Transcript Highlights:

• What about our ESE students?
• students.
• that you have for a student.
• that you have for a student.
• I understand we have some students.

Summary: The Student Academic Success Subcommittee met with a quorum and heard four bills, all of which were reported favorably by unanimous votes. The chair opened with remarks about student performance and assessment, then the committee took up House Bill 1111 by Rep. Valdes, which would eliminate the certificate of completion for students who do not meet standard high school graduation requirements. Supporters argued the certificate is a meaningless “participation trophy” that can mislead students and families, while the sponsor said students would instead be pushed toward additional support, concordance testing, or other pathways to a standard diploma. Members raised questions about effects on ESE students, timing, and alternative pathways; the bill passed 17-0. The committee next approved House Bill 921 by Rep. Overdorf, which adds cursive writing instruction for grades 2 through 5 and defines cursive proficiency. The sponsor and supporters said cursive has historical, cognitive, and fine-motor benefits and helps students read signatures and historical documents. The bill also passed 17-0. After a brief recognition of visiting students, the committee heard House Bill 423 by Rep. Bartleman, which requires private schools participating in the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program to give parents written notice about which services in an IEP, 504 plan, ELL plan, or similar plan will be honored. Supporters framed it as a transparency and consumer-protection measure for families, especially those with children with disabilities; the sponsor emphasized it does not require private schools to provide specific services, only to disclose them. The bill passed 17-0. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 251 by Rep. Tendrich, which would recognize January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Florida. The sponsor and public witnesses described rising antisemitism, the importance of remembrance, and the need for education about the Holocaust. Members from both parties shared personal reflections and support, and a survivor’s letter was read into the record. The bill passed 16-0. At the end of the meeting, the chair noted the committee had gone four-for-four on unanimous support and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• : Did the student have more than one sexual partner?
• Did the student use a latex condom or oil-based lubricant?
• The students can benefit from its effectiveness.
• But again, that is not relevant in the context of this law because in-school students, students who are
• But again, that is not relevant in the context of this law because in school students, students who are

Summary: The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee heard two bills. AB 1159 by Assemblymember Addis would update California student data privacy law to extend protections to college students, limit how ed tech companies can collect and use student information, and add restrictions around sensitive data and generative AI use. Supporters, including Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, CFT, labor, civil rights, and education groups, said students and educators need stronger safeguards against invasive data collection and misuse. Opponents, including College Board, TechNet, CalChamber, and ACT Education, argued the bill was overly broad, could interfere with legitimate educational services and AI development, and raised concerns about a private right of action and impacts on adult students and recruitment opportunities. AB 883 by Assemblymember Lowenthal would expedite deletion of personal information for elected and appointed officials under California’s data broker deletion system by having state agencies provide official lists to the privacy agency and requiring brokers to delete the information within five days. Supporters said the measure responds to rising threats, harassment, and violence against public officials and would help reduce exposure of their personal data. TechNet and TechC.A. opposed unless amended, citing concerns about exemptions for lawful data sharing, the five-day timeline, and litigation risk, while the author emphasized the bill does not create a new right but streamlines access to an existing deletion process. Both bills were advanced after committee discussion and roll calls. AB 1159 passed 11-2 and was sent to the Judiciary Committee. AB 883 passed 14-0 and was sent to the Appropriations Committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our<00:04:57.520> student<00:04:57.960> screening, Our student screening, Our student screening
• . students. students.
• student outcomes. student outcomes.
• our students. our students.
• our students. our students.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In these roles, I've had the privilege of representing the voices of student athletes and student performers
• And a con of mental health, especially someone who's a student and an athlete: a student athlete has
• Great representation of students, high school students, and even more of an excellent representation
• for student athletes.
• My first day as dean of students, I disarmed a student that had a Glock 9 with hollow tips.

