Transcript Highlights:

• regarding student on student harassment. regarding student on student harassment.
• , um, our Muslim students, for example, our LGBTQ students, Black students.
• students.
• students, black students. students, black students.
• Um, a student. name is Logan Robertson. Um, a student.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 77, which would allow comprehensive universities to pursue doctoral programs under a new approval process and, in the original bill, would also change who may serve on the EPSB board for small colleges and universities. The sponsor and Council on Postsecondary Education representative explained that the committee substitute removed the current statutory prohibition on comprehensive universities offering certain doctoral degrees, but added eligibility guardrails: a 77% first-to-second-year retention rate, a 56% six-year graduation rate, and three months of unrestricted cash reserves. They said the thresholds were based on national data placing institutions in roughly the top quartile, and that CPE would still review proposals for mission fit, workforce need, fiscal impact, and, where applicable, programmatic accreditation and legislative appropriations. EKU President David McFaden supported creating a pathway for comprehensive universities, said Kentucky is unusual in having an explicit statutory prohibition, and urged the committee to keep the standards attainable and durable. The committee approved the bill and adopted a title amendment, with the motion passing unanimously. The committee then heard Senate Joint Resolution 55, which addresses antisemitism on postsecondary campuses. Senator Tichenor said the resolution responds to a rise in antisemitic incidents after October 7, 2023, and would require campuses to notify students each semester of Title VI rights, complaint procedures, existing harassment policies, and available Jewish student resources. It would also direct campuses to disband student organizations found to provide material support to known terrorist organizations, report such matters to law enforcement, and collect and report antisemitism data to CPE for posting on its website. A guest speaker from the Kentucky Jewish Council described a sharp increase in reported incidents, including harassment, threats, vandalism, and hostile campus activity, and argued that schools have often done too little to respond. He said the resolution was amended to protect free speech while ensuring Jewish students receive the same protections as other protected groups. The transcript ends while testimony on the resolution was still underway, before any committee vote on SJR 55.

Transcript Highlights:

• languages program.
• Students with disabilities whose IEP indicates that participation in a statewide assessment program is
• evaluate student performance. ...for those students to better measure and evaluate student performance
• And what we miss is the actual student. We miss the student that's sitting in that test.
• That's troubling for me for those students that want to go to the military, those students...

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 296, as amended by strike-all, on middle and high school start times. Senator Bradley explained that the amendment would repeal the statewide mandate for later start times and return scheduling decisions to local school boards, while still requiring districts to inform the community about the health, safety, and academic effects of sleep deprivation and to consider later start times when setting transportation schedules. Testimony and debate were largely in support, with several school district and education group representatives waiving in support, and members citing transportation, staffing, family logistics, and cost concerns under the existing mandate. The strike-all was adopted, and SB 296 was reported favorably by roll call vote, with Senators Berman, Osgood, and Chair Calatayud voting yes and Senator Gaetz voting no; other members were absent or not recorded in the excerpt. The committee then heard Senate Bill 356, which would designate January 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day in Florida. Senator Berman said the date matches the UN’s Holocaust Remembrance Day and would require the governor to annually proclaim it, while allowing public observance and instruction about the Holocaust’s harms and its impact on the Jewish community and humanity. There was no substantive opposition in the excerpt, and the bill was reported favorably by roll call vote with yes votes from Senators Berman, Gaetz, and Chair Calatayud. Finally, the committee considered Senate Bill 166 on administrative efficiency in public schools. Senator Simon described a broad deregulation package affecting student assessments, grade promotion, teacher evaluations, contracts and certification, school board operations, instructional materials timelines, internal audits, facilities planning, cost-per-student-station limits, emergency make-up days, federal fund timing, and VPK oversight. Testimony was mixed: school district and education organization representatives generally supported the flexibility, while some groups opposed or urged changes to the grade 4 promotion and graduation-related provisions, arguing they could weaken academic standards. After debate focused especially on third-grade promotion and testing requirements, the bill was reported favorably by roll call vote. At the end of the meeting, members recorded their votes on SB 296 and SB 356, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• and make these schools student-centered versus traditional schedule-based programs.
• Relevance to students equals engagement for students.
• Relevance to students equals engagement for students.
• Relevance to students equals engagement for students.
• and two of their technology programs and two of their students<01:28:31.679> said<01:28:31.960

