Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:05:12.840><c> third</c><00:05:13.199><c> term</c> County this is my fourth term third term County
• I'm in my third term.
• </c> second term on finance fifth term second term on finance fifth term overall<00:09:24.839><c> and
• It's my fourth term in the House, fourth term on Finance.
• It's my fourth term in the House, fourth term on Finance.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Finance Committee met for an organizational opening session in which the chair, Ken Weyler, called the committee to order and members introduced themselves. The introductions established the committee’s leadership and membership, including Vice Chair Dan McGuire, ranking member Mary Jane Wallner, deputy ranking member Karen Eil, clerk Jerry Griffin, and other members from both parties. Many members briefly described prior legislative service and professional backgrounds, with several noting prior experience on Finance or related budget committees. Chair Weyler then outlined committee procedures and expectations. He emphasized that Finance handles spending bills and fiscal notes, that bills will generally be heard by the full committee and then referred to the appropriate division, and that executive sessions may be used to save time when positions are clear. He reviewed rules on attendance, dress, phones, paperwork handling, committee replacements, conflict of interest and recusal, and the process for testimony, including that members should listen without debating witnesses and that sponsors of bills must recuse themselves from questioning witnesses on their own bills. He also described the committee’s structure and workload, noting three divisions and the role of legislative budget staff. Weyler said the committee would likely see bills from many policy committees that have fiscal impacts, and he encouraged policy committees to find offsets within their own areas rather than assume new spending will be added. No bills were heard and no votes were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• We fulfilled our commitment to taking care of people in Minnesota in health and human services in terms
• care system especially in tenuous health care system especially in rural<00:18:54.960><c> facilities
• We are putting more of the responsibility back into the health care system as we do contain the costs
• and growth of costs in the health care system.
• The long-term 28-29 is half, and we're still funding the things. This was a savings area.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But these short-term programs do have mixed results.
• Over the last two years, nearly 50% of our long-serving CSU presidents have retired.
• And AB 1829 moves us toward a system grounded in access, flexibility, and student success.
• They give students like me the chance to succeed and move toward long-term self-sufficiency.
• And those jobs were crucial to me. $36 cash in my pocket wasn't going to last very long.

Committee: House Higher Education

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> clinical care with appropriate degrees. clinical care with appropriate degrees.
• drum that until we start holding our caregivers more responsible, a lot of this won't make a lot of long-term
• a lot a a lot of this won't make a long a lot a lot<01:52:54.639><c> of</c><01:52:54.800><c> long-term
• 56.239><c> And</c><01:52:56.400><c> I</c><01:52:56.560><c> only</c><01:52:56.800><c> say</c> lot of long-term
• And I only say lot of long-term change.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the May 12 minutes, then deferred item 285 on the routine personal service contract green list for Western Kentucky University to the July 2026 meeting. It also noted that several deferred university contracts had been withdrawn by the institutions, and then approved the remaining agenda items without objection, including personal service contracts, amendments, memoranda of agreement, Kentucky Entertainment incentive agreements, deferred items, and corrections, except for items pulled for further review. The main pulled item was a Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts contract supporting Fayette District Court’s juvenile treatment court through Fayette County Public Schools. Court officials explained that the program, created under Supreme Court rules in 2022, serves court-connected juveniles with mental health and related needs, operates at the courthouse, and uses a school-employed program manager funded through a pass-through arrangement with Fayette County Public Schools and the Urban County Government. They said the program has had over 100 referrals, accepted about half, and had at least 25 successful graduates, with 11 high school graduates among participants. Members asked about who pays for drug screens, family involvement, and what counts as successful completion; the officials said the Urban County Government’s Division of Youth Services pays for drug screens and services, and that parents must participate in classes and support services. The committee then approved the contract review, with some members explaining their votes in support and one member emphasizing the committee’s role in reviewing contracts in the public interest. The committee also reviewed two Auditor of Public Accounts contracts. The auditor’s representative said contract 11, with Vantage Point Solutions, will examine the Kentucky Communications Network Authority/Kentucky Wired network for $700,000, well below the $1.5 million appropriated, and that a report is expected before the 2027 regular session. Contract 12 funds a special examination of investment managers used by Kentucky’s retirement systems, prompted by a Legislative Oversight and Investigations request to assess whether investments tied to ESG factors are consistent with fiduciary duties; the representative said the retirement systems have been cooperative and that findings are expected on a similar timeline, with some flexibility built into the deadline. After questions about the Texas litigation referenced in the explanation, the committee approved both auditor contracts without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• So your student information system, business information systems also want to highlight it and cybersecurity
• Ours about 21 pages long. It's functional.
• There was a term we use.
• And, you know, the term is compassion.
• I'll tell you, I think for a long, long time and public education, we had a captive audience and I believe

