Transcript Highlights:

• from requiring tuition or fees of any kind above the amount the school district pays.
• or fees of any from requiring tuition or fees of any kind<00:31:45.160><c> above</c><00:31:45.640><c
• </c><00:31:58.120><c> receive</c> and public schools that receive and public schools that receive tuition
• So, I wanted to make sure I had tuition.
• </c> over-weighting of tuition districts. over-weighting of tuition districts.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:02:29.560><c> or</c> schools potentially charging tuitions or schools potentially charging tuitions
• In essence, processors must adhere to the instructions of the controller and assist the controller in
• c><00:15:58.120><c> and</c> instructions of the controller and instructions of the controller and assist
• > controller</c><00:15:59.040><c> in</c><00:15:59.120><c> complying</c><00:15:59.560><c> with</c> assist
• the controller in complying with assist the controller in complying with the<00:15:59.760><c> bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Supporting basic needs: part of the Shelton Promise, along with making sure that their tuition is covered
• We also have peer-assisted learning groups, supplemental instruction, and subject-specific tutoring services
• Students face many challenges with limited federal loans, increasing tuition costs, and continuing basic
• have brought an unsanitized perspective—student opinions—into spaces where decisions are made about tuition
• So now I serve as a resident assistant in the campus dorms and remain actively involved in various volunteer

Bills: SB6325 , SGA9302 , SGA9286 , SGA9289 , SGA9290 , SGA9292 , SGA9293 , SGA9309 , SGA9310 , SGA9311 , SGA9312

Committee: Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development

Keywords: higher education, student procedures, academic policies, enrollment processes, educational standards

Transcript Highlights:

• So students are being tuitioned. So in Cuddon we do K to 4 and tuitioned.
• The kids above that we pay tuition elsewhere. Goan is all the kids are tuition.
• So students are being tuitioned. So in Cuddon we do K to 4 and tuitioned.
• The kids above that we pay tuition elsewhere. Goan is all the kids are tuition.
• So students are being tuitioned. So in Cuddon we do K to 4 and tuitioned.

Committee: House Education Funding

Transcript Highlights:

• Victoria Dyson Homer is the founding director of the Arizona Teacher Residency and an assistant clinical
• So they start by assisting, then they begin co-teaching with that supervising teacher, and then they
• In 35-plus years as a teacher, coach, guidance counselor, assistant principal, principal, and central
• Each institution with an out-of-state registration that collects prepaid tuition is subject to student
• tuition recovery fund requirements.

Committees: House Education , House House Education Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• Knowing that my tuition was going to be paid made my decision to become a teacher a lot easier—not a
• They had their tuition covered, but $10,000 was what they had left to live on.
• Building and facilitating those partnerships is something the Technical Assistance Center is uniquely
• It's important to focus on workforce proposals that incentivize and assist teacher candidates in the
• Support programs assist candidates throughout their candidacy to pass each of the components.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:02:44.480><c> superintendent</c><00:02:45.120><c> from</c><00:02:45.280><c> Bourbon</c> assistant
• superintendent from Bourbon assistant superintendent from Bourbon County<00:02:45.840><c> and</c><00
• Share with us to assist our students.
• </c><00:37:21.359><c> That</c><00:37:21.599><c> said,</c> assistance, they can do that.
• That said, assistance, they can do that.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Assistance Program.
• Assistance Program.
• Assistance Program.
• Minnesota educator of color grant program to be the Educator Tuition Assistance Program. Mr.
• At Holy Trinity, 68% of our students rely on tuition assistance, making this additional funding essential

Bills: HF1388

Committee: House Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> will be providing that assistance will be providing that assistance uh<00:19:55.960><c> in</c><00
• </c> assistance in obtaining a a TRO. assistance in obtaining a a TRO.
• </c> ability to have educational assistants ability to have educational assistants in<02:19:08.920><c
• </c> about the educational assistants. about the educational assistants.
• </c> Education provide training to assist Education provide training to assist emerging<02:26:44.280>

