Transcript Highlights:

• They make a tremendous difference as sort of our highest performing resource and the court system to
• It implemented evidence-based practices, data, informed decisions and youth academic achievement.
• We have 250 protected the academic days in the year. So the bell schedule follows this path.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm super passionate about improving access and opportunity for students that perform with excellence
• adds the AP Capstone Diploma designation as an automatic qualifier for the Florida Bright Futures Academic
• seven and nine offer a faster, more flexible path to graduation, swapping technical courses for core academics

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee met with two bills on the agenda. HB 1055, by Rep. Albert, would make permanent the Center for the Study of Election Law at Florida State University’s College of Law, which was created temporarily in 2023. The sponsor described the center as successful and tied to Florida’s election reputation. There was brief public testimony, including support from FSU-affiliated witnesses, and no debate or amendments. The bill passed unanimously. The committee then heard HB 1105, by Rep. Kinghart-Johnson, a broader education bill affecting Bright Futures and related programs. As explained by the sponsor, the bill would change the Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship requirement from three full credits in one program to three full credits total, align the CTE diploma with scholarship eligibility, add the AP Capstone Diploma as an automatic Bright Futures Academic Scholarship qualifier, and remove barriers for some students whose parents are retired military or public service employees stationed out of state. An amendment was adopted that revised AP Capstone requirements, kept the Gold Seal GPA requirement unchanged, and added the ACE diploma as a qualifier for the Florida Seal of Fine Arts. Public testimony on HB 1105 included two social work students who supported expanding opportunities but warned that the bill could steer students into vocational tracks without enough safeguards, transparency, or access to transportation, internships, and counseling. Several members spoke in support of the bill’s goal of recognizing multiple paths to success, while also acknowledging concerns raised by speakers. In closing, the sponsor said the bill was intended to improve access and correct language that treated vocational pathways as lesser options. HB 1105 passed unanimously as amended, and the meeting adjourned afterward.

Transcript Highlights:

• And honestly, it gets into a little bit of the academic performance and standards alignment as well.
• Yet, that commitment academic success.
• That's where we get a lot of our information related to academic performance, but I think it might be
• Senator Rothfuss continued that the review could be incorporated into the academic performance and standards
• He said that is where they get a lot of their information related to academic performance, but it might

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The committee heard from Superintendent Megan Degenfelder on several interim topics centered on student-centered learning. She highlighted work-based learning and dual/concurrent enrollment, saying the state is updating accountability measures and should examine whether these programs are helping students progress, avoid duplicative costs, and reduce the need for remedial college coursework. She also discussed broader life-skills education, including financial literacy and soft skills, and said districts vary widely in what they offer. On gifted and talented programs, she noted that districts are statutorily required to provide them but the state does not have a clear picture of how consistently they are implemented, and she suggested the committee may want to study that area further. Members asked follow-up questions about whether dual enrollment should be evaluated only by time-to-degree, and Degenfelder said the analysis should also consider additional credentials and remedial coursework. Senator Schuler and others raised the idea of making financial literacy or other life-skills content more common, though Degenfelder said she did not favor a statewide mandate and instead preferred incentives and district-level implementation. The committee also discussed artificial intelligence in schools as an information-sharing topic, with Degenfelder saying the department is beginning a landscape analysis with districts and teachers. She then reviewed NAEP results, noting Wyoming performs strongly in fourth grade but drops sharply by eighth grade, and said the state wants to understand where students are falling off. Members also raised concerns about international comparisons and the need to improve literacy and math outcomes. The committee then moved to member-submitted topics. Representative Strock proposed reviewing the governance structure of state education, arguing that the current split among the Department of Education, State Board of Education, and other boards creates inefficiency and confusion, especially for licensure and programs like CTE. Senator Scott noted that turnover in the superintendent’s office could be a practical issue in any restructuring, and Strock responded that administrative staff could handle day-to-day operations. Representative Williams then introduced a discussion of common core standards and literacy, arguing that standards may be too broad and not specific enough, especially in early grades, and that Wyoming should emphasize phonics, basic reading, math, and civics more directly. Representative Guggenmos agreed that narrowing early-grade focus to math and literacy could improve outcomes. Finally, Representative Williams raised virtual education, saying it is growing quickly and the committee should study funding, accountability, and student support more closely; the chair opened that topic for further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• reduces distractions supports academic reduces distractions supports academic success and fosters healthy
• socialization research links smartphone socialization research links smartphone use to um lower academic
• performance use to um lower academic performance use to um lower academic performance increased anxiety
• disturbance producing better it no disturbance producing better it no disturbance producing better academic
• outcomes and safer environments academic outcomes and safer environments academic outcomes and safer