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• program requirements. program requirements.
• This is what the cost is to run that program with those particular staff members, cost per student per
• And so it's offset by, let's say, there are seven students in that program.
• figure out what is the cost for that program and then how many hours a day our student is in that program
• We submit it to our state of New Hampshire, and they approve it as an approved program for our students

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee opened its second meeting on House Bill 742, which would require catastrophic special education aid to be drawn from the education trust fund, and discussed whether to also examine differentiated aid within the adequacy formula. The chair said the committee had previously heard from HHS/Medicaid officials and now wanted to hear from local special education directors about how the aid system works in practice, including billing, training, data collection, and whether districts handle claims consistently. Members also referenced Arkansas as a possible comparison state and said they hoped to develop ideas by November to address the current funding process. Committee members focused on the current special education aid thresholds and the impact of proration. The chair described the existing formula as requiring districts to absorb costs up to 3.5 times the state average per student, with the state paying 80% from 3.5 times through 10 times and paying above that, and said FY25 appropriated about $34 million while actual claims were about $50.1 million, leaving roughly a $16 million shortfall that caused proration. Members also raised the possibility of lowering the threshold to 2.5 times and asked how that would affect the number of eligible students and costs. Another member asked about how districts decide whether services are education-related or medical-related and how Medicaid or private insurance reimbursement affects later state aid claims. District representatives from Boothby Therapy Services, Bedford, and Guilford introduced themselves and described their roles. Guilford’s director said the district tracks students with paraprofessional support, nurses, transportation, or specialized programming, uses a data system to log every service touchpoint, and tries to maximize both Medicaid and special education aid; she said a lower threshold would likely capture all students with paras or nurses and that rising staffing and service costs would increase the number of students over the cap. Bedford’s assistant director said the district uses a different system, tracks roughly 60 to 80 students a year, and pursues Medicaid and special education aid simultaneously but does not pursue private insurance if it would affect FAPE; she said reducing the threshold to 2.5 times would likely double the number of qualifying students. Members asked follow-up questions about software, data entry, and how districts decide whether to bill Medicaid or seek state catastrophic aid, and the directors explained that their systems log services by staff type and student, with some districts using the same data for both Medicaid and state reimbursement claims.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're additional programs that deal with student services, student activities, but they're not CTE
• Sending districts are sending students to these programs.
• They're not penalizing students for attending the program.
• are sending students to these programs, and that they are not penalizing students for attending.
• like LifeWise to help alongside programs like LifeWise to help educate<01:33:39.040> students

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So with that, we work with students who are in AP STEM programs all the way to credit recovery programs
• The goal of the program is not to create new astronomers, but rather to promote students' ability to
• We have 10 pre-engineering students that have currently registered at Hilo as a part of the program right
• You know, do we have a four-year program so these students who are in Big Island can stay there for four
• You know, do we have a four-year program so these students who are in Big Island can stay there for four

