Transcript Highlights:

• Lastly, Senate Bill 1210 applies the student tuition recovery fund protections to students who attend
• They pay licensing fees, and they pay into the student tuition recovery fund, which is in case of any
• out-of-state, fully online program, and ensures that if any issue arises, they will have access to assistance

Committee: Senate Senate Education Committee of Reference

Summary: The Senate Education Committee considered four bills. SB 1210 would create a separate out-of-state registration process for private post-secondary institutions outside Arizona that offer fully online programs to Arizona residents, require certain disclosures and financial protections, and extend student tuition recovery fund protections to those students. Supporters said it would close a regulatory loophole and protect Arizona students; the committee voted 7-0 for a due pass recommendation. SB 1370 would allow public school principals, during the first quarter of the school year, to let eligible patriotic youth groups address students and distribute materials, with limits on discrimination and access criteria. The sponsor’s representative said the bill would expand opportunities for youth groups beyond the long-standing federally recognized list. The committee voted 7-0 for a due pass recommendation. SB 1422 would continue the Credit Enhancement Eligibility Board through July 1, 2036, with termination tied to the retirement of any outstanding obligations. SB 1423 would continue the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education through July 1, 2036. Both bills were described as continuations of previously discussed measures, testimony was brief, and each received a 7-0 due pass recommendation. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Joel Anderson, Associate Director of Legislative and External Affairs, and Don Cypriano McCafferty, Assistant
• Director of Student Financial Assistance from the Washington Student Achievement Council.
• Affairs at the Washington Student Achievement Council, and I'm joined by my colleague Don McCafferty, Assistant
• Director of Student Financial Assistance.
• Most frequently, institutions report students needing assistance with basic needs, such as food, housing

Summary: The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee began with a work session presentation from the Washington Student Achievement Council on the Passport to Careers Program. Staff explained that Passport serves youth who experienced foster care at age 13 or later or unaccompanied homelessness, and that the program provides scholarships and campus support services for college, apprenticeship, and pre-apprenticeship pathways. WASAC said the program is a national model because it uses data-sharing agreements to identify eligible students automatically, is funded by the state, and partners with the College Success Foundation and campus networks to provide support. Officials reported that about 2,000 students will be served in 2025-26, with awards capped at $2,000, and cited an evaluation finding that 31% of participants graduate within eight years, compared with much lower rates for similarly situated students outside the program. Committee members asked about graduation rates for all students, the share of Passport students who are parents, how unaccompanied homelessness is identified, where campus support staff are housed, and how funding is used. WASAC said most students are single without children, unaccompanied homeless youth are identified through McKinney-Vento liaisons, and campus support structures vary by institution. Staff also described how the program has grown 131% since unaccompanied homeless youth became eligible in 2019, while appropriations have remained around $7 million annually, forcing reductions in the maximum scholarship award from $5,000 in 2023-24 to $2,800 and then $2,000 in 2025-26. Officials emphasized that students still face significant unmet need and that campus support funds are often used for basic needs, academic support, and emergency aid. The committee then moved through executive session on several bills and advanced each one with a do pass recommendation to Ways and Means. The bills included SB 5826 on medication abortion access at public postsecondary institutions, SB 5828 on Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship awards at private four-year institutions, SB 5909 on low-enrollment undergraduate programs, SB 5931 on WIA board co-chair terms and dashboard requirements, SB 5954 on tuition waivers for certain veteran dependents and survivors, SB 5963 on Passport to Careers funding and eligibility changes, SB 6082 on a state financial aid fraud performance audit, and SB 6090 establishing the Heritage Orchard Program at Washington State University. The committee adopted the proposed substitute for SB 5931 before passing it, and all measures were reported out subject to signatures.

Transcript Highlights:

• From one versus the other, and it's not just a matter of the tuition; it's the kind of training that
• Legislative Assistant for the California Immigrant Policy Center and Dr.
• Roughly 26.6% of Latinos in California use CalFresh assistance, according to 2023 data.
• More specifically, one out of three Latinas in our state are on CalFresh food assistance.
• So we know that they supported health, rental assistance, and food benefits.