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're also looking at making sure that our academic institutions can adapt as needed.
• The first is we have what's called the Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap.
• And what this is, is a document that was... ...academic roadmap.
• We're now going and starting implementation of actions from the Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap.
• It's called Total System Performance Assessment.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• From workforce education and teacher quality to school safety and academic progress, Florida remains
• Counselors are at the school to help children academically and connect them to that next step, whether
• have a school like Dillard that may have 1,200 or 1,300 students, and funding only allows for one academic
• But they go to the schools, and now the counselor that should be doing academic coaching is now in a
• And I wanted to ask you if you could reflect on the progress or the performance of the Guardian program

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education received a presentation from the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget and the Department of Education on the Governor’s fiscal year 2026-27 education budget. Shelby Salmons outlined the overall budget framework, and Commissioner Stasi Kamoutsis highlighted major education investments, including $486 million for VPK, $30.6 billion for K-12 education, a $761.1 million increase in FEFP funding, the highest per-student funding level to date, and $201 million more for teacher pay flexibility. The presentation also emphasized school safety, mental health, civics education, and the Guardian Program, along with continued funding for TEACH, HIPPY, Help Me Grow, and civics debate and literacy initiatives. Members asked about how the mental health allocation would be used, counselor staffing ratios, school closures and whether the department intervenes, oversight of school choice and voucher-funded schools, and the Guardian Program’s pay structure and effectiveness. Senators also raised concerns about the FISH school capacity report, data collection, teacher pay, professional development, AI and tutoring technology, and whether the budget adequately supports mental health services and school safety. The Commissioner said many funding decisions are left to districts, that the department stands ready to assist, and that the Guardian Program has been successful and expanded over time. During public testimony, Pinellas County School Board member Laura Hine said her district spends far more on safety and mental health than it receives in state categorical funding, and urged the committee to consider full-day VPK funding, arguing it has improved third-grade reading outcomes in Pinellas. Senators followed up on district flexibility and local spending choices. The committee took no substantive vote on the budget presentation and adjourned after thanking the department for its recommendations and partnership.

Transcript Highlights:

• From workforce education and teacher quality to school safety and academic progress, Florida remains
• Counselors are at the school to help children academically and connect them to that next step, whether
• have a school like Dillard that may have 1,200, 1,300 students, and funding only allows for one academic
• But they go to the schools, and now the counselor that should be doing academic coaching is now in a
• And I wanted to ask you if you could reflect on the progress or the performance of the Guardian program

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education met to hear the governor’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget recommendations for education from the Office of Policy and Budget and the Department of Education. Shelby Salmons and Commissioner Stasi Kamoutsis outlined the governor’s proposed $117.4 billion state budget, including about $32.5 billion for education, with major emphasis on public schools and early learning. The presentation highlighted a $30.6 billion K-12 budget, a $486 million VPK program, continued funding for VPK Summer Bridge, TEACH, HIPPY, and Help Me Grow, as well as increases for teacher pay, base student allocation, mental health, school safety, civics education, and school hardening initiatives. The commissioner also cited a 92.2% statewide graduation rate and Florida’s national rankings in education and education freedom. Senators used the question period to raise concerns about counselor staffing, mental health services, school closures, school choice oversight, the Guardian Program, data reporting, and school capacity. Senator Jones asked about counselor ratios, school closures in historically Black communities, and whether school choice schools are properly monitored for safety and instructional quality. Senator Osgood argued that mental health funding should support more clinical services on campuses, not just academic counselors, and Senator Bradley asked whether the centralized data repository includes scholarship students. Senator Gates praised the civics and debate funding and asked for more detail on the Guardian Program’s performance; the commissioner said 53 of 67 districts participate and described it as a successful safety option with sheriffs approving training. Senators Simon and Osgood also pressed for better use of the FISH report and more accurate space data to understand school capacity and right-sizing. During public testimony, Pinellas County School Board member Laura Hine said her district is an A-rated district with no D or F schools, but spends far more on safety and mental health than it receives in state categorical funding. She said Florida’s mental health staffing ratio is about one counselor per 2,203 students, compared with a recommended one per 1,106, and urged the committee to consider funding full-day VPK statewide, estimating it would cost about $375 million. Committee members followed up on her comments about local flexibility and whether districts can shift funds to meet needs. The meeting ended after members thanked DOE and executive branch staff for the presentation, and the committee adjourned without taking any substantive vote on legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• or areas where the commission is performing well in terms of performance measure management.
• So is, are these considered performance audits? Do you perform both? and performance audits. We do.
• So do you perform, you do perform audits of?
• Performance is performance.
• What is your performance?

