Transcript Highlights:

• At the end of this year, starting on December 26, 2025, and running through January 5th, 2026, Minnesota
• At the end of this year, starting on December 26, 2025, and running through January 5th, 2026, Minnesota
• Pre-tournament exhibition matches will bring fresh eyes to every corner of our state from Baiji to Duth
• We're going to start off with of you.
• We're going to start off with of course<00:04:08.640><c> uh</c><00:04:09.200><c> the</c><00:04:09.439

Transcript Highlights:

• The academic goals for students were to graduate academically competent students, and as Elizabeth and
• The academic goals for students were to graduate academically competent students, and as Elizabeth and
• And we'll start with academic standards and assessment.
• And we'll start with academic standards and assessment.
• We'll start with school ratings.

Summary: The committee received a lengthy Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on Arkansas academic standards, accountability systems, and adequacy requirements. Staff reviewed how state curriculum and standards have evolved from the 1997 Public Education Act through the 2003 Quality Education Act and the 2017 Educational Support and Accountability Act, including required coursework, standards for accreditation, career and technical education, graduation requirements, and recent additions such as computer science, personal finance, firearm safety, and fetal growth and development instruction. Members asked for a chart comparing the major laws and repeals over time, and staff agreed to provide one. The presentation then turned to federal ESSA requirements and Arkansas’s state accountability system. Staff explained Arkansas’s long-term goals for proficiency, English learner progress, and graduation rates, and reported 2025 ATLAS proficiency results, which remained below the 80% goal across student groups. They also reviewed English learner progress, graduation rates, school support and improvement, and equitable access to educators. Data showed gaps by subgroup and by school poverty/minority concentration, with Title I and high-poverty schools more likely to have emergency/provisional teachers and less experienced staff. Members questioned the lack of recent data for some ESSA measures, including equity labs and school index calculations, and asked staff to follow up with the Department of Education. The committee also discussed NAEP results, ACT scores, and teacher quality measures under the state accountability act. Arkansas’s NAEP performance remained below national averages in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math, and ACT composite scores and benchmark attainment were also reviewed. Members asked for additional information on historical highs and lows, the number of assessments students take by grade, dropout data, and comparisons with other states. No formal votes were taken; the main action was agreement to request additional information from DESE and to schedule department follow-up at a future meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• The academic goals for students were to graduate academically competent students, and as Elizabeth and
• The academic goals for students were to graduate academically competent students, and as Elizabeth and
• We'll start with academic standards and assessment.
• We'll start with school ratings.
• We'll start with fiscal distress.

Summary: The committee received a lengthy Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on Arkansas academic standards, accountability systems, and adequacy-related requirements. Staff reviewed the history of state curriculum and accreditation laws, the current standards for grades K-12, required high school units and graduation pathways, and recent changes such as career-ready pathways, embedded instruction requirements, and the distinction between courses required to be offered versus courses actually taken by students. Members asked for a chart comparing the 1997, 2003, 2015, 2017, and later law changes, and staff agreed to provide one. The presentation then turned to the federal ESSA plan and Arkansas’s state accountability system. Staff summarized ESSA requirements, Arkansas’s long-term goals for proficiency, English learner progress, and graduation rates, and recent data showing that 2025 proficiency rates remained well below the 80% goal, while English learner progress and graduation rates were also below long-term targets. The committee discussed school support and improvement, equitable access to educators, report cards, and the apparent lack of evidence that equity labs are currently being conducted. Members requested follow-up from the Department of Education on equity labs, report card data, and whether the ESSA plan can be changed. The presentation also covered state assessment results under the Arkansas Accountability Act, including ATLAS, DLM, ELPA 21, ACT, and NAEP data, along with teacher access measures and geographic shortage districts. Staff reported that Title I and high-poverty schools tend to have more emergency/provisional teachers and less experienced staff, and that shortage districts are concentrated in parts of the state. Members asked for additional information on test highs and lows, the number of assessments students take, dropout data, and whether higher teacher salaries have affected shortage areas. The committee also discussed district levels of support under the state accountability system, including the possibility of state intervention at the highest level of support.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we do have a quorum, so we're going to get started.
• Do you like me to start? Be glad to. Go right ahead.
• </c> you like me to start? Be glad to. you like me to start? Be glad to.
• And so then we have to reissue an RFP and do a fresh procurement on it. Okay.
• </c><02:08:33.199><c> last</c> And and and Miss Mcuarter started last And and and Miss Mcuarter started

