Transcript Highlights:

• It separates them from they walk away. It separates them from they walk away.
• from their personal weapon be separated from their personal weapon be separated from their personal
• for. weapon if they need to be separated for. weapon if they need to be separated for.
• Sweet grown separate sweet what? Sweet grown separate sweet what? Sweet grown Alabama.
• with each grade level that's going to take each grade level that's going to take each grade level that's

Bills: HJR 4 , HJR 6 , HB 195 , HB 13 , HB 143 , HB 135

Transcript Highlights:

• you just laid out is it not that this is just looking at whether or not someone is registered in a separate
• to the Texas Department of Transportation that is contingent on legislation to address local rail grade
• strategy that was created in House Bill 8 last session and then a hundred million dollars to the Railroad
• And at least just pull that out so that we can vote on that separately. Mr.

Bills: SB1 , HB500 , SB1 , HB1400 , HB 1094 , HB365 , HB 1109 , HB647 , HB500

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, state budget, mental health funding, education funding, infrastructure improvements, public safety, groundwater, water conservation, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, innovation fund, local conservation districts, transportation protection agreement, funeral services, insurance exemption

Transcript Highlights:

• and not 6th grade.
• Sixth grade is important for them to be counted as middle school.
• students to schools that do serve 6th through 12th grade students.
• This for the older grades is huge because they're the ones where we start to lose them.
• And including sixth grade. But where are we seeing that decrease in student membership?

Committee: House House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• In other words, do I get to grade my own paper, is what I’m saying.
• city to do an expedited process on a self-graded paper.
• But if you’re grading your own paper, I have that problem. You know, I don’t.
• “I will tell you that they don’t get to grade their own paper.
• In other words, you don’t anticipate that you grade your own paper.” “No.

Committee: Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• daylighting projects, Trout Brook, uh, Reserve in, I believe, in your district, is an area where the railroad
• ><01:05:15.160><c> area</c><01:05:15.400><c> where</c><01:05:15.520><c> the</c><01:05:15.640><c> railroad
• </c> district is an area where the railroad district is an area where the railroad put<01:05:16.359><

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• , including the following: first, that the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program is funded as a separate
• The curriculum is excellent, but it's being taught to the wrong grade.
• But it should be taught maybe to a later grade, like 11th or something like that, 12th grade.

Summary: The conference committee met to discuss the Senate’s second budget offer and its first offer on SB 7030. The chair said the budget proviso and back-of-bill offers were continuing to close out remaining issues, and explained the Senate’s approach to the new academic accelerated option supplement in the FEFP as restoring about 80% of prior weighted FTE funding for acceleration options other than dual enrollment, citing existing statutory requirements and the different cost structure of dual enrollment. Senator Gates then presented the Senate’s modified SB 7030 offer, saying the bill was intended to address problems tracking roughly 23,000 students moving among public schools, private schools, and homeschooling, and to better ensure funding follows students correctly. He said the offer would preserve key parts of SB 7030 while making changes such as extending the fall application window, delaying some spring-term documentation, modifying background screening requirements, and allowing the commissioner to extend deadlines in extenuating circumstances. The offer also kept the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program as a separate FEFP categorical, expanded the Education Stabilization Fund, created fall and spring application windows, required enrollment cross-checks and student IDs, changed scholarship payments to monthly with front-loaded options, and required scholarship funding organizations to return funds tied to Auditor General FTE audit findings. A public commenter, a longtime teacher from Daytona Beach, urged that the financial literacy course be taught at a later grade level, such as 11th or 12th grade, and suggested a system of diverse guest speakers in classrooms to encourage more students from underrepresented groups to consider business ownership. No questions were raised from the committee after the Senate offer, and no vote was taken. The vice chair said the House would take the offer back for review, and the chair announced there would likely be one more meeting with a one-hour notice before the meeting adjourned by motion without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a lack of proper separation for spaces from personnel and those open to the public.
• There's a lack of proper separation for spaces from personnel and those open to the public.
• There's no gender separation in regard to restrooms, showering facilities, or sleeping areas.
• , serving grades first through high school.
• Is that what exactly it's going for, or is it completely separate from that?

