Transcript Highlights:

• the primary missions of the United States Department of Education.
• As you're putting the final layer of cement on the coffin of the taxpayers of California, you're forcing
• interest of a child.
• Merman of Sacramento passed away on January 6, 2025, at the age of 85.
• of his community.

Summary: The Assembly met after a quorum call, prayer, and pledge, with members observing a moment of silence for the Minnesota tragedy mentioned by the Speaker. The chamber then moved quickly through a large daily file, taking up many Senate amendments and third-reading measures, with most bills passing by wide margins or unanimously. Early procedural actions included returning AB 1308 to the Senate, rescinding action on SB 863, and later taking up several resolutions and bills on concurrence and third reading. Among the main policy items, members adopted AJR 8 on temporary protected status after debate over immigration policy, and AJR 19 urging opposition to dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. The Assembly also adopted ACR 112 recognizing September as Deaf Awareness Month, with several members speaking in support of the deaf community and accessibility. Other notable measures included bills on water reclamation and Colorado River Aqueduct maintenance (AB 580), telehealth (AB 688), housing approvals and ADU enforcement/cleanup (AB 920, SB 9, SB 543), pension and retirement rules (SB 301), volunteer fire department tax exemptions (SB 87), dementia training for home care aides (SB 412), and a San Francisco public-safety measure on stolen goods resale (SB 276), which drew opposition over permitting and criminalization concerns. The Assembly also passed or concurred in a number of Senate bills dealing with local government finance and infrastructure, public contracts, the Delta, fairgrounds compensation, and San Francisco liquor licenses, as well as AJR 3 on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Most measures were approved on roll-call votes with few no votes; SB 227 and SB 276 were urgency measures and received the required two-thirds support. The consent calendar was adopted unanimously, and the day concluded with several adjournment-in-memory tributes, including remembrances of former Assembly staffer Lawrence Merman, Jeff Brady, Fran Urcini, and Alejandro Luna, before the House adjourned until the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is one of my favorite days of the year, and you may think, well, why?
• I loved every single minute of it. Now, some of you may have had a fabulous week.
• Some of you have just kind of been there.
• , you did get out of the last week of school across most of the schools in the state, or whether this
• The question before the House is the passage of House Bill 1003. Repair the machine, Mr. Clerk.

Committee: All BOYS STATE

Summary: The Arkansas Boys State House convened with a quorum, heard opening remarks from legislative leaders and guests, and then considered a series of bills focused on rural services, education, taxes, and zoning. House Bill 1001 would have increased rural health care funding through a 10% tax on individuals earning at least $300,000; supporters argued it would improve access and quality in rural areas, while opponents raised concerns about fairness, long-term funding, and whether it would drive away doctors and taxpayers. The bill failed by a vote of 24 yeas, 51 nays, and 1 present. House Bill 1002 would have limited the number of subjects rural teachers could be assigned and offered sign-on bonuses to recruit more teachers; supporters said it would reduce burnout and improve specialization, while opponents questioned funding and whether it would worsen inequities. After immediate consideration, it passed narrowly, 38 yeas, 36 nays, and 2 present. The House then debated House Bill 1003, which would regulate AI data centers through county zoning authority and a 10% tax on corporations to fund conservation efforts. Supporters said counties should be able to decide whether data centers fit local needs, while opponents warned about lost jobs, higher costs, and federal-state jurisdiction issues. The bill passed 62 yeas, 7 nays, and 3 present. House Bill 1004 would have reduced motor vehicle registration fees to offset high fuel costs, but critics argued it would reduce highway and road funding and strain the state budget; it failed 20 yeas, 46 nays, and 4 present. The chamber then took up Senate bills. Senate Bill 1 proposed incentives tied to SNAP benefits to encourage healthier food purchases and address food insecurity and obesity; supporters framed it as a way to improve access to healthy food, while opponents objected to taxing junk food and burdening SNAP users. It passed 43 yeas and 27 nays. Senate Bill 2 would require reading tests in middle school and state tutoring for students who fail; supporters said it would address literacy problems early, while opponents wanted clearer provisions for older students and implementation. It passed 67 yeas, 6 nays, and 1 present. Senate Bill 3 would cut individual and corporate income taxes to promote economic growth and ease cost-of-living pressures; supporters cited prior tax cuts and business attraction, while opponents said the benefits would mostly go to wealthy corporations and CEOs. It passed 53 yeas, 15 nays, and 16 present. Senate Bill 4 created a mixed-use zoning grant program funded by a 1% hotel tourism tax to encourage affordable housing and downtown redevelopment; it passed 51 yeas, 7 nays, and 13 present. The session ended with a motion to adjourn, which carried.