Summary: The Select Committee on Latina Inequities met at Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar, hosted by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez and joined by Assemblymember Mia Bonta. Rodriguez opened by framing the committee’s work around the economic status of Latinas and the effects of federal policies on the economy and social safety net, while the college president welcomed the committee and described campus services for undocumented and housing-insecure students. Rodriguez also emphasized the local impact of immigration enforcement in the San Fernando Valley and said the hearing would focus on Latinas’ economic conditions, immigration enforcement impacts on the workforce and safety, and H.R. 1’s effects on the safety net. The first panel featured HOPE’s Maria Morales and Dr. Elsa Macias, who presented findings from HOPE’s National Economic Status of Latinas report. They said Latinas are a major and growing part of California’s population and workforce, but face persistent inequities, including a large wage gap, higher unemployment, high uninsured rates, student debt, and affordability pressures around child care, housing, and education. They also discussed entrepreneurship, noting both the growth of Latina-owned businesses and barriers such as limited access to capital, technical assistance, and retirement and health coverage. In response to committee questions, they said higher education can still offer a strong return on investment, but only if students can complete degrees without being overwhelmed by debt and care costs; they also pointed to policy solutions such as SB 642, mentorship, financial literacy, CalSavers access, and support for community development financial institutions. The second panel focused on immigration enforcement and Latina safety in the workforce. Luis Nolasco of the ACLU described arrests tied to apparent ethnicity and Spanish-speaking, the chilling effect on families, and the loss of wages, school attendance, and mobility. Dr. Amada Armenta said immigration enforcement harms California’s economy, public health, and mixed-status families, and noted that undocumented workers are concentrated in agriculture, construction, and child care. SEIU’s Jen Baca Beltran said raids and school-based enforcement traumatize children and families and highlighted the need for Know Your Rights trainings. Megan Ortiz of IDEPSCA described repeated Border Patrol raids on day labor centers, injuries to staff, and the need to protect worker centers, domestic workers, and street vendors. Inclusive Action’s Shannon Camacho said raids have forced many informal workers to stop working, prompted emergency cash assistance and rent relief efforts, and strengthened advocacy for vendor protections and CDFI support. CHIRLA’s Jeanette Zanipatine said the rapid response network has expanded, documented widespread arrests and detention conditions, and is providing direct support and legal referrals; committee members asked about detention, maternal health, and what the state can do, and panelists urged stronger oversight, more legal representation, and protections for pregnant and detained people.

Transcript Highlights:

• tuition tuition which<00:04:45.040><c> is</c><00:04:45.280><c> not</c><00:04:45.520><c> typically</c
• It's first come, first serve for people who can pay the tuition. Correct.
• Some families pay tuition.
• At some districts, the district picks up all the tuition and all the cost.
• Ashley is our assistant director of alumni networking and outreach.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The meeting focused on Kentucky school choice and innovation, with discussion of the state constitution’s “common schools” requirement and how that has been interpreted alongside newer education models. Chairman Tipton described model laboratory schools, Gatton and Craft Academies, magnet and virtual programs, and said these options show that Kentucky has long expanded opportunity through innovation. He then turned the discussion to Senate Bill 207, which he said was designed to support schools of innovation. Senator Steve West reviewed the history of Kentucky charter schools and explained that SB 207 was modeled on a South Carolina approach. He said the bill allows a local school board to contract with a third-party entity to manage an existing school, seek waivers from certain state rules, and receive SEEK funding while also allowing outside private investment. He emphasized that the district initiates the process, that the school remains public, and that the bill includes accountability through a time-limited contract that can be ended if the school is not performing. Members asked about the difference between SB 207 and the earlier charter school law, whether schools could cherry-pick students, and whether teachers would remain district employees. West and Tipton said the new model is tied to an existing school rather than a new charter, cannot cherry-pick students, and keeps teachers as district employees. Representative Brown raised concerns that charters and exceptions could leave some children out, especially lower-income students, while West responded that the proposal is intended to expand choice for families who may not otherwise have it and cited examples from other states where similar models improved low-performing schools. No vote or formal action was taken during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're talking about cutting health care, cutting food assistance, gutting the housing trust fund.
• We're cutting health care, we're cutting food assistance, we're cutting housing assistance.
• , especially for Arizona residents, flat and not raise tuition.
• We want to take food assistance away from more Arizona... ...more Arizonans.
• We want to take food assistance away from more Arizonans just so that the corporations can get...