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The slate during those two years would cut into a district's academic days and push the end date of school
• Individual districts have many items to consider when they set their school calendars for academic time
• some of the arguments that you're making, we should just have kids out of school more and their performance
• It holds the line on new mandates so schools have a chance to catch up and focus on academics.
• But they still are performing fairly well. The district I live in was on the former board of.

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, down under funding sources, under performance. Funding sources, under performance.
• We don't budget performance fund in the future.
• We don't budget performance fund in the future.
• So we ask for performance funding in the current budget.
• , particularly the state's most academically distressed public schools.

Summary: The committee heard budget presentations and took executive recommendations on several Department of Human Services divisions, including Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health Services; Children and Family Services; County Operations; Developmental Disability Services; and Medical Services, with most divisions showing little or no significant change in total appropriations. Staff and agency witnesses repeatedly explained that many large appropriations are maintained for flexibility, federal matching requirements, or contingency needs, even when actual spending is much lower than the authorized amount. Members also raised concerns about staffing vacancies, long-vacant budgeted positions, and the use of excess appropriation authority across DHS. In Aging, Adult and Behavioral Health, members questioned federal funding levels for mental health and substance abuse grants, the status of senior centers and Meals on Wheels, the Medicaid tobacco settlement program, community alcohol safety grants, and the veterans mental health grant. Agency officials said federal block grants are largely committed, that senior center funding had been delayed by shutdown timing but was now back on track, that the tobacco settlement program had been moved internally within DHS, and that the veterans mental health appropriation remains unfunded. Senators also criticized the adequacy of support for seniors and asked for more detail on how transportation, meal services, and local contributions are funded. In Children and Family Services, members asked about rising appropriation levels, foster care and adoption subsidies, professional fees, the number of children in foster care, and the Children’s Trust Fund. DHS said increases reflect added flexibility for residential treatment, adoption subsidies, and prevention services, while the foster care population has remained fairly steady at about 3,400 children. The Children’s Trust Fund was described as supporting primary prevention programs such as Baby and Me and community schools, and members asked whether it could be administratively combined with other efforts. Questions also covered TANF subgrants, with DHS explaining that it had reduced outside subgrants after discovering over-obligation and was rebuilding reserves. In County Operations, members focused on the summer EBT program, SNAP employment and training, the farmer’s market program, and the state’s TANF reserve position. DHS said summer EBT is still being funded through temporary appropriations because it is a newer program, SNAP employment and training is largely federally funded and may expand under a pending policy change, and TANF reserves were drawn down after prior over-obligation but are now being stabilized. In Developmental Disability Services, members asked about vacancies, human development center staffing, facility construction funds, and the Booneville work program, and DHS said the program has reopened and staffing recruitment continues. In Medical Services, members asked about FMAP, the Our Kids B CHIP program, school-based Medicaid reimbursements, nursing home distress funds, and several large appropriation lines that far exceed actual spending; DHS said these are maintained for claims payment, nursing home receivership contingencies, and other flexibility needs. Each division reviewed was adopted by executive recommendation after questions concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• and clarify that academic standards are not grade-level-specific.
• Academic standards are established for the K-12 education system in Minnesota; benchmarks determine the
• standards grade level specific academic standards are<00:07:33.360> established<00:07:33.759>
• <00:29:42.159> evaluation authorizer performance evaluation authorizer performance evaluation
• <00:47:16.160> language includes oral academic language includes oral academic language development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We especially want to remember their families left behind as they perform their duties here in the Capitol
• I'm not saying they're not academically qualified.
• from other countries who want to come here legally that are also academically qualified who could take
• Basically, I think your question is, do they admit all comers if they are academically qualified, a.k.a
• I try not to be performative in nature.

