Transcript Highlights:

• So I feel very confident that we're working with districts and the feedback we've received is very positive
• Chairman, and I really do appreciate the feedback.
• And so I really appreciate the feedback.
• That was part of the feedback.
• That's feedback that folks were worried that if we pass this now, it might interrupt some of the good

Summary: The Appropriations Committee heard presentations on the Senate’s proposed 2025-2026 budget, SPB 25-200, totaling $117.4 billion. Chair Hooper and committee chairs highlighted major spending priorities including a 4% raise for state employees, continued health insurance contributions, investments in water quality, transportation, education infrastructure, and workforce development, along with reductions tied to long-vacant positions. Education funding was a major focus, with increases for K-12 public schools and scholarships, higher education workforce programs, nursing initiatives, tutoring, and university performance funding. Health and human services, criminal and civil justice, transportation/economic development, and agriculture/environment budgets were also outlined, including Medicaid, mental health, corrections staffing, affordable housing, beach restoration, citrus recovery, and water projects. Members then questioned several budget choices, especially K-12 funding. Senators Polsky and Smith raised concerns that the Senate’s AP and dual enrollment funding changes could disadvantage public schools, while Burgess argued the budget preserves the money in the FEFP and gives districts more flexibility rather than reducing support. Questions also addressed voucher availability, school stabilization funding, and the My Safe Florida Home program. The committee adopted 171 consent amendments and three late-file amendments, then approved SPB 2500 as a committee bill. It also favorably reported implementing and conforming bills for state employees, retirement, natural resources, judgeships, K-12 education, higher education, and health and human services, along with SB 7022 on Florida Retirement System contribution rates and elected-officer DROP options, CS/SB 1320 on the Resilient Florida Trust Fund, SB 7014 ending the Mediation and Arbitration Trust Fund, SB 7028 on cancer research, CS/CS/SB 170 on nursing home quality and oversight, CS/SB 168 on mental health diversion and behavioral health data, SB 114 creating an insurance and risk management research center at FSU, and SB 180 on emergency preparedness and post-storm recovery. Most bills were reported favorably with little or no opposition, though SB 180 drew discussion about local-government authority after storms and the need to balance recovery speed with local safety and planning concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• And, um, the feedback I've been getting already since the DE has been posted is a lot of it's technical
• But I've been getting a lot of feedback, and we'll be looking through every feedback that we're getting
• But I've been getting a lot of feedback, and we'll be looking through every feedback that we're getting
• and we'll be looking through feedback and we'll be looking through every<01:41:18.480><c> feedback</
• that we're getting but every feedback that we're getting but some<01:41:20.080><c> instances</c><01:

Bills: HF3423, HF2354, HF3634

Keywords: healthcare, provider enrollment, medical assistance, legislation, state funds, fraud prevention, subpoena authority, criminal penalties, consumer protection, service verification, Medicaid, human services, electronic documentation, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I get constant feedback, but I know that they use it as well.
• So, I get constant constant feedback,<01:00:18.000><c> but</c><01:00:18.120><c> I</c><01:00:18.200><c
• Uh, students in very getting feedback.
• And so, that may end up being a recommendation, and just would love to get your all's feedback at some
• And and so, that may end up being a recommendation and just would love to get your all's feedback at

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Artificial Intelligence Task Force met and adopted the prior minutes before turning to AI in education. Jeff Gagne of the Southern Regional Education Board described SREB’s Commission on AI in Education, which has organized its work into committees on policy, K-12 instruction, postsecondary instruction, and skills development. He highlighted eight commission recommendations covering statewide AI networks, targeted guidance for different user groups, professional development, standards and curricula, local capacity assessments, risk management, procurement, and AI-ready workforce skills. He also emphasized that states need more specific guidance for students, teachers, faculty, administrators, and parents, and that training is essential because many educators have not been prepared to use AI in instruction. Gagne also summarized two recent SREB reports: one on AI-ready workforce skills and one on AI use in K-12 classrooms. The workforce report recommends embedding AI across standards, strengthening computer science and digital learning standards, collaborating with industry and workforce agencies, building AI competencies into training and upskilling, providing educator professional development, and monitoring readiness. He said the report identifies three skill areas: success skills, industry baseline skills, and technical skills. The classroom guidance report promotes responsible AI adoption, with four pillars focused on increasing cognitive demand, streamlining teaching and administrative work, supporting personalized learning, and developing ethical AI users. He also noted that the report includes an AI procurement tool for school districts. Members thanked Gagne for providing outside examples and resources. One member noted JCPS has an introductory AI professional development offering for educators. Gagne said Kentucky’s David Couch serves on the SREB commission and that the commission’s member list and reports are available on SREB’s website. The committee then heard from Travis Powell of the Council on Postsecondary Education, who said CPE had surveyed campuses and found that Kentucky institutions have broadly embraced AI in teaching, research, student services, and administrative operations. He said all institutions have AI-focused degrees, minors, or courses, and many are integrating AI into general education and across disciplines. Powell also said CPE is considering an AI consortium and that campuses are using AI in research partnerships and applied work, while continuing to focus on ethical and effective use.