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from Florida High School Athletic Association Executive Director Craig Damon, joined by student athletes Sydney Daniel and Taylor White, on current issues in high school sports. Damon said the association received more than 309 allegations this year, including 113 recruiting complaints, but only two coaches were suspended for recruiting violations, and those were self-reported. He focused on rising sportsmanship problems, violent incidents, and ejections, saying the association is working with coaches and athletic administrators on prevention and positive-behavior campaigns. He also discussed mental health pressures on student athletes, the effects of frequent transfers and school choice on team stability and community pride, and the need for more qualified coaches on campus who understand interscholastic rules and student support responsibilities. Senators asked about the transfer system, violent conduct, and whether the association would propose changes; Damon said he would support guardrails that protect school choice while limiting midseason athletic transfers. The committee then took up a panel on high school coaches’ compensation led by Florida Coaches Coalition Executive Director Dr. Andrew Ramgett, with Coach Mike Hickman, Coach Charlie Ward, and superintendents from Okaloosa and Walton counties. Ramgett argued that coaching supplements are outdated, often amounting to very low hourly pay despite year-round duties, and said Florida’s system has not kept pace with increased responsibilities, inflation, or neighboring states. He also criticized restrictions on booster-club support, minimal coaching certification requirements, and turnover among coaches, and urged changes that would allow coaches to negotiate fairer compensation and receive external funding. Hickman and Ward emphasized the long hours, family strain, and mentoring role of coaches, while the superintendents said districts face finite budgets and must balance coach pay against teacher, bus driver, and other staffing needs; they also warned that booster-funded pay could create inequities between wealthy and less affluent communities. Senators discussed whether booster-club funding should be allowed, whether compensation should vary by performance, and whether any new funding should be categorical. Public comment followed from Florida Athletic Coaches Association Executive Director Shelton Cruz and former coach Tyrone McGriff, both of whom stressed the broader educational and safety impact of coaches and asked lawmakers to support the next generation of coaches. After the presentations, the committee took up confirmation hearings for appointments on tabs 3 through 6 and, by a single roll-call vote, recommended all appointees favorably. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• But we also have a large number of students that are professional students that are focused on either
• They have good, dedicated faculty and students.
• They have good, dedicated faculty and students.
• Bring great things for the students of Broward College, because without the students, we wouldn't have
• We're currently serving over 70,000 students.

Summary: The committee first heard CS/SB 270, which would extend Bright Futures eligibility by 12 months for certain students whose parent was serving overseas in public service and then retired, giving military and diplomatic families more time to return to Florida without losing scholarship eligibility. Senator Burgess also explained a late-filed amendment to set the bill’s effective implementation for the 2025-26 school year, and the committee adopted the amendment without objection. The bill received supportive testimony, including from Senator Smith, and was reported favorably by a roll call vote. The remainder of the meeting focused on confirmation hearings for appointees to state college boards of trustees, with the chair emphasizing a new process of hearing from each nominee individually rather than taking a blanket vote. Nominees from Tallahassee State College, St. Johns River State College, South Florida State College, Broward College, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota, Palm Beach State College, Pasco-Hernando State College, and Valencia College described their backgrounds and priorities, which largely centered on workforce development, nursing and health sciences, dual enrollment, fiscal responsibility, student retention, and partnerships with local employers and communities. Several nominees highlighted their own educational or professional ties to the colleges, and some noted the importance of serving rural or military-connected communities. One nominee, John Aloko for Pasco-Hernando State College, was not present because he was attending a conference in Hawaii and was deferred to a later hearing. After hearing all other nominees, the committee voted to recommend confirmation of the remaining appointees in a block vote, covering Tabs 2 through 22 except Tab 8, and the motion passed. Two members later asked to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on earlier items.

Transcript Highlights:

• I want every student to be able to read. I want every student to excel.
• The very things students need most.
• Nebraska, I think we're about $18,000 per student, over $18,000 per student.
• Nebraska, I think we're about $18,000 per student, over $18,000 per student.
• of all Nebraska students.

