Transcript Highlights:

• This underscores the skill and demand for our airmen and our aircraft in support of global operations
• This underscores the skill and demand for our airmen and our aircraft in support of global operations
• Therefore, we are equipping our airmen with the skills, structures, and processes needed to integrate
• I think we graduate about 40 to 45 students a year. So it does become difficult.
• I think we graduate about 40 to 45 students a year. So it does become difficult.

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Summary: The committee began with an annual briefing from Mountain Home Air Force Base’s 366th Fighter Wing, where Colonel D. Ray Gunter described the base’s mission, deployments, modernization efforts, airspace expansion, water pipeline and treatment projects, and community partnerships supporting housing, child care, education, and health care for service members and families. He emphasized the base’s role in national defense, the economic impact on the region, and ongoing collaboration with Idaho agencies and local communities. The committee then entered executive session under Senate Rule 20E for an intelligence briefing from Captain Juanita Garcia. After returning to open session, the committee approved minutes from February 27, March 2, and March 4, 2026. It then considered gubernatorial reappointments to the Idaho Endowment Fund Investment Board: Robert Donaldson and Irving Lippman both appeared and spoke about their backgrounds and interest in continuing service, and Shelly Enderud’s reappointment to the State Building Authority was advanced to the Senate floor with a do-pass recommendation. The committee heard and advanced House Bill 686, which creates a narrow exception to Idaho’s anti-nepotism restrictions for small cities under 10,000 population when filling specialized positions, with safeguards such as public posting, documentation, council approval, and independent supervision. It also advanced House Bill 727, a sextortion bill supported by lawmakers and the Attorney General’s office that would make threats to distribute explicit images a crime and increase penalties when minors are involved; testimony cited AI-generated images, online coercion, and Idaho cyber-tip data showing a sharp rise in sextortion reports. Finally, the committee introduced RS 33647, a memorial concerning pelican predation on fish, and RS 33616, a resolution honoring fallen Idaho State Police K9 Kimber, before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're developing certificate programs for re-skilling and up-skilling the existing workforce.
• We're partnering with studios to provide students with opportunities. ...opportunities.
• The dream continued as a student at Booker T.
• Self, Student, University of Texas Austin for House Bill 4568. Thank you. Welcome.
• UT Film School student, self. For House Bill 4568, is that correct? That's correct.

Bills: HB4568 , HB5458 , HB4543 , HB2703 , HB3728 , HCR113 , HCR126

Committee: House Culture, Recreation & Tourism

Keywords: film industry, incentives, grants, Texas, moving image, economic development, production companies, content standards, HB 5458, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, TPWD, chronic wasting disease, CWD, cervids, deer, elk, moose, wildlife management, game animals, disease management

Transcript Highlights:

• or the reading skills?
• or the reading skills?
• Public school students.
• Public school students.
• I support students in Arizona, and I think that we should enable students in Arizona to benefit from

Committee: House House Ways & Means Committee of Reference

Summary: The House Ways and Means Committee first heard SCR 1028, a voter-referral constitutional amendment that would require a two-thirds legislative vote for state fee and assessment increases set by agencies, closing what supporters described as a loophole that has allowed fee hikes without direct legislative approval. The sponsor argued the measure would restore accountability and prevent agencies from using fees as a workaround for tax increases, while opponents from business and economic groups warned it would make agencies less responsive, delay needed adjustments for inflation and program costs, and shift costs to taxpayers or reduce funding for services. After debate, the committee returned SCR 1028 with a do pass recommendation by a 5-3 vote, with one member absent. The committee then took up SB 1142, which would have Arizona opt into a federal tax credit program for donations to scholarship-granting organizations and set eligibility requirements for those organizations. Supporters said the program would bring in private dollars at no state cost, expand school choice, and help students with tutoring, special needs, transportation, and other educational expenses; they also argued that if Arizona does not opt in, donations could flow to other states. Opponents, including the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, said the federal program was not yet fully written, lacked guardrails, and could further strain public schools by diverting resources away from the majority of students who remain in district schools. The committee returned SB 1142 with a do pass recommendation by a 5-3 vote, with one member absent, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> types of skills that are needed today. types of skills that are needed today.
• a student might not.
• </c><00:43:29.119><c> might</c> maybe it gets, um, maybe a student might maybe it gets, um, maybe a student
• </c><00:43:31.520><c> I</c> take it, maybe a student might not.
• I take it, maybe a student might not.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:00:22 Forging the Future: Kentucky's National Leadership in Metals Manufacturing 00:01:33 Improvements to Kentucky’s Incentive Programs 00:52:05, 958, all

