Transcript Highlights:

• There's a whole bunch of cases, hundreds of cases, that are currently in court, and they're trying to
• > currently<01:12:10.639> in of cases that are currently in of cases that are currently
• cases.
• The case management that goes along with that young adult court has one person's in college, the other
• The case management that goes along with that young adult court has one person's in college, the other

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up a House Bill 2 amendment to remove a bail-related section that had already passed in another bill and was now considered duplicative. Members discussed the earlier change to how bail commissioners are reimbursed, concerns that the Judiciary was losing money collecting the fees, and whether the magistrate-related language would still be needed. They noted the bill had already crossed over to the Senate, that the section was obsolete, and that any remaining issue about magistrates’ five-year terms might need to be raised with the Criminal Justice Committee. Amendment 997H, deleting section one, was moved, seconded, and adopted unanimously. The committee then reviewed a package of HB 1 position transfers involving the Department of Environmental Services, Fish and Game, and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Staff explained that several positions were being shuffled to correct position numbers and align permitting functions, including one Fish and Game position moving back to Fish and Game, one DEES position remaining funded after ARPA money ends, and adjustments to hours for permitting and environmental services positions. Members discussed whether the Fish and Game position had been intended to be temporary, but ultimately agreed to accept the first four Environmental Services items and the last two Natural and Cultural Resources items as a package; that motion passed unanimously. They then also accepted sections 2 through 8 of HB 1 with the related amendments and footnote language. The committee next turned to dredge-and-fill fee changes in section 11, where one member objected to a 50% fee increase for seasonal docks, arguing it could discourage permitted work and might apply to repairs that only require notification. Staff said the increase was intended to help cover the cost of additional positions in future biennia, but members decided to hold that section for more information, including how many seasonal dock repair fees are actually collected. Finally, the committee began discussing HB 215 and a proposed tipping-fee/surcharge structure to make a solid waste accounting unit self-funded, with members saying the fee could offset about $2.9 million in general fund costs and support the grant program, but no final action was taken on that item in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• co-management plan.
• co-management plan.
• <00:07:42.920> co-management northeast elk management co-management northeast elk management
• . case. case.
• counties and solid waste management counties and solid waste management organizations<01:35:25.560

Bills: HF3426, HF3896, HF1426, HF3793, HF4061, HF4246

Keywords: natural resources, environment, sustainability, conservation, outdoor recreation, wild rice, watercraft regulation, environmental protection, aquatic ecosystems, HF1426, product stewardship, extended producer responsibility, EPR, electronics recycling, e-waste, battery recycling, circuit boards, printed circuit boards, electrical products, covered products

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, so is that new or was that always the case?
• So about 24% of our cases...
• Case. Does that make sense? No, ask me again and I may...
• What we're really talking about are those removal cases.
• Brown stated, a lot of these cases, most of these cases, have to deal with parents.

Bills: HB1106, HB3284, HB541, HB713, HB1403, HB1586, HB1942, HB2070, HB2844, HB2851, HB3151, HB3749, HB3940, HB3963, HB4454, HB4466, HB4795, HB5154, HB5394, SB1357, HB1052, HB4099, HB4638, HB5147

Keywords: child abuse, neglect, gender identity, sexual orientation, child welfare, marriage, family, Texas Commission, family welfare, marriage support, stability, premarital education, child development, strong families, direct patient care, healthcare, physicians, medical services, insurance regulation, maternal health

Transcript Highlights:

• be one of those cases.
• So whether they represent one case or whether they have 10 cases, we're paying them for their availability
• So whether they represent one case or whether they have 10 cases, we're paying them for their availability
• So whether they represent one case or whether they have 10 cases, we're paying them for their availability
• So, if... ...can dismiss the case.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 2271, which would formally place adult residential facilities in code and rebase their Medicaid reimbursement rates. Sponsor Chairman Ruby and HHS staff explained that these facilities, often serving people with dementia or acquired brain injury, are reimbursed at a much lower rate than skilled nursing care and help reduce bottlenecks in higher-level facilities. Members questioned how the program differs from basic care and nursing facility memory care, and the bill was referred to the HR section for deeper review before possible action on Monday. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2396, as amended, which would authorize an independent third-party performance audit of the Department of Commerce and the North Dakota Development Fund, with findings shared with the state auditor. Sponsors said the proposal was prompted by concerns raised in testimony and that a private audit could begin faster than a state audit. The committee adopted an amendment adding an emergency clause and directing the report to the Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee, then passed the bill 20-0 with 3 absent. Next, Representative Clemine presented Senate Bills 2226, 2036, and 2037. SB 2226 would presume an incarcerated person indigent at initial appearance so counsel can be provided at that critical stage; the commission said the appropriation would fund contract attorney hours, and the bill was sent to HR for further review. SB 2036 would create procedures for determining juvenile fitness to proceed in delinquency cases, with a $500,000 appropriation for mental health evaluations, and SB 2037 would begin a juvenile criminal code framework and include a $300,000 appropriation for fitness-to-proceed evaluations; both were also referred to HR, with some concern raised about staffing and overlapping functions. After a short break, the committee heard education-related appropriations bills. SB 2234 would replace expired ESSER funding for Choice Ready grants, but members noted the program was not included in the K-12 budget and sent it to E&E for comparison with existing appropriations. SB 2286, a University of North Dakota request for a new nursing school facility, drew extensive discussion about the age and condition of the current building and the size and scope of the project; the committee ultimately adopted a do-not-pass motion 22-0. SB 2213, the “science of mathematics” bill modeled on the science of reading initiative, would fund math professional development and implementation; it was also referred to E&E for further review. The committee then briefly passed the Racing Commission budget, SB 2023, and began discussion of the Trust Lands budget, SB 2013, including a proposed retention increase for investment-related positions.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we’ve pulled in the federal money and are sitting on it, and that’s not the case.
• The difference between that and the managed care organizations is very much a network.
• , utilization management, system of care, etc.
• , utilization management, system of care, etc.
• Those managed care organizations have multiple staff.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• investments be put back into rate cases investments be put back into rate cases for<00:16:13.920
• If you're doing it through a rate case mechanism, that generally drives a utility to file rate cases
• on a much more frequent basis. management rule was officially published management rule was officially
• that really don't exist in a rate case. that really don't exist in a rate case.
• . case. case.

Bills: HF3830, HF3688

Keywords: utilities, rate cases, cost recovery, reporting requirements, gas infrastructure, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I have the person who manages that for us.
• In some cases, no fee increases are needed.
• How about the loss of the maintenance and management positions?
• It's really on a case-by-case basis.
• In some cases, we do pilot programs or provide limited-term funding.

Summary: The meeting began with a lengthy opening discussion with Secretary Karen Ross of the Department of Food and Agriculture, who reviewed the department’s proposed budget, emphasized California agriculture’s record output, and highlighted major priorities including climate-smart agriculture, groundwater management, local food systems, farm-to-school, food hubs, invasive pest prevention, bird flu response, and food safety. She also warned about federal budget cuts, especially at USDA and FDA, and discussed market access challenges abroad, rising input costs, labor shortages, and the need for automation and workforce training. Members raised questions about the future of Farm to School, the California Nutrition Incentive Program/Market Match, local food procurement, and how to better connect farmers to schools, food banks, and food hubs; Ross said the department had strong evidence the program benefits small farms and Title I schools and noted continued interest in building out local food infrastructure. The committee then took up item one on eliminating vacant positions at the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Recreation, and Food and Agriculture. The Legislative Analyst’s Office explained that the Governor proposed eliminating 6,000 vacant positions statewide, with the Joint Legislative Budget Committee previously rejecting 650 of them, including 174 in these three departments. LAO and Finance said the vacancies represented a source of budget flexibility, but warned that eliminating them could create program impacts; LAO recommended retaining the special-funded positions at Fish and Wildlife and Food and Agriculture, while weighing the General Fund positions against other priorities. Finance argued the reductions were part of a broader budget-resiliency exercise and that departments could reclassify or shift vacancies to higher priorities. Members focused heavily on the practical impacts of the cuts. Assemblymember Petrie-Norris argued that Fish and Wildlife staffing shortages were already slowing permits needed for housing, clean energy, water, and transportation projects, and questioned the value of saving relatively small amounts of money. Fish and Wildlife officials said the department had prioritized mission-critical work and could still meet permitting obligations, but acknowledged limited-term staffing constraints. State Parks said the proposed ranger and maintenance cuts would not have immediate effects but could slow maintenance and eventually worsen deferred maintenance. Food and Agriculture said some of the eliminated positions supported early pest detection and eradication, but that the department believed it could still meet its mandate and reclassify positions if needed. The chair and several members signaled concern about the Fish and Wildlife and Parks cuts, while also noting the broader need for budget reductions. The committee then moved to item six, hearing an overview from the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation. Staff described the office’s role in CEQA implementation and said the budget requests were baseline funding to maintain existing functions, including IT services and administrative/legislative support, rather than new programs. The chair asked the presenters to move quickly through background material so the committee could get to questions, and the item began with no votes taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Jesse had been updating this committee on a couple of cases. I'm still...
• Jesse had been updating this committee on a couple of cases.
• There's two cases that he'd been updating the committee on: Fowler et al. v.
• The issue in that case was payment on the interest of funds that were transferred from TERS Plan 2 to
• You know, other ways of managing health care.

