Transcript Highlights:

• As far as key changes that we've made recently related to seclusion and restraint, As key changes that
• we've made recently related to seclusion and restraint, we did implement a seclusion-restraint consult
• So we've... ...one-to-ones with patients in seclusion and restraint.
• We've made this mandatory reporting leadership reviews, seclusion and restraint data every day.
• Any inpatient psychiatric facility uses seclusion or restraint as a means to preserve or protect the

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The joint Senate and House Behavioral Health committees held an informational meeting focused first on the Oregon State Hospital (OSH). OHA Director Sajal Hathi introduced the hospital’s incoming permanent superintendent, Sean Murphy, and praised interim superintendent Jim Deagle for stabilizing operations, restoring CMS compliance, and helping drive a culture change centered on safety, accountability, and transparency. Deagle and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Amit Bavon described OSH’s role as the state’s highest-level forensic psychiatric hospital, the patient populations it serves, its partnerships with courts, counties, jails, hospitals, and advocates, and recent leadership changes across the hospital. They also reported improved accreditation and regulatory status, including Joint Commission accreditation and CMS compliance, and said the hospital is now using daily safety huddles, incident review meetings, stronger escalation procedures, and revised seclusion/restraint practices to reduce risk and improve oversight. Members pressed hospital leaders on past seclusion practices, asking how prolonged seclusions could have occurred under federal standards. Leaders said they could not explain past decisions but emphasized that current leadership has changed processes, training, reporting, and oversight so that seclusion and restraint are reviewed in real time and cannot be normalized. Questions also covered staffing, falls, and future planning. OSH said it is generally staffed to budget, though it still has RN and mental health technician vacancies and is working on recruitment, training, and better staffing distribution. Hathi said the hospital is building a public dashboard with key performance and safety metrics, including workforce data, and described the long-term goal as a consistently safe, disciplined, high-functioning institution that responds quickly to mistakes and remains accountable to the public. The committee then shifted to an informational overview of civil commitment. Oregon Judicial Department representative Chanah Newell explained the civil commitment process, including who can initiate it, the role of community mental health providers and courts, the five-day timeline to hearing, and the standards for danger to self, danger to others, and inability to meet basic needs. She summarized changes made in House Bill 2005, including revised statutory language and new provisions allowing a second diversion period, but cautioned that the data are too early to show clear trends. Testimony from NAMI Oregon’s Chris Bonif and psychiatrist Dr. Stephanie Lopez argued that Oregon still relies too heavily on jails and state hospital commitments because the broader community system lacks enough treatment, housing, and less restrictive alternatives. They urged the legislature to focus on upstream services, supported housing, and possible outpatient commitment tools so people can receive treatment before reaching crisis. The meeting ended with acknowledgment that additional reports and follow-up discussions are expected, including on residential treatment capacity and related behavioral health system reforms.

Transcript Highlights:

• present the transportation and restraint present the transportation and restraint data<00:44:06.880
• , 51% with restraints applied before transport, less than 1% with restraints applied at the beginning
• ,<00:45:07.599> 51<00:45:08.640> with<00:45:09.040> restraints without restraints
• , 51 with restraints without restraints, 51 with restraints applied<00:45:10.000> before<00:45
• outlines that most of the restraints outlines that most of the restraints happen<00:45:43.760>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, approving the prior meeting minutes with one abstention from a member who had been absent. It then received an update from DHHS Commissioner Lori Weaver on the department’s rural health transformation grant submission. Weaver said the grant was submitted ahead of the deadline, reflected input from communities and providers statewide, and would now enter a CMS review and negotiation phase. She explained that the governor’s office will oversee the grant with DHHS, that some proposals may be limited by federal parameters, and that the department may need to hire some staff to administer the grant, within the grant’s administrative cap. Members also discussed DHHS budget pressures and staffing. The department’s CFO, Nathan White, reviewed the agency’s budget mix, noting that DHHS accounts for a large share of the state’s operating and general fund budgets, and explained projected general fund lapse estimates, which he said are currently just under $20 million for the department. He also described why lapse projections are difficult to predict in DHHS because many costs are driven by utilization and because some funds are statutorily non-lapsing. White reported that vacancy rates have risen, citing about 400 unfunded positions in the current biennium and the department’s hiring freeze, while emphasizing that direct-care positions are being prioritized. Committee members raised concerns that back-of-the-budget cuts and weak revenue collections could affect the department’s ability to manage lapse projections. The committee then heard from Division of Public Health Director Ian Watt on vaccine policy and federal changes. Watt said New Hampshire continues to support access to safe and effective vaccines, including through the universal purchase program and seasonal respiratory virus guidance. He explained a recent CDC change regarding the MMRV vaccine, which now discourages the combined shot for the first dose in children under four because of febrile seizure risk, while still allowing it for the second dose. Watt said New Hampshire’s school and child care vaccine mandates remain stable, with nine vaccines required for schoolchildren and 10 for child care, and that the state continues to review federal recommendations cautiously. He also said there have been no supply or funding disruptions affecting vaccine access, and that childhood vaccine funding through commercial insurers remains intact. Finally, the Permanent Subcommittee on Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Related Dementias presented its annual report. The subcommittee said it met about six times, heard presentations on state services, silver alerts, brain health awareness, and palliative/hospice care, and began work on updating the state’s Alzheimer’s plan, which had last been updated in 2015-2016. To gather more direct input, the subcommittee formed a needs-assessment work group to develop a survey for people living with dementia, caregivers, and service providers. It recommended integrating Alzheimer’s and dementia materials into chronic disease, aging, and public health outreach; embedding cognitive health into systems of care and the state health improvement plan; adding cognitive health measures to BRFSS; and continuing partnerships with aging and advocacy organizations. Members praised the report and suggested it should clearly identify the subcommittee and include page numbers in future versions.