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism and Higher Education heard HB 1494, relating to sports facilities. Testimony was largely in opposition to the bill as drafted from the Stadium Authority, the Department of Accounting and General Services, and the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, with several other written comments also opposing; each asked that if the measure advances, Senate language from related stadium bills be incorporated instead. The University of Hawaiʻi testified in support of the Nāʻid project and said it wants the project delivered at Halawa so the university can have a football facility, though members pressed the university on whether it was effectively supporting both the project and the bill’s current approach. A substantial portion of the hearing focused on the stadium project’s financing, schedule, and oversight. DAGS and Public Works discussed a consultant contract that had grown to about $28 million and an audit that recovered $441,000 after improper travel and expense reimbursements, including first-class airfare and other personal expenses; officials said the audit exposed weak internal controls and led to revised reimbursement policies. Members questioned whether the problems would have been found without media reporting and whether stronger oversight should have been in place earlier. The committee also discussed the current Ching Field setup for UH football, with witnesses describing it as less than ideal and temporary until the new stadium is built. Stadium Authority representatives said the current preferred offeror is Aloha Halawa Development Partners, negotiations have recently accelerated, and the goal remains a contract this summer and a fall 2028 opening. They said the state is committed to $350 million in general obligation bonds, with the overall project expected to cost more, and that the developer is exploring other financing sources such as TIF or CFD while the state and city work to expedite permits and demolition. No vote or final action on the bill was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• who drive to campus from STAR, but we also have students who can't go. and so we have education programs
• We'll be bringing forward 10 bachelor's programs, nine master's programs, and four PhD programs. numerous
• Programs that prepare our students for career success.
• in traditional education programs and launch. programs targeting dual-enrollment high school students
• Implementing three starts per year for teacher preparation programs, we can provide flexibility to students

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ; the Western Regional Graduate Program, or WRGP, for graduate students; and the Professional Student
• programs in other WICHE states, and 269 students from across the region chose Arizona programs.
• It's a program that helps students pursue careers in 10 health care fields by enrolling in programs across
• Two key programs that they offer are Medicaire, which is a student health insurance program, and they
• It is a program that gives our students access to top-tier medical and veterinary programs throughout

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Education Committee met as a committee of reference to complete required sunset reviews and hear a performance audit. Members and staff introduced themselves at the start of the session, and the chair outlined committee procedures, including limits on public testimony and the goal of adjournment by 5 p.m. The committee then heard the sunset review of the Credit Enhancement Eligibility Board. A governor’s office representative explained that the board was created in 2016 to help qualifying schools, mostly charter schools, lower borrowing costs through a credit enhancement fund. He said the board has approved 15 projects, has no dedicated staff or budget, and is now at its statutory leverage limit, so it is mainly monitoring existing obligations. Members voiced support, and the committee voted by voice vote to recommend continuation of the board for 10 years, until July 1, 2036. The committee next reviewed the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). WICHE leadership described the interstate compact, its student exchange programs for undergraduate, graduate, and professional health care education, and related cost-savings and workforce benefits for Arizona. Testimony emphasized tuition savings for Arizona students, the return of many professional students to practice in Arizona, and the role of the compact in supporting higher education access and workforce needs. Commissioners from Arizona’s Board of Regents and Eastern Arizona College also spoke in support. The committee then voted by voice vote to recommend continuation of WICHE for 10 years, until July 1, 2036. The committee also received the Arizona Auditor General’s performance audit of the Arizona Department of Education school safety program. The audit found that while the program has grown substantially and now funds more than 1,000 school safety positions, ADE did not ensure many sampled schools complied with requirements such as operational plans, safety teams, annual training, activity logs, and expenditure documentation. The Auditor General said the department relied too heavily on written attestations and reduced monitoring as the program expanded, and recommended stronger oversight, written procedures, and better reimbursement controls. ADE’s school safety director responded that the department accepts the findings, has already begun improving monitoring, and is moving to require uploaded documentation and more risk-based reviews; he also said the department will seek additional staffing and will meet with the Auditor General and ASU to strengthen evaluation of the program. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 2142, which would establish a school safety center within ADE, assign it responsibility for administering the school safety program and providing technical assistance, and allow up to 10% of program appropriations for administration. Members discussed whether the bill should also require monitoring of emergency operations plan compliance, better address students with disabilities, and clarify coordination with other state agencies. The sponsor said he planned to offer a floor amendment to make monitoring expectations clearer. The bill was discussed but no final committee action was recorded in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• If a student was in a scholarship program initially and those than they were, let's just say they were
• for those students.
• With respect to cohorts of students with respect to students in particular areas, students who meet particular
• to the committee around student achievement data and student performance for students with disabilities
• Our project does work with our to death education programs in Florida to try to speak to the students

