Transcript Highlights:

• school students and college students from Aliento who are with us here today for their annual day of education
• Students joined our legislature today for their education day to engage elected officials on critical
• issues impacting their education.
• highlighting the importance of supporting dreamers and children of immigrants in pursuing higher education
• Education. SB 1425, elections, July primary cure petitions. Judiciary and Elections.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Public education will come to order and the clerk will call the roll. Chairman Buckley, I here.
• We're responsible for the education and well-being of hundreds of students.
• And so this is not just an educational issue, it's a fundamental equity issue.
• We are a Title One school and more than one third are considered at risk by the Texas Code of Education
• so I certainly believe that House Bill 2967 is good for students, good for parents, it's good for educators

Committee: House Public Education

Transcript Highlights:

• > education and child care education and child care or<00:47:27.920><c> remaining</c><00:47:28.359><c
• I don't get to get my education.
• </c><01:09:42.759><c> Senator</c> would be education policy. Senator would be education policy.
• </c> Committee on Education Policy. Committee on Education Policy.
• </c> oversight including special education oversight including special education programs,<01:48:07.640

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So in draft one, we had an expanded definition of education, but it had two parts: general education
• and post-secondary education, or, sorry, excuse me, child development education.
• </c> formerly in the Department of Education formerly in the Department of Education public<01:14:38.199
• You're the educators; you're the experts; figure out how to do it.
• You're the educators; you're the experts; figure out how to do it.

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• compensation; state aid for school districts; surplus refund payments; increasing funding for special education
• compensation; state aid for school districts; surplus refund payments; increasing funding for special education
• That's what we tried to hit with special education. We're one-upping that now.
• We have an opportunity to give over $300 million to our schools through special education in this package
• compensation, state aid for school districts, surplus refund payments, increasing funding for special education

Keywords: 970, all

Transcript Highlights:

• million... ...items already included in the budget are $420 million in funding for early childhood education
• We are prioritizing education, workforce, and training while creating high-demand, high-paying jobs within
• And then I see a lot of higher education money increases, I guess you'd say.
• guardianship services, foster care, and other critical services. $3.7 million to various higher education
• She knows how important education is and how transformative it is to society and to these young people

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee met on April 13, 2026, and considered the main budget bills for fiscal year 2026-27. Members heard a broad overview of House Bill 1, the general appropriations bill, including the governor’s proposed budget, major funding items for education, workforce, corrections, health, and economic development, and a plan to use surplus funds to pay down LASERS’ unfunded liability. The committee discussed a 29-page amendment set that shifted savings from retirement and other areas into one-time expenditures, including FEMA Katrina debt, LSU, firefighter pay raises, crime victim reparations, rehabilitation services, and additional school choice support. Questions focused on the MFP per-pupil adjustment, the crime victim reparations shortfall, LSU funding, waiver slots, and whether the bill remained at a standstill overall. The committee adopted the amendments and reported HB 1 favorably as amended, making it Special Order No. 1 for April 16. The committee then took up House Bill 312, the supplemental appropriations bill, which also redirected the full $144.3 million surplus payment to LASERS and used savings from MFP, Medicaid forecast changes, and other reductions to fund statewide initiatives. Those included LED, corrections, DOTD road projects, public safety, IT modernization, school safety, firefighting equipment, community and technical college workforce programs, and DCFS shortfalls. Members raised questions about mental health funding and the retirement payment strategy; the amendments were adopted and HB 312 was reported favorably as amended and set as Special Order No. 4. House Bill 313, the funds bill, was amended to make additional deposits into the State Emergency and Response Fund, Voting Technology Fund, oil and gas regulatory funds, geological storage, reading enrichment, Imagination Library, and conservation accounts; it was reported favorably as amended and set as Special Order No. 5. House Bill 314, the revenue sharing distribution bill, received amendments inserting fiscal year 2027 distribution numbers and was reported favorably as amended and set as Special Order No. 7. The committee also advanced House Bill 383, the ancillary expenses bill, which covers self-generated, dedicated, and federal funds for agencies such as Group Benefits, Risk Management, Prison Enterprises, and Technology Services; a technical amendment updated accounting-standard references, and the bill was reported favorably as amended and set as Special Order No. 6. House Bill 983, the judiciary budget, was amended with a technical date correction and reported favorably as amended; members discussed funding for judges, staff pay, FINS, and whether pending legislation affecting Orleans Parish judges would later change the budget. House Bill 1126, the legislative branch budget, was reported favorably without amendment after brief questions about the Law Institute increase, and HCR 3, the hospital stabilization formula resolution tied to Medicaid hospital reimbursements, was reported favorably and set as Special Order No. 8. The committee also made HB 983 Special Order No. 9 and HB 1126 Special Order No. 10 for April 16, authorized technical corrections on adopted amendments, and adjourned after the chair thanked members and staff for their work.