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security heard testimony on several bills, with strong support expressed for a proposed municipal and public safety building authority (H. 2571/S. 1650). Municipal officials, fire chiefs, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, regional planning leaders, and Senator Comerford described aging town halls, fire stations, DPW facilities, and other local buildings, especially in small towns and gateway cities, and argued that local budgets and Proposition 2 1/2 make major capital projects difficult to fund. Testimony emphasized the need for a dedicated revenue stream, with the bill proposing a share of marijuana excise tax revenue and a rural funding set-aside. Committee members asked about prioritization and funding levels, and witnesses said even a modest start would help address a large statewide backlog. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the committee later adjourned unanimously. The committee also heard testimony on H. 2689, requiring fuel gas alarms/detectors in residential dwellings using explosive gases. Representative Jeff Roy, Susan Brown, Jason Cohn, and representatives from NEMA and Kidde supported the bill, describing it as a life-saving measure similar to carbon monoxide detector requirements. Witnesses cited the 2015 Franklin propane explosion that killed Nancy and Robert Brown, the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, and national fire data showing fatalities and property damage from gas leaks. They said detectors are affordable, commercially available, and should be required where gas is used; one witness noted battery-backed or battery-operated options exist. Committee questions focused on cost, battery power, outdoor propane setups, and whether the bill would cover private databases or only residential safety devices. Another major topic was S. 1755 on missing and abducted children. Senator Pavel Payano testified in favor, citing the case of Lee Manuel Villoria Paolino and arguing that misclassification of missing children as runaways can delay urgent response and worsen outcomes, especially for Black and brown youth. He said the bill would set minimum law enforcement response standards, require training, and expand multilingual intake forms. The committee also heard support for expanding the state DNA database through familial DNA searching, with Dr. Amory Myers explaining that the technology could help solve long-unsolved cases while including guardrails to prevent use of private consumer DNA databases. Finally, the committee heard extensive testimony on H. 2740, “Colby’s Law,” establishing safety standards for BMX and motocross tracks. Colby Lippincott’s family, community members, and industry representatives described his fatal crash and urged requirements for medical staff, insurance, inspections, warning systems, barriers, and access roads. Witnesses said the bill would not end the sport but would create basic protections, and the committee heard that Massachusetts would join a number of other states with similar standards. The hearing ended with a motion to adjourn, which passed unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• Mark's system is a completely separate system.
• </c><02:21:27.840><c> and</c> had an IEP um since the fifth grade and had an IEP um since the fifth grade
• Uh they're just kids separation of that.
• Um didn't get them until fifth grade.
• </c><04:54:08.080><c> programs,</c> from two completely separate programs, from two completely separate

Committee: House Education Funding

Transcript Highlights:

• equivalency preparation instruction through an accommodation school to students in the 11th or 12th grade
• rather than only the 12th grade.
• beginning in the 2027 to 2028 school year to students in kindergarten and the first through 12th grades
• agency to adopt a standardized hiring process for all employee positions that includes a weighted grade
• , an interview panel grade, and an overall grade.