Transcript Highlights:

• , they're going to listen to our feedback, they're going to as<00:58:20.240><c> if</c><00:58:20.480><
• Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you members for all of your feedback.
• Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you members for all of your feedback.
• I have very much appreciated the amount of space that MDE has been able to provide feedback and just
• </c><01:30:55.120><c> and</c> has been able to provide feedback and has been able to provide feedback

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I want and need everyone's feedback if we're going to make a difference on this important issue.
• I think there were some good customer feedback scores about the checks are getting out.
• I think there were some good customer feedback scores about the checks are getting out.
• So I think you'd get some very positive feedback from those individuals in those states.
• So I think you'd get some very positive feedback from those individuals in those states.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• the feedback of individuals and stakeholders across the state.
• We received so much public feedback that was not beneficial to our work, threatening the members on our
• the feedback of individuals and stakeholders across the state.
• the feedback of individuals and stakeholders across the state.
• Local control is central to our approach, with ample opportunity for public input and feedback.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, based on landowner feedback, a lot of landowners just want a flat fee.
• Um, based on landowner feedback, a lot of landowners just want a flat fee.
• And that was actually a recommendation and feedback we took from the landowners in our early days.
• And the landowners actually feedback was we wanted to run with the land.
• :19.040><c> we</c><00:52:19.120><c> took</c><00:52:19.320><c> from</c> recommendation and feedback we

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with introductions and approval of the previous minutes, including a small amendment clarifying a note about “leakage” in a prior presentation. The committee then heard a presentation from Sarah Hall of the American Forest Foundation on the Family Forest Carbon Program, which she described as a voluntary carbon and forest management program for smaller landowners. She said the program provides annual payments and technical assistance, requires a forest management plan within two years, and is designed to support improved forest management while still allowing compatible uses such as recreation, hunting, and some harvesting. Hall emphasized that the program is intended as one tool among many and is not a fit for every property. She said most enrolled landowners did not previously have a forest management plan or work with a forester, and that the program helps bring “unengaged” landowners into active management. She also said the program is compatible with current use and other commitments on a case-by-case basis, and that landowners retain ownership of their land and timber rights while AFF holds the carbon rights for the contract term. She highlighted examples of landowners using the program to support taxes, family ownership, wildlife habitat, timber stand improvement, and continued recreational or business uses. Committee members asked about registry compliance in New Hampshire and the relationship between carbon markets and the program. Hall responded that AFF handles registry administration for landowners and would follow up on the specific registry count raised by a member. She explained that the program is funded through a mix of carbon market revenue, philanthropy, and grants, and that carbon credits are generated through landscape-level methodology and monitored using randomly selected plots compared with FIA data. She also noted that consulting foresters are key partners in the program and that AFF has paid more than $3 million to consultants nationwide.

Transcript Highlights:

• They have rapid cycle feedback.
• They have rapid cycle feedback.
• They have rapid cycle feedback.
• They have rapid cycle feedback.
• They have rapid cycle feedback.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board received a presentation from Dr. Stack and Commissioner Langfeld on Kentucky’s application for a federal Medicaid-related funding opportunity tied to House Resolution 1. They described a compressed six-week stakeholder process that produced more than 50 responses and letters of support, and said the application was organized around five broad priorities: maternal health, behavioral health and substance use disorder, oral health, EMS/trauma response, and chronic disease. They emphasized that the proposal was designed to align with CMS goals, use allowable funding categories, and focus on sustainability rather than a short-term grant. Commissioner Langfeld outlined five core initiatives: rural community hubs for chronic care innovation, beginning with obesity and diabetes; a maternal and infant health effort called POWER; a behavioral health and substance use model called IMPATH; an oral health initiative called Rooted in Health; and an integrated crisis-to-care EMS and trauma response effort. He said the chronic disease work would include prevention, food-as-medicine concepts, and technology tools, while the maternal health effort would expand team-based care around mothers and infants using community health workers and doulas. The behavioral health proposal would build on existing crisis intervention models, oral health would address workforce and access gaps through training, mobile vans, and telehealth, and the EMS proposal would better connect emergency response with home-based and community care. Several senators questioned whether the proposal would meaningfully address rural hospital closures or the broader rural health care crisis. Senator Meredith said the plan was not transformational and would not save rural hospitals, while Senator Berg asked how success would be measured. In response, the presenters said they would use both lagging and leading indicators, with an emphasis on rapid-cycle feedback and data use that is more actionable in real time. They also said the work could help existing models that already show promise, such as behavioral health units and dental workforce expansion, even if it would not solve the larger funding gap created by HR1. Senator Douglas asked how the proposals would motivate patients to participate in their own health care. The presenters responded that the chronic disease prevention work would focus on obesity, diabetes prevention, nutrition, and consumer-facing technology tools to help people engage in their own care, and that EMS-community health worker partnerships could identify unmet needs in the home and reduce preventable problems. The board then moved on to its next agenda item, Medicaid managed care delivery models, with Tom Stevens, Katherine North, and Dr. Patel scheduled to present.

Transcript Highlights:

• Bennett for reaching out to<01:07:13.039><c> share</c><01:07:13.319><c> her</c><01:07:13.520><c> feedback
• to</c><01:07:14.200><c> get</c><01:07:14.359><c> this</c><01:07:14.520><c> into</c> to share her feedback
• to get this into to share her feedback to get this into shape<01:07:15.240><c> as</c><01:07:15.760><
• One, it's really good to hear positive feedback about the portfolio process.
• </c> really good to hear positive feedback really good to hear positive feedback about<01:30:07.800><

Bills: HF1966, HF54, HF2043, HF1171, HF2741

Keywords: HF1966, Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs, STARS program, alternative education, alternative programs, education finance, general fund appropriation, student support services, career readiness, employment skills, academic skills, social skills, student conferences, training grants, Minnesota Department of Education, specialized education, at-risk students, nontraditional education, HF54, Silver Lake

Transcript Highlights:

• I really appreciate Commissioner Jasper's feedback.
• um I think we're in a in a very feedback um I think we're in a in a very good<00:20:56.840><c> place
• We got some more feedback from the Farm Bureau. I think what we have now is a very good resolution.
• We got some more feedback from the Farm Bureau. I think what we have now is a very good resolution.
• on our bills uh and uh give us feedback on our bills uh and<02:01:04.000><c> we</c><02:01:05.000><c>

Keywords: 928, house, all

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:

• And so their feedback to us is that these concerts fed the souls of their community that That calendar
• And so their feedback to us is that these concerts fed the souls of their community that The top five
• And so their feedback to us is that these concerts fed the souls of their community that The plan does
• And so their feedback to us is that these concerts fed the souls of their community that in the Legacy
• to us is that these concerts feedback to us is that these concerts fed<00:33:00.600><c> the</c><00:33

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• means you would never would<00:58:34.839><c> have</c><00:58:35.119><c> that</c><00:58:35.640><c> feedback
• </c><00:58:36.839><c> what</c><00:58:36.960><c> to</c><00:58:37.119><c> work</c> would have that feedback
• of what to work would have that feedback of what to work on<00:58:38.440><c> uh</c><00:58:38.559><c>
• I appreciate the comments, and honestly, I always appreciate the feedback because what we want to do
• because always appreciate the feedback because what<01:12:16.760><c> we</c><01:12:16.840><c> want</c

Bills: HF1060, HF1062

Keywords: sports facilities, Minnesota, legislative commission, financial oversight, accountability, HF1062, driver and vehicle systems oversight committee, MNLARS, VTRS, vehicle title and registration system, driver's license system, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, MN.IT, legislative oversight, transportation finance, state government, committee repeal, sunset provision, information technology audit, vehicle registration

Transcript Highlights:

• I try to do these routinely to get their feedback. What are you looking for? How does this look?
• Where do you see alignment with what you do so we can get that constant feedback?
• to get their feedback. What are you looking for? How does this look?
• Where do you see alignment with what you do so we can get that constant feedback?
• So I'm not sure I could have done better there, but I'll take feedback if you have any.

