Transcript Highlights:

• The base student allocation, or BSA, increases by $129.11 and the funds per student increase by $247.60
• school officer; 1,001 to 2,000 students would equal two officers; 2,001 to 3,000 students would equal
• You'll see a comparable increase in funds per student for a scholarship student in that district.
• to decrease by 33,625 students.
• public school student choice.

Transcript Highlights:

• students.
• <00:12:26.560> that's 500,000 and 600,000 per student that's 500,000 and 600,000 per student
• <00:12:29.200> And for each of those students. Okay. And for each of those students.
• student that is a student may have a student that is a student receiving<01:09:11.359> Medicaid
• continuing this students IEP? I don't continuing this students IEP?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee met to begin work on HB 742, which would require catastrophic special education aid to be drawn from the education trust fund, and more broadly to study special education aid/differentiated aid and related costing issues. The chair said the group was starting early because the issue has been debated for years without resolution, local districts are being forced to absorb prorated costs, and the committee wants to send the Department of Education and HHS Medicaid a clear request for data and recommendations before retained bills return in the fall. A committee clerk was also selected, with Representative Reverend volunteering to take notes for the meeting. Members reviewed background materials on special education enrollment, high-cost students, and possible funding formulas, including data on students in high-cost brackets and prior ideas such as category-based funding and caseload-based approaches. The chair also referenced research on other states, including Arkansas, which uses a different special education funding structure and audits IEPs. The committee emphasized that it was focused on the funding mechanics and costs, not on questioning whether services should be provided. Henry Lipman of HHS explained how Medicaid-to-schools currently works in New Hampshire. He said 172 school districts participate, but utilization dropped during the pandemic and remains below historical levels, in part because districts need the capacity to bill Medicaid. Under the current system, schools receive reimbursement based on half of the Medicaid fee schedule, with the school district effectively providing the state share. He said the federal government is requiring a shift by July 1, 2026, to a true certified public expenditure model based on actual costs, which should allow schools to recover 50% of their true costs and some administrative overhead. The department has received a roughly $2.5 million grant to hire a vendor and support districts through the transition, and an RFP and stakeholder meetings are underway. Committee members asked about how costs would be determined, whether the new system would use actual district-specific costs rather than averages, and how the department would support districts that do not currently participate. Lipman said the cost model would be based on each district’s own reasonable costs, subject to audit standards, and that the department expects to provide templates and technical assistance through the vendor because its staff is limited. He also said about one in four New Hampshire children are enrolled in Medicaid, that child enrollment has been relatively stable, and that continuous coverage rules should reduce churn. No votes or formal actions on HB 742 were taken during the meeting beyond organizing the subcommittee and beginning testimony and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• the student exchange visitor program.
• notifying students when their visas have been terminated.
• or Asian Pacific Islander students or Black students.
• It's heavily concentrated for special education students and for low-income students.
• Support program for today's students.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Transparency held a hearing focused on three issues: federal funding cuts and delays, possible state revenue impacts from reduced IRS enforcement, and the fiscal effects of AB 218 on local governments. The Franchise Tax Board described how state and federal tax systems are closely linked, how most returns are filed electronically through software, and how FTB relies on IRS information sharing for compliance, fraud prevention, offsets, and nonfiler work. Members raised concerns that federal staffing cuts at the IRS could weaken audits of large corporations and reduce California revenue, and asked about VITA and ITIN filers; FTB said it was not aware of VITA reductions, noted ITIN returns are processed the same as other returns, and said ITIN filing appeared slightly down this year. The Department of Finance said it is monitoring federal developments, summarized the continuing resolution and reconciliation process, and noted that California lost nearly $940 million in earmarked federal projects under the CR, while major federal budget decisions remain uncertain until the President’s budget and later congressional action. The University of California reported substantial federal pressure on research, student aid, and health care. UC said hundreds of millions of dollars in federal awards have already been canceled, with additional threats to NIH and DOE facilities-and-administration rates, graduate fellowships, student loan repayment plans, international student visas, Pell Grants, and Medicaid/Medi-Cal funding. Committee members pressed UC on the effects of DEIA-related federal restrictions, the loss of clinical trials and research staff, and the impact on low-income students and patients. UC said it is pursuing litigation with the Attorney General and other institutions, but emphasized that court action is only a temporary solution and that sustained state and private support may be needed. The second panel addressed the fiscal consequences of AB 218, which extended the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims against public agencies. FCMAT presented a report with 22 recommendations, including better statewide data collection, financing mechanisms, a possible victims compensation fund, and prevention measures. Los Angeles County described a tentative $4 billion settlement tied to AB 218 claims, saying it will require reserves, borrowing, and long-term annual payments through 2050, while also forcing curtailments and cuts to vacant positions to preserve services. Members discussed insurance pools, retroactive premiums, unidentified future claims, and the need for a compensation fund or other financing tools. No formal votes were taken; the hearing concluded with public comment, including testimony from local health officials about nearly $400 million in terminated federal public health grants and the resulting layoffs and service impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• .. ...aspect of K through 2 students as they're going through that.
• But you know, these phones are at least put away in a place that's owned by the student.
• Furthermore, 50% of students... ...occurs for a student, and 50% of students get 240 notifications a
• There was an experiment in Texas where they had two different groups of students.
• They presented the same material to both groups of students and tested them at the end.

