Transcript Highlights:

• They conduct meetings over the nine-month period during the interim to evaluate competitive proposals
• Proposals are reviewed and evaluated by our members through multiple rounds of scoring.
• <00:08:37.839> from<00:08:38.279> all state we receive applications from all state
• and multiple rounds of by the applicants and multiple rounds of scoring<00:09:41.079> by<00:09
• <00:36:46.760> by demonstrated through the applications by demonstrated through the applications

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Assembly Members Storey, Fawcett, etc., provides for a pilot program to assess the competency of applicants
• Assembly Member Stores, Fawcett, etc., provides for a pilot program to assess the competency of applicants
• It moves the requirement for mandatory alcohol evaluation from a BAC of 0.18 to a BAC of 0.16.
• During the alcohol evaluation, an evaluator determines whether there are underlying substance abuse issues
• The national average where an alcohol evaluation is required is a BAC of 0.15.

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• However, the question remains what occurs when the State Board of Engineers evaluates K-12 courses.
• Additionally, software and applications are used by administrators, paraprofessionals, and parents to
• Are parents going to use these applications or not? Is it a benefit to students?
• That is not a part of the relationship here but we are trying to make sure that any application that
• There's currently enough performance data currently on the dashboard to evaluate charter schools.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And in 2026 based on their applications.
• ,<00:19:31.880> those was more so the 300 applications, those was more so the 300 applications
• We have to evaluate, score, and rank those projects.
• We have instructions for the application, the online application, and we have sample resolutions available
• We have instructions for the application, the online application, and we have sample resolutions available

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee received a budget and program update from Kentucky Emergency Management on the state’s urban search and rescue buildout. Eric Gibson and Doug Hargrave said the legislature’s funding was used to create FEMA-type urban search and rescue capacity, including Kentucky Task Force 1 and 2, the incident support team, and the helicopter aquatic rescue/hoist team. They emphasized that the effort is not just equipment purchases but also training, credentialing, warehouse and training-facility development, canine program expansion, and coordination with local search and rescue agencies across the Commonwealth. Gibson reported that the agency executed 99.4% of the $16.175 million appropriation by the end of the fiscal year and said the team met its readiness target ahead of schedule, with equipment already being deployed in recent flood response operations. He also said $500,000 per year was set aside for local search and rescue grants, with about $482,000 awarded to 29 teams in one year and $490,000 to 36 teams in the next, averaging about $20,000 per grant. Several members urged the committee to consider increasing support for local responders in future budgets, noting rising equipment costs and the importance of local teams as first on scene. Members asked about staffing, coverage, and benefits. Gibson explained that the task force is a mixed workforce of full-time fire personnel loaned from local departments, professional service staff such as doctors and engineers, and temporary deployment staff, with workers’ compensation coverage provided through KYEM and/or home agencies depending on the arrangement. He also said local search and rescue members are not currently included in line-of-duty death benefits. In response to questions about coverage and deployment, he described the two task force locations as designed to keep resources within roughly 100 miles of every Kentuckian. The discussion also turned to recent flood response and disaster recovery. Gibson said the state had mobilized up to 24 teams over the weekend, documented roughly 60 to 80 water rescues or assisted evacuations, and was seeing significant damage in counties such as Cumberland, Clinton, and Metcalfe, including agricultural losses. He said several counties were meeting FEMA public assistance thresholds and that the state was preparing a broader relief request that could include FEMA, SBA, and USDA assistance. He also updated members on efforts to claw back and reallocate unused “strained fiscal liquidity” funds by the statutory deadline, saying notices were sent and funds were redirected where possible to unmet local needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• And it would direct the division to evaluate and pursue an expanded agreement from the state with the
• And it would direct the division to evaluate and pursue an expanded agreement from the state with the
• We are evaluating what does it mean to have due process rights in digital identity?
• So we are evaluating really comprehensively... ...to warrants.
• We are evaluating it from individuals will be in control.