Summary: The committee met on the Minot State campus for a presentation from President Shirley and several university leaders on enrollment, academics, workforce initiatives, and partnerships. Shirley reviewed the university’s financial audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings in recent years, and highlighted Minot State’s major programs, specialized accreditations, and ties to Minot Air Force Base and NCAA Division II athletics. Members asked about education workforce shortages, athletic tuition waivers, dual credit incentives, and the university’s in-state tuition policy for all students. Shirley also discussed the university’s recruitment efforts, including the Hometown Pride and Academic Excellence scholarships, campus visit growth, and the Emerging Scholars dual-credit reimbursement program. A major focus was workforce development and new academic offerings supported by legislative Workforce Education Innovation Funds. Shirley described the new Innovation Engineering program, which was developed with industry input to train broadly skilled engineers for western North Dakota, and said it had already drawn more applicants than expected. Dr. Crystal St. Peter presented a new master’s program in counseling that integrates mental health and addiction counseling to address statewide provider shortages, with a hybrid format to reach rural students. Members asked about licensure requirements, internship hours, and job placement for graduates. Shirley also outlined a new nursing simulation center and health sciences space in downtown Minot, made possible by state support and the purchase of the former Trinity Health Center West building. The committee also heard about Minot State’s efforts to build pipelines into education and special education, including the Aspire program for rural high school students and an online paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Shirley said these programs, along with new articulation agreements and a large Bush Foundation grant, are intended to address teacher shortages and keep students in North Dakota. No formal committee votes or actions were taken during the presentation; the session consisted of informational updates and member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, we have a dedicated staff member within the agency whose job it is just to review and offer feedback
• Um, we have a dedicated staff member within the agency whose job it is just to review and offer feedback
• Um, we have a dedicated staff member within the agency whose job it is just to review and offer feedback
• </c><01:19:32.560><c> Um</c><01:19:32.880><c> so</c><01:19:33.199><c> just</c> and request for feedback
• Um so just and request for feedback.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and without a plan and behind closed doors and without any real opportunity for engagement or for feedback
• 00:49:19.520><c> engagement</c><00:49:20.079><c> or</c><00:49:20.319><c> for</c><00:49:20.559><c> feedback
• ,</c><00:49:21.359><c> the</c> for engagement or for feedback, the for engagement or for feedback, the
• legislative approval and legislative oversight and an opportunity for stakeholder engagement and feedback
• </c> for stakeholder engagement and feedback for stakeholder engagement and feedback and<00:51:05.920

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The conference committee met late on Friday evening to discuss the Public Safety and Judiciary budget agreement, beginning with a brief exchange among members about concerns that the executive branch had been delaying the committee’s work by waiting to approve legislative decisions. Members emphasized that the legislature should retain its independence while still allowing normal collaboration with the governor’s office. The committee then moved through several outstanding policy items and adopted them without opposition, including the A38 amendment addressing data-sharing concerns involving disability-related information, a study of firefighting services by the state fire marshal, and an A46 amendment governing access to unredacted portable recording system data in collision investigations, with guardrails on disclosure and use. The committee next reviewed the spreadsheet and budget targets. Fiscal staff explained the judiciary side of the agreement, including funding for court operating costs, a one-time Justice Partner Access Program appropriation, forensic exam rate increases, guardian ad litem funding, public defense, human rights, the competency attainment board, the cannabis expungement board, and fee increases for civil filings and motions. On the public safety side, staff described the target as well as the discretionary items funded, including nonprofit security grants, BCA staffing changes, fire marshal initiatives, a 10-year arson statute of limitations, prosecutor training grants, legal representation for children, E911 funding for critical infrastructure, Philando Castile Training Fund support, corrections-related savings from the Stillwater phased closure and sentence-to-serve elimination, a mandatory minimums task force, a victims of crime account transfer, a decommissioning study, in-service use-of-force training, and extensions of several expiring appropriations. The committee also noted a correction to a spreadsheet label related to the Stillwater closure item. After the spreadsheet walkthrough, the committee took testimony from Chief Justice Natalie Hudson and State Court Administrator Jeff Shorban on behalf of the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Hudson thanked the committee for its work and said the agreement covers some unavoidable costs, including insurance, lease expenses, forensic examiner pay, and the new access system, but argued it does not adequately address the judiciary’s most urgent problem: staffing and judicial compensation. She said court employees are leaving for better-paying jobs, judicial salaries are frozen for two years, and applicant pools for judgeships have declined, especially in greater Minnesota. She also said the judicial branch was not meaningfully consulted on the budget target and urged lawmakers to recognize the courts as a constitutional obligation rather than a discretionary program.