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The high-need nursing program is a program that I think deserves support and meeting a critical need
• And programs that help students with disabilities, which I think is something very important that we
• The high-need nursing program is a program that I think deserves support and meeting a critical need
• And programs that help students with disabilities, which I think is something very important that we
• AND PROGRAMS THAT HELP STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, WHICH I THINK IS SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Higher Education Conference Committee met to discuss budget priorities for SUNY, CUNY, community colleges, TAP, student aid, and capital funding. Chair Toby Ann Stavisky emphasized the need for increased operating and capital support, protection against enrollment-based funding losses, no tuition increases, a review of TAP because it has not kept pace with living costs, and action on student loan access and research funding cuts. Assembly Chair Alicia Hyndman outlined the Assembly’s higher education proposal, including $475.7 million to expand TAP eligibility, raising income thresholds for TAP and the Excelsior Scholarship, creating a graduate tuition assistance program, adding community college operating aid, expanding the Opportunity Promise Scholarship, forgiving SUNY hospital debt service, increasing CUNY operating support, restoring opportunity program funding, creating a $110 million student loan support program called New York Rises, and funding five-year capital plans for SUNY and CUNY plus additional ECAP grants. Members broadly supported making higher education more affordable and accessible, while highlighting district-specific needs. Senator May praised SUNY Reconnect, community college workforce programs, hospital debt service relief, and a five-year SUNY capital plan. Senator Gonzalez framed the budget as an investment in economic mobility. Senator Griffo supported affordability, operating and capital aid, and additional support for medical schools and hospitals. Assembly Members Walker, Colton, and Fall backed TAP expansion, opportunity programs, disability supports, SUNY Downstate’s transformation, and capital needs at CUNY and SUNY campuses. Assembly Member Smullen, speaking for the minority conference, urged a five-way budget process, said TAP has not kept pace with inflation, and called for a more stable long-term funding model for community colleges. He also stressed aligning higher education with workforce needs. Assembly Member Pirozzolo pointed to the College of Staten Island as an example of the benefits of investment and warned that employers recruiting students directly from high school could weaken higher education unless colleges continue strengthening trade and career training. The meeting ended with no vote on the budget items, and the chairs adjourned the conference committee after concluding remarks.

Transcript Highlights:

• At that time, the program served 1,635 students at a cost of $8 million.
• program served 1,635 students<00:10:48.320> at<00:10:48.560> a<00:10:48.720> cost
• The SAU19 school boards serving roughly 10,000 students like our EFA program meets twice monthly.
• What began as an assistance program for low-income families with struggling students has expanded to
• students and so they were in the program students and so they were in the program already<01:06:

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, currently we have 311 students enrolled in that program.
• and educators, invest in students that threat assessment programs, and bolster social emotional programs
• 1001 to 250 students and even better, 1 to 200 students.
• I don't have students that are one student.
• had, um, several of our early college high school students graduate through that program.

Transcript Highlights:

• He said that what they have seen from this program, by having this program rather than having these students
• He said that what they have seen from this program, by having this program rather than having these students
• He said the student cost is $150, and the program picks up that cost.
• He said the program with the funding pays the $150 tuition cost that the students would pay, but if students
• <00:56:01.960> and<00:56:02.119> we students involved in the program and we students

