Transcript Highlights:

• School District 288, and Intermediate School District 916.
• </c><01:20:59.840><c> School</c><01:21:00.080><c> District</c> 9917 Intermediate School District 9917
• Intermediate School District 287<01:21:02.920><c> Intermediate</c><01:21:03.440><c> School</c><01:21
• School District Intermediate School District 916<01:21:07.800><c> we</c><01:21:08.000><c> partner</c
• </c> five additional classes at the school five additional classes at the school because<01:29:10.560

Committee: Senate Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• schools accountable.
• , difference between K-8 schools and high schools.
• Schools, difference between K through eight schools and high schools.
• But I've been in my schools, all of my schools in my district.
• And if those 91% of the schools, 93% of our students attend those schools, and we had 310 schools improve

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 2710, which would require the State Board of Education to create a simple A-through-F report card for every public school, charter school, and district, based on academic achievement, growth, and college/career readiness measures. Sponsor Rep. Dane Deal said the bill is intended to improve transparency for parents, keep the current testing system intact, and create a reward program for high-performing schools. Committee members raised concerns about the bill’s “moving target” provisions, the constitutionality and administration of performance bonuses, whether the grading system would oversimplify school quality, and how poverty, school size, and other demographics would be accounted for. Deal said he was open to revising timelines, bonus language, and other details with DESE and the committee. Supporters included a Louisiana education board member, who said Louisiana’s A-through-F system helped make school performance more understandable to families and was associated with major gains in NAEP rankings and reductions in the share of D/F schools. A researcher from the University of Missouri explained the state’s growth model and said growth measures are statistically designed to compare students to similar peers and are publicly available through DESE. Parent and advocacy witnesses from Missouri said families want a clear, digestible rating and that growth should be emphasized. They argued the bill would help parents make decisions and hold schools accountable. Some supporters also said the bill should be refined to ensure the letter grade is prominent and to better explain the underlying metrics. Opponents, including the Missouri State Teachers Association and other witnesses, argued that a single letter grade would oversimplify school performance, ignore factors such as poverty and staffing shortages, and create a punitive “moving target” by raising standards automatically as schools improve. They warned it could narrow curriculum, increase burnout, and lead to more administrative burden and possible litigation. Several witnesses said parents need a broader dashboard of information rather than one grade, and some questioned whether the system would fairly compare schools with very different student populations. No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing.

Bills: SB309 , HB192 , SB178 , SB179 , SB237 , HB10 , HB107 , HB189 , HB37 , HB226 , SB309 , HB192 , SB178 , SB179 , SB237 , HB10 , HB107 , HB189 , HB37 , HB226

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: automated driving systems, oversized vehicles, transportation, regulations, permits, HB192, international wire transfer, wire transfer fee, remittance fee, money transmission business, Alabama Securities Commission, Department of Revenue, Education Trust Fund, ELL instructors, English Language Learner, ESL teachers, income tax credit, remittances, international money transfer, migrant families

Transcript Highlights:

• She is a junior at Flinton High School, and then the other, Amelia Bridges, she's a sophomore at Tier
• High School in Brutin.
• </c> graders at Coleman City Middle School. graders at Coleman City Middle School.
• She is a junior at Flinton<00:03:40.959><c> High</c><00:03:41.200><c> School</c><00:03:41.599><c> and
• </c> sophomore at Tier High School in Brutin. sophomore at Tier High School in Brutin.

Bills: SB79 , HB379 , SB253 , HB278 , HB438 , HB233 , SB79 , HB379 , SB253 , HB278 , HB438 , HB233

Committee: House Ways and Means Education

Keywords: sex-based terminology, gender identity, male, female, man, woman, boy, girl, single-sex spaces, women's rights, privacy, safety, fairness, anti-discrimination, vital statistics, birth certificate, intersex, DSD, differences in sex development, transgender

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, many of you know this: if the local school needs help, we're there; they call us.
• We called hospitals in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota.
• , high school students, college students doing their internships.
• , high school students, and college students doing their internships.
• , high school students, and college students doing their internships.