Bills: SB92, HB9, HB9

Keywords: K-12 education, wireless communication devices, digital safety, social media education, classroom distraction, three-cueing system, reading instruction, structured literacy, scientific strategies, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > that Students are being reminded that Students are being reminded that democracy<00:17:52.560
• ,<00:19:47.360> but health, not only for the students, but health, not only for the students
• know, the well-being of our students. know, the well-being of our students.
• So if we're going from like $74 per student to around maybe $120 per student, is that enough to make
• And you've also said that doing this helps students in the present as well as our students in the future

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you're awake and there's a student present, they ask for your consent for the student to be in the
• you're awake and there's a student you're awake and there's a student present,<00:02:12.239>
• Most physicians and students consent.
• Thank you, student they were. Thank you. Thank you, Chair.<00:10:33.839> Okay.
• This bill specifically works within the context of medical students.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• College students reporting experiencing homelessness, one in 10 CSU students experiencing homelessness
• Excuse me, Kate Rogers, co-chair of Student Homes Coalition, and Scott Englum from the UC Student Association
• I'm the co-chair of the Student Homes Coalition and also a student at UCLA.
• is just to deliver more housing for students.
• Well, I certainly want to thank our college student that came today and the number of college students

Summary: The committee heard several climate, environmental, and housing bills. AB 1425, dealing with pit dewatering near the San Joaquin River Parkway, drew extensive testimony. The author and supporters argued the bill was needed to protect the river, groundwater, floodplain conditions, tribal and cultural resources, and public access from a proposed mining project near the river. Opponents, including Cemex, labor representatives, and industry groups, said the bill would bypass the CEQA process before it was complete, threaten jobs, and create uncertainty for an existing operation. Members questioned both sides about hydrology, blasting, dewatering, and the adequacy of the ongoing environmental review. The bill was moved, but several members expressed concern about preempting CEQA and some did not vote or voted no. AB 881, which would allow California to move forward with carbon capture and sequestration pipelines, was presented as a way to advance state climate goals and capture federal funding. Supporters, including SMUD, labor, and industry groups, said the bill would help deploy carbon capture safely and preserve jobs. Environmental justice opponents supported stronger safety direction and warned that CO2 pipelines pose serious risks and that the state should not move ahead without clearer standards. The bill received a due-pass recommendation to Appropriations. AB 1207, on the cap-and-trade allowance price ceiling and the social cost of carbon, was presented as a science-based update to California’s climate policy. The author and EDF said the bill would keep the program aligned with current economic and climate data and protect it from federal political interference. It received broad support and a due-pass recommendation. AB 1106, creating a coordinated network of air quality incident response centers, was also approved after testimony about wildfire smoke, toxic emissions, and the need for better real-time monitoring during disasters. AB 28, the Landfill Fire Safety Act, focused on the Chiquita Canyon landfill fire and related health impacts in Castaic and Val Verde; residents described serious illnesses and contamination concerns, while landfill and county representatives warned about costs and asked for more study. The committee nonetheless advanced the bill with a due-pass recommendation. The committee also heard AB 357, which would speed Coastal Commission review of student and faculty housing projects, with supporters citing student homelessness and opponents urging caution but acknowledging the need for more housing; the bill was presented and discussed, with the committee emphasizing the need to balance housing production and coastal oversight.