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The committee began by approving the November minutes on a roll-call vote, with a majority of members voting aye and the minutes adopted. Staff then provided updates on pending pension-related litigation, including Fowler et al. v. Leathers, where cross-motions for summary judgment were scheduled for May 1, and Dolan v. King County, where the court ruled against the state’s position on reimbursement of attorney’s fees but did not award fees against the state. The actuary also previewed upcoming presentations on OSA’s annual update and the June actuarial valuation and contribution rates, which will reflect updated demographic assumptions. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the interim work plan and possible study topics. Members discussed a potential study of Plan 3, including how it compares with Plan 2, retirement ages, benefit adequacy, and whether the plan is meeting its original purpose. Staff agreed to work with DRS on a study outline and bring back a proposal. Members also raised the ongoing COLA issue, noting interest from retiree groups and the need to develop a recommendation for the next budget cycle, likely by October or November. Another major topic was LEOFF 1 disability/medical boards; staff said they are still gathering basic information on how many boards exist, who administers them, and what they cost, and suggested separate briefings on House Bill 2034, LEOFF 1 governance, and the medical study. The committee also reviewed constituent correspondence, which included requests related to Plan 1 COLAs, a Plan 3 study, teacher retirement age, and a missed early retirement factor. Staff explained that correspondence procedures are being revised for cybersecurity and privacy reasons, and future public correspondence may be handled differently. The committee approved the draft May agenda, which will include the OPMA refresher, OSA’s annual update, the LEOFF 1 medical board study update, a Plan 2/Plan 3 study outline, an overview of House Bill 2034, and a correspondence update. The meeting then adjourned without further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have another staff member that is the project manager, the contract manager for these contracts, and
• This is a small... manager for these contracts and they go manager for these contracts and they go out
• examples of the um um locally managed examples of the um um locally managed uh<02:19:51.399>
• The Division of Finance manages all of the encumbrances for DoIT. It manages all the encumbrances.
• <03:20:58.880> the requirement in that latter case the requirement in that latter case the

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met with New Hampshire DOT Commissioner Bill Cass and Finance Director Danielle Shandra to review the agency’s FY 2026 budget. Cass gave a high-level overview of DOT’s mission, organization, funding structure, and staffing trends, noting the agency has about 650 employees across five divisions. He said the Governor’s recommended FY 2026 budget totals $95.99 million, essentially flat from FY 2025, with funding primarily from Turnpike funds, Highway funds, federal sources, and a small General Fund share for non-highway units. Members asked about how Turnpike and Highway funds are treated in state accounting, and DOT explained that while they are enterprise funds restricted to their purposes, they are considered unrestricted from the statewide perspective and are appropriated through the budget process. A major topic was staffing and budget targets. DOT said its full-time staffing level has remained relatively flat since 2014 even as vehicle miles traveled increased and vacancies rose. To meet budget targets, the department unfunded seven permanent positions and nine temporary full-time positions, and later noted additional reductions in Finance, including the elimination of two full-time positions, reduced print shop equipment purchases, and deeper cuts to overtime, temporary help, equipment, and supplies in FY 2027. DOT also explained that it shifted funding for one unmanned aerial system position from General Funds to Highway Funds, saying the change was workable because the position supports highway-related work and federal-aid-eligible activities. Members asked for clarification on the state transit operating match, and DOT explained that the Legislature had previously provided about $1.8 million annually in General Funds to help local transit agencies meet federal match requirements, but that funding was not included in this budget. DOT said that could reduce the ability to draw down some federal transit funds, though the impact may not be immediate because those funds can be used over several years. The department also described its unmanned aerial system program, saying it has been used for about five years for mapping, survey work, construction oversight, and storm damage assessment, and that it now has about five drones and two full-time positions supporting the program. DOT said it is expanding cross-training so more employees can operate drones without adding positions. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Management and conservation on all lands, working with local, state, federal, and tribal management agencies
• Milestones shall be met quarterly, semiannually, or annually on a case-by-case basis dependent upon the
• we may do it every six months, or we may do it annually, and we're just going to decide that on a case-by-case
• When we talk about the Yazzie Martinez case and the case that's still Pending, and experts within the
• Management.