Transcript Highlights:

• It said DSB received notice from Rehabilitation Services—this is the Office of Special Education and
• Department of Education—that RSA has been designated as a high-risk grantee.
• received notice from rehabilitation services this is the office of special education and rehab services
• in the u.s department of education that rsa has been designated has designated as a high risk grantee
• Well, and it's for both state agencies, departments, and higher education.

Committee: All ALC-PERSONNEL

Summary: The committee first considered a Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism request to swap three administrative coordinator positions for one park superintendent, one maintenance supervisor, and one park manager for Blanchard Springs State Park. Members were told the change would be funded by conservation tax special revenues, would not increase total positions, and had OPM’s support. The item was reviewed and approved without objection. Members then approved two special compensation plans: one from the Department of Commerce for lump-sum bonuses of up to $5,000 for employees involved in the unemployment insurance system migration to a cloud-based platform, and one from the Department of Veterans Affairs for $2,000 recruitment bonuses for certified nursing assistants at the Fayetteville and North Little Rock State Veterans Homes. The Department of Health also received approval to reinstate a previously frozen fiscal support manager position for the State Medical Board, with the agency noting the position was already authorized and would not increase total staffing. The committee spent substantial time on a Commerce reduction-in-force affecting the Division of Services for the Blind and related workforce operations. Secretary Hugh McDonald said the layoffs were driven by over-obligated federal funds, lack of fiscal planning, and a need to realign operations; he said the RIF would be permanent and that 56 employees remained furloughed, with 17 positions slated for elimination. Senators questioned the division’s accountability structure, the role of the board and governor, and whether the cuts disproportionately affected African American employees; Commerce was asked to provide racial composition data for the workforce and the RIF. The committee also reviewed quarterly employment and overtime reports. Members asked about overtime levels at DHS, Corrections, and Transportation, and whether higher staffing levels and the new pay plan were reducing overtime. OPM said overtime was being monitored, that direct-care positions are exempt from the hiring freeze, and that the state had hired more than 1,200 employees at DHS since the new system went live. No further action was taken on the report items, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• To address this problem, AB 1582 makes it an unfair labor practice for a higher education employer to
• which establishes a new unfair practice... ...which establishes a new unfair practice under higher education
• AB 1818 eliminates the antiquated code section in the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act
• The section in the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act, HEERA, is no longer used for its
• It's not fair for the CSU to take and manipulate legislative education funds to benefit their own pockets

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement heard several labor and retirement bills. AB 1582 by Assembly Member Ortega would make it an unfair labor practice for a higher education employer to disregard or delay arbitration decisions involving contracting out, with make-whole relief including attorney fees and costs. Supporters from AFSCME and other labor groups said UC has repeatedly ignored arbitration outcomes on outsourcing disputes, while UC opposed the bill as an overbroad change that could create systemwide operational and financial risk. The committee passed the bill on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. AB 1818 by Assembly Member Ortega would repeal an outdated HEERA provision that CSU has used to reopen bargaining when it claims state funding is insufficient. Teamsters and other labor supporters argued CSU has used the provision to avoid honoring negotiated raises, while CSU said the bill would limit its ability to manage compensation responsibly when state funding is uncertain. The committee also passed AB 1818 to Appropriations. AB 1564 by Assembly Member Arreguín would make communications between an employee and union representative confidential in public employment matters. Labor supporters said the measure would protect trust in the representational relationship and codify existing PERB case law, while school, local government, county, city, and business groups warned it could hinder workplace investigations, including those involving student safety and harassment. The bill passed 7-0 to Appropriations. AB 1844 by Assembly Member Pacheco, placed on the consent calendar, would update Judges’ Retirement System 2 to allow non-spouse beneficiaries for survivor benefits and to extend access to survivor options for vested judges; it was approved unanimously, 7-0. After all items were taken up, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Can you talk about the investments in your education and being able to stay in your communities?
• If the state would finance those education programs properly, you wouldn't have to worry about it.
• So are you really worried about your communities and how to fund your education and your programs in
• Do you need the funding for your education and your programs and your communities?
• we want to educate our kids and not have to worry about state funds.