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• use the term "aid and abet."
• Why did you use the term "aid and abet," which I think is strictly a criminal term, a criminal law term
• Clark, long, long question, but go ahead. But a good one. Mr.
• It requires schools, child care providers, and health care professionals to notify parents within 72
• HB 822 expands beyond Idaho's current gender-affirming care ban for minors, beyond medical care into

Summary: The committee first approved a motion to send an IRS-related item to print, then took up House Bill 822, which would require covered entities such as schools, child care providers, and medical or behavioral health providers to notify parents when a minor requests help with a social transition and would restrict assisting a child’s transition without parental consent. Representative Skaug, the sponsor, said the bill is intended to protect parents’ rights and ensure they are not kept in the dark about serious matters involving their children. Committee members questioned the bill’s scope, including the use of terms like “request,” “facilitate,” and “aid and abet,” the applicability of mandamus to private entities, and the potential for a $100,000 civil penalty; Skaug said penalties would be proportional and that the bill was aimed at social transition, not ordinary behavior or medical treatment. Public testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including representatives of Idaho Family Policy Center, a parent, a father, and Alliance Defending Freedom, argued the bill would restore parental authority, stop schools and providers from concealing a child’s gender-related concerns, and close loopholes in existing school policies. Opponents, including physicians, a nurse, a parent, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, and a trans constituent, said the bill was vague, would chill professional judgment, could endanger vulnerable youth, and might force disclosure in situations where a child is not safe at home or is not ready to involve parents. Several opponents also warned the bill could worsen Idaho’s provider shortages and create legal and ethical conflicts for educators and clinicians. After sponsor closing remarks, senators debated the measure. Supporters emphasized parental rights and the need for notification, while opponents argued the bill lacked clear definitions and safety exceptions. The committee then voted on the motion to send House Bill 822 to the floor with a due pass recommendation; the motion carried, and the bill was advanced to the Senate floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• They need care and so you want whoever is having to take care of them in that situation to have as much
• Long-term planning, biological sex is often a critical variable variable.
• Is there a rating system?
• Um, care calls, is it Leyla? It's Leila.
• Why just everybody to take care of it on their own?

Bills: HB 45 , HB 755 , HB 1232 , HB 1555 , HB 2460 , HB 2702 , HB 2973 , HB 3120 , HB 3225 , HB 3314 , HB 3356 , HB 3371 , HB 3634 , HB 3638 , HB 4247 , HB 4283 , HB 4290 , HB 4302 , HB 4503 , HB 4511 , HB 4565 , HB 4581 , HB 4627 , HB 4632 , HB 4660 , HB 4668 , HB 4960 , HB 5042

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: housing, affordable housing, rent control, landlord-tenant laws, housing rights, lobbying, public entities, expenditures, government code, transparency, Texas Ethics Commission, government regulation, lobbying restrictions, government accountability, taxpayer money, HB 1232, whistleblower, whistleblower protection, public employee, retaliation

Transcript Highlights:

• delivery system is.
• </c><00:43:36.359><c> and</c><00:43:36.520><c> although</c> care delivery system is uh and although care
• </c> highest health care highest health care institutions<00:54:23.000><c> uh</c><00:54:23.119><c> in
• The average cost for the average length of care for a child in out-of-home care is between $55,000 and
• </c> we'll we'll try not to take a a long we'll we'll try not to take a a long long<01:12:22.159><c>

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first reorganized by electing Representative Hart as House co-chair and Senator Douglas as Senate co-chair by acclamation, then approved the December 10 minutes. It then took up deferred and routine contract items, beginning with a Council on Postsecondary Education item that was withdrawn after staff explained the contract had been canceled and should not have come before the committee because the granting authority, not CPE, was issuing it. The committee next reviewed a Department for Local Government contract tied to an Eastern Kentucky flood recovery housing project in Jackson. Members questioned the high per-unit cost and whether renovation was more expensive than new construction. Staff explained the cost included acquisition of an existing downtown building and needed water and sewer infrastructure upgrades, and said developable land was limited in the area. With no motion to object, the contract was allowed to move forward. The committee then considered Kentucky Transportation Cabinet professional services contracts for highway design work. Members asked about the size of the contracts and how much of the available funding is typically used; staff said the contracts are two-year agreements, that the prior cycle reached close to $2 million per contract, and that this year’s limits were reduced because less money is available in the Highway Plan. The committee also approved a PSC amendment contract for the Bridging Kentucky program after staff explained the $150 hourly loaded rate was within the normal range for consultants. Both Transportation Cabinet items were approved without objection. Finally, the committee heard a Kentucky Communications Network Authority contract for an $85,000 study of the dark fiber market. Members asked what dark fiber is, why the study was needed, whether there was coordination with the Office of Broadband Development, and whether existing service meant there was already a market. KCNA said dark fiber is unused fiber that local providers can light to deliver service, that the study was needed because the contractor said no market existed while ISPs said demand exists, and that the report would help both KCNA oversight and broadband development planning. The contract was reviewed without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:51:46.160><c> facilities</c><00:51:46.720><c> maintenance</c> long-term facilities maintenance long-term
• </c> long-term solutions. long-term solutions.
• Our system of early care and education relies on family child care, center child care, Head Start, and
• This could place long-term financial strain on school nutrition programs.
• <01:58:32.400><c> facilities</c><01:58:32.880><c> maintenance</c> long-term facilities maintenance long-term

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Part of clinical care. Routine clinical care.
• So if you're making, if you're checking the PDMP system as part of your continued care to assist in making
• Our health care system today is facing unprecedented challenges that come to us.
• behavioral health care—coordinate care to rehab placement, referrals to in-house nursing care, PT, OT
• And it seems to me, and, you know, I've been around for a long, long time.