Transcript Highlights:

• We wanted to continue to protect our students.
• So to continue to protect our students.
• students students with<00:00:59.480> the<00:00:59.600> hope<00:00:59.920> that<
• future for our students future for our students and<00:02:53.040> this<00:02:53.360> bill
• and student safety. and student safety.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• appropriate for that student.
• appropriate for that student.
• So, do you believe that private school students don't bully public school students?
• and students only, student on student, and do not include the instances of teacher on student bullying
• um protecting all of our students. um protecting all of our students. students<01:40:32.480>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee opened hearings on SB 69, including a germane amendment on school board votes to accept or reject gifts and donations, and a non-germane amendment creating a virtual early childhood readiness family engagement program for preschool children not yet in kindergarten. Prime sponsor Rep. Glenn Cordelli said the literacy program was modeled on earlier HB 671, would be funded through gifts and donations rather than state appropriations, and would include reporting requirements to the governor and legislature. Members questioned changes from the earlier bill, including the move away from center-based language, the lack of a dollar threshold for school board action on donations, anonymous gifts, and whether the amendment preserved enough evaluation data. Testimony on the donation provisions raised concerns about broad language, timing, and public-meeting requirements. Rep. Timothy Han and Becky Wilson of the New Hampshire School Boards Association both noted that school districts already have policies and asked how the bill would work for routine donations, anonymous gifts, and situations that might require non-public discussion under right-to-know law. Wilson cited examples such as field-trip scholarships, backpack drives, and sports uniforms, and said the association was not taking a position but wanted clearer guardrails. Rep. Han said school boards may need to discuss some gifts in non-public session and that the bill should better address those circumstances. On the early literacy amendment, Wilson and others questioned whether the program was sufficiently developed, whether it was appropriate to rely on a primarily online model for very young children, and how it would interact with special education services and IEPs. A representative from Waterford.org, Rob Riley, testified in support, saying the program would be supplementary, adaptive, and family-engagement based, and that Waterford could provide devices and internet access for families who need them. He said the program would work alongside school districts and IEP teams rather than replace existing services. No vote was taken during the hearing; the chair said the committee would later exec the bills and try to get reports in for the calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• And interestingly, a lot of the students...
• Have a course that only 13 students sign up for here in California.
• And third, and most concerningly, students suffer.
• Today's students simply do not stay in one place.
• California students are affected by our nonparticipation in NC-SARA.

Summary: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee heard a lengthy agenda of Senate bills, with most measures ultimately advancing on party-line or broad bipartisan votes after substantial testimony and several amendments. Early in the hearing, SB 418 by Sen. Menjivar was presented as a health access bill to codify ACA nondiscrimination protections in state law and require coverage for up to a 12-month supply of medically approved hormone therapy; supporters framed it as protecting continuity of care amid federal threats, while there was no opposition testimony. The committee later also took up SB 456, which would exempt muralists from contractor licensing requirements for commissioned fine art murals; supporters said recent enforcement had chilled mural projects and harmed artists and communities, and the bill passed unanimously to Appropriations. SB 641, part of the wildfire response package, and SB 774, a sunset review bill for the Department of Real Estate and Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers, also advanced with support and no opposition. SB 775 and SB 776, sunset extensions for the behavioral sciences, psychology, and optometry boards, passed after witnesses described technical changes and the need to keep the boards operating. SB 777, dealing with abandoned cemeteries, drew testimony from local governments, industry, and counties; after amendments removed a local takeover mandate and shifted the bill toward a stakeholder working group and study process, opposition softened or was withdrawn and the bill moved forward to Local Government. SB 790, on interstate reciprocity for online higher education, generated the most debate, with supporters arguing California students and institutions need stronger consumer protections and access to the national reciprocity framework, while opponents said the bill’s terms conflicted with the existing compact; it passed as amended to Appropriations after committee members emphasized continued work on student protections. The consent calendar, including SB 389 and SB 861, was also approved, and the committee adjourned after additional vote changes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• If the student student student completes<01:08:57.679> a<01:08:57.920> course<01:08:59.199
• for a school and not for the student. for a school and not for the student.
• So, he's not a full-time student.
• So the student<01:17:22.000> goes<01:17:22.320> A student goes A student goes A Mustang
• Schools for the solution for students who aren't there. This bill creates ghost students.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . students. students.
• all of their students. all of their students.
• . students. students.
• student well-being. student well-being.
• would be a student >> Home educated student would be a student receiving<02:10:01.040> a

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Studies for K through 5 children, students, right? Um, thank you, Senator Davis.
• SB 206 on students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• very best education, that they are trained to deal with students with autism.
• This will encourage more teachers to go into being specialized in teaching students with autism.
• School districts are not required to have students with autism being taught by an ESE teacher.