Summary: The committee met for its third interim meeting, approved the prior meeting minutes, and heard a presentation from the Metals Innovation Initiative (MI2) on Kentucky’s metals industry. Speakers described metals manufacturing and recycling as a major economic backbone for the Commonwealth, including steel, aluminum, stainless steel, and copper operations, with broad impacts across production, fabrication, supply chains, and related businesses. They emphasized that the industry supports high-paying jobs, significant capital investment in Kentucky, and is aligned with broader efforts to expand U.S. manufacturing. A central theme was workforce development. MI2 leaders said the industry faces a persistent talent gap and that current education programs do not always produce the skills needed for modern metals jobs. They argued for stronger exposure and awareness, more direct industry involvement, and a dedicated metals career pathway through high schools, area technology centers, career and technical centers, and KCTCS. They also described pilot efforts in Logan, Warren, and Carroll counties that would introduce students to metals careers in middle school, move them into credits and pathways in high school, and connect them to internships, apprenticeships, and postsecondary training. Recycling and supply-chain security were the other major topics. Testimony stressed that recycled inputs are far cheaper than raw ore extraction and that recycling is increasingly important to competitiveness, environmental performance, and keeping materials from leaving the U.S. Speakers also raised concerns about China’s large steel and aluminum capacity and said unfair trade and global market manipulation make it harder for Kentucky producers to compete. Committee members and presenters framed MI2 as a collaborative effort among industry, state government, and academia to strengthen workforce pipelines, recycling, and long-term industry growth. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• The academic goals for students were to graduate academically competent students, and as Elizabeth and
• As far as its public education students or public school students, they were expected to achieve competency
• students, white students, economically disadvantaged students, which in Arkansas refers to students
• White students had the highest four-year graduation rate at 91%, and English learner students had the
• For the five-year graduation rates by ESSA student subgroups, English learner students had the lowest

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , particularly our Martinez-Jazi students.
• I think it's clear that we know CTE works for our students.
• And if we think about our students with disabilities, students that may have more behavior needs and
• These students do not have CTE and work-based learning.
• sets we want our students to graduate with.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• build essential knowledge and skills. skills for college, career, and life.
• How can we also teach our students to be good students?
• Chairman. students.
• Let's say somebody walked onto the University of Texas campus, students, students, registered students
• How am I as a student government leader, as a student body?

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These are jobs that could be skilled trades or they could be a PhD.
• labor, skilled technicians that are a huge part of us building this industry in New Mexico.
• Now, in New Mexico, we also serve about 117,000 students in our public higher education system.
• We have over 19,000 students in our system.
• In New Mexico, 2200 students puts us in the middle of the pack in education, right?

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We serve over 500 students.
• </c> education programs and student education programs and student enrollment<00:34:22.440><c> and</c
• </c> homes giving them jobs and life skills homes giving them jobs and life skills in<00:57:55.240><c
• </c> failed due to the lack of a skilled failed due to the lack of a skilled Workforce<01:35:32.119><
• </c> you are a full-time worker and a student you are a full-time worker and a student now<01:51:20.360

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, with don't let them use your skills.
• </c><00:31:28.640><c> healthc</c> because they are highly skilled healthc because they are highly skilled
• Again, I've got student this bill.
• </c> if we weren't able to hire NP students if we weren't able to hire NP students we<01:14:33.840><c
• They run the risk of their skills.

Bills: HF3521 , HF3563 , HF82 , HF2689 , HF1794 , HF3544 , HF3516 , HF1752

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Keywords: hospital moratorium, hospital construction, bed capacity, hospital expansion, health care facilities, hospital licensing, safety-net hospital, level I trauma center, Ramsey County, Minnesota health law, hospital beds, new hospital exception, certificate of need, inpatient capacity, emergency care, trauma services, health system regulation, state moratorium, hospital modernization, health infrastructure

Transcript Highlights:

• These companies are reporting challenges with hiring skilled employees have AI skills.
• the students because we're doing the educating of the students, partnering with the parents before we
• It is the ability for a teacher were not talking students to connect to that student information system
• They turn that over to the students and the students are using their own skills and their leadership
• , students, how the school protect, you know, students, personal data when they're you seen a I. >> Is

Transcript Highlights:

• are held to consistent standards because student safety remains our highest priority.
• Student safety is paramount to our members, and I'm sure everybody in the educational community.
• We don't want anyone who would do harm to students to be working in our school system.
• The labor criteria requires skilled and trained workforce and prevailing wage for construction.
• and the skilled trades.

