Transcript Highlights:

• HB 2 represents a strategic student-centered investment in public health.
• Of the collective school districts just named, we represent. 17% of the public school students attending
• 1.5 million students across districts in Texas which represents a billion. about 30% of our independent
• $50 a student.
• that students need additional. sources of support and I think that was something that Representative

Bills: HB2, HB2

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace

Transcript Highlights:

• I also want to acknowledge some students here from the area and Shirley, a school district where I represent
• We represent youth and students who have faced removal from school due to their disabilities and have
• We are currently representing students with disabilities who have been removed from school based on subjective
• Immigrant students, students with disabilities, and English learner students do still, at least right
• students.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a very full public hearing on the first Education Committee hearing of the session, with testimony taken on a large slate of bills, especially H. 650/S. 436 and related measures. The chairs explained the hearing rules, including two-minute testimony limits, live streaming, written testimony, and accommodations for interpreters and disabilities. The committee first heard extensive testimony on H. 460/S. 436 and later H. 650/S. 436, bills to affirm and maintain equal access to public education for all children, including immigrant students, English learners, and students with disabilities. Witnesses included parents, advocates, educators, attorneys, and state officials, many of whom described fears caused by federal policy changes and argued that Massachusetts should codify protections for school enrollment, special education, interpreter services, and due process in discipline cases. The Attorney General’s office, Mass Advocates for Children, Lawyers for Civil Rights, MIRA, the Children’s Law Center, the Disability Law/advocacy community, and others all urged favorable action, while committee members asked questions about Plyler v. Doe, manifestation determinations, interpreter qualifications, and how the bill would mirror or preserve existing federal protections at the state level. The committee also heard testimony on H. 702/S. 460, establishing an elementary and secondary school robotics grant program, which was supported as a way to expand STEM opportunities and help schools fund robotics programs. Representative Sweeney also testified on H. 713, a bill to support student participation in 4-H programming by allowing excused absences similar to those for athletics and other sanctioned activities; members noted bipartisan support and the bill’s long history. The hearing then moved to H. 543/S. 417, a recess bill requiring at least 30 minutes of free-play recess for K-8 students. Supporters included the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the League of Women Voters, educators, and parents, who emphasized recess as important for physical health, social-emotional development, attention, and academic performance, and noted that unequal local policies create disparities across districts. Several witnesses also tied recess to broader concerns about student well-being and screen time. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee simply received testimony and closed testimony on the bills as it moved through the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Representative. Next we'll have Representative Hernandez. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• The students. Who preps them? The students. So, literally...
• my students.
• Representative.
• Madam Chair and Representative Morrow, we have. We have around 270 students in total.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Brown.
• I'd like to know, first off, are any of the students that you see student, Are any of the students that
• Representative Gonzalez. Representative Gonzalez, this is our last question.
• Student growth funding cannot be transferred out of the student growth fund.
• learner students but declined within enhanced student achievement, or ESA.

Summary: The committee approved the March 9 and 10 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Arkansas Department of Education on the Arkansas Excellence in Teaching Fellowship, featuring three third-grade teachers from Cabot, Poyen, and Drew Central who are also teacher merit pay recipients. The teachers described the fellowship as a year-long Zoom-based collaboration with about 23 educators statewide, focused on sharing classroom strategies, data use, and professional support. Members asked about the teachers’ experience, how they share what they learn with their districts, the range of grades represented in the fellowship, and the relationship between the fellowship and merit pay. The teachers emphasized building relationships with students, using data to drive instruction, early intervention, and collaboration across grade levels, while the secretary said the program is intended to identify and elevate high-performing teachers and spread their practices. A major portion of the discussion focused on third-grade reading, retention, and the new ATLAS testing system. Teachers and the secretary said students are screened and progress monitored throughout the year, families are notified early if students are at risk, and schools are using interventions, tutoring, and individualized reading plans. They said ATLAS results are now available much faster than in the past, often within 24 hours or a few days, allowing teachers and parents to respond quickly. Members asked about the impact of poverty, trauma, foster care, DHS involvement, IEPs, and critical shortage areas; teachers said relationship-building, small-group instruction, and coordination with counselors and special education staff are key. The secretary said the fellowship is a small subset of a broader merit pay program, that participation was voluntary, and that the state is trying to build a coherent system with literacy coaches, high-impact tutoring, and clearer standards rather than teaching to the test. Members also discussed broader policy issues, including the need for more positive public messaging about public education, teacher input in decision-making, and support for early childhood education. Several legislators asked whether the state should expand funding for early learning and whether more literacy or academic coaches are needed in districts that improve and then lose eligibility for state support. The secretary said the state has committed literacy coaches to D and F schools and is still working through how to sustain support as schools improve. He also said the administration would look at data and return on investment before supporting additional funding, and he encouraged legislators to help recruit eligible teachers into future fellowship cohorts. After the teacher panel concluded, the committee moved on to the adequacy resource allocation study, where Bureau of Legislative Research staff began a presentation on state and local education funding sources, categorical funds, and district spending patterns.

Transcript Highlights:

• representing labor.
• Nobody wants to suspend a student, or nobody wants to expel a student.
• If you take it by student, it's a cut of $517 per student.
• Also, our policy chairs: Representative Prior, excuse me, Representative Jordan, and Representative Bennett
• Asian students? 91%. Black students, 84%. White students, 93%. And multiracial, 90%.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, uh, questions for Representative Tinderhope. Representative Schaffner.
• students.
• students who are sort of you referred to as undocumented students.
• students and some of those affidavit students are illegal immigrants.
• Um, as Representative Davis had mentioned, if students only knew, if communities only knew of the options

Transcript Highlights:

• Every student in Minnesota deserves to feel seen, to be represented in the history they learn.
• Every student in Minnesota deserves to feel seen, to be represented in the history they learn.
• Every student in Minnesota deserves to feel seen, to be represented in the history they learn.
• This is simply because students actually feel like they're being represented in their education, and
• House File 29 and ensure that every student has access to a curriculum that represents them.

Bills: HF29, HF921, HF922, HF1048, HF1049

Keywords: railroad, infrastructure, transportation funding, environmental remediation, capital investment, HF921, tax increment financing, TIF, excess tax increment, school district aid, levy adjustment, property tax levy, education finance, Minnesota education aid, decertification, local government finance, school funding formula, state aid reduction, referendum equalization aid, debt service equalization

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Reyes Oda, Representative Sayama, Representative Shimizu, Representative Souza, Representative
• Takayama, Representative Tam, Representative Tarnas, Representative Templo, Representative Todd, Representative
• Representative Perruso, Representative Poepoe, Representative Quinlan, Representative Reyes Oda, Representative
• Representative Tam, Representative Tarnas, Representative Templo excused, Representative Todd, Representative
• <00:13:15.560> representative Representative representative Representative representative Kush

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House convened with a roll call showing 48 members present and three excused, then deferred reading of the journal. There were no messages from the Governor or Senate communications. The session featured numerous introductions recognizing the annual secondary student conference, with members welcoming more than 150 students from 28 public schools, along with teachers, advisers, and other visitors from schools across the state. Under reports of standing committees, Representative Todd moved to adopt standing committee reports Nos. 23 through 29 and advance the accompanying House bills to second reading and referral to the designated committees; Representative Moriwaki seconded, and the motion carried. Members then offered brief positions on several bills, including one dealing with evidence preservation and parental notification, and another prohibiting fines, fees, or court costs against people adjudicated for offenses committed as minors. Testimony and comments reflected both support and opposition, with some members reserving their position and others opposing the measures; concerns raised included the need for clearer parental-notification standards and objections to eliminating penalties for juvenile offenses. The House also considered a bill limiting court-ordered community service for minors to no more than 72 hours, with some members reserving and others opposing. After discussion, the motion on the committee reports was carried by voice vote. There were no resolutions for action, and all other resolutions were referred to print. The House then adjourned until 12:00 noon Monday.

Transcript Highlights:

• We represent 17 schools and 10,000 students across our state.
• <00:59:15.440> student to um increase the student student to um increase the student student
• Representative Depal: No. Representative Gander: No. Representative Gordon: No.
• Representative Green: I. Representative Hill: Yes. Representative Johnson: I.
• Representative Green: I. Representative Hill: Yes. Representative Johnson: I.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 4893, a school safety and gun violence prevention bill, and first adopted a DE1 amendment before hearing the bill. The author and supporters described the measure as a layered approach to school safety, combining increased funding for student support personnel, required school safety plans, and anonymous threat reporting systems. They cited research from the Violence Prevention Project and other sources arguing that many school shooters are insiders, often show warning signs, and frequently leak plans beforehand, making early intervention and trusted adults in schools important. Members and testifiers also discussed the bill’s firearm storage provisions. Representative Green explained that the bill would require firearms on school property and in vehicles to be unloaded and locked, and would limit or remove principals’ discretion to allow firearms in school buildings, while preserving access for trained school security personnel. Supporters said the bill would improve clarity and safety for schools, while a representative from private schools raised concerns that the language could limit flexibility and create staffing and accountability problems for non-public schools, prompting discussion of possible amendments. Several student and organizational testifiers supported the bill, including students from Edina High School, Education Minnesota, the Minnesota School Counselors Association, and the Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota. They emphasized the impact of gun violence on students’ mental health and learning, the value of anonymous reporting systems, and the need to invest in counselors, social workers, psychologists, and nurses. No final vote on the bill was taken in the portion provided, but the committee did adopt the DE1 amendment and continued discussion of possible changes, including with the BCA and school safety center.

Transcript Highlights:

• Falkner uh representative representative Falkner uh representative Norris<00:02:40.239> sensor
• Representative Keeler said she advocates for students and would want to spend more time with them.
• Representative Myers responded that he had received a lot of feedback from teachers and students who
• Representative Clardy said the bill builds on work related to absenteeism and student attendance through
• I want to shout out to the testifiers, Jose, the students, Superintendent Corn, and Representative Clardy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Baker, Representative Brown, Representative Truitt, Representative Bowling, Representative
• Bray, Representative Petrie, Representative McCool, Representative Tipton, Chair Riley.
• Representative Brown, Representative Truitt, Representative Bowling, Representative Bray, Representative
• . students. students.
• Represent<00:30:01.919> Mcool. Represent Mcool. Represent Mcool.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met without a quorum, so no minutes were approved. The committee then heard a presentation from Western Kentucky University President Timothy Kabone, who highlighted WKU’s recent gains in graduation rate, retention, degree production, graduate enrollment, research activity, and financial stability. He said WKU’s FY 2026 budget is structurally balanced without one-time reserves, and he tied the university’s growth to its strategic plan and to Senate Bill 77, which created a pathway for WKU’s first PhD program. WKU’s initial PhD offering is planned in data sciences for fall 2027, and Kabone said the university continues to pursue R2 research status. Kabone also outlined WKU’s budget requests, including a 4.5% base appropriation increase for each year of the biennium, a $30 million increase in the performance funding pool, a $30 million trust fund for tuition waiver reimbursement, and $2 million per year for the Gatton Academy. He also requested continued funding for the Kentucky Mesonet, 8.9% of proposed asset preservation funding, and support for a $280 million new Potter College facility. He emphasized inflationary pressures, rising fixed costs, and the burden of mandated tuition waivers, and said the university supports performance funding but wants the model adjusted to better reward student success rather than enrollment growth. Members asked about WKU’s student housing situation and the transition away from the former student life foundation model. Kabone said the foundation structure had run its course, that the university had lacked adequate oversight under the old arrangement, and that WKU is moving to a public-private partnership with Gilbane and the College Housing Foundation. He said the new model would not increase the university’s debt load and would replace older residence halls with a roughly 1,000-bed complex, eliminate community-style bathrooms over time, and expand living-learning communities. Representatives McCool and Tipton praised WKU’s graduation and retention results and asked questions about the housing project and its timeline. The committee then heard from CareerVXR and KCTCS about a proposed career exploration pilot. Company representatives said the platform uses web-based and virtual reality experiences to show students real jobs and workplaces, with the goal of addressing an “awareness gap” in workforce participation. They proposed a $1.8 million, two-year pilot to reach 50,000 to 60,000 students in three regions, including Hazard Community and Technical College, Southeast Community and Technical College, and western Kentucky. Members asked about cost, funding source, and locations, and were told the request would come through the KCTCS budget. The meeting ended with notice that the next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, February 26.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, Representative...
• So, Representative...
• Together we represent nearly 10,000 student workers who do teaching and research that is essential to
• As a union representative, I always try to give student workers the best possible advice to maximize
• I live in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and my union represents about 2,400 graduate student workers at the

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a public hearing with about 43 witnesses and a 1:00 p.m. hard stop, and the chair repeatedly asked speakers to keep testimony to three minutes. Much of the hearing focused on S. 747/H. 1336, which would extend paid family and medical leave and unemployment insurance to graduate student workers. Supporters included legislators, union leaders, graduate workers from MIT, Harvard, BU, WPI, UMass Lowell, and others, and legal advocates. They argued graduate workers perform full-time teaching and research work, pay taxes, and should not be excluded from basic safety-net benefits; several witnesses described personal hardships involving childbirth, serious illness, mental health crises, funding cuts, or fear of losing income. Testifiers also said the change would be revenue-neutral or revenue-generating and would not create major administrative burdens for universities, which already provide similar benefits to other employees. The committee also heard testimony on insurance-related bills. Christopher Stock of the Massachusetts Insurance Federation supported H. 1113 on public adjusters and H. 1345/S. 753 on flood-zone notifications for homebuyers, but opposed H. 4112, which would add a $2 surcharge on home insurance policies to fund fire cistern programs. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council strongly supported H. 1345, saying flood disclosure is needed because Massachusetts lacks statewide flood-notification requirements and flooding risks are increasing. Karen Alvarado supported H. 4352 on travel insurance, and John Fielding supported H. 1186 on pet insurance; both said the bills would create uniform regulatory frameworks and consumer protections. Rep. LeBoeuf testified for H. 4061 on workers’ compensation premium fraud, describing the bill as a transparency measure to combat fraud in construction by creating a public certificate-of-insurance database and QR-code verification system. Joe Bright of the carpenters’ union also supported H. 4061, citing fraud, misclassification, and the harm to injured workers. The hearing also included testimony on H. 4112, a bill to create a statewide fire suppression water resource fund and cistern program. Rep. Hogan and a Stowe fire chief described drought, brush fires, and the need for dedicated cisterns in communities without municipal water systems, saying the tanks provide reliable water for firefighting and are relatively low-tech once installed. Committee members asked questions about tank capacity, siting, maintenance, and funding. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our student body of around 5,400 students is approximately 61% students of color, approximately 60% of
• <00:57:59.799> is student body of around 5,400 students is student body of around 5,400 students
• our<00:58:04.880> students approximately 60% of our students approximately 60% of our students
• For the record, my name is Casey Meaf from Students United, representing 55,000 students across the seven
• <01:15:27.920> to<01:15:28.199> stay students and get more students to stay students

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• $15 per student.
• So moving the data from the legacy student information system or whatever student.
• with these students.
• On the ID system for our new Mexican students, which affects Synergy. Mr. Chair and representative.
• Who represents?

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:20:47.200> student absolutely student safety and student absolutely student safety and student
• . students. students.
• . students. students.
• One out of five students, four out of six students, two out of four students, one out of five students
• Um parents and students. students. students.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I believe first we have Representative, Representative...
• First-generation college students, students of color, low- and moderate-income students—now, they're
• Thank you, Representative. Well, thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Representative.
• So on behalf of US FIRE and our students and students across the Commonwealth, I ask.
• Are you talking about Massachusetts students or students? These are...

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Higher Education heard testimony on a wide range of bills touching student access, campus safety, and institutional support. Early testimony focused on H. 4544, which would create a state Hispanic-serving institution designation to replace a lost federal designation and potentially allow future funding. Representative Kushmerek and Fitchburg State President Donna Hodge described Fitchburg’s growing Latino student population, the university’s local commitments such as the Fitchburg Promise, and argued the bill would help the institution better serve its community. Committee members asked about how the tuition-free local program is financed, and the bill was described as having no immediate funding request but allowing for future appropriations. The committee also heard support for H. 1421, a proposed John F. Kennedy Service Scholarship Program for Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Commonwealth Corps alumni, with Representative Arena DeRosa arguing that student debt discourages service and that the program would help make citizen service more accessible to lower- and moderate-income students. Members raised questions about cost, take-up, and whether the program should be capped. H. 1449, dealing with transcript withholding, drew support from Representative LeBoeuf and USPyre’s Demi Stoltz, who said withholding transcripts over small balances or non-academic fees traps students and harms workforce participation; members discussed how schools could still collect debts without blocking transcripts. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to improve study-abroad safety reporting, with Carrie Pascarello urging a centralized data system after multiple student deaths and serious incidents abroad, and members asking about how other states handle similar transparency measures. Another major topic was H. 4113 on higher education sexual misconduct. Laura G. and Ashley Freeman supported a proposal aimed at preventing “passing the harasser” by requiring disclosure of substantiated findings or departures during open investigations in hiring processes. They said the bill would improve transparency and campus safety while preserving due process, and noted Washington State has a similar law. Members discussed whether the bill should be expanded to K-12 settings and asked about the Washington model’s effectiveness. The committee also heard from Mike Canavan of AFT Massachusetts in support of a bill to create a grant program for librarians to earn a master’s in library science, noting the credential is required for the profession but is not offered by any public institution in Massachusetts. No votes were taken, and the hearing concluded after all scheduled witnesses testified.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sponsored by Representative Shields and Representative... Thank you for being here.
• student wants.
• a stellar student.
• Representative Schmidt. Thank you, Representative. Representative Schmidt, you're... Thank you, Mr.
• and for EL students.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As superintendent of LCPS, I'm proud to represent more than 21,000 students and over 3,500 staff who
• This 3% improvement represents many of our students that we were able to re-engage back into our schools
• Representative Baca.
• All the schools do; we have four members, and those are our members here today, our students, who represent
• Students are rising.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Garrett, the lawsuit did have findings that at-risk students were not receiving the funding
• Thank you, Representative. Representative Baca, thank you, Mr.
• Students.
• That student.
• Chair and Representative: So yes, states do have programs that are designated towards particular student

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Lee: ...the content and the message on behalf of our students and educators is always
• > is student uh student attendance is student uh student attendance is available<01:31:08.119>
• negative outcomes for our students negative outcomes for our students representative representative
• to negative outcomes for our students to negative outcomes for our students representative<01:48
• Representative Bakeberg, I do have a question about Article 2 in your student attendance when, in subpart

Bills: HF6, HF52, HF53

Keywords: education, literacy, science of reading, school performance, funding flexibility, innovation zones, equity and inclusion, HF52, New Germany, wastewater treatment, wastewater facility, sewer infrastructure, capital investment, bonding bill, state bonds, Public Facilities Authority, municipal infrastructure, water quality, sanitation, sewage treatment