Summary: The caucus reviewed a long list of third-read consent bills across multiple committees, with staff giving brief descriptions and members asking only occasional clarifying questions. Topics included claims against the state, CPA certification, creditor assignments, insurance adjuster licensing, school equivalency instruction, extending a credit enhancement board, firearm safety instruction in schools, student eligibility for school activities, Celebrate Freedom Week civics instruction, release-time courses, voter registration roll access, campaign filing addresses, federal land designations, public records review standards, workers’ compensation burial benefits, first responder death benefits, veterans’ flags in HOA communities, restrictions on sexually explicit material for minors, agency guidance posting, standardized state hiring, mental health court procedures, autopsy supervision, tribal child welfare MOUs, controlled substance scheduling, EMT privacy, guardian notification in court-ordered treatment, dense breast tissue notice repeal, referral agency background checks and insurance, attorney disciplinary recoveries, fentanyl penalties, campus firearms rules, suppressors, defamation standards, mandatory reporting of child abuse, attorney licensing authority, municipal penalties tied to emergency calls, forcible detainer procedures, utility-worker assault enhancements, water basin reporting, small modular nuclear reactor siting, groundwater recovery assumptions, ICE notification after arrests, a military-police-to-peace-officer pathway, and scholarship tax credits. Most bills were simply presented as consent items, with no major debate or votes recorded in the transcript. A few measures drew brief discussion. On SB 1040, members clarified that the voter-registration portal would redact personal identifying information such as voter registration numbers, ID numbers, and Social Security numbers. SB 1193 prompted comments that emergency medical technician data being open source was surprising and that the issue might be expanded to paramedics. SB 1243 was described as a guardian-rights bill to streamline notice in court-ordered treatment. SB 1318 was characterized as a cleanup measure aligning dense-breast-tissue notice requirements with federal law. SB 1477, dealing with referral agencies for assisted living and home care, was noted as having passed committee unanimously. The most substantive exchanges came on SB 1148 and SB 1418. For SB 1148, members discussed shifting attorney licensing responsibility more directly to the Arizona Supreme Court rather than the State Bar, with staff explaining that the court already oversees licensing but currently delegates some functions to the Bar. On SB 1418, which limits county regulation of small modular nuclear reactors in certain circumstances, a member objected that it would reduce local control and said they would likely oppose it on the floor. H.C.M. 2009 was also presented, asking Congress to amend the Antiquities Act, compensate states for subsurface minerals, and streamline mining permits; the sponsor tied it to Arizona’s mining history and land-swap interests. The caucus ended after SB 1142, with no recorded votes or formal actions beyond the bills being discussed as third-read consent items.

Transcript Highlights:

• We’ve got Jean Rock, 10th grade from American High School, home of the Patriots. We’ve got Ms.
• We have Kayla Prospect, an 11th grade student from Somerset Academy in Central Miramar.
• We've gone Jean Rock, 10th grade from American High School, home of the Patriots. We've got Ms.
• We have Kayla Prospect, an 11th grade student from Somerset Academy in Central Miramar.
• question our founders’ intent of separation in church and state.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Washington County administrator Alan Massey, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several gallery recognitions. The chamber adopted the special order report and then took up a series of bills on the special order calendar. Early measures included CS/HB 967 on electronic payments to local governments, which passed 110-0, and HB 127 requiring cursive writing instruction in grades 2-5, which passed 111-0 after members spoke about literacy, signatures, and heritage. CS/HB 453 on high school diploma requirements passed 111-0 and would allow certain students to use Special Olympics participation for PE credit and marching band for PE and arts credit. The House also passed CS/HB 237 on use of professional nursing titles, which requires APRNs using the title doctor to clarify they are APRNs, by 111-0. The chamber then debated HJR 583, a proposed constitutional amendment on religious expression in public schools. Supporters said it would codify existing statutory protections for student and school personnel religious expression and let voters decide; opponents argued it was unnecessary, could create confusion, and risked constitutional problems involving school-sponsored prayer and the separation of church and state. After structured debate, the resolution passed 93-17. The House next passed CS/HB 363 on dental therapy, which creates a licensed mid-level dental provider and drew sharp debate over access to care versus patient safety; it passed 80-29. HB 375 on autonomous practice by certified registered nurse anesthetists passed 78-28, and HB 301 on psychiatric mental health APRN autonomous practice passed 88-18. Later, the House passed HB 863 on arbitration for Citizens Property Insurance disputes, giving policyholders a choice between arbitration and court, by 105-3, and HB 1399 on property insurance affiliates, which increases oversight of insurer-affiliate transactions, by 160-3. Members also heard and advanced a local claims bill, HB 6517, for relief of Eribeito and Sanchez Mayan against the City of St. Petersburg, describing severe injuries allegedly caused during an arrest and transport; the bill was rolled over for third reading at the end of the transcript. Throughout the day, members also paused for multiple recognitions of visiting students, local officials, professional groups, and community organizations.