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Summary: The committee heard SB 921, which would create a tax credit to help agricultural employers offset overtime premium costs for farmworkers. Senator Grove and supporters, including farmworkers, the California Farm Bureau, and agricultural groups, argued the bill would restore lost hours and take-home pay after California’s agricultural overtime law reduced schedules. Opponents, including the California Federation of Labor Unions and CRLA Foundation, argued the proposal would subsidize employers with taxpayer dollars and undermine the principle that employers should pay overtime themselves. The bill was held in subcommittee until more members arrived. The committee then took up SB 1083, a cleanup bill to the prior year’s school employee misconduct database law. The author and supporters said it would add due process protections for classified school employees, require an administrative law judge review before placement in the database, and improve notice and vetting rules for contractors and non-permanent staff. School employer groups and other opponents warned the bill could slow investigations and weaken child-safety protections. The committee approved the bill 3-0 and sent it to Senate Appropriations. Members also considered SB 1089, which would require CalPERS health plans to cover GLP-1 medications and expand access through CalRX for chronic weight management and related health conditions. The author and supporters, including the American Diabetes Association and medical groups, said the drugs can prevent diabetes and improve health outcomes but remain unaffordable for many. Pharma representatives expressed concerns about the bill as drafted but said they were open to continued discussions. The bill passed 4-0 to Appropriations. The committee also approved the consent calendar 4-0. Later, the committee heard SB 954, which would narrow and add guardrails to last year’s CEQA exemption for advanced manufacturing, including environmental review near disadvantaged communities and labor standards such as prevailing wage and skilled-and-trained workforce requirements. Labor, environmental, and community groups supported the bill as a cleanup of an overly broad exemption, while business and manufacturing groups opposed it, warning it would discourage investment and worsen California’s competitiveness. The bill passed 3-1 to Appropriations. Finally, SB 1299, a fire sprinkler fitter certification bill, was heard and passed 3-0 to Appropriations with support from the sprinkler fitters and building trades and no recorded opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> complications requiring skilled nursing. complications requiring skilled nursing.
• That is a camp that approximately 3,000 to 4,000 students a year go to learn leadership skills and the
• on the lives of those students?
• on the lives of those students?
• on the lives of those students?

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:05 Approval of Minutes 00:01:48 Welcome New Members 00:02:03 Information Items 00:02:35 Review of Executive Branch Agency Plans 00:03:33 A. Cabinet for Health and Family Services 00:04:00 B. Kentucky Department of Education 00:17:03 C. Education and Labor Cabinet 00:29:33 D. Energy and Environment Cabinet 00:42:38 E. Finance and Administration Cabinet 0:53:30 F. Justice and Public Safety Cabinet 01:13:28 G. Personnel Cabinet 01:31:04 H. School Facilities Construction Commission 01:41:39, 958, all

Summary: The meeting was the first of the year for the Capital Planning Advisory Board. Members were called, a quorum was confirmed, new co-chairs and members were welcomed, and the board approved the prior year’s meeting minutes. The chair also reviewed the capital planning timeline, packet organization, and the list of agencies that submitted plans but would not testify. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services presented first, outlining priorities centered on public safety, protecting existing infrastructure, preventive maintenance, and improving service delivery. Its major requests included a $21 million maintenance pool for 14 campuses and 175 buildings, phase 2 construction funding for a new public health laboratory, an 18-bed psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents with severe mental health needs, and several projects at Western State Hospital, Western State Nursing Facility, Hazlewood, and Oakwood. Members asked about the youth facility’s relationship to a separate DJJ project, vacant buildings, the high per-bed cost of the children’s hospital, and how the cabinet determined the need for the youth facility. CHFS said the youth project would be a separate facility serving high-acuity youth, the cost reflected the specialized nature of the unit and an 18-bed cap, and the broader youth plan also includes prevention, in-home services, and coordination across agencies. The Kentucky Department of Education then described projects for its three state-operated facilities: the Kentucky School for the Deaf, the Kentucky School for the Blind, and the FFA leadership training center. It requested additional funding for the FFA classroom and activity building after bids came in higher than expected, plus funding for a new education finance application system to support SEEK budgeting. Other priorities included a maintenance pool, FFA pool renovation, electrical upgrades, campus education enhancements, lighting improvements, safety and security work, door and window replacements, and HVAC maintenance. Members asked about student outcomes, the size of the FFA pool, and construction cost assumptions; the department said it tracks students through the schools and short-course programs, the pool size figure may have been a typo, and current construction estimates are being adjusted upward because of inflation and supply-chain pressures. The Education and Labor Cabinet began its presentation with 12 priority projects, including a state labor exchange system to connect job seekers and employers, renovation of the McDow Vocational Rehabilitation Center, and a new adult education and family literacy management information system. The cabinet said the labor exchange would help match workers with employers at no cost, while the McDow renovation was needed because the 30-year-old facility has safety and code concerns. The adult education system was described as outdated and lacking adequate case-management and tracking capabilities.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have the crew of technical students and then we have the health science students.
• We have the crew of technical students and then we have the health science students.
• We have the crew of technical students and then we have the health science students.
• 29:42.080><c> students.
• </c> best they can for all of our students. best they can for all of our students.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 210; 14 January, 2026: 3:30 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It builds a skilled workforce and sparks research and innovation.
• It builds a skilled workforce and sparks research and innovation.
• 72,000 students.
• , with our four colleges serving 72,000 students.
• Half of our placed students have been placed into Leona, 254.

