Transcript Highlights:

• Glad to know that it was the Board of Education, Senator West.
• that actually educates our youth in this state.
• Our educators want to end all students learn. All students.
• They did not receive special education services.
• We want to make sure that we get everyone educated.

Bills: SB27 , SB226 , SB326 , SB570 , SB605 , SB870 , SB991 , SB1871 , SB1872 , SB1873 , SB1874 , SB1924 , SB1925

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: residency, public schools, child safety placement, enrollment, education code, antisemitism, student conduct, education, disciplinary actions, Texas Education Code, truancy, attendance policy, chronic absenteeism, school attendance, student absence notifications, parent notification, home visit, attendance officer, truancy court, school district

Transcript Highlights:

• The Committee on Pre-K through 12 Education will now come to order.
• I'm proud to talk about our resiliency education standards.
• I'm proud to talk about our resiliency education standards.
• It's making sure that we've got great civics education.
• It's making sure that we've got great civics education.

Committee: Senate Education Pre-K - 12

Summary: The Senate Committee on Pre-K through 12 Education received a Department of Education presentation from Deputy Commissioner Juan Copa on Florida’s K-12 assessment system, including FAST progress monitoring, end-of-course exams, science, writing, alternate assessments, English language acquisition testing, and VPK progress monitoring. Copa reported year-over-year gains in ELA and mathematics, noted that end-of-course and science results also improved, and explained how assessment data are used for school grades, third-grade promotion, graduation requirements, and other accountability measures. He also reviewed the independent study required by SB 1048, which recommended keeping PM3 as the primary accountability measure, proceeding cautiously on further test-length reductions and remote testing expansion, and using PM1/PM2 only as supplemental evidence in limited cases. Committee members focused on whether the new system is improving student outcomes enough, what supports teachers and schools need to use the data effectively, and how Florida compares nationally. Chancellor Dr. Burns said the department is emphasizing implementation of the new standards, high-quality instructional materials, coaching, professional learning, collaboration, and school improvement support, and also pointed to resiliency education standards and mental health supports. Copa said Florida’s latest NAEP results remain mixed but still generally outperform the nation in some grades, while members pressed for more information on best practices, other states’ approaches, and how districts are using the data. Several members requested follow-up information, including the independent review report, breakdowns of PM1/PM2/PM3 results by grade and subgroup, details on VPK outcomes by provider type and full-day versus half-day programs, and data on use of the CLT versus SAT/ACT for graduation concordant scores. The committee also discussed third-grade retention outcomes, computer-based testing, district assessment calendars, and whether some districts still administer additional local testing. No votes were taken on legislation, and the meeting adjourned after Senator Davis moved to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> process and also inform and educate process and also inform and educate letters<00:25:44.320><c>
• in informant educate what an informant<00:25:54.000><c> educate</c><00:25:54.480><c> looks</c><00:25
• </c><00:37:26.880><c> Food</c> Transportation nonprofit education Food Transportation nonprofit education
• <00:57:04.599><c> through</c><00:57:04.880><c> specialized</c> education through specialized education
• </c><01:01:29.079><c> experience</c> transformed my educational experience transformed my educational

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• education class.
• special education she teaches special education and<00:30:32.720><c> uh</c><00:30:32.960><c> she</c>
• </c> students in her special education class. students in her special education class.
• </c><00:41:01.200><c> So</c> by the state board of education. So by the state board of education.
• Can you speak educatively on it?

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> education in our commonwealth. education in our commonwealth.
• Um, I hold degrees in elementary education and special education, a master's degree in elementary education
• cut on that in education.
• cut on that in education.
• </c> superior to a human educator? superior to a human educator?