Committee: House Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources

Summary: The Agriculture Committee met with 11 members present and heard no bills for public hearing or executive action. Instead, the committee received a presentation from the Montgomery County R-2 FFA ag issues team on proposed data centers in their county, framed as a mock town hall discussion. The students and panel discussed the project’s scale, including roughly 1,760 acres across two sites, and debated concerns about eminent domain, noise, light pollution, water use, electricity demand, soil and wildlife impacts, recycling of equipment, and tax abatements versus projected school district revenue. The presentation featured sharply divided viewpoints: a county/economic development perspective emphasizing jobs, utility planning, and major tax revenue for schools; a community and environmental perspective raising concerns about farmland loss, groundwater and well impacts, property values, and long-term ecological effects; and a farmer’s perspective opposing the project to protect agricultural land and rural life. The panel cited figures such as about 50 million gallons of water annually, potential school district revenue of about $11 million in the first year of the initial phase and roughly $43 million annually when fully built out, and discussed PILOT payments and the Powering Missouri Growth Plan as ways to offset costs. Committee members then praised the students’ preparation and public speaking, and several offered policy and practical suggestions, including considering local construction labor, emergency service capacity, backup generator noise, and clearer context for water-usage numbers. One member asked what legislation could help, and the students suggested setting environmental-use limits such as water or light-pollution restrictions. No votes were taken, and the committee adjourned after the presentation and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• The rights, inclusion, and independence of Arizonans who have disabilities through advocacy, education
• Senate Bill 1131 is withdrawn from the Committee on Education.
• Senate Bill 1131 is withdrawn from the Committee on Education.
• Senate Bill 1131 is withdrawn from the Committee on Education.
• His work can be seen in environmental projects in Pima, Maricopa, and Yuma counties, education initiatives

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Students joined our legislature today for Education Day to engage elected officials on critical issues
• impacting students' education.
• highlighting the importance of supporting dreamers and children of immigrants and pursuing higher education
• And through the years, he educated me how important it is to support ranchers and farmers in our county
• Appropriations. 2921, physical education. 2923, quarter.

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the prior journal, and recognized the Doctor of the Day, Dr. Sarah Lee Davison of Tucson. Members also introduced numerous guests and advocacy groups in the gallery, including Aliento students for Education Day, gun violence prevention advocates, agricultural visitors, military veterans, and representatives of the Kino Border Initiative and Nucor Steel. The chamber then observed a moment of silence in honor of Andy Grosetta, a longtime Arizona rancher and cattle industry leader, after a proclamation was read memorializing his life and renaming a meat transparency bill the Andy Grosetta Act. The House entered Committee of the Whole and considered HB 2074 and HB 2148. HB 2074, described by supporters as a measure to strengthen mandatory reporting related to partial-birth abortion and verify compliance with existing law, drew sharp opposition from Democrats who argued it would criminalize medical workers and punish women seeking care; supporters said it targeted only those with direct knowledge of the procedure and protected unborn children. The committee adopted the Judiciary Committee amendment and then gave HB 2074 a do pass recommendation as amended. HB 2148, described briefly by its sponsor as a transparency bill, also received an Appropriations Committee amendment and a do pass recommendation as amended. The Committee of the Whole reported both bills back to the House, which adopted the report and referred HB 2074 and HB 2148 to engrossing. The House also announced committee meetings for later that day and the following morning, including Appropriations, Federalism and Military Affairs, Science and Technology, Transportation and Infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence and Innovation, and Rural Economic Development. The chamber then adjourned until 10 a.m. Thursday, January 29, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• Students joined our legislature today for Education Day to engage elected officials on critical issues
• impacting students' education.
• highlighting the importance of supporting dreamers and children of immigrants and pursuing higher education
• And through the years, he educated me how important it is to support ranchers and farmers in our county
• Appropriations. 2921 Physical Education. 2923 Quarter.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I plan on continuing my education at BYU-Hawaii.
• I plan on continuing my education at BYU, Hawaii.
• I've always had great bosses who've treated me well, who've never been in a situation through education
• I've always had great bosses who've treated me well, who've never been in a situation through education
• , it's a very high threshold, but we're able to work with respondents to be able to do training, education

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas are protected with good health care, good retirements, and that includes Social Security, good education
• , and that includes everybody should have a good education.
• And that includes Social Security, good education, and that includes everybody should have a good education
• protect Social Security, to protect Medicare, to protect health care, to protect a path to higher education
• It makes it harder for the people of Texas to get a high-quality education here in this great state.