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:38:35.240><c> the</c><00:38:35.480><c> tuition</c> $2,265 per student besides the tuition $2,265
• limit we can't charge our a $350 tuition limit we can't charge our regular regular regular rates<00:
• <00:52:58.640><c> during</c><00:52:58.960><c> that</c> assistance during that assistance during that
• in the form not using outside assistance in the form of<00:53:38.240><c> another</c><00:53:38.559><c
• we would be fine with outside assistance we would be fine with that<00:57:47.280><c> okay</c><00:57:

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• People have asked for our assistance, and we've reviewed the case, and the evidence has pointed to them
• The bill also makes important common sense changes to the tuition waivers provision.
• We modeled the statute after the veterans statute that allows tuition waivers for veterans and their
• There is a cap of 26 years for tuition waivers there.
• So this bill should be amended if it moves forward for those protections, and I can assist with that.

Summary: The committee heard several public hearings on criminal justice and victim-related bills. SB 6087 would expand existing liability protections for donations of children’s items to include religious organizations and add strollers and car seats to the definition of children’s items; the sponsor said it would make it easier to donate usable baby equipment, and the Washington State Board of Health said it supported the goal but noted rulemaking and funding concerns under the original version. SB 5934 would change the standard for post-conviction DNA testing so courts must grant testing unless the state shows by clear and convincing evidence that the results could not demonstrate a likelihood of innocence; the Innocence Project and a DNA exoneree supported it as a way to reduce years of litigation, while prosecutors and sheriffs/police chiefs opposed it as a burden shift that could increase frivolous motions and strain lab and attorney resources. SB 5520 would revise Washington’s wrongful-conviction compensation law by broadening definitions, extending filing deadlines, removing the waiver requirement, and making other process changes; the sponsor and Innocence Project said it would reduce barriers and better fulfill the state’s promise to exonerees, and a DNA exoneree described years of litigation just to access compensation. The committee also heard SB 6017, which would expand victim-centered and trauma-informed protections. The bill would allow a court to appoint a representative to ask questions of victims when a defendant represents themself, extend forensic exam consent to minors 13 and older in non-fatal strangulation cases, add female genital mutilation survivors to protections similar to the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights, and reauthorize and broaden the Safe Advisory Group’s mandate. Survivors, advocates, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy strongly supported the bill, describing courtroom questioning by self-represented defendants as retraumatizing and urging broader access to services for FGM survivors; defense advocates raised constitutional concerns about limiting a pro se defendant’s right to personally question witnesses and said the bill could be vulnerable to challenge without narrower guardrails. The hearing drew extensive survivor testimony, and the chair noted 108 people signed in support and one opposed. Finally, the committee heard SB 5890, which would create an alternative reckless-driving offense for driving more than 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. The sponsor, a former firefighter, framed the bill as an accountability measure aimed at preventing severe crashes caused by extreme speeding. A committee member asked about officer discretion in emergencies, and the sponsor said the bill targets excessive speed while acknowledging that some situations may still be problematic. A preliminary fiscal note had been received.

Transcript Highlights:

• Being able to offer in-state tuition and resident rate tuition, for example, has been very significant
• By providing technical assistance workshops for our Navajo Nation chapters.
• Director Baldwin receives the requests and she can assist with burial.
• Assist with burial, as well as the Navajo Nation Social Services Department, which can assist with burial
• Assistance or any type of assistance.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, we repeal the language that permitted any linkage institute to provide in-state tuition for
• How many current students would be in ...tuition rate. Okay. Follow-up, Chair? You're recognized.
• The bill would just reserve in-state tuition to Floridians.
• They can ask the supervisor for assistance and help in figuring out how to proceed.
• We don’t share the sponsor’s optimism that assistance exists for everybody.