Transcript Highlights:

• room, restraint or seclusion room.
• <03:54:20.680> room<03:54:21.239> restraint<03:54:21.640> or has a restraint
• room restraint or has a restraint room restraint or seclusion seclusion seclusion room<03:54:23.720>
• CPI does talk about restraints, but it does not.
• <04:10:49.720> this but CPI does talk about restraints this but CPI does talk about restraints

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee opened with House Bill 184, which would create a committee to study changing school start times. Members discussed Amendment 0394, which made the study committee’s duties more investigative and adjusted reporting recipients, including the Governor. Several members raised questions about whether the committee should review evidence-based studies, local district decisions, and existing district reports; supporters said the amendment would better allow the committee to gather information and recognize local control. The amendment passed 17-0, and the bill as amended also passed 17-0. Representative Litchfield noted that no one had testified in opposition and encouraged the future study committee to review an Oyster River School District report on school start times. The committee then took up House Bill 394, concerning cooperative school district budget committees and board member representatives. Amendment 0476 was adopted 17-0 after discussion that it clarified the bill’s language and reflected work with the School Boards Association. The committee then voted OTPA on the bill, which also passed 17-0. House Bill 738, requiring background checks for employees and volunteers at certain non-public schools or education service providers receiving public funds, was moved inexpedient to legislate. Supporters said the bill would create practical and legal problems for private citizens and homeschooling families, and the motion passed 15-2 with no minority report, placing the bill on consent. The committee next considered House Bill 235, which would amend the educator code of ethics and conduct to add responsibilities to parents. Supporters argued parents should be explicitly included in the code, while opponents said parents were already covered in existing ethics language and statute. The bill passed narrowly, 9-8. The committee then returned to House Bill 532 on alternate dispute resolution and individualized education plan team meeting facilitation. Amendment 0480H clarified that different rules would apply separately to neutral conference, mediation, and IEP facilitation; it passed 17-0, and the bill as amended also passed 17-0. Finally, the committee moved to House Bill 564, concerning adoption of school administrative unit budgets, and voted to retain the bill for further review because members said there was still confusion about how it would apply to single-district and multi-district SAUs.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, for instance, if there was a question of a wrongful restraint, Otis might find that it did not meet
• So, for instance, if there was a question of a wrongful restraint, Otis might find that it did not meet
• When Senate Bill 790 was passed in 2023, that added violation of the restraint and seclusion statutes
• As we consider the intent of the Safe School Culture Grant, it's important to name that restraint and
• High-quality crisis prevention training is designed not to teach restraint, but to reduce its need by

Keywords: 907, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not comfortable with allowing all these other people to authorize restraint.
• <01:42:41.800> It<01:42:41.920> is use seclusion and restraint.
• It is use seclusion and restraint.
• Um, what we've moved towards is proper restraint and seclusion, safer practices for patients.
• :47:42.280> used<01:47:42.680> when restraints and seclusion are used when restraints and