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• It's very similar to the school shift, if you're familiar with that.
• And these amendments in the language also bring Minnesota in alignment with its neighboring states, Iowa
• alignment with its<01:20:32.680><c> neighboring</c><01:20:33.160><c> states,</c><01:20:34.200><c> Iowa
• ,</c><01:20:35.160><c> North</c><01:20:35.440><c> and</c> Its neighboring states—Iowa, North Dakota,
• One is, you mentioned Iowa; surrounding states already have guidelines in place that are similar to this

Bills: HF3766 , HF3972 , HF3437 , HF4118

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Keywords: travel insurance, regulation, insurance licensing, consumer protection, travel assistance, short-term rental, vacation rental, home sharing, rental marketplace, online platform, property damage guarantee, damage waiver, reimbursement insurance, insurance regulation, commerce department, platform user, Airbnb, Vrbo, host protection, rental home marketplace

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we as policymakers, as we pass more mandates down to the city, county, and school district levels
• <00:06:34.400><c> city,</c><00:06:35.600><c> county</c><00:06:36.080><c> and</c><00:06:36.400><c> school
• </c> down to the city, county and school down to the city, county and school district<00:06:37.120><c
• Uh, Iowa, we're also thousands of dollars higher.
• ><c> of</c><00:30:58.880><c> dollars</c> Iowa, we're also thousands of dollars Iowa, we're also thousands

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Transcript Highlights:

• And this year we have already booked a tour of Johnson and Wales, the culinary school down in Providence
• </c><02:13:53.040><c> down</c><02:13:53.280><c> in</c><02:13:53.880><c> I</c> the culinary school down
• in I the culinary school down in I know<02:13:56.040><c> exactly</c><02:13:57.040><c> that</c><02:13
• New England is completely different than Iowa, correct, you know, and California, so we should have a
• New England is completely different than Iowa, correct, you know, and California, so we should have a

Summary: The committee opened a hearing on HR 18, a resolution urging New Hampshire’s congressional delegation to seek federal changes that would let very small slaughter plants use custom-exempt inspection criteria with a third-party inspector present, so beef, pork, lamb, and goat could be sold as individual cuts directly to consumers. Representative Judy Aron said the resolution was drafted in lieu of state legislation because the issue is governed by USDA rules, and she noted she was also working on an amendment to ensure the measure covered federal “very small” plants. Representative Miner asked for clarification about custom slaughter versus retail sales, and Representative Scully supported the resolution while suggesting language to make clear it applied only to local end consumers. Joyce Brady of the New Hampshire Farm Bureau testified in support, saying the state’s four USDA slaughterhouses and the bottleneck in custom cutting made the issue important. After no further testimony, the chair closed the hearing. The committee then moved into a work session on several bills. For HB 616, members discussed an amendment that had been revised after public comments and Commissioner Jasper’s feedback; Representative Guber said it balanced the competing positions, and Representative Penza and Representative Ger said the language now addressed concerns about animal suffering by allowing euthanasia if a treating veterinarian determines the animal is in extreme suffering. The committee then discussed HB 77, with Representative Penza describing changes to landfill-related standards, including replacing aquifer references with drinking water wells, removing a penalty section, changing discretionary language to mandatory language for the department, and adjusting an in situ soils standard. Members praised the compromise, though Representative Scully raised concerns about the 1,500-foot setback and suggested engineering controls such as berms; Penza responded that current rules do not include such controls and that the setback was intended to address surface spills. Several members said the bill reflected a hard-fought balance and should not be rewritten at the last minute. For HB 505, the freeze-dried food bill, Representative Aron explained that the amendment replaced a simple exemption with a requirement that homestead food operations selling freeze-dried foods from a farm stand, farmers market, or retail food store obtain a homestead food license under RSA 143-A:4. She said the amendment defines freeze-dried foods as fruits, vegetables, and commercially prepared dairy products, and delays the effective date 120 days to allow rulemaking. Members generally supported the approach as a light-touch oversight mechanism for potentially hazardous foods, though Representative Ktoa asked for clarification about how the amendment interacts with existing licensing and inspection exemptions, and Aron clarified that these products would not be exempt from licensing under the relevant law. The committee then turned to HB 250, concerning local authority over dog muzzling, where members broadly supported the amendment as a simple solution, while Representative Ktoa asked about the underlying definition of a vicious dog and whether all listed behaviors would warrant muzzling. The discussion noted that the amendment would allow towns to require muzzling for dogs meeting the statutory definition, while excluding hunting, working, herding, and similar dogs.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're enrolling in a private school. Private school.
• States with school choice programs.
• We do see some schools reaching capacity, and students needing to look for other School sites.
• The public schools already take.
• versus private schools.