Summary: The Senate opened with a quorum, prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance, then read an amended joint proclamation expanding the special session call to include financial penalties for government officials, criminal penalties for offenses committed by illegal aliens, and programs and appropriations to support law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. No committee reports, governor’s messages, or House messages were on the desk before the chamber moved to the special order calendar. The main item was Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 2B, the immigration bill, along with a late-filed strike-all amendment by Senator Gruters. Gruters said the amendment aligned terminology with federal law, increased penalties for crimes by unauthorized aliens, added transnational crime organizations to gang definitions, required stronger participation in the federal 287(g) program, created financial penalties for noncompliance, offered a $1,000 bonus for officers assisting ICE in large operations, directed more information-sharing with federal agencies, and barred DHSMV from issuing licenses or IDs to unauthorized aliens. He framed the bill as supporting President Trump’s immigration agenda and focusing on criminal illegal aliens rather than street-level enforcement. A long question-and-answer period followed, with Senators Polsky, Pizzo, Smith, Jones, Roscoe, Berman, and others pressing the sponsor on scope, legality, costs, and implementation. Questions focused on whether the bill would require participation beyond jails and detention centers, whether schools or churches could be affected, liability and immunity for local agencies, the size and purpose of the proposed appropriations, and the impact on undocumented students receiving in-state tuition waivers. Gruters and Senator Fine said the 287(g) provisions were intended to apply to jails and detention facilities, that green-card holders and lawful residents would not be affected, and that the tuition waiver repeal would end discounted tuition for students in the country illegally while not affecting their ability to attend. Fine also defended the mandatory death penalty provision for certain capital offenses committed by illegal immigrants, acknowledging it would likely be challenged in court but arguing the bill was designed to test and advance the policy. No final vote or other action on the bill is reflected in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, we've been building on the university's academic and research excellence, including leading
• Degrees eliminated, course offerings reduced, and fewer academic and student support services for the
• They are not one-off; they're well-established credentials that are not within the academic enterprise
• I'm a professor at Cal State Northridge, and I'm the vice chair of the Academic Senate of the CSU.
• Chair of the Academic Senate of the CSU. I'm here to ask you not to cut the CSU.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The teachers can be renewed from year to year based on satisfactory performance and if a position is
• year based on satisfactory performance year based on satisfactory performance and<01:31:54.320><
• So in those cases, you're hiring someone who has a known record of their performance, and we do want
• So there would be, in those cases, you're hiring someone who has a known record of their performance,
• <01:53:52.800> well<01:53:52.960> a uh if a person is not performing well a uh if a

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee on Education heard testimony on HB 1895, which would add education-worker protections by expanding harassment-related offenses. The Department of Education, HSTA, HGA, and several school employees and principals testified in support, describing increased harassment and threats toward teachers and staff, especially since COVID, and saying the bill would help deter bad actors. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the measure, saying the language was vague and overbroad, could criminalize ordinary parental advocacy or speech, and might not survive constitutional scrutiny. In response to questions, the public defender said existing statutes already cover threatening or assaultive conduct against educational workers, while DOE representatives said the bill was aimed at excessive and repetitive disruptive behavior. No vote or final action was taken in the excerpt. The committee then took up HB 1592, concerning protections for educational workers and sports officials. DOE, the Charter School Commission, HGA, HSTA, school principals, athletic programs, and many individual testifiers supported the bill, with several describing threats, harassment, and aggressive behavior at schools and athletic events. One principal said he had repeatedly involved law enforcement after threats and incidents on campus, and a teacher testified about the need to keep school environments safe and orderly. The Office of the Public Defender again opposed the bill, arguing that current law already enhances penalties for assaults and terroristic threatening against educational workers and sports officials, and that new offenses would have little deterrent effect. Committee members questioned whether the bill should be a separate statute and how to distinguish passionate advocacy from harassment; DOE said the line was crossed when conduct became excessive and repetitive, while the public defender urged clearer drafting and more emphasis on prevention, education, security, and de-escalation. No vote or final action was announced in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also provide a data portal that performs an initial compliance check and data validation.
• in on demand wheelchair accessible transportation, as well as supporting setting the associated performance
• However, in 2025, we've encountered challenges in meeting performance metrics, although that has not
• was also an urgency to understanding the impacts of TNCs in San Francisco, so we partnered with academic
• The impact studies were peer reviewed and published in academic journals.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• qualification efforts and stockpile-related projects, resulting in three large team Distinguished Performance
• comprehensive human sexuality education, and requiring the Public Education Department to develop academic
• content and performance standards for comprehensive human sexuality education.
• Defining terms and providing minimum requirements for academic content for comprehensive human sexuality
• And I think it's going to be very important that this guardrails bill have performance standards.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you want to talk about academic performance, again, whether the student is following school rules,
• If you want to talk about academic<02:25:16.319> performance,<02:25:16.960> again,<02:25
• :17.680> um,<02:25:18.160> uh, academic performance, again, um, uh, academic performance
• must teach either the state academic must teach either the state academic standards<02:26:19.040
• So, a parent's academic standards.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee's Committee to hear State Auditor's Office performance
• They help people perform activities of daily living. Or disability in many different settings.
• States with more requirements to enter this field of work perform no differently.
• were not performance standards set in the contract.
• So there's no financial relationship in terms of the performance measure. Correct.