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the June 10 minutes, and then handled a routine agenda of contracts and agreements. It deferred one Kentucky Educational Television contract to the August 2025 meeting because the vendor was not registered with the Secretary of State, and then approved the remaining routine items on the PSC green list and related contract lists without objection. The most detailed discussion involved two personal service contracts for the Kentucky Employees Health Plan. Officials from the Personnel Cabinet and Department of Employee Insurance explained that the contracts were designed to identify claims errors and overspending, with vendors paid a percentage of validated savings recovered for the plan. Senators asked how the savings were calculated and whether the contracts had changed plan processes; staff said the contracts had produced realized savings, some errors had been corrected going forward, and the vendors report quarterly. The committee approved those contracts. The committee then took up a retroactive Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority contract for a customized College Info Road Show bus. Members questioned why the contract was being presented months after execution, why it involved an out-of-state vendor, and whether the purchase was reasonable and timely. KHEAA staff said the delay stemmed from the need to finalize sustainability and safety details after the RFP, and acknowledged internal process and staffing issues. Several members criticized the retroactive approval process and said they could not validate the purchase from the information provided, but the committee ultimately approved the contract after debate. A final KHEAA discussion focused on the purpose and value of the mobile outreach bus. Staff said the bus supports college and financial aid outreach, especially in rural areas, and has been used for 26 years. Some members questioned the return on investment and whether the state should rely more on broadband and remote outreach, while others supported the program as a way to reach students and families. The committee approved the KHEAA contract, with Senator Douglas voting no and explaining concerns about whether such outreach programs are the proper role of government and whether they are the best use of public funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• The academic goals for students were to graduate academically competent students, and as Elizabeth and
• We'll start with academic standards and assessment.
• As required, We'll start with academic standards and assessment.
• To start us To start us off, here are the first set of achievement requirements from ESSA.
• We'll start with school ratings.

Transcript Highlights:

• But his calling started long before that.
• Donald Trump who started an illegal war.
• It is her talent or academic excellence.
• Actually start to take a look when you start seeing countries like Greece and those much healthier than
• And so you start to take a look at this. And so you start to take a look at this.

Transcript Highlights:

• we start on time, we finish on time.
• We get this meeting started.
• So, um to start So, we'll dig right in.
• fund and start planning...
• </c> in until January 2028 and then starting in until January 2028 and then starting in<00:28:36.880>

Summary: The committee met and approved the minutes from its August 27 meeting. It then received a presentation from Katherine Castanza of the National Conference of State Legislators on the Medicaid provisions in the 2025 budget reconciliation bill, referred to as HR1. She explained that the bill is estimated by CBO to save the federal government $911 billion over 10 years, with more than 20 Medicaid-specific provisions, most of the savings concentrated in five policies and largely backloaded into 2030-2034. She emphasized that the bill’s effects will vary by state, but that expansion states and hospitals are expected to be most affected, in part because of changes to eligibility, provider taxes, and state-directed payments. Castanza highlighted several new funding and flexibility provisions, including a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund for 2026-2030 and a new home- and community-based services waiver option effective July 1, 2028, with $100 million in grants in fiscal year 2027. She also outlined major eligibility changes for Medicaid expansion adults: work or community engagement requirements effective January 1, 2027; twice-yearly redeterminations for the expansion population effective the same date; and new cost sharing for certain expansion adults effective October 1, 2028. She noted that Kentucky, as an expansion state, would be subject to these changes and that state agencies would face significant implementation demands, especially because federal guidance and timelines are tight. A substantial portion of the presentation focused on financing changes. Castanza described new limits on provider taxes, including a 0% safe harbor for new taxes and a phased reduction for existing taxes in expansion states beginning in 2028, while nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities are exempt from the reduction if already taxed. She also explained that state-directed payments will be capped and phased down over time, with existing arrangements grandfathered only briefly; she said Kentucky has 11 approved state-directed payments and could see significant fiscal effects. She added that the bill also bars Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood or similarly situated providers for one year, changes immigrant eligibility rules effective October 1, 2026, lowers the federal match for certain emergency services, and expands the scope of the federal erroneous payment recoupment provision effective October 1, 2029. Throughout, she stressed that federal savings may translate into state cost shifts and that implementation timing will be critical.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, it does take effort, time, and a little bit of financial investment to get started, but that's if
• Again, you start putting a thousand birds on the ground, that's... ...especially during right now, the
• We all started, I mean, even...
• Major corporations started out as probably a small feed store at some point that started selling and
• I guess I'll start about the section of the bill—I think it's section D—that puts a cap of $50.

Bills: SB1864

Committee: House Agriculture & Livestock

Keywords: eggs, ungraded eggs, egg grading, poultry, farm products, local food, small farmers, direct-to-consumer sales, wholesale food sales, food safety, refrigeration requirements, sanitation standards, occupational license, dealer-wholesaler license, Texas Department of Agriculture, restaurants, small grocery stores, cooperatives, farmers cooperative, agricultural regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• And Central or Evergreen, once one of you start speaking, you start speaking.
• academic journey.
• So if a faculty member or an academic advisor, or really any staff member, starts to see concerns that
• Through that early academic alert system, we started to notice that students who received multiple alerts
• And we will start with Acacia. I would like to start off by saying my name is Acacia Ingram.

Summary: The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee heard two work sessions focused on student access and retention, then held public hearings on gubernatorial appointments before taking executive action. Washington Student Achievement Council staff presented the Washington Completes FAFSA campaign, created by Executive Order 2508, describing its advisory board, outreach strategy, dashboard tracking, and progress toward goals of 46,000 FAFSA/WASFA completions and improved equity in completion rates. They also highlighted broader college access tools such as trainings, printed materials, completion events, Otterbot texting support, and the new “Changing the Narrative” report and College Toolkit, which emphasize multiple postsecondary pathways, relatable messengers, and short video content. The committee then heard from the Council of Presidents and Central Washington University and Evergreen State College on student support services. Presenters discussed retention data, FERPA-related limits on parent communication, and the impact of budget cuts on advising, tutoring, wellness, and other services. Evergreen described the Shelton Promise program, including recruitment, summer bridge, basic-needs supports, peer mentoring, texting outreach, and early retention results showing 52 of 53 students continuing. Central Washington outlined its learner access and support plan, including required advising, University 101, early academic alerts, peer mentoring embedded in coursework, the Students First Center, and a Paying for College Guide, while noting that budget reductions have limited some support offerings. In the public hearing, the committee considered Latasha Wortham’s appointment to the Tacoma Community College Board of Trustees and a panel of student appointees to various boards and councils, including Evergreen, Washington Student Achievement Council, the Workforce Education Investment Accountability and Oversight Board, Washington State University, Eastern Washington University, Edmonds College, and Western Washington University. Testimony emphasized first-generation and immigrant backgrounds, student advocacy, basic needs, and the importance of student voice in governance. In executive session, the committee adopted a substitute and gave Senate Bill 6325 a due pass recommendation to Ways and Means; the bill would shift certain higher education cost increases from tuition to state funds over time and direct a WSIPP study on essential student services. The committee also recommended confirmation for the listed gubernatorial appointments.

Transcript Highlights:

• But we're going to start working units.
• </c> The first use case we're going to start The first use case we're going to start on<00:09:18.240>
• Now you start having additional issues.
• Um but uh it's get stuff started.
• Much, much harder and often much more costly to go around the perimeter and buy fresh fruits, fresh vegetables

Summary: The Health Services Committee heard a presentation from Dr. Steven Stack, Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, on Kentucky’s Rural Health Transformation Program. He said Kentucky received about $213 million in federal funding, among the highest awards nationally, after a fast application and negotiation process. He emphasized that the grant is time-limited, must be used for the specific goals in the state’s application, and cannot be treated as a general bailout or replacement for existing funding. He also noted the state will use a website, ruralhealthplan.ky.gov, to share the full application, award terms, and future opportunities. Dr. Stack outlined five focus areas: maternal health and prenatal/early childhood supports; EMS and trauma response workforce and transfer capacity; behavioral health crisis care through the EMPATH model and mobile crisis services; oral health access through more hygienists, telehealth, and hub-and-spoke models; and rural community hubs for chronic disease prevention and innovation, including food-as-medicine and healthier lifestyle interventions. He stressed that the program is meant to be transformative, not duplicative, and that it cannot pay clinician salaries, fund new construction, replace EMR systems broadly, or duplicate billable services. He said the state will work with community partners, hospitals, universities, and others, including the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, to begin implementation. Members responded positively overall. Senator Berg praised the award and the goal of integrating care across the state, but raised concerns about access to prenatal care and about possible future changes to water fluoridation, warning both could harm children and rural families. The chair and other members thanked Dr. Stack for the update and congratulated him on the award. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Put a fresh heart in us that it would reflect your desire for peace and amity.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to start off with uh of you.
• And it all starts with a visit.
• And it all starts with a visit.
• Uh and it all starts comes together.
• </c> Uh so remaining in the bill uh starting Uh so remaining in the bill uh starting in<00:59:07.440>

Bills: HF1007 , HF1152 , HF1671 , HF2258

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• will let them go ahead and introduce themselves, and then whenever you guys are ready, we'll get started
• Let's start off with some basics. How much land is going to be used?
• Only 3% of the earth's water is fresh water and drinkable by humans.
• What is the projected date for the project to start?
• They would like to start. Okay, well, thank you. Representative Joe. Thank you, Mr.

Committees: House Agriculture , House Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• they were targeted specifically at academic recovery.
• Reardon, let me start with the comments. Dr.
• scores than the money not spent on academic efforts, but we can't say that the money not spent on academic
• I just want to start by saying thank you.
• Until we start addressing those kind of things that start the gap early on that then becomes harder and

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• audio] [Unintelligible audio] [Unintelligible audio] e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e Before we get started
• And basically it started to manifest when people with eye injuries or chronic migraines started to get
• And basically it started to manifest when people with eye injuries or chronic migraines started to get
• So again, my testimony with you is fresh. I'll leave it at that.
• </c> again my testimony with you is fresh again my testimony with you is fresh I'll<04:56:26.120><c>

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 758, which would establish a study committee on airport operation hours and possible noise abatement measures, including whether New Hampshire should prohibit departures between midnight and 6 a.m. The sponsor said the committee would examine the pros and cons and consult stakeholders. The Bureau of Aeronautics testified neutrally, noting that New Hampshire has 25 public airports, 12 with federal funding and grant assurances that may require them to remain open during those hours, and that cargo operations, including at Manchester, commonly occur overnight. Members also discussed existing noise abatement programs and how mitigation is determined by noise contours and FAA funding decisions. No vote was taken; the chair closed the hearing after testimony. The committee then heard House Bill 489, allowing voluntary emergency workers to use rear-facing blue lights on private vehicles when responding to emergencies. The sponsor said the bill corrects an oversight in existing law, would not cost the state or towns money, and would improve visibility and safety, especially in rural areas. Supportive testimony from a volunteer responder emphasized that blue lights help cut through fog, snow, and nighttime conditions, and that the bill would only add a single rear-facing blue light to existing red, amber, and white emergency lighting. The New Hampshire State Police opposed the bill, arguing that expanding blue lights to private vehicles would confuse the public and desensitize drivers to blue lights, which are associated with law enforcement. The hearing closed without action. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 533, which the sponsor and State Police clarified is actually two separate changes: one authorizing civilian automotive equipment inspectors to assist with vehicle inspection work, and another expanding language in motor carrier enforcement to include new entrant safety audits and compliance reviews. The State Police explained that civilian inspectors are hired and trained through the department and that any findings of state-law violations would be referred to troopers; they also said the new motor carrier language was requested to satisfy federal audit concerns about right of entry. The New Hampshire Motor Transport Association said it had no position if the civilian inspectors were not doing commercial truck inspections, but would oppose the bill if they were. Members asked about the difference between audits and compliance reviews, and the State Police said audits are for newer carriers and are non-enforcement, while compliance reviews look for violations. The chair then closed the hearing on HB 533. After a brief reset, the committee opened House Bill 594, which would repeal an alternate definition of “way” for the driving-after-suspension statute. The sponsor said the change was requested by the Department of Justice. Representative Erica Leon opposed the repeal, explaining that the prior language was intended to avoid criminalizing people who mow lawns or perform similar work near property edges while suspended, but she worried the repeal could create a loophole allowing driving on places like highway medians. Members questioned whether the issue was limited to mowing or broader vehicle use on property edges, and Leon said she would work with agencies to clarify the language so it protects lawful mowing without allowing misuse. No vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We thank you for the fresh air, the rich soil, the wide open prairies, the vast forests, the wild and

Transcript Highlights:

• start.
• </c><00:45:28.760><c> start.
• </c> uh seeking refuge and a fresh start. uh seeking refuge and a fresh start.
• </c> and the senators can go eat as we start. and the senators can go eat as we start.
• Um this revolving fund<04:14:10.440><c> um</c> fund um fund um started started started the<04:14:13.080

Transcript Highlights:

• I started the year by telling these girls, hey guys, we're not going to be undefeated.
• The chairman started opening up an envelope and was trying to deliver a good letter.
• Yeah, I know. uh chairman started opened Yeah, I know. uh chairman started opened up<01:23:53.800><c>
• You can't just show up and start flying around our buildings.
• You can't just show up and start flying around our buildings.

Transcript Highlights:

• Imagine the impacts on Minnesotans in the dead of winter or having no fresh drinking water for our families
• motans in the debt of winter or<00:05:11.360><c> having</c><00:05:11.600><c> no</c><00:05:11.840><c> fresh
• /c><00:05:12.120><c> drinking</c><00:05:12.600><c> water</c><00:05:13.440><c> for</c> or having no fresh
• drinking water for or having no fresh drinking water for our<00:05:14.280><c> families</c><00:05:15.280
• and I want to start by saying that<01:04:54.920><c> covid</c><01:04:55.319><c> was</c><01:04:56.039>

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll start with answering some questions.
• Okay, so where do we start? Up here on top. Okay.
• You're okay, I'm gonna start over to make sure I get this right.
• When they first started using them, they didn't really like them.
• As mentioned previously, we started with this.

Bills: HB1583 , HB1775 , HB1832 , HB1836 , HB1837 , HB1866 , HB1983 , HB2029 , HB2217 , HB2318 , HB2363 , HB2486

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: mental health, emergency detention, peace officer, mental illness, prevention of harm, border security, private landowners, study and report, General Land Office, participation, controlled substances, opioid antagonists, law enforcement training, substance abuse prevention, Texas-Mexico border, criminal justice, public safety, law enforcement, National Park Service, arrest powers