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Parks, please join us here at the table, and you are being joined by Nick Versace, senior auditor-evaluator
• Cal OSHA does not consistently evaluate employers' implementation of the illness, injury, and prevention
• We focus primarily on Cal OSHA and its application of fines.
• We focus primarily on Cal OSHA and its application of fines.
• And so when these complaints come in, it is the responsibility of the district manager to evaluate those

Summary: The hearing focused on a state audit of Cal/OSHA titled “The Division of Occupational Safety and Health: Process Deficiencies and Staffing Shortages Limit Its Ability to Protect Workers.” Committee leaders and the audit team described serious workplace tragedies, argued that California’s worker protections are not being adequately enforced, and said the audit was prompted by concerns that Cal/OSHA was too often relying on letters instead of inspections, delaying investigations, and closing cases without enough documentation. Members repeatedly emphasized that the issue was not just staffing, but also outdated policies, weak oversight, and inconsistent enforcement. State Auditor Grant Parks said the audit found a 32% vacancy rate in 2023-24, heavy reliance on hard-copy files, outdated or unclear policies, and inconsistent decision-making in complaints, accidents, citations, and fine reductions. He said Cal/OSHA conducted on-site inspections in only about 20% of complaints, used letter investigations more than 80% of the time, often lacked evidence that hazards were corrected, and sometimes failed to inspect serious injury cases on time. The audit also found weak documentation for fine calculations and settlement reductions, with some penalties reduced substantially without clear explanations. Parks said the agency had accepted the findings and would provide progress updates later in the year. Committee members pressed the auditor on vacancy rates, the use of letter investigations, the low rate of criminal referrals, and whether fines were being reduced too often. Cal/OSHA and DIR officials responded that the vacancy rate had fallen to 12% partly because 66 vacant positions were eliminated in a statewide budget reduction and partly because of hiring; they said 126 people had been hired in the first half of the year. They also said they had hired a policy writer, were updating several policies, were planning periodic internal audits, and were developing a new data management system expected to go live in late 2026 or early 2027. On fines, officials said Title 8 sets base penalties and allows adjustments based on factors like employer size, history, and good faith, with appeals and informal conferences also affecting final amounts. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are already out of compliance by our best evaluation.
• compliance um by our best evaluation. compliance um by our best evaluation.
• applicable uh for unreduced benefits. applicable uh for unreduced benefits.
• Three town halls with probation membership and applicable impacted unions.
• probation membership and applicable probation membership and applicable impacted<01:38:10.000>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , requires a review, requires Projects that require a grant application, require a review, require a
• So, in late 2025 through May 1st of this year, we accepted applications through the California Natural
• So we encouraged applicants to apply for the streamlining, even if they didn’t have the money in the
• So one of the things that they and we deal with is selecting the right model for the application that
• We urge the legislature to evaluate mechanisms that require major corporate polluters to help support

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The joint Senate hearing of the Natural Resources and Water Committee and the Emergency Management Committee focused on wildfire resilience, with members discussing the SB 254 report on enhancing California’s response to natural catastrophes. Opening remarks emphasized the scale of wildfire damage, the need for prevention and preparedness, and concerns about the affordability and insurability crisis. Senators repeatedly contrasted the relatively small share of funding going to community hardening with the much larger amounts spent on utility wildfire mitigation and landscape-scale projects, and several members raised concerns about CEQA delays, one-time funding, and the need for more sustainable, ongoing financing. The Legislative Analyst’s Office presented an overview showing about $4.7 billion in state wildfire resilience appropriations from 2018-19 through 2025-26, with funding shifting from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to the General Fund and then to Proposition 4. LAO noted that only about $65 million had been specifically targeted to community hardening, while most funding went to forest health, fuels, research, and related programs. LAO also said one-time funding will decline in coming years and that future GGRF support is uncertain, though General Fund use is not legally precluded. Members asked about maintenance costs, polluter-pays ideas, and whether performance metrics should focus more on property and community risk reduction than acres treated. Cal Fire’s State Fire Marshal described the state’s community wildfire preparedness strategy, centered on home hardening, defensible space, and neighborhood-scale mitigation. He said roughly 4 million homes are in the wildland-urban interface, most built before modern fire-resistant standards, and argued that the state must move from response to prevention. He said Cal Fire is incorporating the SB 254 recommendations into its updated action plan, has streamlined some fuel-reduction projects under a recent executive proclamation, and is shifting some grant funding toward maintenance of existing treatments. Cal OES described the AB 38 pilot and FEMA hazard mitigation work, saying the pilot helped build tools and standards for home hardening but that federal approval delays remain a major barrier; the agency reported 155 hardened properties, 19 under construction, and 370 assessed and waiting. The Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force said it has coordinated more than $6 billion in state and federal investments, is moving toward regional block grants and better data-driven prioritization, and is developing separate community and landscape strategies. The hearing ended with discussion of modeling, data gaps, utility coordination, contractor capacity, and possible legislative or budget changes to better align funding and metrics with community safety outcomes.

