Transcript Highlights:

• , multi-tiered systems of support, representation, and continuous professional learning that are embedded
• , multi-tiered systems of support, representation, and continuous professional learning that are embedded
• , multi-tiered systems of support, representation, and continuous professional learning that are embedded
• , multi-tiered systems of support, representation, and continuous professional learning that are embedded
• , multi-tiered systems of support, representation, and continuous professional learning that are embedded

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the September meeting minutes, and heard presentations from Carter G. Woodson Academy in Lexington and related school programs in Fayette County Public Schools. School leaders described the academy as an all-male public school option focused on culture, belonging, and opportunity, with a mission to educate, empower, and equip young men academically, socially, and morally. They emphasized culturally responsive instruction, restorative practices, mentorship, brotherhood circles, and access to advanced coursework, dual enrollment, and career pathways. Student speakers highlighted school culture, leadership opportunities, and clubs such as SGA, Beta Club, FFA, and the Bow Tie Club, along with service and community engagement. Presenters said the academy began in 2012, is housed with Frederick Douglass High School, uses an application and lottery process, and can serve up to about 350 students but is intentionally kept near 300 because of space. They reported 302 enrolled students, about 38 seniors, a 100% graduation rate, 95% average attendance, 100% postsecondary success, and $1.8 million in scholarship offers last year. They also shared demographic and achievement data, noting growth in MAP scores, strengths in reading and writing, and math as an ongoing focus area. The school said 90% of high school scholars are taking at least one dual credit class this year, and some students have earned opportunities at selective programs such as Gatton Academy and Craft Academy. Committee members praised the school’s results and asked about enrollment, funding, and whether the model could be replicated statewide. School leaders said the program is fully funded through Fayette County Public Schools, could be replicated with committed staff and training, and that teachers receive preparation through the Gearing Institute to better understand how boys learn. They also noted that Fayette County has other specialized programs, including girls’ academies and other options for underrepresented students. Members expressed interest in long-term tracking of graduates, and the school said it is preparing to study outcomes as the first graduating class approaches its 10-year anniversary.

Transcript Highlights:

• of a $5 base foundational contribution that came out of the 2020 study in that bill is very much embedded
• of a $5 base foundational contribution that came out of the 2020 study in that bill is very much embedded
• /c><01:07:12.799> is<01:07:13.119> very<01:07:13.359> much<01:07:13.839> embedded
• <01:07:14.319> in that bill is uh is very much embedded in that bill is uh is very much embedded

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Education Funding Committee Subcommittee on Adequacy and Funding Sources opened its second meeting by reviewing four retained bills assigned to it: HB 651, HB 772, HB 491, and HB 734. The chair said the goal was to compare the bills across the board, consider whether any one of them should be the committee’s recommended vehicle, and then vote on a recommendation to the full committee. He noted the bills would move out before November 21 and be taken up on the House floor in January, while related LSRs were also being developed for the coming session. Representative Ames argued that HB 651 should be the main vehicle because it would substantially raise the adequacy base and adjust differential aid categories to better reflect real school costs, including poverty, special education, and English learner needs. He described the bill as building on court guidance and said the current funding formula is far below actual district needs. He also supported HB 491 as a study vehicle to examine revenue options, saying the legislature needs informed choices about how to pay for the changes. Representative Damon strongly backed HB 651 and HB 491, citing constitutional obligations, the Conval and Rand rulings, and large projected funding increases for districts such as Claremont, Windham, and communities in the chair’s district if HB 651 had passed earlier. Representative Fellows said he has an LSR similar to HB 491 that would study existing and new revenue options using criteria such as revenue potential, administrative cost, affected groups, implementation timeline, and implementation cost, with input from revenue administration and outside agencies. Representative Papich Muller emphasized constitutional separation-of-powers concerns, reading Article 83 and saying he was not comfortable with the broad claim that “cherish” clearly mandates a specific spending level, though he said he intends to follow Supreme Court guidance. Representative Ricky read testimony from a local school board member arguing that the state already imposes many mandates on schools while providing the least funding in the country, and that HB 651 would help restore meaningful local control. No final vote or action was taken in the portion provided, though the chair had indicated the subcommittee would vote before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• days it's requiring responses not only from fire but also police, and many of our communities have embedded
• police and uh many of our communities police and uh many of our communities have<01:20:14.320> embedded
• > workers<01:20:15.679> and<01:20:15.840> so<01:20:16.000> it's have embedded
• social workers and so it's have embedded social workers and so it's providing<01:20:16.640> that<
• we see firsthand how vital it is that our public safety professionals—fire, police, and EMS—and embedded