Bills: LB878, LB958, LB958A, LB762, LB1187, LB966, LB929, LB962, LB1209, LB937A, LB962A, LB1050, LB1050A, LB965, LB1022, LB753, LB788, LB913, LB1055, LB1195, LB429, LB721, LB722, LB727, LB745, LB749, LB778, LR293, LR296, LR422, LR495, LR496, LR497, LR498, LR499, LR500, LR501, LR502, LR503, LR504

Keywords: paid parental leave, state employees, workplace benefits, family support, economic impact, Medicaid, Medical Assistance Act, home and community-based services waiver, HCBS waiver, waiver participant, assessment tool, clinical interviewing, service tier, retroactive coverage, doula, doula reimbursement, maternal health, prenatal care, pregnancy, birth outcomes

Transcript Highlights:

• Student growth and readiness more effectively over time.
• None of those items should ever be put in front of a student. ...student to test the student until we
• It relates the student to a standard.
• Has rigor been diminished for those students in any way?
• We are called to support the students first and foremost.

Bills: SB8, SB 8

Keywords: education, accountability, public school assessment, state law, transparency, intervention, performance ratings, sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You can have students use blocks and manipulatives. You can have students complete worksheets.
• Our students deserve nothing less. For years to come. Our students deserve nothing less. Thank you.
• students?
• comes to students and the outcomes and students I see two pathways around what this can do for students
• and if we're truly going to move the needle on student achievement, ensuring students are reading by

Summary: The committee heard a series of budget proposals focused on education finance, with repeated questions about whether the state’s investments are coordinated, targeted to the highest-need students, and likely to produce measurable results. On the first item, the administration proposed $1 million for a study of California’s curriculum framework, standards, and instructional materials process, plus $250,000 for supplemental ELA/ELD guidance. CDE and Finance said the study would examine how other states organize standards, frameworks, and adoptions, while the chair and members questioned why California has gone so long without updating some standards, what the study would actually accomplish, and whether the proposal was too vague to justify the cost. The issue was held open. The committee then took up a proposed $25 million statewide literacy network within the system of support. CCEE and CDE said the network would coordinate multiple existing literacy leads, create a clearinghouse of evidence-based resources, and improve coherence across the state’s many literacy initiatives. Members pressed on how a one-time, five-year allocation could support a long-term system, how the work would reach distressed and rural districts, and whether the proposal would translate into classroom change rather than just another layer of coordination. The issue was also held open. Next, the committee reviewed a $500 million proposal to expand literacy coaches and reading specialists and to create a math coaches program. CDE described the existing literacy coach cohorts as producing positive reports from participating LEAs, while the LAO recommended modifications, especially for the math coach portion, including limiting eligibility to elementary schools, setting minimum grant amounts, directing funds to eligible school sites, and making eligibility automatic rather than application-based. Members focused on whether coaches were actually being placed at the schools with the greatest need and whether the state has a coherent long-term strategy for literacy and math investments. The committee also heard a $40 million proposal for training and implementation of K-2 reading difficulty screeners, which the LAO said was reasonable but could be reduced because $25 million had already been provided for training; CDE said the new funds were needed for full implementation, procurement, and sustainability. Finally, the committee heard a $10 million proposal for a developmentally appropriate TK multilingual learner screener, with CDE explaining why the preschool language-identification process is different from K-12 EL assessment and the chair asking staff to explore whether a single, more consistent approach could be developed. The meeting concluded with a presentation on universal school meals and kitchen infrastructure, including a $31.5 million backfill, an $84.1 million increase for projected meal growth, a COLA adjustment, and $150 million for kitchen upgrades and training to support freshly prepared meals.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a transfer student completion rate for economically disadvantaged students that significantly
• It also provides dedicated student support that focuses on student retention efforts such as first-year
• We're slightly over 9000 students.
• And so we spent so much time in working with those students and moving those students through and get
• How many students do you draw, what do you draw very many students from, from Arkansas, Louisiana as

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, that funding varies by student depending on the students they serve.
• Chairman, Representative Baca, so the four student groups—Native Americans, students with IEPs, English
• Is this for all students? Mr.
• How is it impacting students?
• that we hear from students.

Transcript Highlights:

• for a student with autism.
• So even though we have fewer students, the students that we have are pretty expensive to serve.
• They're still students of the EPP.
• support student learning at home.
• student progress and identify supports for students whose results indicate a reading difficulty.