Transcript Highlights:

• officer might make sense, but I also tend to believe that we do already have local mechanisms for feedback
• officer might make sense, but I also tend to believe that we do already have local mechanisms for feedback
• officer might make sense, but I also tend to believe that we do already have local mechanisms for feedback
• officer might make sense, but I also tend to believe that we do already have local mechanisms for feedback
• officer might make sense, but I also tend to believe that we do already have local mechanisms for feedback

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the feedback that we heard was that there was confusion and concern about pairing the tax credit
• Minnesota Housing conducted a number of feedback or listening sessions with those who had utilized the
• The demand from that perspective and the community feedback has been fantastic.
• The community feedback told me is that, as mentioned here, workforce housing and the ability to work
• The demand from that perspective and the community feedback has been fantastic.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the broad, nonpartisan coalition has crafted this comprehensive bill with extensive stakeholder feedback
• the broad, nonpartisan coalition has crafted this comprehensive bill with extensive stakeholder feedback
• This language was in response to the OLA audit and involved feedback from many stakeholders.
• </c><00:58:06.240><c> from</c><00:58:06.400><c> many</c> audit and involved feedback from many audit
• and involved feedback from many stakeholders stakeholders stakeholders the<00:58:08.319><c> purpose</

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Education Finance Committee met remotely on February 16, 2022, with a quorum present and approved the minutes from the previous day by voice vote. Chair Dabney said the committee was spending the week on public school staffing shortages, especially efforts to increase and retain BIPOC teachers, and introduced testimony on the Collaborative Urban and Greater Minnesota Educators of Color Grant Program (CUGMEC) and the broader Increasing Teachers of Color Act. Testifiers from St. Thomas, Augsburg, and Hopkins described the history and impact of the legacy educator-of-color programs. Kathleen Campbell said the original Q program was created to address underrepresentation, remove financial barriers, and provide mentorship and culturally relevant support; she argued that when the grant became competitive in 2017 without additional funding, support was spread too thin and student capacity dropped. Audrey Lensmeyer described Augsburg’s East African Student-to-Teacher Program, rooted in community advocacy in Cedar-Riverside, and said it has produced strong completion and licensure outcomes. Keenan Jones shared his path from paraprofessional to teacher and district leader, emphasizing the importance of scholarships, mentorship, and outreach to high school students, including a statewide co-enrollment Intro to Teaching course. Representative Hassan then presented House File 3079, saying the bill aims to attract, prepare, complete, and retain more teachers of color and American Indian teachers through several grant and program changes, including Closing the Educational Opportunity Gap grants, Cook Mac funding, teacher mentorship and retention updates, and revisions to CUGMEC. He said the bill responds to a severe shortage of BIPOC teachers and that the requested investment is small relative to the state surplus. Student and educator testimony followed, including a third-grade student from Crookston and Ava Roots, both of whom described the importance of having teachers who reflect students’ cultures and experiences. Natalia Benjamin, the 2021 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, also testified about retention challenges for educators of color and racialized workplace treatment. The committee indicated it intended to lay over HF 3079 for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill, and Representative Richardson moved the bill to be laid over for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, that's my goal: to get people on their motorcycle, getting real training, real time, real feedback
• getting real training, real<00:15:03.960><c> time,</c><00:15:04.640><c> real</c><00:15:04.880><c> feedback
• ,</c><00:15:05.880><c> and</c><00:15:06.440><c> really</c> real time, real feedback, and really real
• time, real feedback, and really earning<00:15:07.480><c> that</c><00:15:07.680><c> confidence</c><00:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Senator Judy Seeberger and traffic safety officials held a press conference focused on a deadly Minnesota motorcycle season and urged both drivers and riders to take greater care. Seeberger described several near-misses and a preventable crash at an intersection near her home, and asked motorists to put phones down, avoid impaired driving, and look twice or three times at stop signs, lane changes, and intersections. Mike Hanson, director of the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety, said 37 motorcyclists had been killed so far this year, compared with 24 at the same time last year, and warned the state could approach 90 motorcycle fatalities if current trends continue. He said about half of motorcycle deaths are single-vehicle run-off-the-road crashes, often tied to speed, inattention, or skill level, while the other half involve a motorcycle and another vehicle; he also noted passenger fatalities are higher than usual and that riders over 60 are now being killed more often than younger riders. Hanson and others emphasized education, training, visibility, helmets, high-visibility gear, and sober driving. He said the state’s motorcycle safety training program is expanding with 11 additional basic rider courses, which should train about 121 more riders, and that safety materials are available to clubs and community groups. He also highlighted the new lane filtering and splitting law, saying it is limited to 25 mph or less and must be done within a rider’s skill level; he said he has seen it done both safely and unsafely and urged riders to follow the law and not be “knuckleheads.” Representatives from the Saint Croix Valley Riders and the Litas St. Croix Valley also spoke. Don Morley said his group promotes safety and awareness, reimburses members for rider training, and supports the new lane filtering/splitting law while stressing that riders and motorists must share the road. Heather Sevlin and other speakers tied the safety message to the death of Dana Milan, saying her crash was preventable and calling for justice and accountability in the impaired-driving case involving Robert Rodriguez, who they said was on a second DUI offense. In response to questions, Seeberger said she would support stricter penalties for repeat impaired or reckless drivers but would not support mandatory helmet legislation. Hanson said the legislature should continue to rely on rider experts and training advocates when considering motorcycle safety policy.

