs we created together.
• Through all of these programs, through all of these targeted tax credits, these rebates, and program
• We crafted new statewide programs. Just think about this. Don't forget about it.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• State programs and spending, economic development coordination, cost and benefits of tax incentives,
• She's extremely proud of the many members That have gone through the Mesa Vista FFA program.
• And so these are from grants, and these are FFA members.
• So it's a very valuable program. It goes way beyond just growing agriculture.
• Riley is very active in both her school theater program and local theater program, which we both love