Transcript Highlights:

• of our country.
• the amount of use.
• some of the changes.
• I am part of the group of teachers that are concerned also with the Schools of Hope.
• That is all of our speaker cards. That is all of our speaker cards.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Next, the reading of the titles of bills and resolutions.
• of the United States of to the flag of the United States of America<00:09:59.680><c> and</c><00:09:59.920
• of the state of resolved by the Senate of the state of Mississippi<00:19:21.600><c> that</c><00:19:21.840
• > institutions</c> board of trustees of state institutions board of trustees of state institutions of
• You're standing recess. of journal of 10 a.m. Wednesday. All in of journal of 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 17 February, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, members of the committee.
• So I might have to ask you to repeat some of that just to make sure that we got all of it.
• don't get out of hand.
• of time, unutilized.
• My question is, did you say you're almost out of debt? We are almost out of debt.

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The Senate Education Committee first approved unanimous-consent requests to print two RS measures, including RS 33-510, a resolution asking the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop proposed school funding formula legislation, and RS 33-484. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1290, the PROM Act, which would let homeschool students voluntarily obtain a social access pass to attend certain school-sponsored social events such as dances and college fairs without enrolling in public school. Supporters said it would improve community integration and expand opportunities for homeschool families, while opponents from Homeschool Idaho argued it was unnecessary, could create administrative burdens, and might blur lines between homeschool and public-school systems. Committee members raised concerns about fees, liability, discipline, and whether the bill could be used for field trips or other activities; after discussion and proposed amendments, the bill was not advanced immediately but was held at the call of the chair for further work. The committee next considered House Bill 608, which clarifies and revises the school facilities cooperative funding program created to address unsafe school buildings. The sponsors explained that the bill streamlines prior law, adjusts when districts must run bonds before seeking state assistance, clarifies supervision and repayment provisions, and ensures unused funds can still be used for safety-related projects. No one testified against the bill, and it was sent to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation. House Bill 635 also passed with a due-pass recommendation; it requires the Professional Standards Commission to report complaints involving suspected criminal behavior to law enforcement while leaving its existing licensing and disciplinary role unchanged. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 636, which would allow school districts and charter schools to use remaining school district facility funds for lease-purchase agreements after bond and levy obligations are met. The sponsor and West Ada Superintendent Derek Bubb said the change would align the statute with existing facility-funding language, support debt reduction, and give districts more flexibility for future facility needs. The committee approved the bill and sent it to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation before adjourning and announcing the next meeting for Monday at 3 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's one of security of the school.
• </c> at the end of the uh and at the end of at the end of the uh and at the end of the<00:46:26.480><
• punishment or especially out-of-school suspension, it can also involve repair and repairing relationships
• school suspension, it can also out of school suspension, it can also involve<01:44:28.800><c> repair
• </c> of HEAK. of HEAK.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 69, including a germane amendment about local school boards’ acceptance or rejection of gifts and donations and a non-germane amendment creating a virtual early childhood readiness family engagement program for preschool children not yet in kindergarten. Rep. Cordelli said the early literacy proposal was a modified version of an earlier kindergarten readiness bill, would rely on gifts and donations rather than state appropriations, and would include reporting requirements. Members questioned the shift from a broader technology program to an online-only model, the lack of detailed evaluation metrics, how long children would use the program, and whether it was appropriate for very young children. Cordelli said the change was intended to avoid government dependence and still allow the program to be offered next school year. Several members raised concerns about the gift-acceptance language on the underlying bill, including whether school boards would need to vote on small donations, whether gifts could be handled in blocks or at regular meetings, and how anonymous donations would work under right-to-know laws. Rep. Han noted that some gift discussions might belong in non-public session under RSA 91-A, while Rep. Cornell said acceptance or rejection of gifts could be handled at regular meetings and suggested a dollar threshold could be added later. The New Hampshire School Boards Association said it was not taking a position but wanted clearer guardrails, policy guidance, and clarification on timing, anonymity, and public-meeting requirements. Supporters of the early childhood program, including Waterford.org, said the proposal would provide an evidence-based, adaptive online literacy program with family engagement for four- and five-year-olds, and that it could help close early learning gaps. Waterford said it could work collaboratively with school districts and IEP teams, and that it would provide devices and internet access for families who need them. Committee members pressed on how the program would interact with existing special education services and whether districts could use it as part of an IEP; the response was that it would be supplementary and not an approved special education service. No votes were taken during the hearing; the chair indicated the committee would later executive the bills and try to get reports filed promptly.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's one of security of the school.
• And to the best of your knowledge, you are not aware of any of the public sources of funding that have
• uh sources of aware of any of the public uh sources of funding<00:51:01.280><c> that</c><00:51:01.599
• school suspension, it can also out of school suspension, it can also involve<01:44:28.800><c> repair
• course of instruction or the historical existence of ideas and subjects. teacher of of this bill?