Summary: The select committee on Community Economic Mobility and Investment heard testimony on how California can support inclusive economic development through coordinated workforce, education, nonprofit, and industry partnerships. Chair Arambula opened by emphasizing that rural, low-income, and historically underinvested communities often face the greatest barriers to accessing state resources, and that the hearing would focus on successful collaboration models, the role of training and higher education, and future opportunities tied to economic mobility and social determinants of health. Witnesses from the California Workforce Association, Fresno State, and NextGen Policy described local and regional workforce systems in the Central Valley and beyond. They highlighted examples such as apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, employer-led partnerships, on-the-job training, support for women entering construction, programs for justice-involved and opportunity youth, and the need to braid federal, state, philanthropic, and private funding. Several speakers stressed that local workforce boards, community colleges, adult education, labor organizations, and community-based groups are best positioned to identify regional labor needs and that California should fund systems, not just individual grants, especially as federal workforce funding has declined and new work requirements tied to HR 1 and AI-related labor shifts create added pressure. A second panel focused on the Community Economic Mobility Initiative as a statewide model. Sierra Health Foundation and its partners said CME has helped community organizations build capacity, pursue more than $400 million in grants and contracts, and attract about $178 million back into California communities. Speakers from Siskiyou Economic Development Council, Fresno EDC, Edge Collaborative, and Líderes Campesinas gave examples of place-based projects in rural and urban regions, including business innovation centers, community-owned development, bioeconomy and restoration projects, subsidized employment, and farmworker-led cooperatives. They argued that long-term, locally driven investment produces stronger regional economies and better health outcomes, and urged the Legislature to provide durable funding and policy support rather than short-term extensions. No formal votes or committee actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Between 2021-22 and 2023-24, the share of students Between 2021-22 and 2023-24, the share of students
• In addition to building students' coping and social-emotional skills, schools with wellness centers have
• , having staff that look like our students and that our students can relate to.
• and 23% for white students.
• They dampen student attendance, and they disproportionately affect students of color.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Takeaway number one: not all scholarship students have an assigned Florida student ID number.
• Florida student ID number.
• need the student ID numbers.
• or students attend a public school the student is not zoned to attend.
• That provides 1,200 to parents with students exhibiting a substantial deficiency in early literacy skills