Bills: HF1972, HF229, HF1090, HF1084, HF1307, HF1274, HF1609, HF2110, HF211, HF216, HF222, HF224, HF225, HF203, HF206, HF207, HF208, HF227, HF246, HF427, HF466, HF502, HF680, HF971

Keywords: community center, Breckenridge, capital investment, state bonds, economic development, HF229, North Branch Area Hockey Association, Stacy Ice Arena, Chisago County, general fund appropriation, grant, ice arena, hockey rink, youth sports, recreational facility, community arena, nonprofit, DEED, Department of Employment and Economic Development, local infrastructure

Transcript Highlights:

• that's found on page 1, subsection 1, we want to migrate that term “preschool” to language that's embedded
• that's found on page 1, subsection 1, we want to migrate that term “preschool” to language that's embedded
• preschool to to migrate that term preschool to language<01:55:35.199> that's<01:55:35.480> embedded
• <01:55:35.880> in<01:55:36.079> 302a<01:55:37.079> 302l language that's embedded
• in 302a 302l language that's embedded in 302a 302l that's<01:55:38.040> HRS<01:55:38.840>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Education heard several Department of Education-related bills and received extensive testimony on school meals and veteran diplomas. HB 628 would restore authority for the Department of Education to issue high school diplomas to veterans whose schooling was interrupted by World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. The superintendent testified in support, explaining the authority had sunset in 2020 and describing the measure as a way to recognize veterans. No opposition or questions were raised, and the bill was left without further action in the excerpt. The committee also heard HB 1074 and HB 110, both supported by the Department of Education and the School Facilities Authority. HB 1074 was described as a cleanup measure to clarify land-related language and make the statute more consistent across state agencies and DOE. HB 110 concerned benchmarking and the farm-to-school/local food effort; DOE and several supporters, including county councils, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, and the Hawaii Farmers Union, said the bill would help align metrics and support the 30% local food goal by 2030. Members questioned DOE about progress, and DOE said it was working on menus, procurement, and coordination with distributors and farmers. A Farm to School representative said the current bottleneck was poor communication with farmers and the need to bring them into planning earlier; DOE said it was still figuring out the process and that island-based procurement and separate RFPs were being explored. HB 328, relating to school meals and local resource food and plant-based options, drew the most testimony. DOE testified with comments, and the Attorney General’s office suggested revisions to clarify that the bill would apply to both DOE and charter schools, to separate public and private funds if donations or grants are accepted, and to add standards if nonprofit or private entities receive public money. Supporters included HSTA, the Hawaii Public Health Institute/Farm to School Network, Climate Protection Hawaii, the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, and numerous individuals and organizations. Supporters emphasized healthier school meals, student-requested plant-based options, support for local farms, and the 30% by 2030 goal. Some testimony urged more local purchasing and raised concerns about decentralization, while DOE said it was considering island-based procurement and separate contracts to better support local producers. No votes were taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• just described, because I agree with you that it's an important factor for us to understand how embedded
• important factor for us to understand important factor for us to understand how<00:20:00.520> embedded
• <00:20:00.960> and<00:20:01.360> intertwined<00:20:02.360> these how embedded
• and intertwined these how embedded and intertwined these contributions<00:20:03.480> can<00:20
• Through that, we're really looking at aligning or embedding prevention everywhere, centralizing a place