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee opened hearings on SB 69, including a germane amendment on school board votes to accept or reject gifts and donations, and a non-germane amendment creating a virtual early childhood readiness family engagement program for preschool children not yet in kindergarten. Prime sponsor Rep. Glenn Cordelli said the literacy program was modeled on earlier HB 671, would be funded through gifts and donations rather than state appropriations, and would include reporting requirements to the governor and legislature. Members questioned changes from the earlier bill, including the move away from center-based language, the lack of a dollar threshold for school board action on donations, anonymous gifts, and whether the amendment preserved enough evaluation data. Testimony on the donation provisions raised concerns about broad language, timing, and public-meeting requirements. Rep. Timothy Han and Becky Wilson of the New Hampshire School Boards Association both noted that school districts already have policies and asked how the bill would work for routine donations, anonymous gifts, and situations that might require non-public discussion under right-to-know law. Wilson cited examples such as field-trip scholarships, backpack drives, and sports uniforms, and said the association was not taking a position but wanted clearer guardrails. Rep. Han said school boards may need to discuss some gifts in non-public session and that the bill should better address those circumstances. On the early literacy amendment, Wilson and others questioned whether the program was sufficiently developed, whether it was appropriate to rely on a primarily online model for very young children, and how it would interact with special education services and IEPs. A representative from Waterford.org, Rob Riley, testified in support, saying the program would be supplementary, adaptive, and family-engagement based, and that Waterford could provide devices and internet access for families who need them. He said the program would work alongside school districts and IEP teams rather than replace existing services. No vote was taken during the hearing; the chair said the committee would later exec the bills and try to get reports in for the calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• a matter of law. of ethics, but also as a matter of law.
• science</c><02:35:40.240><c> of</c> of understanding of the science of of understanding of the science
• of the conditions of meetings and one of the conditions of the<02:39:29.760><c> of</c><02:39:30.000>
• We're looking at $200,000 to $300,000, and that includes repairs of bot circumcision.
• </c> $300,000, and that includes uh repairs $300,000, and that includes uh repairs of<04:39:51.840><c

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of growth from their beginning-of-year to the end-of-year scores.
• Wood County recently completed 175 of their evaluations, but they still have a backlog of 91 outstanding
• They are reported to the local police department, etc., and TEA has a backlog of cases.
• And then, in regards to TIA, of all of our teachers that we surveyed, about one-fifth of them, Of all
• Rule of 90? Rule of 90, yeah. Was the rule of 80, I'm married to one of those. Yeah. Rule of 80.