Committee: Joint Education

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Mental health and education should be going in tandem.
• Mental health and education should be going in tandem.
• Mental health and education should be going in tandem.
• I'm it as a core component of education.
• ,</c> barriers to career technical education, barriers to career technical education, those<00:13:18.520

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that they could take education.
• Uh, it deals with higher education 443, 510, and 1112.
• Uh, it deals with higher education 443, 510, and 1112.
• Uh, it deals with higher education 443, 510, and 1112.
• And that's why we're seeing with higher education, all of higher education is going through this real

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first discussed HB 771, the open enrollment bill, which had returned from the Senate with language clarifying that districts should list both tuition expenses and offsetting revenue estimates from sending districts. The chair and Representative McGuire supported concurring with the Senate changes, while Representative Luno raised broader concerns about the bill’s structure and equity, arguing that tuition based on 80% of the sending district’s average cost could be unfair and could create problems for receiving districts with different cost structures. After a show of hands, the committee voted to concur and send that recommendation to the House floor, with Luno indicating he would speak against it there. The committee then took up SB 9 in executive session. An amendment, 1920H, was offered to clarify that the tuition calculation should use the sending district’s average cost and to support access to CTE programs, including allowing students to take academic courses at the receiving school and, in some cases, attend the nearest CTE center. Supporters said the bill would help more students participate in career and technical education and noted bipartisan sponsorship in the Senate. Opponents argued the amendment would increase district costs, strain property taxpayers, and could reduce CTE participation or create logistical problems. The committee adopted the amendment 10-8, then voted 10-8 to recommend OTPA as amended; Representative Lad was assigned the majority report and Representative Luno the minority ITL report. After closing the SB 9 executive session, the chair reminded members that committee reports were due immediately and announced retained-bill subcommittees. One subcommittee will address adequacy and school funding issues arising from HB 651, HB 772, HB 491, and HB 434, chaired by Representative Spillsbury. Another will address school building aid issues from HB 295 and HB 366, including whether to keep the current formula or revise it, and how to handle renovations, new construction, and lease arrangements.

Transcript Highlights:

• For Senate Education, February 13, 2026.
• Thank you. sponsored bill uh by our joint education sponsored bill uh by our joint education interim<
• And with this halfway Education.
• education session.
• education session.

Bills: HB0076 , HB0102 , HB0115

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: annexation, landowner rights, municipal law, city planning, property, local government, artificial intelligence, synthetic sexual material, child protection, self-harm, criminal liability, cardiac emergency, defibrillator, school safety, training, public health, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, PIP, you said, then just public education employees, state employees.
• To education. Right?
• I introduced this bill last... ...year, but it was only for education employees.
• As I said, it's currently only for state employees and for education employees.
• education platform that is a safe environment that we can duplicate and replicate.

Bills: SB175 , SB195 , SB196 , SB199

Committee: Senate Finance and Taxation Education

Keywords: aircraft, tax exemption, sales tax, lease tax, maintenance, Alabama, health insurance, Medicare, retirees, public education, contracts, education, high school, community college, dual enrollment, secondary credit, Move on When Ready, parental leave, state employees, local education agencies

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:25.240><c> in</c> pre-kindergarten education in pre-kindergarten education in geographically
• c> athletics</c><00:08:38.880><c> coach,</c> Whereas as an educator, athletics coach, Whereas as an educator
• </c> a physical education instructor. a physical education instructor.
• Denny has been an educator for over 40 years, but we got to talk about his coaching.
• Danny has transformed the page program into an educational experience.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It increases money for education, period, end of story. Thank you, Mr.
• Chairman. "...increases money for education, period, end of story. Thank you." Question for Ms.
• prioritize the needs of all students, not just those who already have access to private education.
• The state can use it to invest more money in education.
• The state can use it to invest more money in education.