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee convened an informational Division 3 Finance hearing focused on DHHS programmatic issues rather than budget line items. The chair emphasized that members should avoid questions requiring dollar figures and noted that the coming budget cycle would likely be difficult because revenues are expected to be tighter. Commissioner Lori Weaver said the department wanted to use the session to explain its functions at a high level, with more detailed presentations to follow, and to collect questions for later responses. Weaver outlined DHHS’s mission of supporting optimal health for state residents and described the department’s three main responsibilities: protection and prevention, client service delivery, and regulatory oversight. She said DHHS has eight divisions, a $3.6 billion total budget, about $1.217 billion in general funds, roughly a quarter of state positions, and personnel costs that are less than 11% of the budget. She also noted a recent hiring freeze, explained that the department did not request new positions except where required by law, and said vacancy rates had improved from 22% to 14% over the last two years but could rise again because of attrition and the hiring freeze. Weaver and CFO Nathan White then discussed why the DHHS budget is complex, explaining that it is built from multiple funding sources and is shaped by assumptions made months before the fiscal year begins, actual service demand, and cost allocation rules used to draw down federal funds. White highlighted maintenance-of-effort requirements, including TANF, where state spending is needed to secure federal matching funds and shortfalls can trigger penalties. At the committee’s request, DHHS agreed to provide a simplified historical accounting of TANF contributions to show how the match is assembled across positions, contracts, and other factors. The department also reviewed its roadmap, which Weaver described as a framework developed with staff and stakeholders around three themes: culture, community, and customer service. She highlighted priorities such as Mission Zero to end emergency department boarding, expanding access to community-based and residential behavioral health services, reducing reliance on institutional care, improving contract management with nonprofit and provider partners, using data dashboards to guide decisions, and investing in workforce stability and culture. No votes were taken; the main action was DHHS’s commitment to provide additional follow-up materials, including the TANF contribution breakdown.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, you take a software company that develops software in one state, but they put it on a server
• You know, you take a software company that develops software in one state, but they put it on a server
• You know, you take a software company that develops software in one state, but they put it on a server
• You know, you take a software company that develops software in one state, but they put it on a server
• You know, you take a software company that develops software in one state, but they put it on a server

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting was an introductory Ways and Means Committee orientation led by Chair John Janigian. Members went around the room introducing themselves, with several returning legislators and several freshmen describing their backgrounds in business, education, public service, finance, transportation, journalism, military service, and nonprofit work. Janigian explained his own legislative history and professional background, and other members, including Bill Bolton, Fred Doucette, Mary Ford, Jim Tierney, Scott Brier, Thomas Oppel, Mary Murphy, Representative Spar, Susan Elberger, Dennis Malloy, Jordan Ulery, and Julius Soti, briefly described their prior experience and reasons for serving on the committee. The chair then outlined the committee’s role. He said Ways and Means is responsible for revenue estimates that Finance will use to determine how much the state can spend over the next biennium, and that the committee would spend the next five to six weeks developing its best revenue estimate, due around February 15. He also explained that the committee hears from state agencies and departments about how taxes are created, collected, and performing against expectations, and that it reviews bills affecting state revenue, including tax increases, tax decreases, tax removals, and fee-related measures. Janigian noted that the committee had five bills at the time of the meeting and expected more to be referred. He explained that most would be first-committee bills, though some second-committee bills could come over if they involved taxes or fees after passing policy committees. He used marijuana-related legislation as an example of a bill that might first go to another committee and later reach Ways and Means if it had fiscal implications. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational, and members were told how to participate in hearings and follow-up questions during regular committee work.

Transcript Highlights:

• environmental updates, on-demand operational needs, new integration efforts, and major licensed software
• customized enhancements, and they provide the electronic imaging and document management solution software
• So does the department not own the algorithms that were produced for the specific software?
• Would they need to be rebuilt if someone else took over the software?
• It's an amended contract that updates and provides maintenance of the software program.

Summary: The PEER Review Subcommittee met to consider a large agenda of appropriation, transfer, contract, and other review items. Members approved temporary appropriation requests in Sections B through F, including funding for prosecuting attorneys, education-related adjustments, school operating needs, labor licensing divisions, ARPA fund returns from Workforce Services, IIJA grants for state police CDL implementation and a forestry-related county grant, reserve fund transfers for teacher scholarships, school facilities, and economic development, and a Commerce reallocation tied to organizational realignment. Cash fund requests in Section G and budget classification transfers in Section H were also reviewed, along with pay plan requests in Section I, overtime requests in Section J, and multiple methods of finance in Section K. The committee also reviewed discretionary grants in Section L, including agriculture promotion board grants and DHS aging/adult behavioral health grants, plus RFQs, construction contracts, intergovernmental contracts, and out-of-state contracts in Sections M1 through M5. Several items drew questions from members. Workforce Services explained that $225,000 in TANF-related funds would be returned to the federal government because the two-year hold period for uncashed or moved checks had expired. Commerce officials described the $25 million site infrastructure grant program, saying it supports site development, due diligence, and infrastructure build-out at eligible sites of 30 acres or more, including rural communities, with grant agreements and matching requirements providing accountability. DHS and Education officials answered questions about the Care Solace mental health referral contract, saying it is a statewide concierge/referral service that helps schools connect students to Arkansas providers and follow up so students do not fall through the cracks; members asked for more information on provider selection, school-day scheduling, and Arkansas vendor participation. The committee held one item over: the DHS discretionary grant item for the RSVP retired senior volunteer program in L2, after concerns were raised about whether state general revenue was being used effectively and how much administrative overhead the providers retain. Members also questioned several contracts, including a DHS sole-source contract with EMSLink for document management software and a DHS bridge contract with Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care for Medicaid inspections of care reviews; in both cases, agency staff explained the need to avoid service disruption and said follow-up information would be provided. A Department of Corrections reentry center contract was discussed for its recidivism results, and ARDOT retirement-system investment contracts were briefly explained. The meeting ended after a lengthy discussion of the Medicaid Trust Fund balance, with DFA and DHS officials saying the state is expected to finish the fiscal year without exhausting the fund, that a restricted reserve of $100 million is available as a backstop, and that the larger question is what minimum balance should be maintained going forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• $300,000 for this position to retain private contractual services, literacy experts, maybe some software
• services, literacy experts, uh<00:03:12.640> maybe<00:03:12.879> some<00:03:13.200> software
• ,<00:03:13.760> training uh maybe some software, training uh maybe some software, training
• you tell us how that breaks down between how much you're going to spend on literacy experts versus software