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting began as a Committee of Conference on House Bill 194, but the discussion quickly centered on whether to remove an attached bill, 504, because of concerns about a possible fee or tax and a House rule issue. Members debated the procedural posture of the bill, whether the House version had been non-concurred, and whether the conference committee could still resolve the issue by adopting the House amendment or reconsidering the non-concur. The exchange became tense, with one side warning that failing to pass the measure could jeopardize a linked rural health transformation grant worth about $20 million. The committee ultimately recessed without resolving the 194/504 dispute and planned to return the next day. The committee then opened conference on House Bill 609, which dealt with use-of-force/self-defense language and restraint/seclusion authority in health care settings. On the self-defense portion, House members argued strongly for restoring vehicle language, saying people should be able to defend themselves in a car the same way they can in a home, especially in carjacking or assault situations where no weapon is displayed. Senate members expressed concern about expanding deadly-force protections too broadly and suggested narrowing the language to focus on imminent harm to the person, not property, while also questioning where the provision should be placed in statute. The second major topic in HB 609 was who may order restraint or seclusion in clinical settings. House members argued that physicians are not always immediately available, especially in hospitals and emergency settings, and that APRNs and physician associates should be able to act in crises if properly trained and credentialed. Senate members raised concerns about scope of practice and asked whether the language implied patient consent was required; the Senate side explained that consent language was intended to address capacity and informed decision-making, not to require voluntary consent to restraint. The discussion ended with the sides still apart, though the Senate floated a compromise allowing physician associates to order restraint when no doctor is physically on the premises, while not yet extending that authority to APRNs. The committee took a short break to continue negotiations on the firearm/self-defense piece.

Transcript Highlights:

• Spray, you know, restraints, solitary confinement and so forth.
• Sometimes staff are using whether it's chemical restraints, physical restraints. restraints, use of solitary
• Taking a serious look at the use of various types of restraint, chemical restraint. and uses of force
• But the use of restraints and pepper spray is not going down.
• The statewide use of force incident. manual restraints, mechanical restraints, use of chemical agents

Bills: HB31, HB3360

Keywords: juvenile justice, community supervision, felony offenses, treatment of children, juvenile facilities, chemical dispensing device, solitary confinement, rehabilitation, criminal proceedings, delinquency, 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That oftentimes staff are using whether it's chemical restraints, physical restraints...
• And when they're overusing chemical agents, restraints, solitary confinement, removing privileges like
• Chief Rosie Medina: ...restraint, and there's only so much de-escalation that they can deploy.
• And we also know that the use of restraints and pepper spray is not going down.
• The statewide use of force instances: manual restraints, mechanical restraints, use of chemical agents

Transcript Highlights:

• um<00:10:15.519> going<00:10:15.760> down restraint, and also um going down restraint
• <00:30:19.679> Um,<00:30:19.919> and seclusion and restraint, right?
• Um, and seclusion and restraint, right?
• <00:30:26.080> And [snorts] restraint and seclusion.
• And [snorts] restraint and seclusion.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It's the city or the municipality may adopt ordinances for the control or restraint or management of
• It's the city or the municipality may adopt ordinances for the control or restraint or management of
• I like restraint, management of dogs deemed vicious or nuisance under RSA citation.
• So you can leave the restraint in.
• So, well, the restraint... the existing language in terms of restraint can be... and that's been there

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee worked through a draft bill amending animal cruelty and protective custody provisions, focusing on how animals may be seized, cared for, and returned, and on what rights owners have when animals are taken. Members discussed adding language requiring officers to inform a charged person in writing of the right to petition for a veterinarian of their choice, clarifying that any documents presented for signature must be fully and honestly explained, and revising language so confiscated animals cannot be altered without notarized owner authorization. They also considered a new prohibition on using confiscated animals for fundraising or donations, ultimately preferring the term “financial gain” over “profiteering.” The discussion also covered protective custody procedures, including adding “municipal animal control officer” to the list of officers involved, allowing return of animals to the owner or caretaker if no charges have been filed or no warrant establishing probable cause has been sought or issued, and clarifying the distinction between criminal seizure and temporary protective custody. The commissioner’s comments led to several proposed deletions or revisions, including removing language viewed as redundant or inconsistent with protective custody, and striking references to live racing provisions that are no longer relevant. Members further addressed lactating animals, agreeing to add language that confiscated lactating animals should not be separated from their nonweaned offspring. They also discussed a proposed confidentiality provision requiring people assisting in investigations or taking possession of seized animals to sign a binding nondisclosure agreement, though members noted similar protections may need to be duplicated in the temporary custody section as well. The conversation was largely about drafting and legal clarity, with no final vote or formal action recorded in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• , Was sponsored by Paris Hilton, which aimed to increase transparency around restraints and seclusion
• So another thing that this bill does is it bans prone, supine, and mechanical restraints.
• Supine and mechanical restraints. Like, you can't hold them down in a hog-tied position.
• It requires internal policies on restraint, seclusion, and abuse.
• We had horror stories about restraints, seclusion, and abuse, and restraints tied up for 24 and 48 hours