Transcript Highlights:

• what all these continuing to evaluate what all these federal<00:19:00.880> changes<00:19:01.280
• We were really happy to have a strong set of letters of support when we submitted our application. um
• We got um submitted our application.
• Um but as most CMS and all application.
• and evaluation. and evaluation.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• information on page 18 that states that if requested by school district requiring one of their applicants
• <00:18:45.840> their district requiring one of their district requiring one of their applicants
• applicants applicants uh<00:18:47.280> one<00:18:47.480> of<00:18:47.520> the<00
• was employed by that while the applicant was employed by that school<00:19:00.960> or<00:19:01.080
• It would also provide instructions to high school students on how to access the common online application

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For a little bit more clarity, Jason has trained me on the SNAP application process.
• Is that applicable for the 20 hours a week?
• So we're going to do the 1:30, the juvenile justice evaluation report status now.
• On juvenile justice evaluation report status update. Thank you two for being flexible.
• Evaluation at LFC. With me at the table is Clayton Loba, program evaluator.

Transcript Highlights:

• You may have an old record on the books that's no longer applicable.
• of impacts to threatened evaluation of impacts to threatened endangered<00:41:52.319> species
• and the landowner in these the applicant and the landowner in these reviews. reviews. reviews.
• <00:46:05.359> to ability to work with an applicant to ability to work with an applicant to
• loop for evaluating its effectiveness. loop for evaluating its effectiveness.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's an evaluation process.
• So it's it's evaluating and effectively.
• applications for the proposed projects. applications for the proposed projects.
• <00:48:04.240> and programs review the applications and programs review the applications and
• We issued a second call for projects this morning, and applications are due December 1st.

Keywords: 00:05 Call to Order and Roll Call 01:20 Road Projects 46:30 Approval of Minutes 46:50 Railroads 57:26 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation met without a quorum, so it could not approve the minutes. The chair announced an Eastern Kentucky University health forum later that day and then proceeded with testimony on alternative delivery methods for road projects. Jason Sawala of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Chad Laroo of the Kentucky Association of Highway Contractors were sworn in and introduced themselves. Sawala explained KYTC’s use of alternative delivery tools, including design-build, construction manager/general contractor (CMGC), and public-private partnerships (P3s). He said the cabinet’s goal is to deliver the best value to taxpayers in terms of quality, cost, and time, and emphasized that alternative delivery is most useful on projects with special circumstances such as innovation needs, specialized technology, complex constructibility, schedule pressure, or early contractor input. He cited the cabinet’s wrong-way driving prevention project as an example where design-build helped evaluate technologies and coordinate with stakeholders such as EMS and first responders. He also outlined the main tradeoffs: alternative delivery can improve collaboration and sometimes accelerate schedules, but it also brings risks related to right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, changing scope, and the need for dedicated staff and compressed decision-making. He stressed that these methods are not a cure-all and are not appropriate for every project, while noting that traditional design-bid-build remains effective for most of KYTC’s work. Representative Branscum responded favorably, saying early contractor involvement is valuable and consistent with his experience in the vertical construction world. No votes or formal actions were taken because the committee lacked a quorum.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1062 by Kolkhorst, relating to the type of newspaper required for application of public notice
• Senate Bill 1070 by Eckhardt, relating to the date on which a voter registration application becomes
• Senate Bill 1122 by Schwertner, relating to applicability of certain prescription drug insurance laws
• Senate Bill 1143 by Blanco, relating to certain planning, notification, and evaluation requirements with
• Senate Bill 1143 by Blanco relating to certain planning notification evaluation requirements with respect