Committee: House Joint Committee on Administrative Rules

Summary: The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules met with a quorum and approved the minutes from the prior meeting. Members announced that two Department of Natural Resources rules had been withdrawn, leaving only the Missouri Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) rule proposal for consideration. Public testimony focused on a proposed expansion of PDMP access to additional licensed behavioral health professionals, including licensed clinical social workers, licensed master social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, and psychologists, along with related clarifications to delegate access categories such as medical assistants and clinical nurse specialists. Testimony from the PDMP director and supporters from Compass Health and the Department of Mental Health argued the changes would improve care coordination, medication reconciliation, and overdose prevention within multidisciplinary behavioral health teams, especially in CCBHC settings. They said access would remain limited to licensed Missouri professionals working under supervision or collaboration with a prescriber or dispenser, and that the system is intended for treatment-related, view-only use. Opponents and skeptical committee members raised concerns that the rule would expand access beyond the original statutory framework without legislative change, could create privacy risks or misuse in non-treatment contexts such as custody disputes, and might exceed the committee’s rulemaking authority. One public witness opposed the rule, warning it could deter patients from seeking counseling and arguing the change should be made, if at all, by statute. After testimony, committee members debated whether the proposal was a permissible clarification or an impermissible substantive expansion of the law. Supporters of disapproval said the issue was legality, not the merits of PDMP access, and urged the department to seek a bill sponsor if it wanted the change enacted. A motion was made and seconded to disapprove Rule 1 CSR 60-1.010 on the grounds of lack of statutory authority, conflict with state law, and arbitrariness/capriciousness. The committee then took a roll-call vote and approved the motion by 7 ayes to 1 no, disapproving the rule and adjourning with no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that in terms of you're saying the system could be gamed, well, the people who are passing the
• I think that in terms of you're saying the system could be gamed, well, the people who are passing the
• I think that in terms of you're saying the system could be gamed, well, the people who are passing the
• care what you do as long as you don't<01:31:35.719><c> do</c><01:31:35.960><c> this</c><01:31:36.960
• of the current making earlier in terms of the current system<01:55:16.440><c> of</c><01:55:16.599><c

Committee: House Housing

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are concerned with, when it comes to property taxes, there are long-term obligations.
• the portion of the population was committing the rest of the taxpayers to these obligations, these long-term
• Property tax elections authorize long-term financial commitments that bind taxable property owners with
• But with the long-term financial obligations, and these are specifically limited to property tax elections
• But with the long-term financial obligations, and these are specifically limited to property tax elections

Committee: House Special Committee on Property Tax Reform

Summary: The committee met in executive session and first took up House Bill 2709, including a substitute that combined language from HB 2709 and HB 2671. Members debated an amendment that would have separated the Hancock-by-subclass portion from a personal property tax provision; supporters said it would make the bill cleaner and preserve a separate property tax issue already addressed elsewhere, while opponents argued it would create inconsistency. The amendment failed, the substitute was adopted, and the House Committee Substitute for HB 2709 and HB 2671 was voted do pass by a roll call of 14 yes and 5 no. The committee then passed HB 1759 do pass by a vote of 12 yes and 7 no, with one member noting that additional tweaks were expected on the floor. Next, the committee considered HB 2925, where Representative Fowler offered Amendment 04H to remove the requirement that property tax elections be held in November and replace it with an affirmative-consent standard requiring both a majority of votes cast and at least 25% of registered voters voting yes. Supporters said the change would avoid forcing local tax elections into a narrow election window and would require broader voter buy-in for long-term tax obligations; opponents argued it would be a major change that should receive more public review and could distort local election participation. The amendment failed 5 yes to 14 no, and HB 2925 was then voted do pass 11 yes to 8 no. In public testimony, Representative Van Schoiack presented HB 2415, which would require assessors to use a cost approach rather than a market approach for valuing buildings, while still valuing land through the market approach. He said the bill was intended to address over-assessment in larger counties and under-assessment in rural counties, and to make valuations more objective. Testimony was mixed: a public advocate supported the idea as a way to address rising taxes and tax sales, while county assessors and other witnesses said assessors already use multiple approaches, that cost approach works best for new or rural properties but can be subjective for older buildings, and that forcing one method statewide could create inaccuracies and large valuation swings. No action was taken on HB 2415 during the hearing. The committee also heard HJR 148 and HJR 111, presented by Representatives Coleman and Taylor, to bring Kansas City Public Schools under Hancock limits like other districts. Sponsors said KCPS is the only district still operating under a special court-imposed arrangement from desegregation-era orders and that the proposal would keep the district at its current levy while requiring voter approval for future increases. KCPS Superintendent Jennifer Collier opposed the measure as written, saying the district does want to come under Hancock but needs to do so on its own timeline and with a planned April 2027 levy proposal that would maintain the current rate; she said the district is now fiscally stronger and has community support, including passage of an 85% bond issue. Committee members questioned the legal basis, the effect on KCPS and charter schools, and whether the proposal would interfere with the district’s planned ballot strategy.