Keywords: redistricting, gerrymandering, Texas Democrats, voter suppression, Hakeem Jeffries, equitable representation, minority communities, legislative session, political motivations

Summary: Texas Democratic leaders and members of Congress held a press event in Austin with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to denounce the Republican-led special session and proposed congressional redistricting map. Speakers, including Lizzie Fletcher, Lloyd Doggett, Al Green, Joaquin Castro, Sylvia Garcia, and Greg Casar, argued that the session should instead focus on flood recovery after the Hill Country Independence Day floods, affordability, health care, the energy grid, and other state priorities. They said the new map was a partisan and racially discriminatory gerrymander designed to help Donald Trump and Texas Republicans gain seats, weaken minority voting power, and undermine free and fair elections. Several speakers said the current Texas map is already under legal challenge and claimed the proposed changes would further reduce the ability of Black and Latino communities to elect candidates of choice. They also tied the redistricting fight to broader national issues such as Medicaid, Social Security, tariffs, housing costs, and corruption. Jeffries said Texas Democrats would not “bend the knee” and pledged support for their efforts, while emphasizing that the fight would continue politically, in court, and through public organizing. In the question-and-answer portion, Jeffries said all options should be on the table to protect Texans, but that Texas Democrats would decide their own strategy. Fletcher said the immediate priority was informing the public about the rushed process, noting that many Texans testified before seeing a map and that the hearings were moving quickly. No formal vote or legislative action occurred at the event itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• All Texas licensed dentists receive extensive education and injection techniques and facial anatomy.
• Um, dentist training and education is focused on oral health.
• access to safe, comprehensive care and restricts our ability to practice fully within our scope of education
• And this is why we have educational pathways such as oral maxillary facial surgery training for a reason
• We spend all of our education in the maxillofacial region.

Committee: House Public Health

Transcript Highlights:

• Catlin, who instilled in her the values of education, hard work, and service.
• But understanding the importance of education and with the desire to become a physician, Dr.
• Board of Education ruling, and ordered the Huntsville Public Schools to integrate.
• This bill is about... joining education for those members of the...
• Education for those members of the Sun... any board that comes before the sunset.

Bills: SJR 2 , SB 4 , SJR 36 , SJR 2 , SB 4 , SR 42 , SR 74 , SR 76 , HCR 5 , SB 710 , SB 710

Keywords: SJR 2, Senate Joint Resolution 2, constitutional amendment, homestead exemption, property tax relief, school property tax, ad valorem tax, residence homestead, school district taxes, Texas Constitution Article VIII, public school finance, homeowner exemption, elderly exemption, senior tax relief, disabled exemption, tax year 2025, voter approval, November 2025 ballot, local government, Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:

• With no hope or purpose, I sought education.
• Vargeese, an educator who worked inside the CDCR, wrote an observation about me.
• AB 2379 is about education. It does not stop law enforcement from doing its job.
• Brenda Nixon, retired educator and Moms Demand Action volunteer, in support.
• Mitch Steiger with CFT, a union of educators and classified professionals, also in support.