Bills: SF0014, SF0018

Keywords: literacy, education, reading assessment, intervention program, public school funding, department of education, K-12 education, part-time attendance, public schools, student enrollment, education funding, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're software their programs.
• that are denied and also do the reviewers used like a checklist or do they have a decision support software
• So we do follow them from, you know, a software perspective.
• Your other question, representative, so software decision support? I think the answer is yes.
• So if if some of the software tools that we have some things as well, you've met these criteria, but

Transcript Highlights:

• appropriation to the Nevada Gaming Control Board for the replacement of computer hardware and associated software
• Department of Public Safety for the replacement of equipment, computer hardware, and associated software
• Committee on Finance, makes appropriations to the State Department of Agriculture for the purchase of software
• Committee on Finance, makes appropriations to the State Department of Agriculture for the purchase of software
• of money by the Department of Education for the replacement of computer hardware and associated software

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• personnel and different agencies across the state, they said, you know, instead of giving us this software
• ><00:03:19.200> giving<00:03:19.519> us<00:03:20.080> this<00:03:20.360> software
• know instead of giving us this software know instead of giving us this software package<00:03:21.680
• budget group, saved X amount of money, and it's only going to be a third of what we need to get this software

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 289, authored by Representative Quam, and adopted a technical A1 amendment before moving the bill forward. Quam explained that the bill is intended to create a mechanism for frontline state employees, faculty, and management to identify waste, inefficiency, and possible savings in agency budgets, with a portion of any savings going back to the state budget and the remainder placed in a special fund for mission-related spending decided by a joint committee. He said the idea grew out of earlier faculty union discussions and that the bill had previously passed with bipartisan support, though it was underused when first enacted. Members generally praised the goal of empowering employees and improving efficiency, but several raised concerns about the bill’s practical operation and low historical use. Representative Jones asked why uptake had been limited and whether current conditions would improve participation; Quam responded that larger budgets and more employee engagement could make the program more useful now. Representative Freiberg and Representative Bonner both supported the concept but questioned whether employees would understand budget constraints and whether the structure might discourage managers from saving money intentionally. Quam argued that employee input would improve decisions, morale, and credibility, and could help justify needed investments. Representative Koznick asked how the bill interacted with the Odyssey Fund, and staff clarified that the two are separate accounts and do not directly affect each other. Representative Koznick also objected to comments he viewed as attacking the administration, and the chair reminded members not to impute motives. Representative Kosnik/Quam indicated openness to future improvements, but Representative Bonner said she was not ready to support the bill in its current form because of concerns about the approval process through MMB and the Legislative Audit Commission. Despite those reservations, the committee ultimately voted to send House File 289, as amended, to the General Register.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this would have been into that software maintenance program in Homeland Security.
• licensing software. licensing software. um<02:00:58.719> the<02:00:59.040> vehicle
• That was that $24,000 for the software.
• > keys<02:01:14.560> for<02:01:14.800> the software to manage keys for the software
• 600,000 for the uh the new software 600,000 for the uh the new software program<02:05:41.360>

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So all servers, all endpoints for the executive branch has this software on it.
• You know, the software today has become so advanced that we get the benefit of the technology and the
• So we take advantage of the technology that's in the software.
• Because are y'all just being more frugal or more efficient with software? Can you address that?
• So the new team came in from software to just day-to-day routine on the accounting process, as there