Summary: The committee took up a long agenda of bills, beginning with HB 4087, which authorizes the Highlands County Hospital District to evaluate options to sell, lease, or manage its hospital. An amendment adding fair market value as a consideration was adopted, and the bill then passed unanimously. HB 841, which eliminates the requirement for validation stickers on license plates and moves registration verification to electronic systems, also passed after questions about law enforcement procedures, pretextual stops, and consumer savings; a technical amendment was adopted first. HB 593, dealing with campaign fundraising while on official time, lobbying rules for water management districts, agency secretary travel reimbursement, and settlement conditions involving third parties, passed without opposition. CS for HB 1019, the PFAS-related bill phasing out aqueous film-forming foam and requiring testing of treated effluent and biosolids, passed after an amendment limiting local utility liability until EPA standards are set; speakers emphasized firefighter and water-quality concerns. Several local and administrative measures also advanced. HB 4089 conveyed the Trenton Train Depot to the City of Trenton, HB 6011 updated ethics disclosure procedures for Form 10 filings, and PCS for HB 1051 created a recall process for community development district board members while also addressing synthetic turf deed restrictions and landowner-control timelines. HB 1031 established a pilot callback system for state agency customer service lines, and CS for HB 961 removed a burdensome electronic signature requirement for salvaged titles. HB 1421, which requires land managers to consider cattle grazing on conservation lands, drew substantial debate over state parks, water quality, and land management; an amendment added ecological guardrails and the bill passed 20-3. CS for HB 253 expanded eligibility for the Veterans Dental Care Grant Program and passed unanimously, while HB 4039 required Broward County to study and hold a hearing before enlarging the Monarch Hill landfill landmark and passed despite opposition from the waste industry. CS for HB 755 eased Habitat for Humanity bond requirements in the Florida Keys and extended the Florida Keys Stewardship Act, and HB 1035 promoted nature-based coastal resiliency projects and permitting; both passed unanimously. The committee then considered major foreign influence and election integrity measures. CS for CS for HB 905, the FIRE Act, was substantially revised by strike-all to expand registration and disclosure requirements for foreign agents and foreign-supported political organizations, restrict gifts and contracts tied to foreign countries of concern, terminate sister city agreements with such countries, and strengthen penalties for transnational repression; members debated the treatment of Qatar, linkage institutes, and the broader impact on international students, and the bill passed 24-1. Finally, CS for HB 991 proposed sweeping election changes, including citizenship verification at registration, a citizenship oath, new voter ID rules, paper ballots except for disability accommodations, candidate party-affiliation timing rules, stronger foreign-money restrictions, and other enforcement provisions. Members raised extensive concerns about document submission, data retention, student IDs, seniors, disability access, and the burden of proof for citizenship, and the committee was still in the middle of that discussion when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you require assistance in registering or testifying, please contact the committee staff.
• Senate Bill 1447 aims to create an exception for individuals with disabilities to use their assistive
• The use of these assistive programs is vital to students with disabilities and their education. as this
• exception for those who have already approved IEP or 504 plans with the school so they can utilize the assistive
• require CPR training with the maintenance of a CPR certification for schools. ...school nurses, assistant

Bills: SB204 , SB570 , SB735 , SB784 , SB1207 , SB1396 , SB1447 , SB2392 , SB2540 , SB747 , SB875

Committee: House Public Education

Keywords: parental rights, education, school trustees, training, handbook, truancy, attendance policy, chronic absenteeism, school attendance, student absence notifications, parent notification, home visit, attendance officer, truancy court, school district, open-enrollment charter school, student support services, school counselor, principal, administrator

Transcript Highlights:

• If you require assistance in registering, please do so now.
• If you require assistance in registering or testifying, please contact the committee staff.
• And the chair may ask the sergeant in arms. to assist in preserving order and decorum.
• Section four provides a financial assistance for public safety initiatives in border communities, which
• The results will be promptly shared with DHS to assist in enforcing federal immigration laws.