Transcript Highlights:

• I cannot take care of my house. I can even take care of myself.
• We do have concerns in terms of... We do have concerns in terms of...
• </c> access to care but Mental Health Care access to care but Mental Health Care should<03:10:28.279>
• Obviously, there are always ways we can improve any system to ensure everyone can access the care they
• Obviously, there are always ways we can improve any system to ensure everyone can access the care they

Committee: House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs heard testimony on House Bill 606, as amended, a bill aimed at preventing physicians from denying medically necessary sterilizing or fertility-affecting treatment based on a patient’s age, number of children, marital status, or a doctor’s speculation about future reproductive intentions. Representative Ellen Reed, the sponsor, described the bill as a response to her own long experience with PCOS, heavy bleeding, and repeated refusals by doctors to perform a hysterectomy despite her clear wishes. She said the amendment narrows the bill to medically necessary care, adds definitions for “medical condition” and “appropriate reproductive care,” and removes earlier provisions about voluntary sterilization referrals. She also said the bill does not target religious objections, and that doctors could still refuse for medical, payment, or existing religious reasons not addressed by the bill. Committee members asked about religious freedom, informed consent versus waivers, and the scope of the new definitions. Reed responded that religion was not added to the list of prohibited reasons for denial, and that the amendment is intended to protect doctors when patients sign informed consent or waivers. She explained that “appropriate reproductive care” includes procedures such as hysterectomy, oophorectomy, orchiectomy, salpingectomy, and endometrial ablation, and that the bill now focuses on medically necessary treatment rather than elective sterilization. She said the change was intended to make the proposal narrower and more tailored after earlier concerns. Several witnesses supported the bill with personal accounts of being denied hysterectomies or other procedures despite serious symptoms. Representative Lauren Selig described a decade-long effort to obtain a hysterectomy after years of cycle problems and migraines, saying doctors dismissed her concerns and treated her symptoms as normal. Jade Flad also testified in support, saying she had long been told to simply endure her cycle problems and noted that her husband was offered a vasectomy without similar barriers. The sponsor said online support was strong and that there was little or no written opposition testimony. No vote or final committee action was taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:03:16.000><c> Minnesota</c> I myself am a long-time Minnesota I myself am a long-time Minnesota
• ,</c><00:10:32.280><c> programs,</c> existing systems, programs, existing systems, programs, associations
• The number one is long-haul truckers.
• The number one is long-haul truckers.
• The number one is long-haul truckers.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> The airport at Kentucky Dam Village has been leased to Calvert City on a long-term lease, and Calvert
• </c> health care. health care.
• The system lasts twice as long as a typical system, but it saves us $400,000 a year in our utility bill
• ><c> long</c><00:37:14.840><c> as</c><00:37:14.960><c> a</c><00:37:15.040><c> typical</c> system lasts
• twice as long as a typical system lasts twice as long as a typical system,<00:37:16.280><c> but</c><

