Transcript Highlights:

• This removes the preschool assessment from being part of the kindergarten entry assessment under the
• </c><01:33:58.560><c> to</c><01:33:58.680><c> provide</c><01:33:59.120><c> technical</c> stands ready
• to provide technical stands ready to provide technical assistance<01:34:00.680><c> to</c><01:34:00.840
• So, we stand ready to answer any questions and to help in any way to make this a very efficient process
• </c><01:36:01.360><c> So,</c><01:36:02.120><c> we</c><01:36:02.320><c> stand</c><01:36:02.640><c> ready

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• enrolled in our local public schools, and the third will join his brothers this fall when he starts kindergarten
• And I would hope that we could all agree that it is not ready to become law.
• And I would hope that we could all agree that it is not ready to become law.
• Are you ready to vote? I have an ought to pass with a second on House Bill 1503.
• I have an ought Are you ready to vote?

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, $62.3 million funded PALM readiness to help state agencies integrate their existing systems
• Additionally, $62.3 million funded PALM readiness to help state agencies integrate their existing systems
• great and successful programs that we just put in place within the last couple years, the School Readiness
• great and successful programs that we just put in place within the last couple years, the School Readiness
• Our specialists told us that a fetus in distress gets its body ready to be ready to live outside the

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present, then adopted the special order report and moved into a series of budget-related bills. The chamber first took up HB 5011/SB 2506 on environmental resource management and natural resources funding, where Democrats argued the bill would reduce recurring support for the Resilient Florida program, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, invasive species removal, and other conservation efforts. Supporters said the change would shift money from recurring to nonrecurring funding so the Legislature could reassess priorities each year and rely more on private-sector stewardship. After a strike-all amendment and conference posture change, SB 2506 passed 97-12. HB 5013, reducing state-funded property reinsurance reserves, passed 108-0, and HB 5501, redirecting documentary stamp tax distributions from housing and transportation trust funds into general revenue, passed 82-26 after extended debate over its impact on affordable housing and transportation funding. The House also passed HB 5015 on state group insurance, which requires DMS to develop a formulary management system and was described as producing significant savings; members raised concerns about prescription access and implementation, but the bill passed 109-0. HB 5201 on state financial accounting and HB 5203 on the Capitol Center both passed unanimously, as did HB 5009, which creates a Florida Accountability Office and reorganizes audit functions. The chamber then passed HB 7031, a major sales tax reduction bill lowering the state sales tax rate and several related rates; supporters framed it as permanent relief for all Floridians, while opponents said property tax relief would be more meaningful and that the sales tax cut would also benefit tourists and out-of-state visitors. HB 7031 passed 112-0. The House then began consideration of HB 501, the proposed fiscal year 2025-26 budget, totaling $112.9 billion and emphasizing reduced recurring spending and large reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined their budget silos: K-12 education at $20.6 billion with teacher raises, school hardening, literacy, transportation stipends, and security funding for Jewish day schools; health care at $47 billion with full Medicaid and KidCare funding, opioid settlement spending, mental health beds, and senior services; transportation/economic development at $18.5 billion; agriculture and natural resources at $5.8 billion with reduced Everglades spending but continued water, resiliency, and land management funding; higher education at $8.7 billion; state administration at $2.9 billion; justice at $7.3 billion; and IT at $529 million for Florida PALM, FX, and other systems. Members then began questioning the K-12 budget, focusing on FEFP funding, proration, voucher growth, stabilization dollars, mental health and school safety funding, and whether districts would be held harmless under the proposed allocations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair Gomez, please proceed with your presentation when you're ready. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
• proceed with your presentation<00:02:44.680><c> when</c><00:02:44.800><c> you're</c><00:02:44.920><c> ready
• </c> presentation when you're ready. presentation when you're ready.
• Our kids' kindergarten classes had nearly 30 students, far more than any educator can be expected to