Summary: The Senate met briefly and referred a large number of first-reading bills and resolutions to standing committees. The measures covered a wide range of topics, including hemp regulation, dementia research funding, parental rights and public education, municipal library funding, tax and local government issues, criminal justice, health care, education, transportation, natural resources, and election law. Several constitutional resolutions were also referred, including proposals related to the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and a severance tax revenue fund. Most of the transcript consists of the reading of bill captions and committee referrals, with no substantive debate or testimony recorded. The listed measures included proposals on school uniforms, charter schools, Medicaid fraud remedies, insurance practices, occupational licensing for people with criminal convictions, water and sewer utility cybersecurity, agricultural protections, public meeting broadcasting, and various local and state governance matters. No votes were taken on the bills in this segment. The only formal action reflected was referral of the bills and resolutions to the appropriate committees, followed by adjournment of the Senate until the next scheduled meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• It puts in that applicants need to have a plan for asset depreciation so that we're not constantly having
• It puts in that applicants need to have a plan for asset depreciation so that we're not constantly having
• implements that program by allowing funding to go out on projects that have been recommended and evaluated
• 06.480> and projects that have been recommended and projects that have been recommended and evaluated
• <00:10:09.520> Yes, evaluated by KIA. Is that correct? Yes, evaluated by KIA.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:15 HB 503 Discussion 00:01:30 HB 503 Vote 00:05:30 HB 651 Discussion 00:07:15 HB 651 Vote 00:10:25, 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Appropriations and Revenue met on March 3, 2026, with a quorum present and took up two bills. First, the committee considered House Bill 503, the legislative branch budget, as amended by committee substitute PHS 1. Sponsors and presenters described it as a continuation of recent budget approaches for the smallest of the three branches. One member asked about language in the substitute related to capital and capital annex construction expenditures and why certain statutes would not apply; the response was that the provisions were standard in recent years and intended to give the legislative branch flexibility for ongoing capital projects. The committee adopted PHS 1 and then passed HB 503 out favorably by a vote of 19-0, with no nays or passes. The committee then took up House Bill 651, which makes changes to the Kentucky Waters program created in 2024. Representative Josh Bray explained that the bill, in consultation with the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority, updates project selection criteria to better target distressed districts and applies only to the next funding cycle. The committee substitute adds requirements for applicants to have an asset depreciation plan and ties that concept into best management practices, with the stated goal of avoiding repeated funding of the same projects as they wear out. Members clarified that the bill addresses the program’s structure rather than annual funding allocations, and Bray confirmed that annual project funding continues to be implemented through separate resolutions and KIA evaluation. The committee adopted PHS 1 and reported HB 651 favorably by a vote of 20-0.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:01:24.520> now Health approving their application now Health approving their application
• <01:01:54.680> is turnaround time for applications is turnaround time for applications is
• The member asked how often applications are turned down or rejected.
• <01:19:48.360> forms<01:19:49.040> collect<01:19:49.600> applicable application
• forms collect applicable application forms collect applicable fees<01:19:52.639> maintain<01:19

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Health Committee held its first hearing of 2025, with Chair Greg Takayama and Vice Chair Representative Leoy opening the meeting and outlining housekeeping rules, including a two-minute limit for testifiers and Zoom etiquette. The committee first heard HB 303 on health care preceptors. The Department of Health, Department of Taxation, University of Hawaiʻi, Hawaii State Center for Nursing, and several health care organizations supported the bill, saying the existing preceptor tax credit program has been successful and that expanding eligibility to additional professions and students would help address workforce shortages. In response to questions, the Department of Health said the annual tax credit cap is $1.5 million, about 650 to 670 credits are currently used each year, and the bill applies only to unpaid preceptors. The committee then moved on to HB 441, which would raise cigarette taxes. The Attorney General, Department of Health, University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, Hawaii Public Health Institute, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and others supported the measure as a way to reduce smoking, especially among youth, and to support tobacco control and cancer-related programs. Opponents, including the Taxpayers Protection Alliance and the Cigar Association of Hawaii, argued the tax is regressive and unreliable as a revenue source. The Department of Health noted the last cigarette tax increase was in 2011, and one witness urged a larger increase than proposed. No vote was taken on either bill in the portion of the hearing provided. The committee also heard HB 557 on telehealth. The Department of Health supported the bill so long as it did not displace executive budget priorities, and the Hawaii State Health Planning and Development Agency and Hawaii Primary Care Association supported it. HPCA said the bill would conform state insurance law to recent Medicare changes expanding audio-only telehealth coverage beyond mental health services, and it emphasized access for rural residents, kupuna, and people with disabilities. HMSA opposed the bill as written, saying it strayed from the intent of Act 107 and that audio-only telehealth should remain limited because of quality-of-care concerns, though it supported continued access and asked for a different amendment approach. A telehealth provider also testified that payment disparities limit provider expansion and that audio-only access remains important for patients with serious illness. The hearing ended in the excerpt before any committee action or vote on HB 557.