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The task force was called to order with a quorum present, and Commissioner Mark Carter of the Kentucky Department of Aviation gave the first presentation. He outlined the state’s airport system, noting 58 public-use airports, the department’s small staff, and its funding structure through a jet fuel tax that generates about $23 million annually, leaving roughly $15 million for airport investment after required deductions. Carter highlighted recent projects at airports including Bardstown, Madisonville, Central Kentucky Regional, Paducah, Sparta, Danville, and Henderson, and said the department has also expanded data collection on airport activity, hangars, schools, and training programs. He emphasized that the department recently completed the first statewide economic impact study of general aviation airports and is developing a five-year airport needs plan. Carter said several things are working well, including stronger communication with airports, the public, the legislature, and especially the FAA’s Memphis district office, which now involves the state more in project selection. He said the department is reasonably staffed overall, but identified workforce development and advanced air mobility as major gaps. In response to questions from Senator Nunn and Representative York, he said he did not have specific workforce shortage numbers on hand, but cited Boeing reports showing large national and global shortages of pilots and mechanics, and explained that instructor shortages and low wages limit training capacity. He also said air traffic control is an FAA function, though EKU has shown interest in developing a training program. Carter identified several needs for improvement: more workforce investment, more aviation education in high schools, more scholarships for pilot and mechanic training, more attention to advanced air mobility, and more frequent, institutionalized data collection. He also pointed to major pending capital needs at airports such as Elizabethtown, Owensboro, Harlan, Leitchfield-Grayson County, and Whitesburg-Letcher County, all of which would require FAA and state support. He urged airports to do a better job marketing their economic value and said the state should continue updating aviation studies so lawmakers have current information for policy decisions. The task force then heard from Lexington Blue Grass Airport Director Eric Frankl, who welcomed the new CVG director and thanked the legislature for creating the task force and supporting aviation infrastructure. Frankl said Blue Grass Airport has rebounded from the pandemic and now exceeds pre-pandemic passenger levels, while serving a mix of private aviation, pilot training, corporate aviation, and commercial airline activity. He described ongoing terminal-area planning, parking technology upgrades, and a major parking lot expansion expected to finish by early spring 2026, and said the airport is planning for future technologies such as vertiports and electric aerial vehicles. Frankl estimated that a broader terminal modernization program will cost roughly $500 million to $700 million over the next 5 to 10 years and said the airport needs continued state support to close funding gaps and remain competitive with other states investing in aviation.

Transcript Highlights:

• THIS GRAPH DEPICTS THE NUMBER OF OPEN CASES BY COUNTY THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN OUR SYSTEM.
• IN TERMS OF THE EFFECT ON PREMIUM DISCOUNTS, THAT WAS JULY 1.
• AND THEY DO JANITORIAL SERVICE, LAWN CARE SERVICES, AGAIN IT'S THE CARE AND FEEDING OF THE BUILDINGS,
• FIRE SYSTEMS AND THE REST FOR THE BUILDINGS OR ON THE PROPERTY.
• AND MONITOR BUILDING SYSTEMS.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• systems or interventions that they need to meet the needs of their members.
• This is a complicated, long process to develop.
• down to our halfway house level of care to support the To our halfway house level of care to support
• that people are receiving while getting that care.
• of care.

Keywords: 962, all

Summary: The meeting focused on maternal health and behavioral health services for pregnant and postpartum people in Connecticut. Dr. Fatmata Williams of DSS gave an update on the Husky maternity payment bundle, explaining that it was created in response to worsening maternal and neonatal outcomes and racial disparities. She said the bundle, launched in 2025, shifts payment away from fee-for-service toward prospective case rates, quality measures, and shared savings, while covering services such as doulas and maintaining access to behavioral health and other non-pregnancy-related care outside the bundle. She noted 26 maternity practices are participating, quarterly quality reports have been distributed, reconciliation is planned for 2026, and DSS is considering refinements such as adding newborns, revisiting shared losses, and possibly expanding to FQHCs after further stakeholder review. Shelly Nolan of DMHAS then described the state’s women’s services and recovery continuum, including pregnant and parenting treatment programs, women’s recovery support programs, community transition support with rent subsidies, the Proud program, REACH navigation, recovery houses, and outpatient services. She emphasized that many programs are under capacity and that DMHAS uses a no-wrong-door approach, real-time bed availability, technical assistance, and training to improve access. She also reviewed initiatives tied to substance-exposed pregnancies and safe sleep, secure storage, naloxone distribution, reproductive health integration, breastfeeding support, and upcoming conferences and trainings. She said the department works closely with DCF and community partners to reduce stigma and improve family-centered care. Beth Garrigan presented on the Access Mental Health and Substance Use for Moms program, a statewide consultation service for providers serving pregnant and postpartum individuals up to 12 months after delivery. She said the program offers real-time psychiatric consultation, referral support, and one-time face-to-face assessments, and has provided more than 4,300 consultations and resource/referral support to over 700 individuals since 2022. Members and legislators praised the service and discussed how it helps providers connect patients to care, follow up on referrals, and address barriers such as fit, stigma, and workflow. No votes were taken; the meeting ended with plans for the next meeting on June 8 and a request for Dr. Williams’ slides to be posted online.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have a long-term plan to train up and build software developer expertise within the department.
• I believe the long-term plan is by 2031 we will have a team of four exempt developers. have a long-term
• plan to train up and have a long-term plan to train up and build<00:07:28.080><c> uh</c><00:07:28.599
• <01:33:27.920><c> inflation</c><01:33:28.639><c> expectations</c><01:33:29.119><c> have</c> long-term
• inflation expectations have long-term inflation expectations have jumped<01:33:29.639><c> to</c> jumped