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Education Funding Committee met in executive session and first took up HB 193, which clarifies that dual and concurrent enrollment courses may not exceed four credits. Members said the bill came from the community college system and was intended to preserve the program’s high school-to-college pathway. An amendment changing the effective date to passage was adopted 18-0, and the committee then voted 18-0 to recommend OTPA on the bill as amended, with the bill placed on the consent calendar. The committee then retained HB 295 and HB 366, both related to school building aid, after members said the issues were complex and needed more work. Both motions to retain passed 18-0, leaving the bills in committee without reports. The chair also said HB 354 would not be taken up that day because of possible changes from the Department of Education and others. HB 494, funding the math learning communities program, was then amended to flat-fund the program rather than increase it, with members citing budget uncertainty. The amendment passed unanimously, and the committee then voted 18-0 for OTPA on the bill as amended, placing it on consent. Finally, HB 515, which would repeal charter public school eligibility for state school building aid, drew debate over whether charter schools should be treated differently from traditional public schools. The committee voted 10-8 for inexpedient to legislate, sending the bill to the regular calendar; Representative Damon was assigned the minority report and Representative Popovic the majority report. The committee then began HB 716, an appropriation for the dual and concurrent enrollment program, where members discussed flat-funding the program at $2.5 million per year and the potential impact on course availability, but the transcript cuts off before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• But the academic programs are really what we need those student athletes to focus on, and our largest
• The academic programs are really what we need those student athletes to focus on.
• is, how many students, and how you're kind of marketing that program.
• students, and how you're kind of marketing that program.
• But in conversation, it is—I mean, these potential students or students know the three programs, or two

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Taking these students away from this tuition assistance program and would they still be able to qualify
• students.
• students who are sort of you referred to as undocumented students.
• Under the bill, students are enrolled in and in good standing with a reserve Officer Training Corps program
• The majority of the students that started in our programs don't even have land yet.

Transcript Highlights:

• In the minutes I just noted I wasn't here last time, but it says that 890 students in the EFA program
• In the minutes I just noted I wasn't here last time, but it says that 890 students in the EFA program
• student that needs to to go to a program student that needs to to go to a program in<01:54:30.320
• <02:01:18.960> Um<02:01:19.599> but of students in those programs.
• Um but of students in those programs.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The commission to study the cost of special education met, confirmed a quorum, introduced members and guests, and approved the minutes from the October 29 meeting. Members noted the commission’s mandate under Senate Bill 57 and emphasized the need to focus on recommendations and findings by July 1, 2026. The chair also distributed additional handouts, including materials related to the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program and administrative rules tied to differentiated aid and disability determinations. The main discussion centered on how students qualify for differentiated aid under the EFA program. Matt Sutherton of the Children’s Scholarship Fund explained that the organization, which contracts with the state to administer EFAs, accepts either school-district/IEP documentation or a medical certification of disability (MCD) from a licensed medical professional. Members questioned how this process relates to the state’s special education rules and whether the school-district examiner standards in ED 107/1107.04 apply to EFAs. Sutherton said the MCD form, created with the department, requires the medical professional to sign that they are qualified to make the determination and to identify the disability. Several members expressed concern that the EFA process is less rigorous than the school-district IEP process and may be inflating disability counts. One member argued that the administrative rules cited are primarily for school districts, not EFAs, and said the Department of Education may not know how many of the roughly 890 EFA students receiving differentiated aid came through school-district documentation versus the MCD pathway. Another member said the EFA system appears more generous than the school system and raised concerns about oversight, auditing, and whether the program’s data are accurate. Sutherton said the organization reviews signed documentation, credentials, and diagnosis information, and may request additional records to help adjudicate expenses. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the prior minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• pathway programs for our students, not just into health professions, all health professions, but in
• The current program has been extremely successful, providing scholarships for nearly 300 students, uh
• We offer 150 different programs for an equivalency of about 1,700 students in total.
• We offer 150 different programs for an equivalency of about 1,700 students in total.
• We offer 150 different programs for an equivalency of about 1,700 students in total.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in the students participating in the program<01:24:40.639> number<01:24:40.880> of<01:
• We took a look at students coming into this program in the past, trying to prepare them for Algebra 2
• coming into this look at students coming into this program<01:41:01.599> in<01:41:01.719>
• Do you use that kind of software in this program to individualize the training for every student?
• student um we we don't in this program student um we we don't in this program um<01:57:15.079>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a hearing on HB 366, which would increase school building aid for eligible projects. Representative Cahill, the prime sponsor, said the bill would raise the annual minimum from $50 million to $60 million and help address a long backlog of school construction and renovation needs after years of a moratorium on applications. He argued that districts forced to build during the moratorium were left to shoulder costs through local property taxes, and he cited examples such as Londonderry, Claremont, and other communities with aging or inadequate facilities. He also said the current aid structure, including paying 80% upfront and 20% at completion, concentrates too much spending at once and limits how many projects can be funded. Several committee members asked about the fairness and structure of the program. Representative Maguire questioned whether aid should be distributed more broadly to all districts rather than only a few selected projects, and Representative Luneau noted that the committee would also be considering related bills on catastrophic aid, special education aid, and the school foundation formula. Cahill responded that building aid has historically been targeted to property-poor communities and that the state should be a reliable partner in school construction. He also said the bill includes a small retroactive component for communities that built during the moratorium, which he described as a compromise. Testimony in support came from Representative Cluder, who described Claremont’s Stevens High School project as a case where a bond issue narrowly failed and the city later had to fund renovations without state aid, contributing to high property taxes. He said the bill would help property-poor communities and urged passage. Tony Weinstein of New Market also supported the bill, saying his community had serious facility and safety needs, had moved forward with scaled-back renovations during the moratorium, and still faced debt-service burdens without state participation. Robert Thompson, superintendent in Hampstead, testified that his district needs an addition for overcrowding, safety, and special education space, and said building aid would help reduce out-of-district placements and transportation costs. No vote was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• IN RECENT YEARS WE HAD A COUPLE OF GREAT SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAMS LIKE THE PIPELINE AND THE STUDENT SUCCESS
• STUDENTS ARE HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS THAT PARTICIPATE IN DUAL ENROLLMENT.
• IN AN AA PROGRAM.
• STUDENT.
• ARE JUST STUDENTS THAT ARE GROUPED DIFFERENTLY IN SOME OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS. >> Chair: WHAT I AM HEARING