Transcript Highlights:

• Fond du Lac has allowed this to go on for over a hundred... management then let's have the management
• In many cases, this was a dollar an acre when it was valued at $8 to $10 an acre, but the university
• <00:47:31.640> this cases this cases this was<00:47:33.640> uh<00:47:34.040> was
• <00:58:26.160> case<00:58:26.400> when do I hope that is the case case when do I hope
• that is the case case when they<00:58:27.000> come<00:58:27.240> down<00:58:27.440>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Step six is implementation management during rollout.
• The certified contract managers help enforce deliverables and manage any changes to scope or schedule
• The certified contract managers help enforce deliverables and manage any changes to scope or schedule
• That's all done through the contract managers.
• management system, right?

Summary: The subcommittee heard a panel on Florida’s IT procurement process from the Florida Digital Service, the Department of Management Services, and the Department of Financial Services. Witnesses walked through the procurement lifecycle, including planning, market research, solicitation, evaluation, award, implementation, and closeout, and emphasized the role of budget timing, contract managers, and subject matter experts. DMS described the state’s enterprise contracting system, noting more than 1,100 active vendor agreements, over 800 involving IT services, and the statutory requirement to request 25 quotes for certain IT purchases. DFS demonstrated the Florida Accountability Contract Tracking System (FACS), explaining how agencies upload contract and payment data and how the public can search contracts and related documents online. Members focused on accountability, transparency, and whether the state is getting the best products and vendors. Questions addressed how contracts are vetted, how technical evaluations are performed, how financial consequences are used for missed deliverables, how public records and confidential information are handled, and how the state screens vendors for foreign-concern or bad-actor issues. Witnesses said agencies rely on technical experts for evaluations, that contract terms should include measurable deliverables and meaningful financial consequences, and that agencies—not procurement staff—generally manage performance, though Florida Digital Service oversees large IT projects of $10 million or more. The committee then shifted to broader policy discussion, including Senate Bill 7026 and proposals to reorganize state IT governance. Several members argued for stronger centralization under a state CIO or similar enterprise authority, while others cautioned against abrupt restructuring and stressed the need for a transition plan. Members also raised concerns about workforce retention, consulting services, recurring project overruns, and the need for better planning and periodic monitoring. No votes were taken; the meeting ended with the chair thanking members and staff and adjourning the subcommittee.

Transcript Highlights:

• Harvesting is limited to the management of these species.
• It must manage through the active culling of kangaroo populations.
• The most humane wildlife management standards in the world.
• I'm Jennifer Cusack, General Manager, Big Horn Desert View Water Agency.
• And I can tell you that's not the case.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:59:04.960> management talk about the disaster case management talk about the disaster
• case management program between disaster case management program between February<01:18:37.600> 10th
• fiscal requests for the disaster case fiscal requests for the disaster case management<01:19:17.440
• State disaster case management program.
• driving who um called his IHS case driving who um called his IHS case manager,<01:20:48.640>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so the first year is the year we've picked for our case studies.
• What they're doing as well, particularly because of the water management districts.
• So the water management districts are very reliant on what's happening with their ad valorem taxes.
• Back for the water management districts very strongly.
• In one case, they had 25% of their tax revenue being used from ad valorem sources.