Bills: SB683 , SB1579 , SB1389 , SB1387 , SB1390 , SB1391 , SB2063 , SB1829 , SB2060 , SB1842 , SB1398 , SB1212 , SB2158 , SB102

Committee: Senate Revenue and Taxation

Keywords: education, tax credit, student support, private school, Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit, financial assistance, homeschooling, qualified expenses, property tax, valuation increase, taxpayer rights, homestead, protest process, school choice, tuition assistance, income limits, parental choice, accreditation, sales tax, motor vehicles

Transcript Highlights:

• You have a bill telling the school districts, You have a bill telling the school districts to review
• So we wanted to exclude the virtual school program.
• helpful when I was in school.
• helpful when I was in school.
• And she sits on that school board. That is the biggest school board in the state.

Summary: The House first established a quorum after introductions of the Freedom of the Road Riders and Warsaw High School students. Members then took up House Bill 1855, a reporting bill on alpha-gal syndrome. The sponsor described the bill as a public health surveillance measure to add alpha-gal to Missouri’s reportable conditions, require lab reporting to the Department of Health and Senior Services, and send aggregated data to the CDC. Supporters said the bill would help identify hotspots, guide education and funding, and address a serious tick-borne condition affecting rural and urban Missourians alike. Opponents raised concerns about cost, false positives/negatives, and privacy, but the sponsor and others said the system would be HIPAA-compliant and de-identified at the federal level. Two amendments to HB 1855 were debated. An amendment changing the department’s follow-up authority from “may” to “shall” was adopted, with supporters arguing that if the legislature funds follow-up, the department should be required to do it. A second amendment creating an opt-in/opt-out consent process for reporting was rejected 41-10 after extensive debate over privacy, data collection, and whether consent would undermine disease surveillance. The House then adopted the House committee substitute for HB 1855 as amended and ordered it perfected and printed. The chamber next considered House Bills 2230 and 2978, a revised education measure aimed at reducing screen time in K-5 classrooms and encouraging handwriting and cursive instruction. The sponsor said the bill was based on research linking heavy screen use to poorer educational and behavioral outcomes, and supporters emphasized local control, parent access to screen-time policies, and the need to bring experts together through a state-level focus group. An amendment to exclude virtual school programs was adopted. The House then adopted the committee substitute for HB 2230 and 2978 as amended and ordered it perfected and printed. Finally, the House began debate on House Bill 2355, the Food Is Medicine Initiative. The sponsor said the bill would let Missouri use federal funds through 1115 waivers to pilot medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, nutrition counseling, and related interventions to improve health and lower Medicaid costs. Members generally supported the concept, citing food deserts and the benefits of better nutrition, but an amendment adding vitamin therapies and cleanup language prompted concern from one member about supplement quality and regulation; the transcript ends during that amendment discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• high school and beyond.
• So I have 15 school districts.
• district or in a school district whether or not so the funding went to the school district.
• That school is attending that school.
• district and our school board.

Transcript Highlights:

• I had one last year on an increase for retirees of the public school retirement system.
• And so they have paid into it, and what the school has contributed, they do not get back.
• And so they have paid into it, and what the school has contributed, they do not get back.
• And so we do our best to make sure we create certainty, both for those school districts and for those
• This one dealt with the public school retirement system for the city of St. Louis.