Bills: HB256 , HB1308 , HB1554 , HB1743 , HB2308 , HB2351 , HB2858 , HB3676 , HB3784 , HB4312 , HB4552 , HB4823 , HB4852 , HB5007 , HB5010 , HB5520 , HB5524 , HCR19 , HB256 , HCR19

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: E-verify, employment verification, illegal employment, state contracts, government entities, license suspension, immigration compliance, state grant funding, E-Verify, compliance, penalties, immigration, government contracts, employee status, state contractors, E-verify program, legally present, employment practices, legal services, public money

Transcript Highlights:

• ability individuals on O-1, EB-1A, and EB-1B visas, as well as F-1 students who pay out of... state tuition
• Many immigrants legally qualify for work authorization, but they need assistance navigating the complex
• path to legal status, including victims of crime, human trafficking survivors, and those with U.N. assistance
• Moreover, from a fiscal perspective, denying legal access... assistance creates expensive ripple effects
• Laws are complicated, they're outdated, they're nuanced, and people need legal assistance to help them

Bills: HB256 , HCR19 , HB256 , HB1308 , HB1554 , HB1743 , HB2308 , HB2351 , HB2858 , HB3676 , HB3784 , HB4312 , HB4552 , HB4823 , HB4852 , HB5007 , HB5010 , HB5520 , HB5524 , HCR19

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: severe weather, adaptation plan, vulnerability assessment, environmental protection, state agencies, federal agents, transparency, law enforcement, identification, public trust, immigration enforcement, HCR 19, Texas concurrent resolution, federal immigration enforcement, masked agents, facial coverings, visible identification, uniforms, badges, name tags

Transcript Highlights:

• assistance, and even signing bonuses, sometimes large ones.
• </c> when they're injured, uh tuition when they're injured, uh tuition assistance,<00:12:03.360><c> and
• </c><00:12:03.600><c> even</c><00:12:04.160><c> signing</c><00:12:04.560><c> bonuses,</c> assistance,
• </c><00:25:22.480><c> the</c> reviewed that will also assist the reviewed that will also assist the department
• </c><00:25:32.320><c> them</c> records that were able to assist them records that were able to assist

Committee: Senate Commerce

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're waiving their tuition in exchange for them providing a service, which is to teach, which is
• But most of our research assistants are already paid on grants. All right. Thank you.
• Net tuition would reflect tuition rates that each campus gets to set, as well as waiver decisions that
• Net tuition would reflect tuition rates that each campus gets to set, as well as waiver decisions that
• And then this is something that's in current law: the statement of tuition and fees.

Committee: Joint Higher Education Funding Review Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I've also assisted in advising the university on title 9 policies.
• The commitment, of course, will be to keep tuition rates low as they have been.
• I believe we are half of the half the tuition of the state universities and and continue to ensure the
• increase in some 14 years, actually decrease the tuition.
• Dual enrollment and 8% increase in tuition this year over last year.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To early child care assistance. So, if we start with pre-kindergarten.
• Now, if you turn to page two, we'll start discussing child care assistance.
• So, then, that's how families were eligible for child care assistance.
• Her assistance rate is broken down by operating expense categories.
• Of child care assistance. I mean, where are we really going to get service?

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair and members, House Bill 2731, Physicians Assistant Board Continuation, continues the board
• Madam Chair and members, HB 2240 establishes a tuition waiver scholarship for children or dependents
• and reduce annual tuition revenues to the community colleges by $1.6 million.
• A board estimates an annual tuition revenue reduction in... $1.6 million.
• that every one who is eligible to receive the tuition waiver does.