Transcript Highlights:

• So those feedback are interspersed as applicable throughout the report.
• Probably 2009, when that whole application was set up.
• There's a whole application they have to do.
• Senator English and I, as we kind of evaluated the process to see how we could be more efficient in it
• Center English and I, as we kind of evaluated the process to see how we could be more efficient in it

Summary: The House/Joint Education committee continued its adequacy study with a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on resource allocation, focusing first on matrix spending and then non-matrix spending. Staff explained the methodology for mapping APSCN expenditure data to matrix lines, reviewed district and school categories used in the analysis, and highlighted key findings: foundation funding covered a large share of matrix costs but total spending on matrix items exceeded foundation funding, with classroom teachers making up the largest share. Members asked for additional breakdowns on waivers, superintendent survey responses, trend data, and spending by district type, size, and rural/urban status. Staff also noted limitations in tracking two matrix lines—salary enhancement for other employees and all personnel health insurance—because of coding and definition issues. The committee then reviewed non-matrix expenditures, including instructional aides, facilities, school safety, mental health, dyslexia services, gifted and talented, and career and technical education. Staff reported that non-matrix spending remained above $2 billion over the last three years, with most of it coming from other funds rather than foundation funding. Members raised concerns about dyslexia identification and funding, mental health needs, school safety, food service, athletic transportation, and whether some items should be added to the matrix. The Department of Education clarified that the building fund reflects district-held funds for construction and maintenance projects, while the facilities partnership program is a separate state process for approved projects. In the final discussion, staff summarized total spending as more than $15,800 per student in 2025, with about 69% going to matrix resources and 31% to non-matrix resources. The chair explained the adequacy process and the committee’s role in setting future funding recommendations, and members discussed the recommendations worksheet included in the binder. The chair then proposed postponing the remainder of Part Two of the presentation until a May meeting after the fiscal session, along with inviting the Department of Education back for more detailed questions; with no objections, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• applications for state funding.
• We evaluate those applications and make determinations. Determinations on those as well too.
• Application windows are typically about 30 to 60 days long. Somewhere around that.
• Okay, so does the agency assist the applicant prior to the window?
• know exactly how to design their applications.

Bills: HB2, HB1, HB18, HB19, HB20, HB1, HB 2, HB18, HB19, HB20

Keywords: emergency communication, interoperability, grant program, first responders, state council, disaster response, emergency management, mass fatality, justices of the peace, training programs, emergency manager license, volunteer management, justice of the peace training, criminal history checks, state health services, broadband, public safety, disaster preparedness, funding, flood disaster plan

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, applicants for communities submit an application that we provide.
• Transport project applications, just like all permit applications, are processed pursuant to the requirements
• This allows the public the opportunity to review those proposed applications as well as work with their
• We’re asking districts to evaluate what they’ve done to accomplish... ...water planning process.
• Relating to an application for a permit for transfer of groundwater out of a groundwater conservation