Bills: HB1890 , HB1888 , HB1676

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The committees heard three measures, beginning with HB 1890 HD3, which would provide automatic step increases and a COVID-era retention bonus for teachers. Supporters included HSTA, the Democratic Party’s Education Caucus, and a student who said higher pay and predictable salary growth would help retain teachers in Hawaii. The Department of Education supported the intent but asked that the bill be expanded to cover all department employees. The Attorney General’s office said the draft needed clarification to avoid conflict with Chapter 89 and to make clear any funding was subject to legislative appropriation. The Office of the Public Defender and B&F testified in opposition, and committee members questioned whether the step increases were already in the current contract and whether the bill was needed. HSTA said the current contract includes automatic step increases subject to funding, but argued the bill was still needed because funding is not guaranteed and the measure would codify the policy. HSTA also said the COVID bonus would apply only to active teachers who worked during the pandemic and estimated the total cost at roughly $150 million to $200 million over four years. No vote was taken in the portion provided. The committee then took up HB 1888 HD3, which would require DOE and charter schools to report harassment incidents and strengthen penalties for harassment of educational workers from a petty misdemeanor to a misdemeanor. DOE supported the bill and suggested narrowing language about assisting workers with temporary restraining orders, saying that function would be better handled through the Attorney General’s pilot program. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the bill, arguing the harassment language was overly broad, vague, and potentially unconstitutional, and that existing assault and terroristic threatening statutes already protect educational workers. HSTA, the State Commission on the Status of Women, and several individual testifiers supported the measure, describing increased intimidation and harassment of teachers and other school staff, especially since COVID. The Special Education Advisory Council opposed the bill’s language on “disrupting and interfering” with school functions, saying it could chill parents of students with IEPs from advocating for their children. Testimony was split, with the chair noting 20 in support and 16 in opposition in the portion shown. A final witness, Michelle Pestana, testified in opposition based on her family’s experience with special education services, describing alleged seclusion and restraint of her daughter and expressing concern that DOE testimony in prior hearings had targeted special education parents. Her remarks were cut off as time expired. The transcript ends before any committee action or vote on HB 1888 was taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:21:05.919><c> now</c> at least apply for assistance now at least apply for assistance now according
• tutoring um therapies School tuition tutoring um therapies instructural<00:22:28.159><c> material</c
• or in some cases there school tuition or in some cases there are<00:23:07.640><c> selective</c><00:23
• The transfer—the average cost of a given district—is the tuition amount allowed to be transferred.
• </c> cost of a given district is the tuition cost of a given district is the tuition amount<01:40:12.960

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• and training framework to provide school districts and public schools with assistance in supporting
• to consult and collaborate with specified entities and representatives to develop that technical assistance
• As we face the absence of premium assistance from the federal government for folks on the individual
• . especially with a relative, there was a mom that approved over a six-figure down payment assistance
• OSPI provides technical assistance to support the school district and avoid the imposition of binding

Summary: The committee first received staff briefings on amendments for a series of bills, including measures on child care workforce standards, homelessness programs, community preservation authorities, domestic violence survivor relief, public defense funding, student behavioral health supports, water system ownership changes, nonprofit health carrier surplus assessments, 340B drug pricing reporting, Secretary of State filing fees, step housing, campaign security reimbursements, digital equity programs, a Boys and Men’s Commission, a waste-to-energy facility’s Climate Commitment Act obligations, 6PPD tire substitutes, and an early education scholarship. Staff described the policy changes and, where available, the expected fiscal effects of each proposed substitute or line amendment. The committee then went into caucus before returning for executive session. In executive session, the committee voted out House Bill 1073, then adopted a Couture line amendment to House Bill 1128 exempting private K-12 schools with licensed child care programs from the child care employer definition before reporting the bill out as Second Substitute House Bill 1128. House Bill 1316, 1408, 1591, 1592, 1634, 1906, 1960, 2073, 2145, 2248, 2266, 2301, 2333, and 2365 were also reported from committee, with several amendments adopted along the way. Notable actions included adopting an emergency clause for House Bill 1408, rejecting proposed amendments to House Bill 1591 that would have narrowed relief for survivors and removed retroactivity, adopting a narrower amendment to House Bill 1592’s public defense funding formula, and adopting a substitute to House Bill 2145 that limited 340B reporting to hospitals. The committee also debated and rejected several amendments to the step housing bill, House Bill 2266, including proposals for larger school/daycare buffers, more local oversight, and broader local government authority; the bill still advanced on a 16-13 vote. House Bill 2073, which requires nonprofit health carriers to contribute surplus funds to Cascade Care Savings, advanced over concerns about using one-time money for an ongoing program. House Bill 2248 advanced after an amendment redirected annual license fee deposits to the state treasury rather than the Secretary of State’s revolving fund. House Bill 2333 was narrowed to allow use of campaign funds for personal security reimbursements, and House Bill 2365 advanced with some amendments adopted and others rejected as the committee began discussing additional digital equity oversight provisions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Housing and Livable Communities to inquire about citizenship status when giving out direct rental assistance
• are the only state that has a right to shelter, and it is not our responsibility to offer rental assistance
• The FY27 budget invests $63.4 million for the Clean Water Trust contract assistance, which supports our
• The FY27 budget invests 63.4 million for the clean water trust contract assistance, which supports our
• Thank you. seeks to increase the rate with which we reimburse our districts for out of district tuition

Transcript Highlights:

• The Office of Higher Education must guide and assist institutions with implementation of this requirement
• Office of Higher Education must<00:00:56.239><c> guide</c><00:00:56.480><c> and</c><00:00:56.719><c> assist
• </c><00:00:57.120><c> institutions</c><00:00:58.000><c> with</c> must guide and assist institutions with
• must guide and assist institutions with implementation<00:00:58.960><c> of</c><00:00:59.120><c> this
• So our model here in the state of Minnesota, which is generally a fairly high-tuition but very low general

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Students pay the tuition directly to the institution, so it does not go through us.
• Beyond tuition savings, WUE delivers strategic benefits, including expanding options for students by
• of how closely providers adhere to recognized models and identifies where training or technical assistance
• of how closely providers adhere to recognize models and identifies where training or technical assistance
• One job that I had, that you may not know, is I spent six years or so serving as the executive assistant

Committee: Senate Senate Education Committee of Reference

Summary: The Senate Education Committee of Reference first heard a sunset review of the Credit Enhancement Eligibility Board. Governor’s Office staff explained that the board was created in 2016 to lower borrowing costs for qualifying schools by providing a state guarantee that improves credit ratings, but the board has no dedicated staff or budget and is now largely in a monitoring role because it has reached its statutory leverage cap. Members discussed the long maturities of the approved financings, whether rural districts might benefit from additional capacity, and why a 10-year continuation was being requested. The committee voted to recommend continuing the board for 10 years until July 1, 2036. The committee then heard a sunset review of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). WICHE’s president described the interstate compact, its regional student access programs—WUE, WRGP, and PSEP—along with behavioral health fidelity reviews and cooperative purchasing savings. Testimony emphasized tuition savings for Arizona students, the return of health care graduates to Arizona, and the value of regional collaboration. The committee voted to recommend continuing WICHE for 10 years until July 1, 2036. Finally, the committee reviewed the Arizona Department of Education School Safety Program performance audit. The Auditor General reported that the program has grown substantially, but many sampled schools were not fully complying with requirements such as operational plans, safety teams, training, activity logs, and reimbursement documentation. The department agreed with the finding and said it would implement the recommendations. The school safety director responded that the department has already begun tightening monitoring, training, and documentation procedures, and he answered questions about emergency plans and campus safety. No further action was taken on the audit, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• , with tuition and fees being capped at the maximum in law.
• Additionally, tuition and fee increases—if tuition and fees come in higher than projected—will increase
• The other change that was proposed was setting a tuition and fee maximum equivalent to the average tuition
• The other change that was proposed was setting a tuition and fee maximum equivalent to the average tuition
• Um in relation to tuition and system.

Bills: HF4362 , HF4252 , HF4440

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• We also provide some funding for our new assistant professors as they join the university, because we
• That's the tuition and fees, sales, and other revenue.
• When you were talking about the tuition and fees, it just reminded me of a question I've had the last
• </c> degree programs um that's the tuition degree programs um that's the tuition and<01:30:16.239><c>
• </c> when you were talking about the tuition when you were talking about the tuition and<01:31:24.400

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Um, and what's the average tuition?
• Um, and what's the average tuition?
• Is that a degree program or assistance.
• </c> assistance from sustainable bioroducts. assistance from sustainable bioroducts.
• </c> technical assistance technical assistance in<01:34:10.400><c> plant</c><01:34:10.719><c> and</c>

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• And it requires the Department of Law Enforcement to assist state and county agencies in maintaining
• We shouldn't be using student tuition and fees.
• </c><01:50:11.040><c> and</c> the University of Hawaii tuition and the University of Hawaii tuition and
• I'd like to adopt the words of the assistant minority floor leader as my own. So ordered.
• </c> people with targeted assistance people with targeted assistance and<05:03:02.200><c> education</

Transcript Highlights:

• Other revenue, student fees and other student tuition and others, to pay for that? Yeah.
• These dollars have helped cover the cost of tuition, books, and other education-related expenses, and
• nearly the... ...of tuition, books, and other education-related expenses, and nearly 50,000 families
• If there's anything that we can be of assistance with around that, I want to help out with the ethnic
• Assistance with around that. I want to help out with the ethnic media.