Transcript Highlights:

• My oldest is in first grade.
• My oldest is in first grade.
• I've taught every grade level from pre-K and kindergarten through fifth grade.
• the full grade-level curriculum.
• She's also taught every grade level from pre-K and kindergarten through fifth grade.

Committee: House House Education Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 2266, which would change school release-time policy for religious instruction from permissive to mandatory for school districts and charter governing bodies. The sponsor and supporters said the bill protects parental choice, religious liberty, and constitutional release-time programs, while opponents argued it would reduce local control, pull students from instructional time, and expose schools to constitutional and social harms. After public testimony and debate over liability, indoctrination, and academic impact, the committee voted 7-5 to give HB 2266 a due pass recommendation. The committee then took up House Bill 2193, a cleanup measure related to student directory information and parent organizations. The bill would allow parents of enrolled students or representatives of nonprofit organizations supporting a school to receive directory information unless a parent or eligible student opts out. Supporters from PTO/PTA groups said the change is needed so parent organizations can continue communicating with families and building school community, while members raised concerns about whether the language should be narrowed to avoid political or other misuse of student data. The sponsor said he was open to an amendment, and the committee approved HB 2193 on a 10-1 vote, with one member present. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2075, which would require public school districts to submit superintendent and other top administrator contracts or attestations to ADE and create a searchable online database of compensation details, including salary, benefits, and car allowances. The sponsor described it as a transparency measure, and the committee discussed an amendment to add more specific filing deadlines and the online database requirement. Opponents from school administrators and rural districts argued that superintendent salaries are already public, that the bill should also apply to charter and private schools receiving public funds, and that it could add burdens or distort comparisons across different public-sector labor markets. Supporters said the bill would make total compensation easier to access and reduce public records requests. The sponsor closed by saying the bill would centralize compensation information and simplify disclosure for districts.

Transcript Highlights:

• Maybe it's for the whole grade.
• Third grade and first grade.
• or advanced on to fourth grade.
• grade.
• At grade level for the next grade the student would otherwise advance to.

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

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> grader enrolling in a ninth grade grader enrolling in a ninth grade program<00:10:29.399><c> might
• </c> over me he believed in um third grade over me he believed in um third grade test<01:31:59.320><c
• </c> why they would be sort of held separate why they would be sort of held separate from<01:39:27.800
• </c> fraud agencies argue that separating fraud agencies argue that separating fraud<01:41:51.719><c>
• </c><01:42:49.599><c> of</c> General violates the separation of General violates the separation of powers

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you very much for coming back, Jack. grades on some of the skills and I was grades on some of the
• </c> Disabilities Act and so it's separate Disabilities Act and so it's separate from<00:37:38.640><c
• class sizes and increasing upper grade class sizes and doing<03:27:10.800><c> multi-grade</c> doing
• So we know whether grade level?
• Your youngster was in grade one last year. You expect them to go to grade two? Well, I'm sorry.

Committee: House Education Policy and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• We did, Madam Chair, we did make some changes to the SEG to the unit value to sixth grade to include
• I saw about third, fourth grade. That didn't scare you from what I saw.
• And watching this continue into the third and fourth grade where we were separated, and way back then
• there was that system of high grade low grade, so you kind of knew where students were being where they
• We have kids dropping out after eighth grade or in eighth grade and they're not where are they.

Transcript Highlights:

• It challenges our paradigm that the brain is separate from the body.
• It got really bad in the third grade. I missed half of the school year.
• I first attempted to take my own life when I was in seventh grade.
• I was in and out of the hospital for all of my freshman year. my separation anxiety was.
• Her original trigger: double pneumonia, mono, and a tick-borne illness back in third grade in 2016.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a lengthy public hearing with more than 70 people signed up to testify, focusing mainly on health insurance and health care access bills. Early testimony centered on H.1257/S.712, which would require insurance coverage for medically necessary treatment of genetic craniofacial conditions. Supporters included legislators, dentists, and medical experts who said these conditions are not cosmetic, can severely affect eating, speech, pain, and social functioning, and often create major financial hardship because insurers deny coverage. A related dental bill, H.1262/S.676, drew technical testimony from the Life Insurance Association of Massachusetts about implementation issues with the 2022 dental loss-ratio law, while the Massachusetts Dental Society supported H.1306/S.696 on transparency in dental network leasing and opposed H.1262. Representative Gentile also testified for H.4013, which would ban for-profit acute care hospitals and for-profit health insurers in Massachusetts, arguing that profit incentives undermine patient care. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to H.1261/S.799, a bill to protect patients from surprise ambulance bills. Municipal fire chiefs, Boston EMS, nonprofit ambulance providers, and the bill’s Senate sponsor said the measure would require insurers to pay ambulance providers directly and promptly, cap patient out-of-pocket costs, and reduce confusion caused by out-of-network billing. Witnesses described ambulance services as essential public health infrastructure and said current billing practices can discourage people from calling 911 or leave municipalities and nonprofits unable to recover costs. Committee members asked about unpaid debt, municipal billing burdens, and how the bill would affect rates and reimbursement. No votes were taken during the hearing. The committee also heard extensive testimony on H.1249/S.805, which would require screening for PANS/PANDAS in medical and clinical settings. Legislators, clinicians, parents, a teen with the condition, and educators described PANS/PANDAS as an infection-triggered inflammatory illness that can present as sudden psychiatric symptoms and is often misdiagnosed as a mental health disorder. Supporters said routine screening at well visits, emergency rooms, and other clinical settings would help identify children earlier, reduce unnecessary psychiatric treatment and hospitalizations, and improve outcomes. Testifiers repeatedly urged favorable action, emphasizing the personal and financial toll on families and the potential for early treatment to prevent long-term harm. The hearing concluded with continued testimony on these bills; no committee action or votes were announced.

Transcript Highlights:

• Look at their eighth-grade scores. Look at their GDP growth.
• Grade scores, look at their GDP growth, look at their college graduation rates, look at their college
• Look at their eighth grade scores. Look at their GDP growth.
• Look at their college graduation rates. grade scores, look at their GDP growth, look at their college
• don't want a student in Oklahoma not to achieve everything they can because they decided in first grade

Bills: SB1726 , SB1236 , SB1633 , SB1413 , SB1317 , SB1360 , SB1342 , SB1477 , SB1189 , SB1546 , SB1524 , SB1338 , SB1193 , SB1812 , SB1617

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The Senate Education Committee heard and advanced a large slate of education bills. Early measures included SB 1726, requiring formal training for university teaching assistants before they teach classes and evaluate students, with emphasis on First Amendment rights; SB 1236, creating an Administrative Report Consolidation Act to reduce duplicative reporting by schools and agencies; SB 1633, codifying existing higher education residency tuition practices; SB 1413, requiring notice to parents when a teacher is emergency certified and limiting adjunct teachers to 270 clock hours per semester; SB 1317, allowing career teacher status to be portable across districts with local board approval; and SB 1360, expanding the state’s math initiative by restoring instructional coaches and creating a math office at the State Department of Education. Most of these bills passed on favorable votes, with SB 1413 drawing some concern over teacher shortages and the adjunct-hour cap, but still passing.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:15:03.839><c> Branch</c> legislature we are a separate Branch legislature we are a separate Branch
• Both our kids went to public schools from first grade through 12th grade, but they didn't do kindergarten
• We do have compulsory attendance for grades 1 through 12.
• through uh through 12th first grade through uh through 12th grade<00:58:03.359><c> and</c><00:58:03.760
• You know, the data is really from two separate years.