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee met without a quorum for much of the hearing and heard several bills out of order. SB 249 by Senator Umberg would move county board of education elections from the primary to the statewide general election. Supporters, including the League of Women Voters and many educators, argued the change would increase turnout and make the electorate more representative. The Orange County Board of Education opposed the bill, saying it would increase costs, reduce local control, and bury education races on crowded general-election ballots. The chair and members discussed turnout, cost, and representation, but the bill was held pending a quorum. Senator Grove presented SB 373, which adds safeguards for California students placed in out-of-state non-public schools through IEPs. The bill would require more robust LEA and CDE oversight, including annual site visits, student interviews, quarterly contact, stronger certification standards, and restrictions on prone, supine, and mechanical restraints. Testimony from a survivor of an out-of-state placement and from advocates emphasized abuse, neglect, and the need for stronger monitoring. There was broad support and no opposition testimony, but the measure was also held pending a quorum. Senator Ashby presented SB 568, the epinephrine in schools modernization act, to clarify and expand requirements for stocked epinephrine so they clearly apply to all public schools, including preschool programs. School nurses and medical experts said the bill would close gaps created by universal preschool and ensure life-saving treatment is available for anaphylaxis. The committee discussed dosing and implementation, and the bill was supported without opposition testimony. The committee also heard SB 414, the Charter School Accountability Act, which would strengthen fiscal oversight, audit standards, and transparency for charter schools and authorizers. Supporters said it responds to fraud and audit findings while preserving charter flexibility; opponents, including school employees and teachers, said it did not go far enough on authorizer accountability and small-district oversight. After discussion, the committee voted 7-0 to pass SB 414 as amended to Appropriations. The committee also briefly heard SB 743 by Senator Cortese, which would create an equalization reserve account to provide additional funding to underfunded school districts and reduce funding inequities tied to ZIP code. The author said the bill would support student achievement and teacher retention over time. The transcript cuts off before testimony or action on SB 743 was completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and that, you know, as I understand it, our data around the number of restraints used is trending
• <00:23:16.799> used<00:23:17.840> uh around the number of restraints used uh around
• and seclusion, including used restraint and seclusion, including all<00:48:33.440> day<00:48:
• The restraints<00:49:28.079> and<00:49:28.319> seclusions<00:49:29.040> damaged<
• restrictive restraints and seclusion. restrictive restraints and seclusion.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Restraints is number three.
• This is not a pain-compliance-based restraint technique.
• Uh it's taught uh restraint technique.
• <00:53:56.319> may deescalate youth so that a restraint may deescalate youth so that a restraint
• if a restraint is necessary. if a restraint is necessary.

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:03 Roll Call: 00:00:09 Agency Updates: 00:01:44 Juvenile Justice Advisory Board Update: 00:03:36 Department of Juvenile Justice Update: 00:23:10, 958, all

Summary: The Juvenile Justice Oversight Council approved the minutes from its November 8, 2024 meeting and welcomed new member Representative Nick Wilson. The council also heard an update from the Administrative Office of the Courts on a school attendance awareness campaign aimed at reducing truancy referrals to court, and a member requested a future, more detailed presentation on truancy trends. The council then received an update from the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board from Dr. David Frink and Elsie Berger. They described the board’s membership, meeting schedule, public access, annual report and three-year plan, and its role in helping Kentucky remain compliant with federal juvenile justice requirements so the state can receive Title II funding. They said the board reviews grant applications for community-based services, substance use, and early intervention programs, with about $584,000 in federal funds this year and a little over $600,000 expected next year. Members asked about participation, board vacancies, and how to engage with the board, and the presenters emphasized the importance of statewide representation and community input. The Department of Juvenile Justice then provided a broader update through Commissioner Randy White and Deputy Secretary Mona Wamik. White said DJJ is under an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice investigation focused on conditions in detention facilities, including use of force, isolation, abuse, mental health care, and special education, and said the department has cooperated with repeated information requests and site visits. He also reviewed recent legislative and administrative changes, including 2023 Senate Bill 162, regional detention planning, facility segregation requirements, staffing and salary investments, improved staffing levels, reduced mental health vacancies, and training efforts related to security threat groups. He said DJJ has made progress but continues to work on staffing, safety, and facility improvements.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a bill that supports mechanical restraints and supplying and mechanical restraints like you can't
• hold them down in a hog tied position and mechanical restraints.
• Maintains clear policies for students' rights to complete about restraints, seclusion, and abuse, and
• restraints.
• Many of these students are sent to high-risk facilities where practices like seclusion, restraint, and