Summary: The Senate Public Safety Committee met without a quorum and operated as a subcommittee while hearing a long agenda of bills. Early items included AB 2605, which would require statewide reporting on public defense services; supporters said California lacks basic data on how indigent defense is delivered and that the bill would help identify under-resourced counties, while no opposition appeared. AB 1650 would require rental vehicles used in law enforcement operations to display agency identification; supporters framed it as a transparency and community-trust measure in response to immigration enforcement tactics, while sheriffs and police groups opposed it unless amended, arguing it could compromise undercover and task-force operations and raise legal and indemnification concerns. AB 1930 would require notice to the Attorney General before business entities respond to subpoenas involving legally protected abortion or gender-affirming care information; supporters said it protects patient privacy and provider safety, while opponents raised constitutional, law-enforcement, and business-burden concerns. The committee also heard AB 458, directing state procurement guidelines for firearms and accessories so agencies buy from responsible vendors, with support from police chiefs, gun-violence prevention groups, and local officials, and no opposition testimony offered. The committee then heard AB 1588 on sideshows and street takeovers, which would update the definition of sideshows, include motorcycles and dirt bikes, and align penalties with street racing. Supporters, including police, city, transportation, and road-safety advocates, said the bill responds to dangerous events, property damage, and injuries; opponents from civil liberties and public defender groups argued higher fines and criminal penalties are ineffective and disproportionately harm low-income people, favoring roadway design and community-based prevention instead. AB 910, the Survivors Act, would expand affirmative defenses and vacature relief for survivors of trafficking, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence; supporters, including a survivor who described decades of abuse and wrongful conviction, said the bill gives survivors a chance to tell their stories and seek relief, while district attorneys opposed expanding relief to violent offenses and warned it could erase restitution and undermine victims’ rights. AB 2624 would expand Safe at Home confidentiality protections to immigrant service providers, employees, and volunteers; supporters described threats, doxxing, and harassment against immigrant-serving organizations, while opponents claimed the bill was prompted by investigative reporting on fraud and would chill journalism and transparency. The committee also heard AB 31, making the tribal police pilot program permanent and creating a missing and murdered Indigenous persons task force, which drew strong support from tribal representatives and no opposition. Later, AB 1959 sought to close a resentencing loophole tied to a 2001 Santana High School shooting case by restoring judicial discretion in resentencing for certain juvenile offenders; supporters said the current process can lead to automatic release even after parole denial, while opposition testimony began with concerns that the bill was responding to one case and lacked broader evidence. Throughout the hearing, members repeatedly noted they supported several bills but could not formally vote because the committee lacked a quorum, so motions were held for later action.

Transcript Highlights:

• It provides personalized education and upskilling opportunities that transform current jobs.
• For example, the university is a leader in data science education.
• </c><00:53:55.319><c> its</c> leader in data Science Education its leader in data Science Education its
• </c><01:35:18.159><c> from</c> holistic approach to education from holistic approach to education from
• </c> their educational their educational careers<01:35:49.520><c> um</c><01:35:49.880><c> there's</c>

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These are specific accounts: General Fund-State, Opportunity Pathways, Washington Education Investment
• This would include basic education spending and K-12 education, the debt service on previously issued
• To avoid family programs, health care, and higher education.
• Higher education is 1.17%, and low-income health care and community behavioral health is 2.83%.
• We also have people who know a lot about Medicaid, education, and other areas. Next slide, please.

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative-Executive Committee on Budget Transparency and Fiscal Sustainability

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The AACC taught me civic education and engagement.
• Most of the law-abiding individuals are educated. We understand what's going on.
• Massachusetts unequivocally stands for protecting children and the right to education, safety, and a
• Some of the impacts were education.
• It kept those who were incarcerated up on…” “The impacts were education.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Election Laws

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard extensive testimony on S. 7 and H. 63, proposed constitutional amendments to restore voting rights to people incarcerated for felony convictions. Sponsors Rep. Erica Iderhoven and Sen. Liz Miranda argued that Massachusetts should reverse the 2000 disenfranchisement change, describing it as a recent and racially discriminatory policy that excludes thousands of residents—disproportionately Black and Latino—from civic participation. They said the amendment would put the question before voters, likely in 2028, and noted that implementation details such as domicile and where incarcerated people would register to vote would be handled separately through legislation and existing jail-based voting work. A large number of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people testified in support, many speaking remotely from MCI Norfolk, MCI Shirley, and MCI Framingham. They said voting would affirm dignity, accountability, rehabilitation, and connection to community, and several described civic education programs inside the facilities that had helped them engage with public policy. Witnesses repeatedly characterized disenfranchisement as “civil death,” linked it to racial injustice and the legacy of slavery, and urged the committee to advance the bills favorably. A few speakers also addressed practical questions about voting location and domicile, with sponsors saying those issues are not specified in the constitutional amendment and would be worked out later. Committee members asked several questions, including whether incarcerated people would vote in the community where they were incarcerated or where they previously lived, and whether future legislation could include carve-outs based on offense type or time served. Testifiers and sponsors generally said the amendment itself does not decide those implementation questions, and some said they would oppose carve-outs. One member raised a broader moral objection about allowing people convicted of serious crimes to vote; supporters responded that punishment should not erase democratic rights and that voting can support rehabilitation and reentry. No vote or final committee action was taken during the transcript provided. The hearing also briefly included testimony on a separate matter, S. 521, a proposed ratification of the federal Child Labor Amendment. Witnesses supporting that measure warned against renewed child labor rollbacks in other states and argued Massachusetts should reaffirm protections for children and education. That portion of the hearing was separate from the voting-rights discussion.