Summary: The committee first discussed HB 443, which would change terms and vacancy language for members of a higher education commission. Members raised concerns that the bill was too narrow to address broader issues with commission membership, including expired appointments, attendance expectations, and whether the Department of Education could replace the commission’s role. Several members suggested the bill was not ready for action and favored holding it for further work, possibly through a subcommittee or work session. One member suggested that if attendance standards were added, no more than two unexcused absences should trigger removal, given the commission’s meeting schedule. The chair said he would defer action and form a small subcommittee to report back before the committee deadline. The committee then moved to HB 484, dealing with repurposing Career and Technical Education classroom space after 20 years of exclusive use. The chair explained that the bill was aimed at the Milford CTE project, where shared use of space could allow a school to repurpose part of a CTE facility while still using it for CTE-related instruction. Members discussed other possible situations around the state, including Claremont, North Conway, and Jaffrey/Rindge, and whether the bill should be limited to Milford or broadened to allow local districts more flexibility. Some members favored passing the bill now to help CTE projects move forward, while others argued for an amendment removing the requirement that the space be vacated specifically to expand the CTE program occupying it. Testimony and discussion emphasized that the Milford project had state approval but reduced funding, requiring a smaller scope and repurposing of existing space. Supporters said the bill could help preserve CTE programs while also benefiting general education space needs, and that local districts should have flexibility after 20 years. Opponents or cautious members noted that the language might not fit every district situation and asked for feedback from Director Beard and Steve Rothenberg before final action. The committee did not take a final vote in the portion provided, and instead discussed waiting for an amendment and additional input before acting.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that’s being evaluated by the separate evaluator.
• But I think it's really important to know that the evaluation process is an entirely separate entity
• The process of waiving my PE credits in 10th grade, I would not have had room in my schedule to take
• Early literacy is the single greatest predictor of third- and fourth-grade test scores.
• Early literacy is a single greatest predictor of third and fourth grade test scores.

Bills: SB5952 , SB5961 , SB5969 , SB5841 , SB5943

Committee: Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education

Keywords: physical education, school districts, student requirements, education policy, high school, early literacy, childhood literacy, book distribution, Imagination Library, Dolly Parton Imagination Library, preschool, pre-K, reading readiness, school readiness, birth to age five, young children, nonprofit contract, OSPI, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, DCYF

Transcript Highlights:

• throughout COVID are incredible, but they need to be combined into a single rate rather than two separate
• Or is that separate than their school employees?
• So that would be separate.
• At my neighborhood public school, for example, there are three classroom sections for every grade level
• At my neighborhood public school, for example, there are three classroom sections for every grade level

Summary: The Assembly Select Committee on Child Care Costs held its third hearing, focused on how transitional kindergarten (TK) fits into California’s mixed-delivery early learning system, with an emphasis on the Central Valley. Opening remarks stressed that TK and child care should complement each other, not compete, and that families need both part-day school-based options and full-day, year-round care. Committee members outlined hearing goals around aligning TK with existing programs, understanding family needs, and examining the economic impact of early learning on workforce participation and local economies. Panelists from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, Every Child California, Early Edge, Children Now, and others described TK’s rapid expansion to all four-year-olds, the growth in enrollment, and related changes to state preschool and after-school programs. Witnesses generally supported TK but warned that its expansion has shifted enrollment away from community-based providers, especially centers and family child care homes, creating financial strain, vacant classrooms, and staffing challenges. They urged stronger partnerships between school districts and community providers, more flexible licensing and facilities support, higher and more uniform reimbursement rates, permanent authority for state preschool to serve two-year-olds, and better compensation and training for educators across settings. Parents and providers testified about the importance of trusted, culturally and linguistically responsive care, the need for infant-toddler and home-based options, and the difficulty of affording child care when TK is not full-day or does not fit family schedules. Several speakers emphasized that many families still face long waits for subsidies and that reimbursement and payment delays threaten provider stability. Public comment echoed these concerns, with providers calling for true cost-of-care rates, more vouchers, support for transportation and nontraditional hours, and protection from insurance and facility costs that can force programs to close. State education officials said California’s UPK system works best when TK, state preschool, Head Start, and community-based providers are treated as a shared system, and noted that planning and implementation grants and local coordination efforts have helped build mixed-delivery partnerships. The hearing ended without formal votes or actions, but committee members indicated they would continue gathering input to inform future policy and budget decisions.