Committee: House Public Education

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of those years were out of just love, and some of them, they said, was out of spite for everyone
• ><c> and</c> of those years were out of just love and of those years were out of just love and some<01
• of them they said was out of spite some of them they said was out of spite for<01:11:00.719><c> everyone
• </c> that they of hearing we saw a lot of that they of hearing we saw a lot of women<01:24:41.600><c>
• I just wanted to raise a couple of of<04:23:41.040><c> concerns.</c> of concerns. of concerns.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:09:55.120><c> ADI</c> as part of one of the three ADI as part of one of the three ADI organizations
• of what next of law for the definition of what next of kin<00:29:13.520><c> means.
• of the problems of How pointed out one of the problems of placing<00:38:52.960><c> it</c><00:38:53.200
• </c> relates to the county share of cost of relates to the county share of cost of care<01:25:48.000>
• </c> on behalf of other areas of the on behalf of other areas of the department.<01:40:14.800><c> But

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of every description of our citizens.
• inhabitants of health of health of the inhabitants of our<00:11:44.880><c> land</c><00:11:45.360><c>
• </c> moment of silence in honor of our former moment of silence in honor of our former colleague<00:24
• </c> etc. repairs. etc. repairs.
• , those kind of of those kind of things, those kind of extra<04:40:39.200><c> revenues.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are there questions of the sponsor? Say no questions of the sponsor. Questions of the sponsor?
• We've got a lot of members of our aging community. We take care of them.
• include additional services that they may perform, including repair or replacement of package pool heaters
• So that's flow, flow of water, flow of air, flow of water.
• side of the people of this state.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh section one of the bill out of order.
• I serve as the director of the Minnesota chapter of the Coalition of Hindus of North America.
• the grandniece of the former chief of police of New Delhi, India.
• </c> of having to incur the costs of of having to incur the costs of complying<02:15:28.400><c> with<
• > unmarked</c> needs of current owners of unmarked needs of current owners of unmarked firearms.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You'll see that we have kind of two snapshots of data.
• of the act?
• They have 37% of the share of the world's share.
• How much of that is base load and how much of that is really more of a peaker facility?
• a lot of comment on to see what, what all the, kind of outcomes of that would be.

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce convened to discuss critical infrastructure and supply chain integrity, particularly focusing on Texas's power grid and associated vulnerabilities. The meeting highlighted Texas's recent ranking as 10th in electricity affordability, emphasizing the state's commitment to maintaining a reliable and resilient electric grid. New committee members introduced themselves, and the agenda included testimony from ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission regarding the implementation of the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act, which aims to mitigate risks posed by foreign entities to the power grid. Chad Sealy from ERCOT presented updates on the attestation process for market participants, revealing that over 1,500 entities had submitted attestations regarding their corporate structures and affiliations with designated foreign countries. Concerns were raised about the adequacy of the current vetting process, particularly regarding indirect relationships with foreign adversaries. Testimonies from the PUC and the Attorney General's office underscored the challenges of enforcing compliance and the need for improved legislative measures to enhance oversight and security. The committee also heard from experts, including Dr. Emma Stewart from Idaho National Laboratory, who discussed the evolving threats to the grid from foreign adversaries and the importance of securing communication systems. Recommendations included prioritizing inspections of critical components and enhancing collaboration with national laboratories to address vulnerabilities. The discussion concluded with an acknowledgment of the balance needed between ensuring grid security and maintaining affordability for consumers.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's also had a history of sexual abuse by some of the guards and some of the inmates, some of the juveniles
• have to think of keeping the rest of us safe.
• up because of Harvey, COVID, all of those things.
• is simply a failure of the system, of them, all of us.
• of what's been discussed today in terms of the importance of early intervention.