Summary: The committee first heard a detailed staff presentation on the LESC FY27 public school support recommendation. Staff reviewed the budget structure and explained that, despite a downward revision in state revenue estimates, the recommendation still relied on recurring and non-recurring revenue to support educator compensation, insurance, transportation, literacy, math, special education, and other school programs. Major recurring items included a 3% compensation increase, funding for an 80-20 health insurance cost share, insurance premium growth, and transportation adequacy funding. Staff also flagged a possible supplemental need of up to $35 million for virtual education tied to rapid enrollment growth in Chama and Santa Rosa, and members raised concerns about the quality, accountability, and funding model for virtual programs. Members asked questions about transportation for rural districts, the Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit fees, the treatment of enrollment declines in the school funding formula, and whether the word “average” in salary language should remain in the budget. Staff explained that the SEG should remain whole, that the insurance and transportation recommendations applied to all public school employees but not contractors, and that the budget included multiple math-related investments spread across several lines rather than one single appropriation. There was also discussion of out-of-school learning grants, school meals, literacy center operations, special education training, and the Public Education Reform Fund, including the use of multi-year, evaluation-based appropriations for high-impact tutoring and community schools. After discussion, the committee adopted the LESC budget recommendation. The committee then moved to endorsed legislation proposals. It endorsed a bill allowing the secretary to suspend an individual school board member, with notice and appeal procedures clarified, and a bill creating an 80-20 health insurance cost-share requirement for public school employees, along with a study of the sustainability of public school insurance programs. It also endorsed a bill on attendance provisions for students with severe medical conditions, which would keep those students from being classified as excessively absent. Finally, the committee discussed a teacher residency bill that would raise stipend levels, allow residents to complete service anywhere in New Mexico, and remove the requirement that sponsoring schools must hire them, though the bill did not include an appropriation. Members also raised questions about bilingual, Hispanic, and Black education funding, cultural and linguistic supports in teacher preparation, and where various programs should be placed in the budget or PERF framework.

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment also certifies that a parent of a student may object in writing to the student receiving
• I support students who are gifted, English language learners, and exceptional students and students with
• And so that student will be treated just like the other students that are getting the uniform.
• And so if that student is allowed to, if that student transfers to Ely, as you mentioned, then that student
• It's choice for students.