Summary: The Legislative Joint Auditing Committee met on June 5 and first adopted prior minutes and several committee reports. The executive committee report noted adoption of its minutes, staff updates on scheduled audits, approval of an annual financial audit for the City of Horseshoe Bend, and an update on the intern program. The Counties and Municipalities report covered delinquent private water and sewer audits, compliance follow-up with towns including Denning, Gum Springs, Omer, Fargo, Jericho, and Haynes, and review of current and deferred reports; the committee filed most current reports but deferred several and referred some matters to prosecutors and the Attorney General. The Educational Institutions report said 103 education audits were reviewed, most with no findings, while several school districts had findings and one Booneville School District finding was referred to law enforcement. The State Agencies report included findings at the Department of Finance and Administration and a deferred Department of Health report, and the committee filed 13 reports. The committee then received lengthy presentations on the State of Arkansas annual comprehensive financial report and the state single audit for fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. Legislative Audit issued unmodified opinions on the state financial statements, but identified two material weaknesses: insufficient internal controls at the Office of State Technology to monitor threats and unauthorized access, and improper methodology changes and documentation issues at the Division of Workforce Services affecting year-end estimates for unemployment-related accounts. The single audit covered $12.4 billion in federal awards across 469 programs, with 16 major programs reviewed. Auditors reported 33 findings overall, including 31 federal findings, $12.9 million in outstanding questioned costs, and qualified opinions for the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program, the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, and the Child Care Development Fund cluster. Committee members questioned DHS, the broadband office, OST, DFA, Education, and Workforce Services about the findings, corrective actions, cyber protections, federal drawdowns, child care reporting, and accounting methodology changes. Several agencies described corrective steps. DHS said it had changed how it draws Summer EBT funds, addressed provider revalidation and incarceration-related Medicaid issues, and updated internal processes and staffing. The broadband office said the questioned costs reflected invoice documentation disputes rather than missing payments and expected Treasury review to resolve the issue. OST said it was expanding logging, endpoint detection, and enterprise monitoring, and described broader cybersecurity investments, training, and a roadmap. DFA and Workforce Services addressed the workers’ compensation and unemployment accounting issues, with Workforce Services saying it had updated its policy and submitted the methodology to DFA. After discussion, the committee voted to hold the two statewide audit reports over until the August meeting, with members asked to submit specific questions in advance so only needed agencies would return. The final item was a special report on the Hot Spring County Solid Waste Authority for January 1, 2023 through June 30, 2025. The audit reviewed compliance with laws, board procedures, bidding, payroll, permits, inspections, and cash handling. It noted prior private audit findings on segregation of duties, that recent private audit reports had not been obtained for 2023 through 2025, and that the current administrator said prior office staff and bookkeeping contractors resigned when he was hired. The authority’s operations and revenue sources were described, and the report was presented for committee review.

Transcript Highlights:

• did reach a successful conclusion to that fight going outside of the state of Minnesota for the software
• did reach a successful conclusion to that fight going outside of the state of Minnesota for the software
• more valuable than trying to take... ...what we currently have and stuffing it into a new piece of software
• compromise these platforms and going to something that is going to be more of an enterprise piece of software
• They go through that verification software system and never even get to our county eligibility workers

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Looks like that's coming from software changes within the OAITSD contract with DESE.
• Yeah, I think that what we have presented in the fiscal note has everything to do with the software package
• And I can understand the first time when you try to change the software program to include the information
• And does your software package do all that? And if it doesn't, then you have to modify it.
• Because computer software, it's always— I mean, that would be my explanation.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The last member has a BS in software engineering and is fluent in five coding languages.
• The last member has a BS in software engineering and is fluent in five coding languages.
• The last member has a BS in software engineering and is fluent in five coding languages.
• The last member has a BS in software engineering and is fluent in five coding languages.
• I know they have in the budget for that training on the new software.