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met during Budget Week and first considered three member bills. House Bill 1111, by Rep. Valdes, would eliminate the option for students to leave high school with a certificate of completion instead of a standard diploma. Valdes said the bill was inspired by students who met credit requirements but could not pass a required assessment, and argued the certificate does not provide access to college, trade school, or military service. The bill passed unanimously, 15-0. CS for House Bill 127, by Rep. Kendall, would support students with disabilities by using existing Florida Department of Education curriculum to create micro-credentials and coordinating with the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities and OSHA on workplace safety. Goodwill, the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Florida PTA, and others supported the bill, which also passed unanimously, 15-0. House Bill 1367, by Rep. Booth, addressed chronic absenteeism by requiring statewide definitions and more uniform attendance reporting, along with rules for excused and unexcused absences and early identification of chronically absent students. Testimony emphasized inconsistent district policies and the need for clearer data and interventions. The bill passed 13-0, with some members noting concerns about implementation details and future rulemaking. The committee then took up PCB-P-PKB-2501, the proposed conforming bill for the fiscal year 2025-2026 Pre-K through 12 budget. The chair said the bill was designed to align statutes with budget and scholarship funding procedures, especially around the Florida Education Finance Program and scholarship payments. The PCB would require Florida student ID numbers for scholarship students, standardize cross-checking against FTE survey data, set quarterly payment dates, and use one data source for both reporting and withholding scholarship-related FFP amounts. It also would reduce certain add-on weights by 50%, remove the budget stabilization program, and repeal the educational enrollment stabilization program. Several members raised concerns that the add-on weight reductions could hurt career and technical education, AICE, IB, and CAPE programs, while the sponsor argued the data showed too much spending in an “other” category and that the reductions were aimed at aligning funding with actual program costs. Public testimony was mixed: some supported tighter accountability and clearer payment rules, while others warned against undermining expensive career-readiness programs. The PCB passed 11-2. After the conforming bill, the chair presented the proposed fiscal year 2025-2026 Pre-K through 12 budget, totaling just under $21 billion, about $400 million below the current year. She said the budget reflects a need to slow spending growth and includes $20 million for New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, $7 million for security grants at Jewish day schools and preschools, $14 million for public school transportation stipends, an overall FEFP increase of about $747.7 million, $100 million for teacher salary increases, and increases in the base student allocation and funds per student. The committee did not vote on the budget recommendation at this meeting; it was distributed for review and will move to the Budget Committee next week.

Transcript Highlights:

• WE BRING THEM IN AND TEACH THEM SOFT SKILLS.
• BUT I DO UNDERSTAND THIS THAT RIGHT NOW PARENTS AND STUDENTS HAVE FLEXIBILITY.
• I HAVE TO QUESTION HOW THIS BILL IS HELPING STUDENTS.
• WE HEARD REMOVING PROTECTIONS OF STUDENT MINORS. WE HEARD POTENTIAL OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
• WE WANT OUR KIDS TO BE ACADEMICALLY PREPARED BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT SOFT SKILLS.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We know our students by name.
• Students in eighth grade from taking Algebra 1.
• I believe you never want to hold students back, and I believe that if a student is ready to take algebra
• are successful, and our students are failing.
• on their When you look at the students, sometimes you think about the students' progress depends on

Summary: The committee first approved several governor’s appointments not required to appear, including Arthur Krantz to the Public Employment Relations Board and Christopher Ferguson, Brian Haynes, Anna Marie de Mars, and Ronald Fiore to the Student Aid or Student Athletic commissions, all by unanimous 5-0 votes. It also approved references of bills to committees by a 5-0 vote. The committee then heard from Julia Montgomery, nominated for a third term as General Counsel of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, who described her work on farmworker rights, outreach, and enforcement of labor protections. Members questioned Montgomery closely about card-check unionization procedures, signature authenticity, outreach to Spanish-speaking and indigenous-language farmworkers, make-whole enforcement delays, and a long-running Tri-Fanucchi farm case. Montgomery said objections and unfair labor practice charges can be investigated, that signature verification is handled by board staff rather than her office, and that delays often stem from appeals, difficulty locating workers, employer obstruction, and court backlogs. Vice Chair Grove voted no, while Senators Laird and Reyes supported the nomination; the committee advanced Montgomery to the full Senate on a 3-2 vote. The committee then considered three State Board of Education appointments: Cynthia Glover Woods, Brenda Lewis, and Gabriela Orozco Gonzalez. In opening statements, all three emphasized long careers in public education and support for students, teachers, and families. Questions focused on math achievement, the 2023 math framework and access to Algebra I in middle school, transitional kindergarten, community schools, and the effectiveness of education spending. The nominees said the framework still allows ready eighth graders to take Algebra I, pointed to new instructional materials, professional learning, TK expansion, and community schools as key improvements, and said they had not been involved in the governor’s proposed education governance changes. Public witnesses and education groups testified in strong support. The committee advanced Glover Woods 3-1, Lewis 4-1, and Gonzalez 3-1 to the full Senate.

Transcript Highlights:

• Student understanding increases 40% to 60%.
• Student understanding increases 40% to 60%.
• </c><00:21:25.000><c> with</c> their knowledge ensuring students with their knowledge ensuring students
• We're also one of the most rural skilled nursing facilities in the state.
• </c> will simply mean that additional skilled will simply mean that additional skilled nursing<01:23:

Committee: Senate Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all