Summary: The Pre-K-12 Education Committee took up a series of education, school safety, health, and student access bills. SB 754 on International Baccalaureate bonus funds was amended to clarify the theory of knowledge course and then reported favorably. SB 370 would allow routine non-invasive school health screenings, such as vision, hearing, and dental checks, to proceed with written notice and an opt-out process rather than active parental consent; supporters said it would improve participation and access, while opponents argued it was too broad and weakened parental rights. After debate over scope, funding, and consent, the bill was reported favorably. The committee also advanced SB 1070, which would require ECG screenings for student athletes under a phased rollout beginning in 2026, with religious and medical opt-outs. The bill was renamed the Second Chance Act in honor of Chance Gainer. Supporters described it as a life-saving measure to detect hidden cardiac conditions, while some members raised cost and implementation concerns. SB 508, the Family Empowerment Scholarship bill, would require private schools to disclose in writing what accommodations and services they will provide to students with IEPs, 504 plans, or ELL plans before enrollment; it was supported by parents, advocacy groups, and some school representatives and was reported favorably. School safety measures were also considered. SB 1470 would refine campus locking and supervision rules, create clearer exceptions, expand training and security options for school safety personnel, and allow district-employed law enforcement officers to use canines for threat detection. Witnesses from school safety and Parkland-related advocacy groups supported the bill but urged caution on exemptions and implementation details. SB 1472 would extend a public records exemption to certified school security guards, matching the protection already given to school guardians, and it was reported favorably. Finally, SB 248 would expand participation in FHSAA sports for private school and home education students at public schools when their own schools do not offer the sport, and SB 1618 made broad changes to VPK through grade 12 policy, including reading instruction, financial literacy, school funds restrictions, teacher certification, and advisory council rules; both bills were reported favorably. Several members later recorded votes in support of specific tabs before the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• and the students some of the students and the students respond<00:18:32.640> to<00:18:32.880>
• the student to now teaching a student, you have a closer connection with the student.
• students students now<00:47:50.040> and<00:47:50.720> students<00:47:51.720> who
• , serving future students.
• , serving future students.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• from these fields alongside students from these fields alongside students outlined<00:09:22.959>
• which has further impacted student which has further impacted student attendance<00:17:54.799>
• Inter Agency Council on Student Inter Agency Council on Student Attendance.<00:18:52.640> Thank
• If you really want to students.
• If a student is disrespectful.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee heard House File 3585, as amended, which would create an interagency council on student attendance and re-refer the bill to education finance. Representative Keeler moved the bill and an A1 amendment that corrected the council’s placement from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to the Department of Education; the amendment was adopted. Keeler and Representative Bakeberg described the bill as the product of several years of bipartisan work on chronic absenteeism and truancy, emphasizing that attendance problems involve multiple systems and require ongoing coordination rather than a single-agency response. Testimony was strongly supportive. Matt Shaver of Allies cited statewide chronic absenteeism data and argued that schools cannot solve the problem alone because root causes such as housing, transportation, health, and economic instability lie outside school control. Assistant Commissioner Angela Mansfield of MDE said the task force and pilot districts showed coordination gaps and supported the council, while also noting MDE’s Compass staff would need permanent funding to carry out the work. Ashley High Totower of Hennepin County’s BEET program said attendance is a public health, child welfare, transportation, housing, and economic issue, and Kenneth Avon of the Minneapolis Foundation said absenteeism is an ecological problem requiring cross-sector coordination. Student witnesses also supported the bill but urged stronger youth representation. Henry Brick of Catalyst for Systems Change said students understand the causes of absenteeism best and proposed expanding student seats on the council from one to five. Ava Northrup of the Minnesota Youth Council said youth voices should be more than symbolic and suggested two youth representatives, one from the metro and one from greater Minnesota, plus additional youth task forces or panels. In member discussion, Representative Lawrence questioned whether the council duplicated existing MDE work, asked who would coordinate the group, and raised the lack of a sunset; Keeler and Bakeberg said the Department of Education would coordinate and that a sunset could be considered later. Other members asked about fiscal impact, and the chair said a fiscal note had been requested and the bill would move on to education finance.

Transcript Highlights:

• to a student. to a student. Thank you,<00:22:31.919> Chair<00:22:32.159> Eric.
• is a student.
• We hear directly from students concerns. We hear directly from students as<00:30:02.720> well.
• Minstate GO students enrollment group. Minstate GO students enrollment group.
• close to half were were ghost students. close to half were were ghost students.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up a series of “same and similar” provisions between the House and Senate higher education bills and adopted them one by one, with brief explanations from members and staff. The items included a cybersecurity addition for a doctoral degree program, Northstar Promise definitions and eligibility limits, self-loan provisions on institution eligibility and data disclosure, and dual training language requiring certificates, diplomas, or degrees to come from accredited postsecondary institutions. The committee also adopted an amendment to the private career school provisions that clarified exempt institutions remain within the act, and removed certain limited-license and renewal fees for institutions participating in dual training grants or the eligible training provider list. Each of these motions prevailed by voice vote. The committee then moved into policy differences between the House and Senate bills, beginning with emergency grants and hunger-free campus grants. Members discussed shifting funding from OHE-administered competitive grants to direct appropriations for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State, while the Senate retained competitive grant access for private and tribal colleges and added reporting requirements. OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson said the added reporting would be an extra administrative task but raised no significant concerns. Testifiers from the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State, and the private college sector supported faster, more direct funding and described the grants as important for emergency housing, transportation, food insecurity, and other student basic needs. A LeadMN representative also supported the changes, saying campus staff and students wanted funds delivered more quickly. The committee also discussed direct admissions on R31. The Senate proposal would require public and charter high schools to participate in the direct admissions program by the 2029-2030 school year. Assistant Commissioner Wendy Robinson said OHE supports statewide expansion and that the program has improved FAFSA completion, college enrollment, and student retention in Minnesota. Members noted the bill had bipartisan support and heard from advocates such as Ed Allies and Students United. No votes were taken on the policy-difference items during this portion of the meeting, and the chair said further discussion of state grant and sexual misconduct policy differences would be held at a later hearing with additional OHE staff present.