Committee: House Local Government, Elections and Pensions

Summary: The Committee on Pensions met without a quorum at first, then later returned to executive session and held several bill hearings. Representative Haley presented House Bill 295, which would allow PSRS retirees who have reached the 80% COLA cap to receive an additional 2% COLA in years when investment returns exceed the system’s assumed rate and CPI conditions are met. Haley and supporters from the Missouri Retired Teachers Association said the bill was narrowly targeted, non-cumulative, and protected by guardrails; committee members questioned whether it could affect funding stability. PSRS/PEERS counsel testified informally that the proposal would function like a one-time “13th paycheck,” would affect about 3,400 PSRS and 800 PEERS retirees, and would cost roughly $32 million for PSRS and under $1 million for PEERS, while emphasizing the systems’ smoothing policy and funded status. The committee then adopted a substitute and passed House Committee Substitute for House Bills 2884 and 1655 by a 12-0 vote. The substitute combined language dealing with St. Louis police retirement board quorum/appointment timing, public employee retirement system provisions, and public school retirement system board quorum/vote requirements, and it also added clarifying language so retirement systems could continue routine informational communications without using funds to support ballot measures. The committee next took up House Committee Substitute for House Bills 1762 and 2059, which would increase the income tax deduction for private retirement income and raise the income threshold for eligibility. Supporters argued it would provide parity with the earlier public-pension tax break and help retirees and self-employed taxpayers; opponents raised concerns about the fiscal impact and timing. The substitute passed 8-4. Representative Bromley then presented House Bill 2144, which would increase the PSRS death benefit from $5,000 to $10,000. He said the current amount no longer covers funeral costs and that the change would help older retirees’ families. MRTA supported the concept but urged caution about system solvency and suggested looking at PEERS as well; PSRS/PEERS counsel testified that the benefit applies to all vested PSRS members, would cost about $137.8 million in actuarial liability, and would reduce the trust fund by about 0.19%. An EMPERS representative confirmed that system also has a $5,000 death benefit and uses similar third-party death-notification services. Finally, Representative Mayhew briefly presented House Bill 2205, which would exempt all public and private retirement income from Missouri income tax; no one testified in support or opposition, and the hearing adjourned after no further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• I go to Owaton High School.
• I go to Fairbo High School. I Herman. I go to Fairbo High School.
• <c> is</c> School.
• My representative is School.
• </c> 12 school building and a new gymnasium. 12 school building and a new gymnasium.

Bills: HF2730 , HF2257 , HF2768 , HF1932 , HF2437

Committee: House Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• I did go back to school, and with the help of my speech therapist there... ...I did go back to school
• were not traveling in school buses.
• Yeah, so if you look at the school buses as a whole, with safety in school buses, technology has greatly
• improved school bus... ...school bus safety, and numbers have declined, and that's been sort of some
• school and school-related events.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security heard testimony on several bills, beginning with a major workplace violence proposal for health care settings. Senator Lovely, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, and SEIU 1199 all supported legislation requiring hospitals and other health care employers to conduct facility-specific risk assessments, develop violence prevention plans, train workers, and provide reporting and protections for assaulted employees. Witnesses described workplace assaults as frequent and escalating, and committee members discussed balancing worker safety with concerns about criminalizing mental illness; testimony emphasized that the bill targets intentional assaults while preserving treatment and discretion for behavioral health crises. The committee also heard strong support for bills to strengthen traffic safety, including primary seat belt enforcement, rear-facing car seat requirements, and seat belts on school buses. AAA Northeast, the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts, law enforcement, legislators, and the Massachusetts Insurance Federation all backed the measures, citing crash data, injury prevention, and personal stories of traumatic brain injury. Senator O’Connor testified for school bus seat belts, saying Massachusetts should join other states requiring them, and later Sophia Furzada of the National Transportation Safety Board urged passage of school bus seat belt and child passenger safety bills, saying lap-shoulder belts would reduce injuries and save lives in crashes where compartmentalization is not enough. Other testimony included support for a bill to make 9-1-1 disability indicator forms more accessible and inclusive, with the witness arguing the form should better reflect mental health, developmental disabilities, language access needs, and a fifth-grade reading level. The committee also heard opposition to a proposal to extend Christian’s Law to swimming pools, with a parks and recreation director warning of unintended consequences for municipal camps and underserved communities. Finally, the committee took testimony on a bill to expand the Forensic Science Oversight Board to include workforce representation, which MOSES said would restore technical expertise to the board. At the end of the hearing, the committee adjourned without taking votes on the bills discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Juniper was my constituent and attended the New Mexico School for the Arts High School.
• from Rock Hill High School.
• Montgomery High School.
• And so I called his high school coach, John Davis, who happened to be one of my high school coaches at
• He was in high school. He was a high school student with only a few credits away from graduation.