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To that end, the long-term statewide provider will be... Failure.
• To that end, the long-term statewide provider will be required to deliver a system that has 99.999% availability
• And lastly, looking at the long-term future for these systems, including the potential for nationwide
• The 23 that are on the Next Gen system are being carried on the Next Gen system.
• systems for regional systems?

Committee: House Emergency Management

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, youth who age out of the foster care system often do so without very much familial or financial
• But those young people who age out of the foster care system, who are the most vulnerable and often at
• But those young people who age out of the foster care system, who are the most vulnerable, often at risk
• And so all we're trying to do with this bill is give the children who age out of the foster care system
• Currently, we have, I think it's 3,000 kids in the foster care system who used the waiver, so 3,000 kids

Bills: HB4 , HB20

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, fraudulent solicitation, disaster relief, nonprofit organizations, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud prevention, charitable donations

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 heard a series of higher education and K-12 bills, initially without a quorum and with several measures left pending subject to the call of the chair. Early bills included HB 1868, which would direct a study on lowering the dual-credit funding threshold for public junior colleges from 15 to 9 semester credit hours; HB 2598, which would replace statutory references to “licensed specialist in school psychology” with “school psychologist”; HB 3629, which would bar registered sex offenders from serving on independent school district boards of trustees; and HB 4361, which would require the Higher Education Coordinating Board to adopt rules for timely emergency notifications at public institutions of higher education. Each received brief sponsor explanations, no opposition testimony, and was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4848, requiring public higher education systems to ensure at least one institution offers affordable competency-based bachelor’s degree programs in high-demand fields, and HB 1211, which would remove the age 25 deadline for former foster youth to use public college tuition waivers. HB 1211 drew extensive supportive testimony from Texas CASA, a former foster youth who benefited from the waiver, and a current student headed to medical school, all arguing the change would better match the realities faced by youth aging out of care. Members discussed the bill’s fiscal uncertainty and the argument that the waiver is an investment in workforce participation; the bill was left pending. Later, the committee heard HB 20, creating an Applied Sciences Pathway Program to let high school students earn certificates in targeted industries such as welding, plumbing, electrical work, manufacturing, and oil and gas while in school. Industry and workforce groups strongly supported the bill as a way to address labor shortages, while Texas 2036 raised concerns about allowing applied versions of core academic courses to substitute for traditional instruction. HB 4687, which would extend governmental immunity protections to certain campus/district charter schools and adult charter high schools, also received support from a charter-school attorney who said it would align statutes with existing case law and not expand charter rights. HB 4236, as substituted, would create a study group to examine the property value study’s effect on school finance and alternative valuation methods; it was adopted as a committee substitute and left pending. The committee also heard HB 824 on civics instruction in high school government courses and HB 2243, which would create a commission on teacher job satisfaction and retention; the latter prompted debate over removing “ethnic diversity” language from the commission’s makeup. After adopting the substitute for HB 2243 by roll call, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair.