Video & Transcript Research : 'forensic evaluation'

Page 74 of 364
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Legislative Audit Committee Jun 1st, 2026

Joint Legislative Audit

Transcript Highlights:
  • As Assembly Member DeMaio mentioned, the audit request really directs my office to evaluate SANDAG's
  • DeMaio mentioned, Objective 6 has us focus on evaluating the extent to which SANDAG accurately...
  • And having this audit is, I think, an important step to evaluating whether that's appropriate.
  • And having this audit is, I think, an important step to evaluating whether that's appropriate.
  • I'm pleased to present an audit to evaluate the Department of Human Resources...
Keywords: 988, house, all
Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee met to hear status updates from the state auditor and consider several new audit requests. The auditor reported 10 JALAC audits in progress, including a new 2026 audit on DMV license revocation, and noted other statutory audits on the State Bar exam rollout, CSU/UC Title IX implementation, tobacco tax, state financial statements, federal compliance, and high-risk issues such as late financial reporting, Medi-Cal eligibility, and water infrastructure safety. The committee approved a consent calendar covering audits on UC library resources, law enforcement information sharing, EDD unemployment insurance claims, and Housing and Community Development housing development monitoring. The committee then considered Assembly Member DeMaio’s request to audit SANDAG’s road project management and use of transportation funds. DeMaio argued the audit was needed to examine whether restricted funds, voter-approved revenues, and project commitments were properly used and documented, citing prior problems with tolling and financial oversight. SANDAG’s CEO and CFO said the agency already undergoes extensive oversight and audits, has improved internal controls, and believed its funding uses were appropriate. Several members questioned whether the audit duplicated existing reviews and whether the issues were already public, and the request ultimately failed on a roll call vote. Next, Senator Valadares presented an audit of the Board of State and Community Corrections’ administration of Proposition 47 grants. Supporters said the audit would assess whether grant recipients comply with requirements and whether outcome and recidivism data are reliable, while BSCC said the program already has oversight, including biennial State Controller audits, and pointed to reported reductions in homelessness, unemployment, and recidivism. The committee approved the audit. Senator Cortese’s request to audit CalHR’s dental benefits procurement and Delta Dental contract also passed, with supporters citing rising out-of-pocket costs, provider network problems, and the long-running contract’s lack of competition; CalHR responded that most members have nearby access, it recently ran an RFP, and it will add MetLife as a second carrier in 2027. The committee then approved the remaining consent items and adjourned.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Anonymous threat reporting 3/24/26

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • So, we ask for those clear standards to be part of the bill for threat evaluation, prioritization, or
  • , the bill for threat evaluation, the bill for threat evaluation, prioritization,<00:14:00.399>
  • effectiveness as well as to evaluate effectiveness as well as analyze<00:15:26.959> any<00:15
  • <00:15:47.040> overall reporting to evaluate overall reporting to evaluate overall effectiveness
  • evaluating the effectiveness. evaluating the effectiveness.
Keywords: 919, house, all
Summary: The committee heard House File 3764, as amended by the DE1 amendment, which would allow school districts and charter schools to create local anonymous threat reporting systems. Representative Nadeau described the bill as an optional framework that would support 24/7 anonymous tips through an app, hotline, or website, use trained crisis counselors and school-based teams, coordinate with 911 and law enforcement when needed, require public awareness efforts and student training, and direct districts to report usage data to the Department of Education. The chair adopted the DE1 amendment, and the bill was moved before the committee with the intent to place it on the general register. Testimony was largely supportive. Chris Linquist of St. Francis Area Schools said his district has used the Sandy Hook Promise reporting system since 2023-24 and credited it with helping identify bullying, mental health crises, and other safety concerns outside school hours. Alexandra Fitz Simmons of Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota said anonymous reporting systems are an important prevention tool because students are often the first to see warning signs before violence occurs. Representative Lawrence also praised the bill for being encouraged rather than mandated and emphasized local control. Rick Kaufman, speaking for several school organizations, supported the concept but said the bill still lacked clear standards for how tips are evaluated and shared with school officials, and he urged stronger coordination and funding for staffing and training. Joe Oonie of the Department of Education said the department supports anonymous reporting systems but raised concerns about the costs of building data collection and reporting infrastructure, FERPA safeguards, and the need for resources to implement the bill effectively. Chair Bennett pushed back on the funding objection, arguing the department should be able to handle the reporting within existing resources, and Representative Roach later asked whether the department had higher-priority uses for its carryover funds. No final vote on the bill itself was taken in the portion provided, beyond adoption of the DE1 amendment.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Appropriations and Finance Jan 28th, 2026 at 02:54 pm

House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • So we have, as Sunny said, program evaluation; we look at that, we study it, and then after those three
  • component to this because, as you know, the best type of evaluations are more of providing a treatment
  • the moving forward into the economy so as i took this position on in evaluating the operation it was
  • So that is something that we're evaluating right now.
  • So that is something that we're evaluating right now. Thank you. And my last question, Mr.
Keywords: 996, all
WA
Transcript Highlights:
  • Even though we did not evaluate the effectiveness of the training topics or whether the time allotted
  • With that, I'd like to say that we appreciate the efforts of the state auditor's office to evaluate a
  • We appreciate the efforts of the state auditor's office to evaluate a very complex training model with
  • I think we still need some time to sort of evaluate how we move forward.
  • To examine these efforts, we evaluated the following questions.
Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee subcommittee heard three State Auditor’s Office performance audits: implementation of the Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act, Washington’s digital equity planning, and the Department of Commerce’s Digital Navigator Program. In the law enforcement training audit, the State Auditor found the Criminal Justice Training Commission had developed most required training content but had not developed all required topics, lacked a systematic project management approach, and had weak tools to ensure participation and compliance. Auditors said most officers had not completed the required 40 hours, patrol tactics training was a major bottleneck, and the Commission’s reporting did not clearly show statewide compliance. The Commission said it generally agreed with the recommendations and had begun implementing some changes. Committee members raised concerns about staffing, liability, incentives, and whether the law had enough enforcement “teeth.” In the digital equity audit, auditors said Washington lacked a comprehensive, unified statewide plan, a designated leader, and reliable funding for digital equity efforts. They said existing plans were fragmented, with the NTIA-approved plan the most complete but no longer fully funded after federal changes. The State Auditor recommended the legislature establish oversight authority and require a lead organization to coordinate and evaluate statewide digital equity efforts and develop a unified plan. The Department of Commerce and Office of Equity agreed with the need for clearer leadership and coordination, and a public witness described ongoing coalition and local planning work. Committee members asked about best practices from other states and whether the auditor could provide additional research on coordination models. In the Digital Navigator Program audit, the State Auditor concluded Commerce did not consistently follow core grant-management practices, including competitive award processes, vetting of grantees, clear contracts, performance monitoring, and reimbursement controls. Auditors said Commerce expanded grants without a new competition, lacked adequate documentation and reporting, and paid out millions without sufficient support; they also cited management decisions that overrode staff concerns. Commerce said it had already begun major contract-management reforms, created a new contracts and compliance structure, and was working on risk assessments, documentation standards, and staff training. Members pressed Commerce on accountability, possible recoupment of improper payments, ethics issues, and whether the agency had clear performance metrics for the program. No votes were taken, and the hearing ended after public testimony and committee discussion.
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Corrections Apr 9th, 2025

Corrections

Transcript Highlights:
  • And in closing, I will say that in our sunset evaluation, self-evaluation report that we submitted, uh
  • Um, from an empirical standpoint, the collection and evaluation criteria put forth in Section 10 are
  • However, um, some improvements are still needed that would benefit future program evaluation.
  • First, it is essential to specify in detail what is being evaluated and how.
  • and useful for evaluating performance.
Bills: HB153
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • I'm not going to go over all the evaluation criteria.
  • So, again, one of the overarching evaluation criteria for CalCompetes is ensuring that this credit or
  • RISE, which was evaluated by an external evaluator between and 2018, did not lead to higher long-term
  • And by having a rigorous evaluation, we can learn that.
  • We will have a midterm evaluation. that will be before the end of the process.
Keywords: 988, house, all
ND

North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session

Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee Jun 17th, 2026

Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • Again, evaluate the organization, identify.
  • And every step of that progress will have to evaluate: Is it working?
  • We're currently evaluating certain...
  • My job is to go out and evaluate, review, assess, verify.
  • We're always evaluating our Century Code, our Chapter 54-10.
Summary: The committee convened, approved the prior meeting minutes, and received a memo summarizing major audit items. The State Auditor’s office and outside auditors then presented a series of audits, many of which were clean with unmodified opinions and no findings, including the Bank of North Dakota, the Guaranteed Student Loan Program, the Office of the Governor, the State Treasurer, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Quality, Lake Region State College, and the Office of the Governor. The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association audit was also clean overall, but it repeated findings about limited segregation of duties and auditor assistance in preparing financial statements, which the auditor said were expected to continue because of the organization’s small size. Committee members asked about out-of-state board addresses, and the association explained those members were North Dakota residents using South Dakota mailing addresses. Several audits did include findings. The Council on the Arts audit identified two issues: payroll charged to federal awards without supporting time records, and $12,825 in Cultural Endowment Fund spending that was not allowable under state law, including staff training, retreats, and executive director candidate travel. The Department of Public Instruction audit found unsupported scholarship applications in the paraprofessional-to-teacher program, but additional testing confirmed the funds were credited properly and students completed required school district work, so no improper payments were identified. The University of North Dakota audit found a lack of documentation and transparency in School of Law admissions decisions; the auditor said the law school used a holistic process but did not keep notes or evaluation tools to show why applicants were admitted, waitlisted, or denied. UND leadership said the school is in good standing with the American Bar Association and agreed better documentation is needed, and the auditor said the issue was the missing documentation, not ABA accreditation itself. The most extensive discussion centered on the North Dakota Racing Commission audit, which found four findings: overspending the promotion fund’s 25% operating cap, grant conditions not being met, improper breeder fund awards, and improper procurement. The auditor said promotion fund spending exceeded the cap by $327,447 and the fund balance dropped sharply over the audit period. Racing Commission director Bruce Johnson said the agency had become complacent, that grant requests were treated as routine, and that controls and documentation need to be tightened. He also explained that the breeder fund overpayments involved two horses whose ownership transfers were not properly documented before racing, and that the procurement issue stemmed from an advertising contract that proceeded without proper written procurement procedures after a misunderstanding with the State Procurement Office. The auditor said the Racing Commission will now be audited every two years because of the findings. The committee also received updates on Dakota College at Bottineau’s bank reconciliations, which Minot State University said had been brought current after an 18-month backlog, with only one account still needing cleanup; members asked for a written report on the corrective actions. The North Dakota Fair Foundation was reported to have dissolved, with remaining funds transferred to another nonprofit account for continued support of the state fair. Finally, the Department of Public Instruction provided an update on school meal debt, revising the earlier estimate to about $1.1 million based on incomplete district survey responses, and said the Anti-Lunch Shaming law likely increased meal debt because schools must feed students regardless of account balance. Members discussed the need for a more accurate year-end debt figure and possible future reporting at a later committee meeting.
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

House Environment and Agriculture (02/24/2026)

Environment and Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:
  • to be evaluated here. to be evaluated here.
  • forward for the site evaluation forward for the site evaluation committee<04:20:48.560> part<
  • liked the idea of a site evaluation liked the idea of a site evaluation committee<04:22:33.359><
  • as wanting a site evaluation committee. as wanting a site evaluation committee.
  • fully evaluate. fully evaluate.
Keywords: 1189, house, all
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

Committee on Education Policy - 03/05/25

Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • This evaluation needs to be comprehensive to look at all areas of need for a student.
  • initial special education evaluation initial special education evaluation this<00:14:56.160>
  • evaluation<00:14:56.839> needs<00:14:57.079> to<00:14:57.240> be this evaluation
  • <00:15:35.720> also evaluation uh a re-evaluation is also evaluation uh a re-evaluation is
  • education services the re-evaluations education services the re-evaluations don't<00:15:55.279><
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee 2/12/25

Transportation Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • From that, MnDOT has a list of projects and goes through an evaluation and scoring process.
  • From that, MnDOT has a list of projects and goes through an evaluation and scoring process.
  • other report there's a an evaluation other report there's a an evaluation that<00:13:54.040>
  • <00:36:13.119> and counties uh would you know evaluate and counties uh would you know evaluate
  • complete and then we can evaluate complete and then we can evaluate whether<01:04:06.960> Blue
Keywords: 1183, house
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee 2/26/25

Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • Three specific kinds of evaluations are required.
  • <00:05:20.080> visits<00:05:21.080> three home care care evaluation visits three home
  • care care evaluation visits three specific<00:05:21.960> kinds<00:05:22.199> of<00:05:
  • 22.400> evaluations<00:05:23.039> are specific kinds of evaluations are specific kinds
  • Hours, expecting providers to cover the cost of the mandated evaluation visits adds to the challenge
Bills: HF729, HF728
FL

Florida 2026 4th Special Session

January 29, 2026 - 03:00 PM

Transcript Highlights:
  • Public school districts are responsible for evaluation.
  • They do have to do the IEPs, but the evaluations fall on the public schools.
  • Despite this, the district failed to properly evaluate him.
  • Our family paid out of pocket for a private psychological evaluation.
  • The evaluation was completed in a whole two days.
ND

North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session

Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee Jun 17th, 2026 at 10:00 am

Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • document and maintain the factors that were evaluated for each applicant.
  • Again, evaluate the organization, identify.
  • And every step of that progress will have to be evaluated: is it working?
  • My job is to go out and evaluate, review, assess, verify.
  • We’re always evaluating our Century Code, our chapter 54-10.
Keywords: 908, all
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Select Committee on Health Care and Behavioral Health Oversight Nov 5th, 2025

Joint Select Committee on Health Care and Behavioral Health Oversight

Transcript Highlights:
  • We get a referral from the provider, but the evaluation goes through a multidisciplinary team.
  • , imaging, and psychosocial evaluation.
  • to be expanding into evaluating them for liver and heart transplant as well. and are evaluated in the
  • to be expanding into evaluating them for liver and heart transplant as well.
  • And we are going to be expanding into evaluating them for liver and heart transplant as well.
Summary: The committee met to hear introductory briefings from the Department of Health and the Health Care Authority on agency priorities, federal changes, and implementation challenges. Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham said his department’s listening tour is focused on strengthening governmental public health, improving health care quality and access, and responding to federal funding disruptions and the shutdown’s effects on programs such as WIC. HCA Director Ryan Moran said the agency is prioritizing coverage preservation, oversight of major contracts, affordability, behavioral health integration, rural health transformation, and internal agency operations. Members asked about licensure delays; Worsham said the backlog had been reduced from about four months to six weeks and should be caught up by January 1, with possible further process changes if needed. A major portion of the meeting focused on H.R. 1 and its Medicaid-related implementation. Governor’s health policy advisor Caitlin Stafford, HCA staff, and interim Medicaid Director Trinity Wilson said the state is working with DSHS, the Health Benefit Exchange, tribes, and other partners to prepare for eligibility changes, work requirements, and six-month redeterminations. They said the state expects up to 30,000 Apple Health enrollees could lose coverage under the law’s non-citizen eligibility changes, and that the work requirement/redetermination provisions could affect about 620,000 adults, with roughly 80,000 also enrolled in SNAP. HCA said it hopes to automate most verification, but about 15% to 20% of cases may require manual review, with technology costs estimated at up to $30 million. Staff also said they are trying to keep H.R. 1 implementation mostly in budget language rather than statute, and that communication and navigator support will be important to minimize confusion and coverage loss. The committee also received an update on the Rural Health Transformation Program created in H.R. 1. HCA said Washington submitted its application to CMS on November 5 after extensive stakeholder engagement, including more than 310 written comments, webinars, and tribal consultation. The application centers on six initiatives: rural hospital innovation, community care and prevention, tribal investments, technology and data, workforce development, and rural behavioral health. HCA said the state is likely to receive less than the full $200 million annual amount assumed in the federal program, and that an advisory committee may be created to help guide spending over the five-year program. Members asked about palliative care, small business impacts, and communication with enrollees; HCA said it expects to share outreach toolkits and that no 2026 statutory changes are currently anticipated, though that could change. The final panels covered organ donation and transplant services. Department of Health staff explained the 2023 “Lights and Sirens” law for organ transport vehicles, including licensing, driver qualifications, insurance requirements, and use of emergency lanes and traffic preemption; the department said one company is currently licensed and there have been no complaints. LifeCenter Northwest described the organ procurement process, the legal framework under the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, and the rarity and complexity of deceased donation, noting Washington has seen strong growth in donation and transplants over the past decade. University of Washington Medical Center staff then outlined its transplant programs for kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, and multi-organ transplants, describing the multidisciplinary evaluation and waitlist process and the coordination required with donor organizations and hospitals.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Education Pre-K - 12 Mar 3rd, 2025

Education Pre-K - 12

Transcript Highlights:
  • , but requires student performance to make up half of the evaluation.
  • , but requires student performance to make up half of the evaluation.
  • So the bill makes changes to performance evaluations for teachers and it changes it from one-third to
  • What impact will this have on teacher performance evaluations? Okay. Thank you. Let's move on.
  • What impact will this have on teacher performance evaluations?
Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 296, as amended by strike-all, on middle and high school start times. Senator Bradley explained that the amendment would repeal the statewide mandate for later start times and return scheduling decisions to local school boards, while still requiring districts to inform the community about the health, safety, and academic effects of sleep deprivation and to consider later start times when setting transportation schedules. Testimony and debate were largely in support, with several school district and education group representatives waiving in support, and members citing transportation, staffing, family logistics, and cost concerns under the existing mandate. The strike-all was adopted, and SB 296 was reported favorably by roll call vote, with Senators Berman, Osgood, and Chair Calatayud voting yes and Senator Gaetz voting no; other members were absent or not recorded in the excerpt. The committee then heard Senate Bill 356, which would designate January 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day in Florida. Senator Berman said the date matches the UN’s Holocaust Remembrance Day and would require the governor to annually proclaim it, while allowing public observance and instruction about the Holocaust’s harms and its impact on the Jewish community and humanity. There was no substantive opposition in the excerpt, and the bill was reported favorably by roll call vote with yes votes from Senators Berman, Gaetz, and Chair Calatayud. Finally, the committee considered Senate Bill 166 on administrative efficiency in public schools. Senator Simon described a broad deregulation package affecting student assessments, grade promotion, teacher evaluations, contracts and certification, school board operations, instructional materials timelines, internal audits, facilities planning, cost-per-student-station limits, emergency make-up days, federal fund timing, and VPK oversight. Testimony was mixed: school district and education organization representatives generally supported the flexibility, while some groups opposed or urged changes to the grade 4 promotion and graduation-related provisions, arguing they could weaken academic standards. After debate focused especially on third-grade promotion and testing requirements, the bill was reported favorably by roll call vote. At the end of the meeting, members recorded their votes on SB 296 and SB 356, and the committee adjourned.
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

January 14, 2025 - 01:00 PM

Transcript Highlights:
  • We're just executing that contract right now, and the plan is to do a five-year study to evaluate the
  • At present, we obviously haven't identified those metrics for evaluation, but those are definitely some
  • Because to evaluate what we're doing? You're recognized. Thank you.
  • A family satisfaction survey will be sent once lessons are completed, and an evaluation of the program
  • And so we're in the process now of evaluating the outcomes in Duval and Orange County, and we can get
Summary: The Health Professions and Program Subcommittee met for an introductory and oversight briefing from the Florida Department of Health on implementation of several 2024 laws. The committee heard first from Jennifer Winhold on practitioner-regulation measures, including SB 1716 and SB 1600, which expanded workforce pathways through foreign-trained physician licensure, area-of-critical-need temporary certificates for APRNs and physician assistants, graduate assistant physician licenses, interstate compacts, and a new universal licensure-by-endorsement process. She also reviewed HB 197 on massage therapy enforcement, HB 975 on broader background screening, HB 1561 on office-surgery and liposuction safeguards, HB 159 on pharmacist HIV post-exposure prophylaxis certification, and HB 1063 on chiropractic dry needling and foreign degree licensure. Members asked about compact scope, foreign graduate requirements, massage enforcement overlap with DBPR, and registration thresholds for liposuction procedures. Dr. Emma Spencer then outlined implementation of SB 76 and related programs, including changes to the FRAME and dental loan repayment programs, the volunteer health care provider program, the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program, the Health Care Innovation Council and revolving loan program, and the Andrew John Anderson Pediatric Rare Disease Grant Program. She said the department had updated portals, posted forms, launched or was developing public search tools, and submitted required reports and contracts. Members questioned whether loan repayment funds were reaching rural and underserved areas, how nonprofit applicants were being informed about the Alphonse screening grant program, the short application window for that grant, and how the department would evaluate whether the programs were improving recruitment and retention. A third presentation, delivered by Mike Mason standing in for Shea Holloway, covered maternal and child health and other public health initiatives. He reported on the telehealth maternity care program’s expansion from a pilot in Duval and Orange counties to 23 counties, the pregnancy-and-parenting resources website required by HB 415, CMV newborn screening requirements under SB 168, sickle cell registry and research grants under HB 7085, and the swim lessons voucher program under SB 544, which received nearly 10,000 requests for 3,500 vouchers and enrolled 86 facilities. Members asked about utilization, marketing, website launch timing, and how the department was promoting these services. No bills were voted on; the meeting concluded with the chair noting that more committee presentations and bills would follow and that briefing materials would be distributed to members.
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

House Judiciary (02/09/2026)

Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • evaluate how this process is working. evaluate how this process is working.
  • the uh the evaluation of each judge. the uh the evaluation of each judge.
  • presumably the evaluating presumably the evaluating judge.<00:40:33.760> It<00:40:34.000>
  • of the uh the current evaluation of the uh the current evaluation process.<00:40:48.000> And<
  • . evaluation. evaluation.
Keywords: 1189, house, all
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

IC - Legislative Health and Human Services Aug 19th, 2025

Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • Typically, program evaluations have a significant amount of data.
  • We did do a performance evaluation with Clayton, actually, last year.
  • At what point do we evaluate whether we're successful with this?
  • A program evaluation unit does progress reports on its evaluations.
  • , we send out an implementation plan to the agencies that are evaluated.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Legislative Audit Committee Jun 1st, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • As Assembly Member DeMaio mentioned, the audit request really directs my office to evaluate SANDAG's
  • DeMaio mentioned, objective six has us focus on evaluating the extent to which SANDAG accurately...
  • And having this audit is, I think, an important step to evaluating whether that's appropriate.
  • Ultimately, this is about ensuring accountability, evaluating outcomes, and determining whether these
  • The second objective moves away from grantees and focuses more on BSCC's oversight, evaluating how BSCC
Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee met to hear new audit requests and receive a status update from the State Auditor. The auditor reported 10 JALAC audits in progress, noted that all 2025-approved audits are underway, said the first 2026 audit is focused on DMV license revocations, and described several statutory and high-risk audits already in progress. The committee also approved a consent calendar of four audit requests: UC library resources, law enforcement information sharing, EDD unemployment insurance claims, and Housing and Community Development housing development monitoring. The committee then considered Assembly Member DeMaio’s audit request on SANDAG road project management. DeMaio argued the audit was needed to examine whether transportation funds, including voter-approved and restricted revenues, were used for allowable purposes and whether past management failures warranted outside review. SANDAG’s CEO and CFO said the agency already undergoes extensive oversight and audits, that funds are tracked by multiple “colors of money,” and that internal controls have improved. Several members questioned whether the issues were already addressed in public records or existing audits, and the request failed on a roll call vote. Next, Senator Valadares presented an audit of the Board of State and Community Corrections’ Proposition 47 grant administration, arguing that more transparency is needed on outcomes, recidivism data, and oversight of grantees. The BSCC said it already has oversight mechanisms, that the State Controller conducts biennial audits, and that program data shows positive outcomes. The committee approved the audit unanimously. Senator Cortese then presented an audit of CalHR’s dental benefits procurement and Delta Dental contract, citing long-standing benefit caps, provider network concerns, and retiree out-of-pocket costs. CalHR said its network remains strong, that it recently completed an RFP adding MetLife as a second carrier starting in 2027, and that contracts include performance guarantees. Members from both parties expressed concern about access and competition, and the audit was approved unanimously. The committee then completed add-on votes on the consent calendar and adjourned.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Education K-16 (Part I) Apr 10th, 2025

Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:
  • Unfortunately, in this environment, Texas has no formal mechanism for evaluating or approving accreditors
  • The THIAC would be charged with evaluating and approving accrediting agencies best suited to serve Texas
  • This just simply establishes an agency to evaluate accreditation.
  • This is a new agency that we're building just to evaluate the agencies, right, to help determine ones
  • You can choose from them, and we're going to evaluate them based on our criteria.
Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 heard several bills and took no final votes, leaving each measure pending. The first major item, SB 1322 by Senator Hagenbuch, would create a Texas Higher Education Accrediting Commission to evaluate and approve accrediting agencies for public colleges and universities using outcome-based metrics such as retention, graduation, employment, debt, and repayment. Supporters, including Kate Byerley of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, argued the bill would add competition and align accreditation with Texas workforce needs; Senator Menendez questioned the need for a new bureaucracy and noted the $3.6 million fiscal note, suggesting existing reporting and oversight structures could serve the same purpose. The committee then heard SB 1998, which would establish a pediatric subspecialty preceptorship program to encourage medical students to enter pediatric subspecialties. Dr. Lauren Gamble testified in strong support, saying the program would help address shortages and improve access for children, especially in rural and underserved areas. SB 2788, authored by Senator Menendez, would add the PSAT as an accepted assessment for dual credit and Texas Success Initiative purposes; Priscilla Camacho of Alamo Colleges supported the bill, citing strong student outcomes and widespread use of the PSAT as a readiness indicator. Senator Creighton laid out SB 2076, which would remove or modify certain Capitol view corridor restrictions affecting the UT Austin Academic Medical Center project, including the planned specialty hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center expansion. He said the existing corridors are outdated and limit development. The committee also heard SB 1418, a cleanup bill replacing outdated references to ACT Plan with Pre-ACT and removing obsolete SAT subject test language. After brief testimony and no opposition on the later bills, the committee closed public testimony and left SB 1322, SB 1998, SB 2788, SB 2076, and SB 1418 pending before recessing for the floor session.