Summary: The committee met with limited attendance at first, then took up a series of water, agriculture, and rural affairs measures. HB 3898 would allow the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance for brackish water desalination projects in certain border counties and related nonprofit suppliers even if the projects are not in the state water plan. Supporters said it is needed to address severe water shortages in places like Webb County and to support future planning; opponents, including the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, argued it bypasses the regional and state water planning process. The bill was left pending after testimony. The committee also heard HB 5339, which would create a higher-education grant program for regenerative agriculture research. A rancher testified that regenerative methods improved soil health, water retention, and farm viability, while a senator noted existing university research but said better coordination could help. Public testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 1523, a temporary prohibition on TCEQ issuing Austin a Class 5 injection well permit for an aquifer storage and recovery project in Bastrop and Lee counties until December 2027. Local officials from Bastrop supported the pause, citing unanswered questions about water treatment, recovery rates, and impacts on the aquifer, while Austin Water opposed the substitute, saying the project is central to its long-term water plan and that stakeholder talks were already underway. TCEQ explained its ASR permitting process and said public participation is possible but not always used in the current authorization process. The bill was left pending. HB 5659, concerning the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and requiring majority city-council approval before certain water sales or interbasin transfers, drew testimony from district officials who said the change could interfere with existing contracts and district authority, but the chair emphasized the need for local buy-in and said the stakeholders had reached a workable compromise; testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 1690, which would expand notice requirements for groundwater export permits so neighboring landowners and potentially affected aquifer areas are informed by certified mail and publication. The sponsor tied the bill to impacts from the Vista Ridge project, and no one testified against it; it was left pending. HB 3333 would prohibit TCEQ from issuing new wastewater discharge permits directly into the Devils River in Val Verde County. The sponsor and a conservation witness said the bill protects one of Texas’s most pristine rivers and reflects a local stakeholder agreement, while TCEQ said it can ensure water quality but acknowledged the river’s unique sensitivity; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HCR 108 urging continuation of the U.S.-Mexico tomato suspension agreement, with supporters warning of major Texas job and consumer-price impacts if it ends, and HCR 76 urging federal action on imported shrimp, citing public health and industry concerns; both were left pending. Additional measures heard and left pending included HB 4158 on compensation for Texana Groundwater Conservation District directors, HB 654 creating a dismissal path for certain first-time deer hunting violations after self-reporting and hunter education, HB 4530 requiring Texas Water Development Board review of groundwater rights placed in the Texas Water Trust, HB 2128 directing a study of rural versus urban firefighting and rescue disparities, and HB 278 requiring groundwater districts and management areas to track progress toward desired future conditions over shorter intervals. On HB 278, witnesses split over whether the bill’s interim tracking would improve accountability or create new triggers that could be used against local districts, but no final vote was taken and the bill was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• task force was charged with evaluating task force was charged with evaluating Kucky's<00:20:12.160
• We do the transcript evaluation.
• <01:00:04.960> The a re-evaluation is necessary. The a re-evaluation is necessary.
• adopted or if evaluation is necessary. adopted or if evaluation is necessary.
• child is having an initial evaluation. child is having an initial evaluation.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee heard presentations from the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and the Governor Scholars Program. The FCCLA student speaker described how career and technical education helped her gain certifications, work in early childhood settings, and recognize a child who needed speech help, emphasizing support for CTE, FCCLA, and related student organizations. The Governor Scholars Program presentation, led by Dr. Jennifer Price with student speakers Max Corbett and Abigail Ziggler, focused on the program’s role in serving about 1,500 rising seniors each summer, its history since 1983, its statewide reach, and its impact on leadership development, college readiness, and keeping students connected to Kentucky. Members praised the students and program, and several shared personal stories about the program’s long-term benefits. Representative Camuel asked about funding, and Dr. Price said the program’s request was $2.1 million to maintain current enrollment levels of about 1,020 scholars for 2026; no vote was taken on that request during this segment. The committee then took up House Bill 498, sponsored by Representative Duvall, with Aaron Looper of Graduation Alliance testifying in support. A committee substitute was adopted after explanation. The substitute broadened eligibility for accredited providers to include public and nonprofit entities, allowed each county an opportunity to provide services with a $200,000 aggregate maximum per county, reduced the dollars per credit to serve more students, and made date corrections. Representative Duvall said the bill was a workforce measure developed from the Workforce Attraction and Retention Task Force and aimed at adults who lack a high school diploma but have two years or less remaining to graduate. Looper said the bill would create a pathway for adults to earn a regionally accredited high school diploma, paired with workforce and industry-recognized credentials, and stressed that it would not compete with GED programs, which are better suited for adults farther from graduation. He said the model is pay-for-performance, with providers paid only after milestones are completed, and that it would be available online, in person, or in hybrid form to improve rural access. In response to questions, he said students would not be charged fees, providers would handle transcript retrieval and remediation, and the program would include built-in accountability measures. He also said the budget request is $2 million per year, with the goal of maintaining the current level of service and eventually expanding if successful. Members asked about how the program differs from existing adult education options, access in all counties, and whether there are deserts in service availability; Looper said the online model and provider outreach are intended to address those gaps.