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• require children from the ages of 10 to 13 continue to sit in the rear seat in a child passenger restraint
• And then in the analysis, as it talks about the increase in child restraint violation data, you know,
• be a rising trend in fatalities for children—I'm sorry, in violations, not fatalities, for child restraint
• But without that extra restraint, they wouldn't stay seated.
• Unfortunately, it would not apply to those low-speed vehicles, and I think there's only one restraint

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee met and began without a quorum, first hearing AB 612 by Assembly Member Rogers and later AB 435 by Assembly Member Wilson. AB 612 would direct Caltrans to update the highway design manual so local jurisdictions consult with fire departments on major road improvements. Supporters, including the California Professional Firefighters and labor representatives, said the bill would improve emergency response and prevent road designs from hindering fire apparatus. County representatives said they were not opposed but wanted the bill narrowed to avoid mandatory consultation on minor maintenance projects or in areas without a local fire district. Several members praised the bill as common-sense safety legislation, and it was moved forward to Appropriations. The committee then adopted its rules and approved a seven-bill consent calendar. AB 435 would update California child passenger safety law to require children under 10 to be properly restrained in the back seat, require children ages 10 to 13 to remain in the back seat unless they pass the five-step seat belt fit test, and require the five-step test before a child may ride in the front seat. The author and supporters, including Safe Kids Greater Sacramento, Safety Belt Safe USA, AAA, the Automobile Club, and hospitals, argued the bill would align state law with national best practices and improve child safety. Committee members raised concerns about enforceability, implementation timing, pickup trucks, large families, and low-speed vehicles, and the author said he was open to amendments and additional data, including California-specific information. AB 435 was advanced to the Committee on Appropriations after discussion. AB 612 also received a due pass recommendation to Appropriations. The committee held rolls open to allow additional members to add on, then later confirmed the votes and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Every day through the course of our work, we run the risk of involvement in physical restraints and are
• As assistant director, that was my title before, my title now, I assisted in multiple restraints with
• Once the restraint got underway, they were able to make sure no one was injured, but it was part of the
• Again, on April 21st, he was assaulted during restraint, and while the youth was in handcuffs, head butted
• , He was assaulted during restraint, and while the youth was in handcuffs, head butted James, and he

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several retirement and workforce-related bills. House Bill 2980 would place county correctional nurses and certain medical staff into Group 4 retirement. Representative Trino, Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, and nurse manager Leanne Cameron argued that correctional nurses work in dangerous, high-stress settings with frequent contact with incarcerated people, high rates of mental illness and substance use in the jail population, and significant workplace violence, and that the change would help recruitment and retention with limited statewide fiscal impact. The committee also heard Senate Bill 210, which would create a commission to study additional regular compensation and annual expenses for members of the General Court. Senator John Keenan said Massachusetts has high leadership stipends compared with other states and argued the current structure can affect independence and public trust. Representative O'Day testified on House Bill 2928 to extend Group 2 retirement to additional Department of Children and Families social workers, and SEIU 509 witnesses described frequent transport of children, crisis response, threats, assaults, and other high-risk duties that they said match Group 2 work. Additional testimony supported House Bill 2943 for DDS service coordinators and supervisors, with witnesses describing home visits in unsafe conditions, transport of vulnerable individuals, direct care during staffing crises, and exposure to violence. House Bill 2899 drew support from the Association of Social Work Boards for social work field placement grants, incentives for supervisors, and expanded retirement benefits for DCF social workers. The committee also heard Senate Bill 2613, a local retirement bill for Salem police officer Kathleen Roachville, who described a severe line-of-duty injury during an arrest involving a combative person in a mental health crisis. Finally, Susan Smith Campbell testified for reclassifying certain DYS administrative officers into Group 2 because of their direct involvement in restraints, assaults, and crisis management. After testimony concluded, the committee adjourned without taking any votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• A bill to address restraint and seclusion would clarify some definitions around restraint, very clearly
• define what kinds of restraint are prohibited, as well as prohibiting seclusion.
• Restraint and seclusion is the last one I'll mention that was the product.
• So restraint and seclusion is another example of a Bill that actually has a lot of vetting and a lot