Committee: House House Ways & Means Committee of Reference

Summary: The House Ways and Means Committee first heard SCR 1028, a voter-referral constitutional amendment that would require a two-thirds legislative vote for state fee and assessment increases set by agencies, closing what supporters described as a loophole that has allowed fee hikes without direct legislative approval. The sponsor argued the measure would restore accountability and prevent agencies from using fees as a workaround for tax increases, while opponents from business and economic groups warned it would make agencies less responsive, delay needed adjustments for inflation and program costs, and shift costs to taxpayers or reduce funding for services. After debate, the committee returned SCR 1028 with a do pass recommendation by a 5-3 vote, with one member absent. The committee then took up SB 1142, which would have Arizona opt into a federal tax credit program for donations to scholarship-granting organizations and set eligibility requirements for those organizations. Supporters said the program would bring in private dollars at no state cost, expand school choice, and help students with tutoring, special needs, transportation, and other educational expenses; they also argued that if Arizona does not opt in, donations could flow to other states. Opponents, including the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, said the federal program was not yet fully written, lacked guardrails, and could further strain public schools by diverting resources away from the majority of students who remain in district schools. The committee returned SB 1142 with a do pass recommendation by a 5-3 vote, with one member absent, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the piece that's being added back in: the education assistance program.
• reimbursement or educational assistance program.
• This is the piece that's being added back in is the education assistance program.
• reimbursement or educational assistance program.
• when it needed to reappropriate to the State Department of Education.

Summary: The committee began by recognizing two pages, Conrad and Easton Chandler, thanking them for their service and presenting letters and gifts before moving into budget work. Christopher LaHosette then gave a general fund budget update, explaining how the green sheet reflected JFAC’s prior base and maintenance actions and highlighting two policy bills tied to budget reductions: House Bill 622, which would reduce the IDLA appropriation by about $9 million, and Senate Bill 1312, which would reduce Medicaid general fund spending by about $21 million through a residential habilitation rate change. The committee then considered several budget-setting items. It approved a $17,800 reimbursement for the military division’s hazardous materials deficiency warrants, but a larger military division enhancement request to restore funding for the State Guardsman Education Assistance Program was debated at length and ultimately failed on the original motion; a substitute motion to hold the item at the call of the chair passed. The committee also approved enhancements for PERSI, the Division of Veteran Services, the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and the State Tax Commission’s supplemental request for federal tax conformity implementation costs. The Tax Commission’s larger FY 2027 enhancement package also passed, with language directing that one appropriation be used only for fast tax collection vendor payments and any unused amount revert to the general fund. The committee then took up language for the Division of Veteran Services intended to signal future funding for cemetery maintenance, but that language failed after members objected that it could not bind a future legislature. Additional cleanup language was later adopted to correct previously approved maintenance bill language, including clarifying transfer authority and fixing year references and agency names. The meeting ended with notice that the committee would hold budget hearings for the Department of Water Resources and the Soil and Water Conservation Commission on the following Monday, with no votes scheduled.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the urgent need for education.
• Well, any education is better than on.
• The the boating education law pertains to the age. Okay.
• All the Love SB 99 for is drivers license education requirements.
• Driver Education Course.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So you want this additional education.
• </c><00:03:43.319><c> and</c> statute requires special education and statute requires special education
• </c> chartered educational chartered educational institution<03:16:46.160><c> so</c><03:16:46.640><c>
• </c> also gives the Department of Education also gives the Department of Education the<03:18:51.920><
• </c> chartered educational chartered educational institution<03:21:03.000><c> can</c><03:21:03.160><c

Keywords: 928, house, all

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

Transcript Highlights:

• The tribal higher education and North Dakota K-12 education by requiring a partnership with at least
• I'm just trying to figure out this is an education issue. It's higher education, it's dual credit.
• I'm just trying to figure out, this is an education issue. It's higher education, it's dual credit.
• And our charge is more to look on the higher education side.
• For the record, Commissioner Brent Sanford of Higher Education.