Summary: The Select Committee on Property Taxes met for a listening session focused on a presentation by Amy Baker of the Joint Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research on local government revenues and expenditures. Baker reviewed statewide financial data for counties, municipalities, and independent special districts, using 2018-19 as a baseline year because it was stable and pre-COVID. She explained that counties rely heavily on taxes, with ad valorem taxes making up about 73% of county tax revenue and about 24% of total county revenues statewide, while municipalities rely more on charges for services and have a lower statewide ad valorem share of about 14.7%. She also noted wide variation across local governments, with some counties and cities highly dependent on property taxes and others using them minimally or not at all. Special districts were shown to be very different from counties and cities, with hospital-related revenues and expenditures dominating many of them, while water management districts were more reliant on ad valorem taxes and focused expenditures on the physical environment. Baker also summarized expenditure patterns: counties spent the largest share on public safety, while municipalities spent the largest share on general government services, followed by physical environment and public safety. She emphasized that local government structures vary widely and that the committee should study what characteristics are associated with greater property tax reliance. She said the next research steps would be to extend the analysis through later years, including the COVID and inflation period, and to examine institutional and legal factors that shape local fiscal structures. Members asked about unfunded mandates, fuel taxes, reserves, school taxes, millage rates, and how property taxes relate to specific services such as police and fire. Baker said the current analysis did not yet account for mandates or school taxes and that further work could examine links between revenues and expenditures, commercial versus residential tax burdens, and other factors. After the presentation, members reported back on local meetings with counties and municipalities. Several described large differences in millage rates, revenue mixes, and the impact of any property tax changes on fiscally constrained counties versus larger, wealthier ones. Concerns were raised about how local governments would replace lost revenue, especially for public safety and emergency response, and members discussed the need to consider both revenue replacement and ways to rein in spending. The co-chairs said the committee would continue gathering information, send members follow-up homework and requests for panel suggestions, and invite additional input from constituents, stakeholders, and local governments. The meeting ended with no votes or formal actions beyond adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Legislative Management Committee will call the meeting to order, and we'll ask Mr.
• This application essentially requested the Supreme Court to accept and hear that case.
• This application essentially requested the Supreme Court to accept and hear that case.
• Justice Jackson authored a dissent regarding the ruling in our case.
• to become an active party to the case, and that motion was not approved by the court.

Summary: The Legislative Management Committee met to address the fiscal impact of Initiated Constitutional Measure No. 3, which would require public schools, public school districts, and public charter schools to provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to students and allow reimbursement from the state, with implementation beginning in the 2027-28 school year. The committee first filled a vacancy created by Representative Jared Hagert’s resignation by appointing Representative Berg to the committee. Legislative Council and DPI staff explained the measure’s requirements, including federal reimbursement participation, possible use of the legacy earnings fund if other funding is unavailable, and the authority of the Legislature and superintendent of public instruction to clarify implementation details. Linnell Johnson of DPI testified that the estimated fiscal impact for the 2027-2029 biennium is between $124 million and $134 million, based on participation assumptions, federal reimbursement rates, and the extent to which schools continue to collect applications or use community eligibility/provision 2 options. She also noted a likely additional administrative cost of about $300,000 for DPI to operate the program. Members asked about school participation, Title I implications, special diets, staffing, and whether the measure could reduce federal reimbursements if families stop applying. Johnson said the estimate is uncertain and could be higher if applications decline, but that schools would still have incentives to participate in federal programs because of reimbursement and other funding ties. After discussion, the committee adopted a motion to report a fiscal impact range of $124,300,000 to $134,300,000 per biennium to the Secretary of State. The committee then received an informational update from Legislative Council attorney Dustin Richard on the ongoing redistricting litigation. He explained that the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the Eighth Circuit’s ruling and sent the case back for reconsideration in light of Louisiana v. Callais, while the district court-imposed map remains in effect for now. No action was taken on that update, and the meeting adjourned after members noted minutes from the prior meeting were not yet available for approval.