Bills: HR915 , HB7401 , HB2478 , HR1381

Keywords: Holodomor, Ukraine famine, 1932-1933 famine, genocide recognition, Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, collectivization, grain confiscation, human rights, Ukraine, Ukrainian people, Russian aggression, Vladimir Putin, foreign affairs, sense of the House, commemorative resolution, historical remembrance, Soviet repression, Kremlin denial, Ukraine sovereignty

Transcript Highlights:

• , and home, and commute to work, school, and home, and it<00:19:38.120><c> also</c><00:19:38.640><c>
• to do it virtually virtually virtually from<00:21:53.290><c> [clears throat]</c><00:21:53.320><c> Iowa
• </c> from [clears throat] Iowa, where my son now resides in a specialty hospital.
• Sabrina Lee, an Edina High School graduate, just 17.
• One of the injured, Edina High School graduate Theo Larson, an emergency room nurse, lost his colleague

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm just here because I serve on the board and I'm a redemption center owner in Iowa.
• can attest, I work with Sibelco, which is the buyer of all my glass that goes to Kansas City from Iowa

Bills: SB410 , SB795 , SB2510 , SB728 , SB2689 , HB143 , HB143

Committee: Senate Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• Florida, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois.
• And then also our children who want to go to medical school... ...to come to our medical schools, and
• then also our children who want to go to medical school, they'll choose a school here because they have
• You're familiar with their utility schools? No. All right.
• Do they have utility schools? They do.

Committee: House Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 267, which would change the membership rules for the Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors by adjusting appointment qualifications, term limits, and nomination procedures. Vice Chair Thomas explained the bill was meant to address the lack of nominations from existing entities and to allow the governor more flexibility, especially in smaller districts. After adopting a technical amendment, the committee reported HB 267 favorably. The committee then considered House Bill 478 on utility overcharge reimbursements. The bill, as amended, requires utilities to clearly label reimbursements on customer bills and sets a deadline for issuing refunds. After discussion with the Public Service Commission and utility representatives, the committee changed the reimbursement timeline from 45 days to 90 days and clarified that the bill would not interfere with larger settlement or regulatory credits. HB 478 was then reported favorably as amended. The longest discussion centered on House Bill 924, a consumer protection measure aimed at contractors who solicit residential property owners after declared disasters. The author said the bill was intended to curb predatory storm-chasing and fraudulent insurance-related practices, while still allowing emergency mitigation work. The committee adopted technical amendments and then a conceptual amendment shortening the catastrophe response period from six months to 30 days. Testimony was split: the Insurance Commissioner and some roofing industry witnesses supported the bill as a way to deter fraud, while other contractors argued it would hurt small businesses, limit legitimate door-to-door work, and not solve enforcement problems. The bill remained under consideration after extensive testimony and public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Tennessee has already passed one that includes Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa

Bills: HB248 , HB311

Committees: House Tourism , House Economic Development and Tourism

Keywords: weather modification, atmospheric pollution, chemical dispersion, environmental law, public health, improvement districts, assessment collection, property taxes, local governance, foreclosure procedures

Transcript Highlights:

• I am so thrilled to see Kansas City Public Schools, parents, educators, and school board members here
• I am so thrilled to see Kansas City Public Schools, parents, educators, and school board members here
• I served on the school board for the Kansas City Public Schools, and there is nothing I love more than
• ; Katie Meredith, also Sykeston Public Schools; and Mr.
• ; Katie Meredith, also Sykeston Public Schools; and Mr.

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then approved the House Journal by roll call vote, 114-1. Members spent a large portion of the morning introducing guests and recognizing visitors, including career and technical education students, FFA and FCCLA groups, school leaders, interns, a physician of the day, and a Black History Month personal privilege honoring inventor Alice H. Parker and her early central heating design. The chamber then took up several bills for perfection and printing. House Bill 1847, the Missouri Dental and Dental Hygienist Compact, was presented as a workforce and access-to-care measure; members cited dental shortages and broad professional support, and it was ordered perfected and printed. House Bill 1866, dealing with peace officer licensure, was presented as allowing the Department of Public Safety to deny applicants whose licenses were revoked or suspended elsewhere and to require U.S. citizenship; an amendment to allow lawful permanent residents who honorably served in the military to qualify was debated at length but failed 95-52, and the bill was then ordered perfected and printed. House Bill 1908, with a companion bill, was described by its sponsor as ending a Missouri rule that delays divorce when a spouse is pregnant; supporters framed it as a due process and safety issue, especially for abuse survivors, and it was adopted and ordered perfected and printed. House Bill 1961, creating temporary licensure and a compact for dietitians, and House Bill 2180, changing Department of Revenue notice delivery options for blind pension recipients and taxpayers to include first-class mail and electronic delivery, both drew support as workforce or accessibility measures and were ordered perfected and printed after amendments. House Bill 2591, which would let speech-language pathologists count clinical fellowship experience completed in any state toward Missouri licensure, also passed perfection and printing. The House then moved to announcements and recessed until 2 p.m.