Committee: Joint Higher Education Funding Review Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Higher Education Funding Review Committee met to receive updates on several higher education issues, beginning with a presentation from the University System on low-completion programs. Deputy Commissioner Lisa Johnson explained the State Board of Higher Education’s proposed policy for reviewing associate through doctoral programs with fewer than 10 undergraduate or fewer than 5 graduate completers over a rolling five-year window. She said roughly 75 to 90 programs could be reviewed, with campuses able to justify continuation, modify, inactivate, or terminate programs, while teaching out current students as needed. Members asked about faculty layoffs, online programs, the basis for the threshold, and whether the process was producing savings; Johnson said faculty were more often reassigned than laid off, and that the effort was aimed at stewardship, workforce alignment, and avoiding future costs as much as immediate cuts. The committee also heard an update from the Department of Commerce on a $750,000 workforce development grant to Turtle Mountain Community College under Senate Bill 2018. Kerry Kraft reported that Turtle Mountain was the only applicant, that the grant is focused on dual credit and workforce pathways in areas such as cybersecurity, medical assisting, welding, public safety, and drone technician training, and that the project was still in early development with about $11,000 spent to date. Members questioned why other tribal colleges did not apply, how many students were participating, and whether the program belonged in the Commerce or higher education budget; Kraft said the college had a goal of 210 students and that prior biennia had met completion targets of 75% or higher. Senator Sickler then presented the Institutions Committee’s work on dual credit, describing it in terms of quality, access, and cost. He said nearly all high school faculty teaching dual credit now meet credentialing requirements, that online delivery has expanded access in rural areas, and that the committee is examining whether current funding creates triple payment through tuition, K-12 funding, and higher education funding. The committee reviewed cost data showing variation among campuses and discussed a possible single subsidized dual credit rate, using $79.57 as a working example, while noting that dual credit hours are currently included in the general funding formula and would need to be treated separately if a distinct rate is adopted. The committee then turned to the draft higher education funding formula bill and related capital fund provisions. Staff walked through technical corrections, a proposed shift to a four-year average for research funding, changes to doctorate incentives, and a discussion of whether UND and NDSU should be aligned with the other institutions’ undergraduate rates. Members also debated the overall fiscal effect of the proposal, with staff estimating that the new formula would increase funding by roughly $45 million compared with current appropriations, or about $24 million above what the current formula would otherwise produce in the next biennium, before any appropriation decisions. The committee did not take final action and recessed to continue its discussion later, including possible revisions related to dual credit and certificate completions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and it's my understanding that the DNR is interested in doing education too.
• Um, and it's my understanding that the DNR is interested in doing education too.
• I love the educational component to this.
• I the the educational component to this.
• ><00:31:51.679><c> looking</c> educational component along with looking educational component along with

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• My son's an auto mechanic, master mechanic, but yet he still goes to ongoing education where he gets
• Master mechanic, but yet he still goes to ongoing education where he gets a certification to work on
• I'm the Director of Content and Curriculum at the Department of Education.
• Passing on such a heritage is the imperative of civics education.
• So just doing a lot of the same work, but connecting it more closely to education or to careers.

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• THIS BILL AS CURRENTLY DRAFTED WOULD REPEAL THE POST LICENSE EDUCATION REQUIREMENT.
• WE ARE TRYING TO EDUCATE HIM ON ALL THE PARTICULAR TRADE ASSOCIATIONS.
• WE ALL HAVE A BOARD IN THE SAME CONTINUING EDUCATION AND WE HAVE THE SAME EXAM.
• ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT CONTINUING EDUCATION. SO MANY THINGS ARE CHANGING.
• REDUCING CONTINUING EDUCATION IS A BIG CONCERN OF MINE.

Transcript Highlights:

• Billy, Ashley Ngo, a 2023 Milken Educator, Jonathan Ngo, husband of Ms.
• Friedman and Connor Boyle from the New Mexico Public Education Department.
• We have Rashinda Billy, 2024 Milken Educator; Louise Billy, mother of Ms.
• House Education Committee, Ranking Member Brian Baca (member_13938).
• And again, welcome to these magnificent educators.

Transcript Highlights:

• MOVING THE EDUCATION EXPANSION, UNDER PRES.
• MODULAR TEACHERS, REENTRY TRAINING GRANTS, VIRTUAL EDUCATION.
• ON SLIDE SEVEN WHERE WE TALK ABOUT EDUCATION, I DIDN'T HEAR YOU ON THE TEACHERS.
• DIDN'T WE INCREASE FUNDING TO HIRE EDUCATION, I DIDN'T HEAR YOU ON THE TEACHERS.
• OTHER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM EXPENDITURES.

Keywords: 999, senate, all