Transcript Highlights:

• management, we understood that the case management that occurs at CHC's was going to be higher.
• management understood that uh the case management that<01:38:51.199> occurs<01:38:51.520>
• <01:40:51.040> But conflict free case management order.
• But conflict free case management order.
• disability waiver services case disability waiver services case management?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• committee uh to ma help co-manage committee uh to ma help co-manage day-to-day<01:47:09.760>
• underserved, but the actual management underserved, but the actual management and<01:55:13.599><
• We're asking for the the case.
• <03:56:57.199> for<03:56:57.439> that and use cases for that and use cases for that
• So, we're incredibly grateful to... senior public policy manager for the senior public policy manager

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In that case, um, is that accurate? No, not necessarily.
• It was with HHSC, who is here tonight, and their financial management unit.
• That has only happened in one case. Sorry, one case out of...
• I think this nicely mirrors how to manage that.
• I wrote it down, so I'm going to go look at that case.

Bills: HB2510, HB3589, HB4611, HB4655, HB4665, HB4666, HB4670, HB4700, HB4730, HB4798, HB4838, HB5136, HB5243, HB5302, HB5539

Keywords: assisted living, healthcare, licensing, criminal offense, personal assistance, group home, regulation, health and safety, inspections, resident care, criminal background checks, adoption, parental rights, registry, vital statistics, disclosure, counseling, foster care, independent living, financial literacy

Transcript Highlights:

• TWIST is our central case management system used by our frontline protection and permanency staff within
• So, TWIST is our central<00:58:44.880> case<00:58:45.200> management<00:58:45.920> system
• <00:58:46.680> used<00:58:46.920> by central case management system used by central
• case management system used by our<00:58:47.160> frontline<00:58:47.600> protection<00
• case where the only case after court case where the only winners<01:15:55.760> are<01:15:55.880

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Commonwealth Office of Technology 00:01:00 Department of Education 00:21:00 Transportation Cabinet 00:35:30 Secretary of State 00:45:15 Cabinet for Health and Family Services 00:56:11 Discussion of the Kentucky Communications Network Authority and Related legislation 01:09:11, 958, all

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and then focused first on the Commonwealth Office of Technology’s legacy systems and two specific projects. COT officials said many agencies have made progress moving off legacy applications, with remaining mainframe systems slated to be retired through RFPs or other work orders. They also described a legacy funding pool of $10 million per biennium used to help agencies transition. The two projects discussed were the Kentucky aerial photography and elevation data program, which provides statewide aerial imagery and lidar data for GIS, E911, environmental, transportation, and other uses, and a citizen identity and access management system intended to give residents a single login for state services. Officials said the GIS program costs about $1.2 million annually to host and maintain, with data acquisition costing several million more per year, and that the citizen identity system would cost about $2.5 million per year after an initial three-year COT investment. Members asked about duplication of funding, licensing, local government use, and whether multi-factor authentication would be required; COT said the GIS data is being acquired as statewide unlicensed data and that MFA would be available but not yet mandated statewide. Committee members pressed COT on costs, overlap with cabinet-level IT spending, and the practical benefits of the GIS and identity projects. COT explained that GIS hosting is generally covered through enterprise assessments billed quarterly to agencies, while the new aerial data is intended to benefit the whole state and local partners. On the identity project, officials said it would centralize authentication for citizens who use state systems, improve compliance with zero-trust and NIST-related security expectations, and reduce help desk and maintenance burdens through self-service account tools. Members also discussed whether the system would extend to local governments; COT said it would be a Kentucky.gov-style state login for users inside the state identity infrastructure, not a local-government system. The Department of Education then testified that it does not operate mainframes or major legacy systems, having moved long ago to cloud-based, off-the-shelf products and vendor-supported services. KDE officials described a strong emphasis on staff cybersecurity awareness, standardized statewide systems, vendor risk-sharing, and reducing sensitive data exposure, including efforts to move away from student Social Security numbers. They also highlighted a transition from Microsoft Active Directory to Identity Automation, which they said will improve identity management and make multi-factor authentication universal across K-12. In response to questions about Kentucky Wired and internet service, KDE said all 171 school districts and KDE agencies have been moved to a new next-generation internet service through ENA by Zayo, with strong satisfaction, e-rate savings, and better reliability. Officials warned that any internet disruption would immediately affect attendance, grades, student records, payroll, security systems, and communications across the K-12 system.