Transcript Highlights:

• We appreciate the thoughtful feedback and will be accepting the committee's amendments as outlined.
• The thoughtful feedback and will be accepting the committee's amendments as outlined in the analysis.
• And, Madam Chair, I also want to thank you for the conversations and for the feedback.
• want to start off by thanking Senator Hurtado, first of all, and her staff for being so open to feedback

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard a long slate of education bills, beginning with SB 685 on nonpublic schools for students with disabilities. Senator Cortese and the California Department of Education described the bill as a response to the Ninth Circuit’s Laughman decision, removing the obsolete “non-sectarian” requirement while preserving secular use of public funds, nondiscrimination protections, background checks, credentialing, and incident reporting. There was no opposition, and the bill later passed 7-0 to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 1181, a pilot grant program for violence prevention, student wellness, and school safety in Central Valley and other schools. Supporters framed it as a prevention measure, while opponents from EFF, ACLU Cal Action, and community advocates warned it could increase law enforcement involvement, surveillance, and use of fusion centers; despite those concerns, it ultimately passed 5-0 to Appropriations. Members then considered SB 1067, which would create a statewide framework for annual K-2 math assessments starting in 2028-29 to identify students needing early intervention. The author and supporters argued California faces a serious math achievement crisis and that early assessment would help close gaps, while CTA and several educators and administrators sought additional clarity and amendments to ensure alignment with existing diagnostic practices and limits on high-stakes use. The bill drew broad support from educators, parents, and advocacy groups and passed 7-0 to Appropriations. SB 1107, a school shade-structure bill, would expand eligible shade projects and allow bundling through design-build to reduce costs; it received support from LAUSD, school boards, and climate-focused groups and passed 7-0. SB 1128, on take-home devices and screen time for kindergarteners, was presented as a modest first step to give families more flexibility and reduce early screen exposure, with support from early childhood advocates and no opposition, and it passed 7-0. The committee also approved SB 1048, creating a voluntary State Seal of Climate Literacy for students who complete climate coursework and hands-on projects. Supporters, including Ten Strands, students, teachers, and county offices, said it would recognize real-world climate learning and green career readiness; it passed 7-0. SB 1140, sponsored by CFT, would require LEA construction contractors to follow campus security provisions during school projects to reduce unauthorized access; it drew support from labor and gun violence prevention groups and passed 7-0. SB 930, requiring end-to-end encryption for proctoring companies handling K-12 exam data, was presented as a student privacy measure in response to cybersecurity risks and passed 6-0. Finally, SB 1083 was introduced by Senator Perez as a follow-up to last year’s Safe Learning Environments Act, with extensive committee amendments to refine the statewide misconduct data system, disclosure rules, contractor fingerprinting, and access requirements; the transcript cuts off before the bill’s full hearing and vote are shown.