Summary: The committee heard presentations on two tax bills: House File 4123, by Representative Agbaje, would expand Minnesota’s net investment income tax to include certain business income, especially income from S corporations and LLCs not subject to federal self-employment taxes, while keeping the current rate and million-dollar threshold; she said it would raise an estimated $88.7 million next year. House File 4616, by Chair Gomez, would impose a 1% annual tax on fortunes above $10 million. Gomez framed the bill as a response to growing wealth inequality and argued that wealthy households and large fortunes should contribute more to public services, while Agbaje said her bill would broaden the tax base and help meet state needs. Public testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including Nan Madden of the Minnesota Budget Project, Erica Mominee of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, Lauren Richards, and teacher Kristen Sinicariello, said the bills would help address wealth and income inequality and provide needed revenue for public health, education, and other public services. They pointed to federal tax cuts for high-income households, cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and strains on state agencies and schools. Richards said small businesses already pay more than large corporations like Amazon, and Sinicariello argued that higher revenue would support classrooms and help equalize opportunity. Opponents, including Brian Cook of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Dalton Danielson of the Minnesota Business Partnership, and John Beschi of NFIB Minnesota, warned that both bills would hurt business competitiveness and investment. They argued that HF 4123 would effectively create a new higher tax tier for pass-through businesses and that HF 4616 would be difficult to administer, could force sales of illiquid assets, and could discourage entrepreneurship and capital investment. No votes or final committee action were taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the committee moved through bill presentations and public testimony before member discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm ready to close. I reserve. The gentlelady from Michigan is ready. How much time do I have?
• Is the gentle lady ready to recognized. Is the gentle lady ready to close?
• I'm ready to close. close. I'm ready to close. I<06:00:55.760><c> reserve.</c> I reserve.
• Gentle lady from Michigan<06:00:59.600><c> is</c><06:00:59.760><c> ready.
• How much time do I Michigan is ready. How much time do I have?

Bills: HR1048 , HR242 , HB1534

Keywords: House resolution, committee assignment, standing committee, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, committee membership, committee seniority, Mr. Menefee, Mr. Riley of New York, House organization, congressional procedure, internal rules, legislative administration, Energy Conservation, Energy Standards, Department of Energy, Higher Education Act, Foreign Contracts, rules resolution, House Rules Committee, Congressional Review Act

Transcript Highlights:

• Floodwood has a kindergarten through 12th grade school and is also home to a medical and dental clinic
• So if you want to go back behind the testifying table with your testifiers to be ready, thank you all
• So if you want to go back behind the testifying table with your testifiers to be ready, thank you all
• So if you want to go back behind the testifying table with your testifiers to be ready, thank you all
• our city has already reached the ready our city has already reached the maximum<01:21:14.080><c> Bond

Bills: HF220 , HF230 , HF240 , HF241 , HF295 , HF429 , HF490 , HF505 , HF574 , HF576 , HF581 , HF865 , HF918 , HF1085 , HF1449 , HF1452 , HF1454 , HF602

Committee: House Capital Investment

Keywords: HF220, Minnesota transportation, highway user tax distribution fund, trunk highway fund, Minnesota Department of Transportation, MnDOT, transportation finance, dedicated funds, funding restrictions, arts in transportation, cultural strategies, transportation project planning, project design, project construction, placemaking, public art, infrastructure spending, state statutes 161.045, HF230, Wyoming

Transcript Highlights:

• Are we ready to start our work session again? Yes. I'll write it out. Okay, let's get started.
• </c> Are<03:04:30.000><c> we</c><03:04:30.640><c> ready</c><03:04:30.960><c> to</c><03:04:31.279><c>
• to start our work session Are we ready to start our work session again?
• They had not been enrolled in kindergarten in the district.
• Are you ready for the question? Vice Chair Peternel. Yes. Representative Terry. Yes.

Committee: House Education Policy and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> You ready for the question? You ready for the question?
• Are you ready for the amendment. Are you ready for the question?
• Are you ready for the for the committee. Are you ready for the question?
• Are you ready for the question? Interim study. Are you ready for the question?
• Are you ready for the the amendment? Are you ready for the question?

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm ready for closing comments. Thank you.
• I'm ready for closing comments. Thank you.
• We're ready to negotiate.
• House Bill 4148, amending Sections 15-185 and 15-901 through 15-945, A.R.S., relating to kindergarten
• I have an 18-year-old getting ready to go to college, and she needs to get a job, and she is going to

Transcript Highlights:

• for transportation stipends, which provides a $750 transportation stipend for families with a kindergarten
• Additionally, $62.3 million was funded for PALM readiness to help state agencies integrate their existing
• great and successful programs that we just put in place within the last couple of years, the School Readiness
• great and successful programs that we just put in place within the last couple of years, the School Readiness
• Our specialists told me that a fetus in distress gets its body ready to be ready to live outside the