Summary: The Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee met with a quorum and took up several bills. SB 420, by Senator Burgess, would require George Washington and Abraham Lincoln portraits to be prominently displayed in social studies classrooms and K-5 classrooms, with the Department of Education selecting the portraits. Supporters framed the bill as a patriotic and educational measure tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary, while senators raised concerns about exclusivity, precedent, local control, and whether the measure could be expanded politically. Burgess said the bill was intended to be nonpartisan, historically rooted, and not to affect curriculum, and he committed to seeking funding so it would not be an unfunded mandate. The committee reported SB 420 favorably. The committee then considered CS for SB 206, by Senator Harrell, which revises teacher preparation and training related to autism spectrum disorder. The strike-all amendment requires teacher preparation programs to include autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities, requires ESE-certified teachers to complete an autism microcredential by August 1, 2027, creates an Autism Education Loan Forgiveness Program, authorizes salary supplements and stipends, and requires district professional development to include autism-specific training with local CARD centers. Senators asked about implementation timelines, grandfathering current teachers, and whether the endorsement requirement should include a grace period; Harrell said she was open to further discussion and wanted to make the bill workable. Public testimony was largely supportive, including from an Orange County Public Schools representative and a parent of a child with autism. The committee adopted the amendments and reported the bill favorably. Finally, the committee considered CS for SB 556, by Senator Berman, which allows students with disabilities to satisfy the high school physical education requirement by participating in Special Olympics for one year if included in the student’s IEP. An amendment also clarified that two years of marching band participation satisfies both PE and fine/performing arts credit requirements. Testimony supported the bill as an inclusive option that could reduce administrative burdens and give students more flexibility. The committee reported the bill favorably. The committee also voted to recommend confirmation of appointees in tabs 4 through 7, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Student allotment would increase from $10 for each student in average daily attendance to $28 and the
• However, actual cost per student is $128 annually to fully implement those mandates.
• When students are socially, emotionally, and mentally well, the students feel safe, they can better focus
• Thank you for your leadership and for making student safety a priority.
• Our students cannot learn if they are not well.

Transcript Highlights:

• , before 1975, students Unfortunately, before 1975, students with<00:24:32.880> disabilities<00
• educating students with disabilities. educating students with disabilities.
• <00:37:33.200> from funding, schools shield students from funding, schools shield students
• , support HR 1069 to protect students, support HR 1069 to protect students, uphold<00:38:14.720><
• Mill is therefore poorly students.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, December 4, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But every student doesn't have that awesome experience.
• But every student doesn't have that awesome experience.
• For students with celiacs, this can be really stressful.
• For students with celiac disease, not having clear information about food, So, for students with celiac
• Students like me feel included in everyday school life.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Higher Education held a hearing on two late-filed bills, S. 2927 and H. 5012, titled An Act Relative to Students Accessing Food and Nutritional Information, filed by Senator Joan Lovely and Representative Michelle Badger. The bills would require schools to make clear, centralized online information available about gluten-free and allergen-free meals, including menus, food safety procedures, and contact information, so students with celiac disease and other medically necessary dietary restrictions can safely participate in universal school meal programs. Committee members and the bill sponsors emphasized that the measure is intended to improve transparency, equity, and access within the Commonwealth’s universal free breakfast and lunch program. Testimony came from students, parents, physicians, and advocates, many of whom described celiac disease as a serious autoimmune condition requiring a strict lifelong gluten-free diet. Witnesses said families often struggle to find reliable school meal information, and that lack of communication between school administrators, nurses, and food service staff can lead families to opt out of school meals even when safe options exist. Medical witnesses from Boston Children’s, Mass General, and Beth Israel said the bill addresses a real barrier identified in research and could help prevent health problems, missed school, and long-term complications from gluten exposure. Several witnesses also noted that the bill’s approach could benefit students with food allergies more broadly. Committee members praised the testimony, especially from young student witnesses, and discussed practical issues such as cross-contamination, 504 plans, and whether schools already have the underlying information needed to comply. One member suggested the Department of Public Health might be able to address some of the issue through regulations, similar to a prior restaurant allergy-protocol change. No vote was taken during the hearing, and the committee closed after hearing from all panels and the bill sponsors, who asked for favorable consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• directly into scholarships for students.
• They show the student a picture of the word, or they ask the student to consider the rest of the sentence
• They show the student a picture of the word, or they ask the student to consider the rest of the sentence
• , students with disabilities, and students with English as a second language.
• Students with disabilities and students with English as a second language.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and welcomed several student and community guests, including ambassadors from Robinson Middle School in Lowell, visitors honoring the Gaudet family and Patricia Rappucci, Scottish visitors celebrating Scotland’s World Cup appearance, Top-Notch Scholars students from Lawrence, and the King Philip Regional High School baseball team after its first state championship. The chamber also adopted several routine resolutions and orders, including extending the reporting deadline for the Health Care Financing Committee and suspending Joint Rule 12 for a condominium-related petition. The House then rejected concurrence with the Senate on the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act and instead voted to appoint a committee of conference. The major policy action was on Senate Bill 3064, the Mass Ready Act, a large climate resilience and environmental bond bill. Members speaking in support emphasized flood protection, clean water, PFAS remediation, municipal vulnerability preparedness, coastal resilience, parks, trails, housing, and agricultural and food-system investments. The bill was described as authorizing roughly $3.8 billion in general obligation bonds, with discussion of specific funding for the Clean Water Trust, PFAS remediation, coastal infrastructure, biodiversity, healthy homes, and farmland preservation. A consolidated amendment was adopted, and after debate the House passed the bill to be engrossed by a roll call vote. The House also took up the conference report on H. 5511, the early literacy and teacher preparation bill. Supporters said the measure would require evidence-based reading instruction, move away from three-cueing approaches, support educator training and apprenticeships, and improve student literacy outcomes statewide. The conference report was accepted on a roll call vote of 152-0. Later, the House considered amendments to the Mass Ready Act, including one proposal to increase PFAS remediation funding that was ultimately withdrawn, and adopted another consolidated amendment before passing the bill to be engrossed by a roll call vote of 151-0. The House then adopted an order to meet the next day at 11 a.m. and adjourned to an informal session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Law school debt drives students to big law.
• First, even a school that only has two students or five students or ten students who might have that
• That only has two students or five students or ten students who might have that interest and might not
• They also help the law school in that if students pass the bar at a higher rate, if students are employed
• at a higher rate, if relevant student incentives enable us to attract better students, all of that incentivizes