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Kind of to some of the points that were coming out of the Montana retirement system and some of the benefits
• of a 10% audit of our certificate of existence.
• implementation of a 10% audit of our certificate of existence.
• We've done a couple of these types of surveys.
• And some of the people who were a lot of...

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee was called to order, a quorum was established, and the minutes from the prior meeting were approved. The first major presentation came from Montana Public Employees Retirement System executive director William Hollahan, who gave an overview of Montana’s Volunteer Firefighters’ Compensation Act plan. He explained that the plan covers volunteer firefighters in unincorporated areas, is funded by 5% of state fire insurance premium taxes, and currently serves 228 departments with about 2,936 active members and 1,242 retirees. He described eligibility rules, annual training and reporting requirements, benefit levels for partial and full pensions, disability, death, medical, and funeral benefits, and said the plan is actuarially sound with roughly $60 million in assets and a funded ratio slightly above 100%. Committee members asked about prior-service credit, whether EMS personnel are included, the effect on recruitment and retention, and whether expanding coverage would require a funding analysis; Hollahan said prior service is not credited, EMS is not currently included, and any expansion would need financial review. Tim Walleen of Workforce Safety and Insurance then presented a draft North Dakota workers’ compensation solution for volunteer firefighters and volunteer EMS personnel. He explained that volunteer responders are already covered by workers’ comp for medical and wage-loss benefits, but the proposal would set a minimum annual wage of $30,000 for calculating wage-loss benefits for qualifying volunteers, with the benefit paid at two-thirds of that amount. Representative Porter suggested tying the volunteer definition to existing code rather than a fixed dollar amount, and Walleen agreed. Questions focused on whether search and rescue or other volunteer emergency services could be included, whether departments would face new paperwork, and whether volunteer organizations can already elect coverage; Walleen said there would be no additional paperwork and that volunteer coverage is already available. The committee also heard from volunteer fire service representatives and the state fire marshal. An Oakes-area firefighter, Mr. Olson, testified that small departments are struggling with retention, communication, and administrative burdens, especially around separate bookkeeping and funding rules for donated or fundraising money, and he said departments need clearer guidance from the state. State Fire Marshal Dr. Matthew Clark introduced himself and outlined a broader effort to improve education, support, and coordination for fire departments, including a planned 10% audit of certificates of existence beginning in 2027, more outreach through his office, and better assistance with training, reporting, and grant access. He said his office is authorized under current law to provide these services, but the role has been vague and underused. Finally, Arnagard Rural Fire District Chief Rick Schreiber testified in favor of new recruitment and retention ideas, including retirement-style benefits, health insurance, tax incentives, scholarships, grants, and more remote or regional training. He said volunteer departments are losing members, that local tax and donation funds are already stretched, and that any new retirement or incentive program should be sustainable and likely involve a mix of state and local support.

Transcript Highlights:

• to because of the language of the particular acts.
• to because of the language of the particular acts.
• Council of the Department of Labor and Licensing.
• A few, a couple of teams, a couple of leagues.
• I'm not aware of there being any instances of fraud or misuse of the funds.