Summary: The subcommittee met to review agency travel, budget reduction exercises, and member reports from agency meetings. Early discussion focused on the Department of Management Services (DMS), where members questioned the cost of travel for four out-of-state data/cyber staff and the secretary’s absence. DMS defended the hires as highly specialized enterprise cybersecurity and data personnel, said the positions were lawfully paid and posted, and explained that the staff work on statewide data cataloging and cyber risk reduction rather than agency-by-agency systems. Members also raised concerns about fleet inventory discrepancies and requested follow-up information on hiring, travel, and data inventory timelines. The chair said she would consider travel guardrails and possible reductions, and noted that DMS, the Lottery, and the Florida Commission on Human Relations did not meet the requested reduction target, while the Public Employee Relations Commission did not submit reductions. The committee then heard from the Florida Lottery about the secretary’s trip to Paris for the World Lottery Convention. Lottery staff said the trip was reimbursed through the multi-state lottery organization and was intended to share best practices and improve operations, though members questioned the value of the travel and requested reimbursement records and the trip agenda. The subcommittee also reviewed agency reduction exercises from several agencies. The Department of Revenue exceeded its target and was praised for frugality; DFS, the Florida Gaming Control Commission, the Office of Financial Regulation, the Office of Insurance Regulation, the Public Service Commission, the Division of Administrative Hearings, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation each described how they met or approached their reduction goals, often through vacancies, reversions, or expense cuts. OIR warned that further reductions could hurt insurance regulation capacity, while OFR and PSC said their reductions were based on historical reversions and lower post-COVID travel or vacancy levels. Members then reported back on agency meetings. DMS members raised fleet tracking, real property audits, salary studies, and health plan savings ideas, and asked for follow-up on the Florida PALM project, cybersecurity grants, and state IT modernization. DFS members said the agency was efficient and that its Palm-related work and insurance consumer programs were important. Lottery members emphasized the agency’s revenue generation for education and its low administrative overhead. Gaming Control members highlighted storage costs for seized gaming equipment and suggested technology-based alternatives. PERC members said a union-related law had doubled their workload and asked for more staffing and possible AI assistance. OIR members stressed the need for a Tampa satellite office and more resources to recruit and retain specialized staff. The chair closed by saying the committee would continue reviewing travel, staffing, and reductions with an eye toward taxpayer value and transparency.

Transcript Highlights:

• chief<00:02:25.680> executive This software allows the chief executive This software allows
• <00:03:18.239> program is that this was a new software program is that this was a new software
• your phone when you get uh software your phone when you get uh software update<00:03:25.760>
• We may be not even like this software.
• /c><00:44:35.200> data software can ingest additional data software can ingest additional data

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Plymouth State and Keene State are deeply embedded in the regions of our state where they’re located,
• Plymouth State and Keen state are State Plymouth State and Keen state are deeply<01:17:18.440> embedded
• the<01:17:19.600> regions<01:17:19.960> of<01:17:20.120> our deeply embedded
• in the regions of our deeply embedded in the regions of our state<01:17:20.560> where<01:17:20.719
• But we still recognize the importance of being physically present, embedded in regions connected to communities

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting was the first session of a newly created House Education Funding Committee, which also handles career technical education and higher education legislation. The chair explained that the committee was split off from the larger education committee because of the high volume of bills in the prior biennium, and said its focus would be on education funding policy and related fiscal issues. He noted that the committee had already reviewed major topics with the Department of Education, including the foundation formula, building aid, career technical education, special education aid, catastrophic aid, and higher education funding, and that chancellors from the university and community college systems were scheduled to appear later that morning. The bulk of the meeting was an orientation on committee procedures and decorum. The chair reviewed attendance and replacement rules, hearing procedures, time limits for testimony, and how the committee would handle crowded hearings, early bills, and fiscal notes. He emphasized that hearings are not debates, that sponsors and co-sponsors may present but should not use their position to dominate questioning, and that the chair controls whether additional technical questions are asked of witnesses. He also stressed neutrality, saying members should not display buttons or placards or engage in running debates with testifiers, and that the committee should treat all testimony respectfully regardless of party or viewpoint. Additional housekeeping guidance covered security procedures, use of cell phones and computers during hearings, breaks and hydration in the dry hearing rooms, and courtesy toward the clerk and other staff. The chair also asked members to notify leadership in advance of absences and explained that some bills may require larger rooms or overflow arrangements. No votes were taken and no bills were acted on during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're looking at buying and purchasing software.
• So, the Emergency Operations Center, you said it was going to be running a new kind of software that
• What's the name of that software again, Madam Chair, Representative, it is called Crisis Track, and so
• This Crisis Track software is almost an add-on to that.
• And I would like to introduce Lara to actually talk a little bit about the AI is software. programs,

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:30:17.679> and secretar's uh website and and and secretar's uh website and and and software
• :30:19.600> it<00:30:19.760> an<00:30:20.000> easy<00:30:20.240> fix software
• as far as is it an easy fix software as far as is it an easy fix there<00:30:20.880> probably.
• The system that we've got was put in place about 15 years ago, and it's essentially a piece of software
• <00:36:01.200> and it's essentially a piece of software and it's essentially a piece of software

Bills: SF0082

Keywords: registered agents, corporate governance, entity ownership, business regulations, transparency, 916, all