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And also create a remediation program for students who do not pass the exit exam.
• How might this affect the availability of nursing education programs in Florida, particularly for students
• And those non-traditional students just can't apply to Florida State or some other program and pop in
• And me knowing, because I micromanage my students, I keep a small cohort coming into the programs at
• And me knowing because I micromanaged my students, I keep a small cohort coming in to the programs at

Summary: The Committee on Health Policy met with a quorum and considered three bills. Senate Bill 526 on nursing education programs, sponsored by Senator Harrell, would tighten oversight of nursing schools by requiring admission criteria, exit exams, remediation plans, annual reporting, on-site inspections, and stronger action against programs with poor NCLEX results or adverse actions in other jurisdictions. After testimony from the sponsor and several committee questions, a late-filed amendment restored a two-year probation period instead of one year, and the bill was reported favorably. Senate Bill 714, also by Senator Harrell, would create a voluntary non-opioid advance directive allowing patients to document a wish not to receive opioids, including when incapacitated, with the form developed by the Department of Health and potentially included in electronic medical records. The sponsor said it would not prevent treatment discussions and would provide liability protection for providers who lack actual knowledge of the directive in emergencies. The bill drew no opposition in the meeting and was reported favorably. Senate Bill 170, sponsored by Senator Burton, would add nursing home quality and transparency measures, including consumer satisfaction surveys, patient safety culture surveys, electronic health record requirements, reporting to the Florida Health Information Exchange, a $10,000 fine for failure to submit required financial data, and reporting on Medicaid quality payments. An amendment clarified the fine’s application to both facilities and home offices. Testimony from AARP and the Florida Health Care Association supported the bill, and it was reported favorably after discussion about implementation and costs.