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee heard a State Auditor’s Office performance audit on the Restoring Quality Home Care Initiative (I-1163), which created home care aide certification requirements, FBI background checks, and an abuse/neglect registry. Auditors said some requirements likely improve safety, especially background checks and training, but the state lacked pre-2011 data to measure outcomes directly. They also found Washington has a long-term care workforce shortage, though its workforce supply ranks better than many states, and that more stringent entry requirements do not appear to reduce workforce participation compared with other states. The audit’s main concern was that the certification process is slow and burdensome. Auditors reported that most applicants never finish certification, that only about one-third of fiscal year 2025 applicants were certified within the 200-day legal deadline, and that the average time to certification was 463 days. They identified delays between training and testing, limited testing access in some areas, and redundant Department of Health verification of FBI background checks as key causes. The audit recommended streamlining the process by accepting applications later in the process, expanding testing within training programs, and eliminating the redundant background-check verification. Department of Health and Department of Social and Health Services staff largely agreed with the audit’s findings and recommendations. They said they have already made improvements, including moving exams into more than 110 training programs, increasing credentialing staff, and reducing barriers through rule changes. DSHS noted testing is offered in 13 languages. Committee members asked about testing contract incentives, language access, and whether the agencies would seek statutory or budget changes to implement the recommendations. No public testimony was offered, and the meeting adjourned without any vote or formal action by the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• Since HYS has already been performed in the libraries, we think this is a great project, not a pilot,
• Uh since HYS has already<00:12:08.560> been<00:12:08.720> performed<00:12:09.040> in
• <00:12:09.200> the<00:12:09.360> libraries already been performed in the libraries
• have members [snorts] that perform. have members [snorts] that perform.
• Debbie Halbert, Vice President for Academic Strategy.

Bills: HB1977, HB1764, HB1934, HB2533, HB1790, HB2181, HB1870, HB2140, HB2468, HB2358, HB1588, HB1688, HB1986, HB2030, HB2195, HB1949, HB1695, HB1950, HB2094, HB2115, HB2297, HB2336, HB2416, HB2049

Keywords: maternal health, infant health, mobile application, Medicaid, healthcare access, state programs, music education, public concerts, Hawaii State Library, cultural collaboration, music accessibility, libraries, education, reading programs, early childhood, nonprofit, community engagement, teacher retention, Hawaiian language education, special needs schools

Transcript Highlights:

• mechanism, most concerningly, to verify that the required training will actually produce field performance
• produce field field performance produce field field performance improvement<02:18:18.960> and
• we can actually measure the performance we can actually measure the performance in<02:20:02.880>
• of measured outcomes and performance of measured outcomes and performance improvement<02:20:16.960
• <02:20:59.840> objectives, build it into performance objectives, build it into performance

Bills: HB1977, HB1764, HB1934, HB2533, HB1790, HB2181, HB1870, HB2140, HB2468, HB2358, HB1588, HB1688, HB1986, HB2030, HB2195, HB1949, HB1695, HB1950, HB2094, HB2115, HB2297, HB2336, HB2416, HB2049

Keywords: maternal health, infant health, mobile application, Medicaid, healthcare access, state programs, music education, public concerts, Hawaii State Library, cultural collaboration, music accessibility, libraries, education, reading programs, early childhood, nonprofit, community engagement, teacher retention, Hawaiian language education, special needs schools