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're talking about physical restraints, chemical restraints, and those are dangerous, so we would
• An offender so would restraints be necessary in that situation?
• In an ambulance, we have soft restraints.
• And in acute cases there are chemical restraints, but we have protocols, you know, a patient needs to
• be If we're going to give a chemical restraint of a medication they need to be put on monitors.

Bills: HB 3772, HB 1656, HB 4504, HB 1896, HB 4420, HB 4421, HB 4076, HB 3708, HB 2806, HB 3540, HB 1586, HB 5459, HB 4553, HB 4535, HB 3811, HB 3749, HB 4255, HB 4051, HB 5098, HB 3554, HB 4539, HB 5274

Keywords: e-cigarettes, health and safety, regulations, directory, penalties, regulation, certification, compliance, manufacturers, FDA, nicotine, mental health, emergency detention, paramedic authority, mental illness, healthcare facility, public health, covenants not to compete, health care practitioners, physicians

Transcript Highlights:

• supporting him, the staff used restraint supporting him, the staff used restraint and<01:53:08.840
• <01:53:54.240> and whenever they used restraints and whenever they used restraints and seclusion
• Ending restraint seclusion is harm reduction.
• > harm Ending restraint seclusion is harm Ending restraint seclusion is harm reduction.<02:04:
• So, at the age of six, as a means of preventing his elopement, he was actually placed in a restraint

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The eighth item is on restraint and seclusion.
• This bill would propose amendments to current law to better address the The use of restraint and seclusion
• in schools is addressed by clearly defining restraint and seclusion and adding additional definitions
• this proposal is particularly important because those students are disproportionately impacted by restraint
• This would again better define what restraint and seclusion are to keep kids and teachers safer in classrooms

Transcript Highlights:

• This has to do with the use of restraint and seclusion.
• , mechanical restraint, prone restraint, and seclusion without continuous line-of-sight supervision.
• Not every kid that, you know, the whole thing about restraint does not and should not trigger automatic
• You know, when we talk about, you know, review of the instance of physical restraint or seclusion, okay
• Not every kid that, you know, the whole thing about restraint does not and should not trigger automatic

Summary: The committee first heard a detailed staff presentation on the LESC FY27 public school support recommendation. Staff reviewed the budget structure and explained that, despite a downward revision in state revenue estimates, the recommendation still relied on recurring and non-recurring revenue to support educator compensation, insurance, transportation, literacy, math, special education, and other school programs. Major recurring items included a 3% compensation increase, funding for an 80-20 health insurance cost share, insurance premium growth, and transportation adequacy funding. Staff also flagged a possible supplemental need of up to $35 million for virtual education tied to rapid enrollment growth in Chama and Santa Rosa, and members raised concerns about the quality, accountability, and funding model for virtual programs. Members asked questions about transportation for rural districts, the Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit fees, the treatment of enrollment declines in the school funding formula, and whether the word “average” in salary language should remain in the budget. Staff explained that the SEG should remain whole, that the insurance and transportation recommendations applied to all public school employees but not contractors, and that the budget included multiple math-related investments spread across several lines rather than one single appropriation. There was also discussion of out-of-school learning grants, school meals, literacy center operations, special education training, and the Public Education Reform Fund, including the use of multi-year, evaluation-based appropriations for high-impact tutoring and community schools. After discussion, the committee adopted the LESC budget recommendation. The committee then moved to endorsed legislation proposals. It endorsed a bill allowing the secretary to suspend an individual school board member, with notice and appeal procedures clarified, and a bill creating an 80-20 health insurance cost-share requirement for public school employees, along with a study of the sustainability of public school insurance programs. It also endorsed a bill on attendance provisions for students with severe medical conditions, which would keep those students from being classified as excessively absent. Finally, the committee discussed a teacher residency bill that would raise stipend levels, allow residents to complete service anywhere in New Mexico, and remove the requirement that sponsoring schools must hire them, though the bill did not include an appropriation. Members also raised questions about bilingual, Hispanic, and Black education funding, cultural and linguistic supports in teacher preparation, and where various programs should be placed in the budget or PERF framework.