Transcript Highlights:

• for a student with autism.
• So even though we have fewer students, the students that we have are pretty expensive to serve.
• They're still students Of the EPP.
• to support student learning at home.
• student progress and identify student supports for students whose results indicated a reading difficulty

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Nobody wants to suspend a student, or nobody wants to expel a student.
• We saw that Black and Brown students and students with disabilities were being suspended.
• and White students.
• If you take it by student, it's a cut of $517 per student.
• Asian students? 91%. Black students, 84%. White students, 93%. And multiracial, 90%.

Transcript Highlights:

• Conduct in-person interviews with students during those visits aligned with the students IEP to assess
• It lets parents and students know what their rights are.
• There were some students who were there for years and years.
• SB 414 puts students first, particularly... students who have often been left behind, students with specific
• We serve a diverse student population where majority of students are not on track to graduate.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , low-income students, non-traditional students, transfer students from KCTCS, or the students with unique
• , Black and Latino students, veterans, low-income students, and students with disabilities.
• , Black and Latino students, veterans, low-income students, and students with disabilities.
• , Black and Latino students, veterans, low-income students, and students with disabilities.
• , Black and Latino students, veterans, low-income students, and students with disabilities.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate Education Committee met with a quorum and first considered two concurrent resolutions. SCR 76, sponsored by Sen. Amanda Bledsoe, would create a Kentucky School for the Deaf Governance Task Force to examine the school’s future governance and its relationship with the Kentucky Department of Education. Bledsoe described the school’s long history and said the task force would give the small deaf-school community more voice. The committee adopted the resolution unanimously with favorable expression. The committee then took up SCR 131, sponsored by Sen. Max Wise, to continue the Efficient and Effective Districts Task Force from 2024. Wise said the prior task force met about 10 times and focused on student achievement and district policy, and the new version would continue that work as a legislature-only task force. The resolution passed unanimously with favorable expression. Members next considered HB 240 on primary school promotion. Rep. Truitt explained that the bill would require students who are not ready in kindergarten to repeat kindergarten, while a committee substitute softened the approach by allowing a school to hold a child back in kindergarten but requiring action in first grade. He said the bill aligns with existing reading-screening efforts and is intended to strengthen early literacy foundations. The committee adopted the substitute and passed the bill unanimously with favorable expression; Sen. Williams briefly explained his support as favoring performance-based advancement. The committee also approved HB 298, which would change the identification of schools for comprehensive support and improvement from every three years to annually, require KDE recommendations during management audits, add professional development in reading and math, and require effective instructional resources. The committee substitute also allowed districts with multiple CSI schools to contract for a turnaround vendor. The bill additionally carried employee-misconduct provisions from prior sessions, including disclosure requirements for applicants; the only change discussed was removing the word “investigation” from one disclosure section. HB 298 passed unanimously with favorable expression, and the committee also adopted a title amendment. Finally, the committee heard HB 424 on employment at public postsecondary institutions. Rep. Tipton said the bill would require performance and productivity reviews for faculty at least every four years, clarify appointment and removal authority for presidents at certain institutions, and expand “cause” for dismissal to include failure to meet performance and productivity requirements. Dr. Ray Horton, speaking for faculty groups, proposed a small substitute that would tie any performance measures to existing employment contracts to preserve academic integrity and avoid unintended changes to tenure processes. Members discussed how tenure works at Kentucky universities, and the committee was still in the middle of considering the proposed substitute when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• But those are also courses that are important for our students as students of Navajo Tech.
• . learning for our students.
• We have 543 full-time and 957 part-time students, along with two international students.
• We have students in Navajo Prep.
• We have one student who's doing her full-time student teaching in Cuba, New Mexico this year.