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For our students, a student is considered chronically absent if they are excused absent more than 10%
• And then that obviously is an impact to our students.
• sound like this is benefiting students sound like this is benefiting students is<00:56:06.400>
• <01:20:36.000> so districts so um and and our students so districts so um and and our students
• our students our students exceptionally<01:35:02.719> it's<01:35:03.000> really<01

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee opened by approving the January 16 and January 21 minutes. Members then heard testimony focused on the impact of Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) and the proposed paid family and medical leave program on Minnesota school districts, with the chair framing the hearing as an opportunity to hear from major employers and school leaders about costs and operational effects. Kimberly Lewis, speaking for the Minnesota School Boards Association and related school administrator groups, said districts generally already provide generous, locally negotiated sick leave and had initially adapted to ESST by separating vacation, sick time, and ESST into different buckets. She argued that a 2024 law effectively converted previously bargained sick leave into ESST, which she said undermines contracts, creates large unfunded costs, and may raise constitutional contract-clause concerns. Lewis cited large accumulated leave banks in some districts, increased sick leave use, and estimated significant costs from paid leave, including a reported $2.5 million impact for one large district. She urged flexibility such as prorating ESST for midyear hires and part-time staff and exempting coaches, short-term substitutes, and similar employees from ESST. Superintendent Anarie Fuco of St. Michael-Albertville said her district expects about $400,000 in added fiscal 2026 costs from ESST and paid leave, plus indirect costs from substitute coverage and increased absenteeism. She said schools already have generous bargaining agreements, but the new laws reduce verification and require districts to track leave for temporary staff, creating what she described as a need for “substitutes for our substitutes.” Fuco said the district would face more than $211,000 in direct payroll costs from paid leave alone and asked for flexibility or exceptions for districts already offering comparable benefits. Members asked follow-up questions about how substitute teachers accrue leave and how many districts may be cutting budgets; Lewis and Fuco said many districts are making cuts and that substitute and staffing burdens are growing. A third testifier began by Zoom, but the transcript cuts off before her full testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, that's not 12% of students as a whole, it's 12% of students in special education, but that's up
• as a whole, it's 12% not 12% of students as a whole, it's 12% of<00:10:08.080> students<00:10
• And many of these students with intellectual disabilities are students with autism.
• disabilities are students intellectual disabilities are students with<00:18:35.720> autism.
• support those students. support those students.

Keywords: 958, all