Summary: The committee’s first major discussion focused on higher education facilities across UC, CSU, and the community colleges, with Chair Alvarez framing the issue as a final budget hearing before the May Revise. The LAO presented findings that campuses have grown substantially in buildings and square footage, while classroom and lab utilization remains below legislative standards and deferred maintenance backlogs continue to rise. The LAO also emphasized that the state and segments lack comprehensive data on capital renewal spending and recommended better reporting, clearer funding targets, and long-term planning for renewal and maintenance. UC, CSU, and community college representatives each described large five-year capital plans, aging facilities, seismic and deferred maintenance needs, and the role of student housing, while noting that construction costs are rising faster than inflation. Members questioned the segments about debt service, utilization rates, and how projects are prioritized. UC said its debt service tied to state support is about $665 million annually and described a $30 billion five-year capital financial plan, including housing, medical centers, and building renewal. CSU said it has about $31 billion in five-year needs and more than $8 billion in deferred maintenance, with funding coming from a mix of state-related and one-time sources since the state shifted capital responsibility to CSU. Community colleges said their unmet facilities needs total about $33.5 billion and explained their use of a scoring matrix and FUSION system to rank projects. The chair and members pressed all three systems to better distinguish between projects that are truly shovel-ready and those that are long-term needs, and discussed whether facilities condition data, total cost of ownership, and more standardized metrics should guide future bond proposals. The committee then turned to Proposition 2 and the Governor’s proposed community college capital outlay projects. The Department of Finance said Prop. 2 provides $1.5 billion for community colleges and that the Governor’s budget proposes 29 projects, with two continuing Prop. 51 projects also included. The LAO supported the overall use of the funds but raised concerns about the current 65/35 split between modernization and growth, the unusually large share of gymnasium projects, and some scoring metrics that favor larger campuses and certain regions. Community college officials said the scoring system was developed through participatory governance and would take one to two years to revise, but they supported the funding and agreed to follow up on questions about project categories and the rationale for the weighting. Members also suggested giving more weight to modernization, regional access, and intersegmental or collaborative projects. A final item addressed the CalKids program. The Department of Finance proposed $56,000 ongoing General Fund for three positions, while the LAO recommended approving two positions but rejecting a manager position until the current $7.5 million marketing campaign is evaluated. ScholarShare’s executive director said CalKids has enrolled more than 5 million children, with nearly 600,000 claims and over $45 million distributed, and argued that additional staff and outreach are needed to reach a goal of 1 million claimed scholarships by the end of 2025 and to implement AB 2808. Members asked about marketing effectiveness, data sharing, and eligibility rules, and the program said it is expanding partnerships with Cradle to Career and CSAC. No final vote was taken in the hearing, and the chair indicated the facilities item would be held open.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have a huge need for assistance with additional housing infrastructure.
• We also have a huge need for assistance with additional housing infrastructure, and as you know, Los
• Senator and Madam Chair, for this particular project, we did not have any federal assistance for this
• This is probably the least expensive state tuition in the United States.
• Madam Chair and Senator, we, with assistance from others and other allied health professionals as well

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 20, a prior-authorization and step-therapy measure, on a committee substitute that had already incorporated many stakeholder changes. The sponsor and agency witnesses described revisions to definitions of chronic health condition and serious mental illness, shorter prior-authorization periods, and limits on reporting requirements. Supporters, including a nurse practitioner and disability advocates, said the bill would reduce barriers to needed medications and urged broader protections for chronic and behavioral health conditions. Health insurance and pharmacy benefit management representatives remained opposed, arguing prior authorization is an important patient-safety tool and objecting to the bill’s limits on its use. Senator Hickey offered two amendments: one to conform electronic prior-authorization response times to existing law by changing seven days to three, and one to restore the prior-authorization period from 12 months to three years. The first amendment was accepted; the second passed on a 5-4 vote. The committee then approved the amended substitute 6-3. The committee next heard Senate Bill 111, which would expand the confidentiality of personal information held by the Motor Vehicle Division to include sex, gender identity, national origin, and immigration status. Tax and Revenue officials explained that the bill would not change what documents MVD collects, but would limit disclosure of sensitive information contained in scanned records unless a statutory exception applies. Members asked about what appears on licenses, what is stored in MVD’s system, and whether law enforcement access would change; officials said criminal law enforcement exceptions would remain in place and that the bill mainly affects public disclosure requests. The committee voted 8-1 to give the bill a do-pass recommendation. Senate Bill 218, funding a Los Alamos Emergency Operations Center, was presented as a regional disaster-response and training facility for northern New Mexico. Los Alamos County witnesses said the project would support emergency management training and coordination across the region and requested $5 million. Several senators questioned whether the county had explored bonding, intergovernmental agreements, or regional cost-sharing, and raised concerns about Los Alamos’s debt capacity and whether the project was truly regional. Supporters said the county has a long capital backlog and that the center would serve communities from Santa Fe north. The committee ultimately voted 9-1 to advance the bill. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 14, a major health professional loan-repayment proposal. Senator Hickey described it as an effort to recruit and retain physicians, nurses, and other allied health professionals by increasing repayment amounts, prioritizing physicians and doctors of osteopathic medicine for 50% of the fund, and allowing service commitments with some flexibility, including part-time work. Supporters from medical, nursing, and behavioral health groups said the bill would help address workforce shortages and make New Mexico more competitive. Committee members asked about the inclusion of physician assistants, the 90-day start requirement, anti-donation concerns, tax treatment, tribal and IHS providers, and whether the 50% physician set-aside would leave enough for other professions. After discussion, the committee voted 10-0 to send the bill forward with a do-pass recommendation.