Committee: All ALC-ADMINISTRATIVE RULES

Summary: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee met to review a long agenda of agency rule changes, beginning with housekeeping on the order of business and then taking up rules from multiple state agencies. Early items included Department of Energy and Environment rules on landfill post-closure trust fund spending thresholds and liquefied petroleum gas standards, DFA’s odometer disclosure rule allowing electronic signatures and disclosures, and several Department of Health rules covering ionizing radiation, mobile home and recreational parks, lead-based paint, counseling licensure, hearing instrument dispensers, athletic training, dental specialties and compacts, nursing, pharmacy, physician assistants, medical compacts, speech-language pathology and audiology, radiologic technology, massage therapy, community health workers, doula certification, and cosmetology/body art. Most of these were described as technical updates, conformity with recent acts, federal standards, or compact participation, and nearly all were approved without objection after brief questions and, in many cases, no public comment. The committee also reviewed Department of Labor and Licensing rules on minimum wage/independent contractor standards, boiler rules, motor vehicle commission requirements for ATV/LSV dealers, professional wrestling regulation, appraiser qualifications, and military recruiting and retention programs. Testimony generally emphasized that the rules implemented recent legislation, updated fees or licensing standards, or streamlined existing processes. Members asked a few questions about fee structures, the rationale for regulating professional wrestling, and how the National Guard’s public-private partnership and incentive programs would work; the department said the recruiting incentives would be funded from existing appropriations and were intended to improve retention and force strength. These rules were also approved without objection. The most extensive discussion came on the Department of Education’s Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program rule. The department said the revisions, based on Act 920 of 2025, were intended to add guardrails, clarify allowable expenses, and speed approval of core educational purchases. Changes included defining core educational expenses, limiting certain sports-related spending, adding an intentional misuse standard, restricting phone purchases except for disability-related needs, setting a $1,000 threshold for additional review of technology purchases, capping carryover funds at $8,500, and creating a reconsideration process for denied expenses. Members raised concerns about safeguards, appeals, sports equipment, provider credentialing, rural vendor access, and whether the department would be flexible or overly restrictive. The department said it would review every request, provide written explanations for denials, allow appeals up to the State Board, and refer suspected fraud to prosecutors if necessary. After hearing from 13 members of the public, the committee continued to discuss the rule, but the transcript ends before any final vote on the EFA rule is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• of.
• of.
• The hours of the day of operations exceed the amount of time that the funding allows.
• percentage of them coming off of it?
• There are three of them that I'm aware of.

Committee: House Budget

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So Department of Revenue, a lot of oversight.
• So Department of Revenue, a lot of oversight.
• Suggs kind of covered a lot of the budget process, the complicated part of it.
• of hits in a short time, and then we're kind of lean for the rest of the year.
• of hits in a short time and then we're kind of lean for the rest of the year.

Summary: The Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee met to review how county budgets are developed and how constitutional officers fit into that process. Davin Suggs of the Florida Association of Counties gave an overview of county budgeting, explaining the statutory framework, the role of property taxes and TRIM notices, the fiscal-year timeline, fund balances and reserves, and the Department of Revenue’s oversight. He emphasized that county budgets include the board’s budget plus the budgets of constitutional officers, and that relationships and communication are critical to resolving budget issues. A panel of constitutional officers then described their offices’ budget processes and responsibilities: Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons discussed law enforcement budgeting and the importance of negotiated agreements with county commissions; Alachua County Property Appraiser Aisha Solomon explained the June 1 budget deadline, valuation methods, and the appeal process for property assessments; Manatee County Clerk and Comptroller Angelina Coleniso outlined the clerk’s court and finance duties, the county-side budget process, and the clerk’s personal liability under section 129.09 for unlawful expenditures; Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Early described the cyclical nature of election costs, staffing, equipment, and the impact of turnout and election law changes; and Columbia County Tax Collector Kyle Keene explained that tax collectors’ budgets are reviewed by the Department of Revenue, with fee offices funding themselves through service charges and budget offices relying on county support. Members asked about personal liability for unlawful spending, conflicts between clerks and county commissions, property valuation and storm damage adjustments, reserve levels, and whether tax collectors can retain excess fees. Responses noted that clerks must refuse illegal expenditures, property appraisers use market-based assessments with VAB and court review available, counties should maintain healthy fund balances for cash flow and emergencies, and tax collectors generally must zero out year-end balances and distribute excess revenues to taxing authorities. The committee took no votes and adjourned after thanking the panelists for their testimony.