Summary: The caucus reviewed a large Minority Caucus Calendar and moved quickly through many bills, with staff often noting whether items were unanimous, party-line, or pulled from consent. Early items included HB 2130 on ADOA personnel financial systems, HB 2749 on felony sentence-completion designation, HCR 258 on Medicaid claim audits, and several agency or board continuation bills. Members also discussed HB 2745 on legislative subpoenas, HB 4027 naming Loop 202 the Charlie Kirk Highway, HB 2601 on Interstate 11 studies, and a number of education, health, labor, and public safety measures. Several bills were pulled from consent or flagged for later discussion, including HCR 258, HB 4027, HB 2375, HB 2601, HB 2408, HB 2444, HB 2923, HB 2182, HCR 2048, HB 2750, HB 2765, HB 2838, HB 4043, HB 2290, HB 2940, and others. Testimony and caucus debate focused on a range of policy concerns. Members objected to bills involving school strikes, weapons detection systems, public records fees for legislators, union activity, school safety felony penalties, and restrictions on school clubs. Education bills drew extended discussion, including HB 2423 on automatic advanced math placement, HB 2478 creating a student outcomes commission, HB 2579 for free school meals, HB 2992 on child sexual abuse prevention, HB 4041 on spending authority for low-reading-performing districts, and HB 4043 requiring CPR/AED training. Health and professional regulation bills also prompted debate, including HB 2408 on nursing board investigations and expungement, HB 2444 on pharmacist testing authority, HB 2697 on expired opioid antagonists, and HB 4010 establishing a genetic counselors board. Members raised concerns about fiscal impacts, stakeholder opposition, and whether some measures were unfunded mandates or needed more amendment work. The caucus also discussed immigration, labor, and public safety measures, including HB 2416 for DPS local border support, HB 2811 on obstructing governmental operations during lawful arrests, HB 2862 on unlawful masking penalties, HB 4070 on nonprofit incorporation restrictions tied to offenses, and HB 4117 creating a crime for disturbing religious services. Water, energy, and land-use bills were reviewed as well, such as HB 2099, HB 2263, HB 2330, HB 2341, HB 2492, HB 2757, HB 2782, HB 2912, HB 2918, and HCR 2020. The meeting ended with announcements, including an Affordability Award for Brian Garcia and a March 12 breakfast update on the Colorado River, before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's what they would like to see for tuition, their grants. would be an allowable expense for them
• to pay for their tuition.
• you know, I guess would result in higher tuition or things like that. Sure. Um, I'm not entirely.
• Chairman, Vice Chair Howard, and members, I'm Andy McLaurin, Assistant Commissioner of Funding at the
• We've been working very hard to hold tuition and fees. steady now, I believe this is the third session

Bills: HB42 , HB 125 , HB 1233 , HB2853 , HB3148 , HB3326 , HB3701 , HB4066 , HB4361 , HB4762 , HB4909 , HB4912 , HB42 , HB125

Committee: House Higher Education

Keywords: higher education, funding, financial allocation, state budget, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, education funding, medical education, osteopathic medicine, healthcare workforce, Tarleton State University, industry-recognized credentials, workforce development, career opportunities, feasibility study, student fees, university funding, student union, education, UT El Paso

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 2804 by Hayes relating to assisting a voter in early voting polling place, refer to the Committee
• Care Supplies for the Committee on Ways and Means, SB 2834 by Poliso relating to eligibility for tuition
• HB 2839 by Isaac, relating to a tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher. for certain
• HB 2848 by Dutton relating to the exemption from or refund of tuition and fees for certain lower divisions
• AB 2928 by compass relating to the regulation of referral agency for assisted living facilities or for

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You've paid your tuition. See you later. Sign up again.
• item in here that any school that has only a 30% passage rate or below, they will have to return the tuition
• And perhaps those are schools that should be closing and certainly not charging students' tuition and
• Your assistance are. We understand that it's to increase access to mental health services.
• Your assistance over the last few years from this legislature has already done that.

Summary: The Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee heard and advanced several health care bills. HB 909, joining the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact, was presented with a strike-all amendment and reported favorably as amended by a 13-0 vote. HB 911, the related public records exemption protecting certain biological information, was also adopted and reported favorably as amended by a 14-0 vote. CS for HB 597, allowing schools to procure and administer glucagon for students with diabetes under trained personnel, passed unanimously 14-0 after a technical amendment. HB 519, aligning state law with federal language on controlled substances administered by paramedics, passed as amended 14-0. The committee then took up HB 919 on nursing education programs. Sponsor Rep. Overdorf argued the bill would create accountability for underperforming nursing schools by requiring remediation, tuition refunds in the lowest-performing programs, and public reporting of passage rates. Supporters said it would improve quality and protect students from debt without licensure success, while opponents from private nursing schools warned it could close programs and reduce nurse supply. After extensive debate, the bill was reported favorably 15-0. HB 1553, which would require health care providers to submit identified uterine fibroid data so the Department of Health can implement the research database previously authorized by law, passed unanimously 15-0. The final bill, HB 883, would allow psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners to practice autonomously; supporters said it would expand access to mental health care, especially in rural and underserved areas, while opponents raised concerns about quality and physician oversight. After lengthy testimony and debate, the bill was reported favorably 14-3.