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the pledge, quorum call, and several recognitions, including guests for Education and Sharing Day, law enforcement officer of the day Detective Miata Anderson, and later FAMU Day at the Capitol and other visiting groups. The chamber adopted the special order report and then moved through a series of budget-related bills and conforming measures, with debate focused largely on recurring funding, environmental programs, housing, insurance reserves, and tax policy. Members approved HB 5011/SB 2506, which conform environmental resource funding to the proposed budget by shifting Seminole Gaming Compact-related dollars from recurring to nonrecurring funding; supporters said this preserves annual legislative review, while opponents warned it would reduce funding for the Resilient Florida program, wildlife corridor protection, invasive species removal, and other conservation efforts. The House then passed HB 5013, reducing state-funded property reinsurance reserves by lowering the RAP program and repealing FORA funding, and HB 5501, which redirects documentary stamp tax revenues from housing and transportation trust funds to general revenue; Democrats argued the housing changes would reduce affordable housing support, while Republicans said the move was needed to control recurring spending. The chamber also passed HB 5015 on state group insurance, HB 5201 on Florida PALM accounting conforming changes, HB 5203 on Capitol Center tenancy and utilities control, and HB 5009 creating a Florida Accountability Office and revising audit and budgeting functions. The most extended debate came on HB 7031, which permanently reduces the state sales tax rate from 6% to 5.25% and also lowers several related tax rates. Supporters described it as broad-based, immediate tax relief for Floridians, while opponents said property tax relief would be more targeted and that sales tax cuts also benefit tourists and out-of-state visitors. The bill passed 112-0. The House then took up the main budget bill, HB 501, and subcommittee chairs outlined the proposed $112.9 billion budget, including education, health care, transportation, agriculture and natural resources, higher education, state administration, justice, and IT spending. Members began questioning the pre-K-12 budget on school funding, vouchers, proration, mental health and safety allocations, and inflation, with the discussion continuing beyond the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We didn't go all the way back to kindergarten or first grade.

Bills: HB3329 , HR1039 , HR1040 , HB3413 , HB3414 , HB3415 , HB3416 , HB3417 , HB3418 , HB3419 , HB3420 , HB3706 , HB3711 , HB4139 , HB1268 , HB3660 , HJR1023 , HB3298 , HB3056 , HJR1084 , HB3934 , HB3919 , HB4118 , HB4119 , HB3791 , HB4260 , HB4178 , HB4215 , HB4324 , HB3270 , HB4352 , HB4305 , HB2955 , HB3315 , HB3066 , HB1245 , HB4125 , HB3075 , HB3129 , HB3239 , HB4153 , HB3265 , HB4491 , SB680 , HB4263 , HB4268 , HB1675 , HB3885 , HB2984 , HB3697 , HB2959 , HB3671 , HB3852 , HB2933 , HB3057 , HB3802 , HB4294 , HB4285 , HB3708 , HB3979 , HB3977 , HB3986 , HB3985 , HB3588 , HB3742 , HB3845 , HJR1070 , HB3590 , HB3595 , HB3391 , HB3183 , HB3764 , HB3765 , HB1002 , HB4434 , HJR1086 , HB4060 , HB3881 , HB3500 , HB4408 , HB3648 , HB3127 , HB3606

Keywords: long-term care, advisory board, sunset legislation, mental health, psychologists, University of Oklahoma, gymnastics, NCAA, congratulations, sports excellence, recognition, honor, athletics, Joseph Castiglione, leadership, education, sports management, HB3413, public finance, state budget

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, Judy is a foundational kindergarten teacher and has, uh, educated thousands, and her husband Bill

Committee: Senate Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:

• to kick off our fundraising us ready to kick off our fundraising campaign.<02:44:53.920><c> Very</c>
• I started Business Ready Communities because we had a lot of companies coming to Wyoming saying, "Hey
• state so that you're ready.
• </c><03:28:55.520><c> I</c> our state so that you you're ready.
• I our state so that you you're ready.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you ready, Mr. Travis? I am, Mr. Chairman. All right. Hey. Good afternoon.
• Go ahead and start whenever you're ready. Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee.
• When I showed that map, you have everything from kindergarten, first grade, talking about healthy relationships
• All right, well, get ready, get set? We didn't.

Committee: Joint Protection and Victim Services Committee

Summary: The committee first approved the December 16 minutes and then heard a presentation from Dr. Ramona Danielson on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their economic and public-system impacts. She explained that ACEs are population-level risk indicators, not individual diagnostic tools, and said higher ACE exposure is associated with more chronic illness, mental health challenges, child welfare and justice involvement, and lower workforce participation. She cautioned that precise dollar estimates are difficult because of the many interacting factors across the life course, but said the direction of the impact is clear and that evidence-based interventions and protective factors can reduce harm. Members asked about definitions of a “healthy family,” same-sex couples, divorce, substance abuse, trends in ACEs, and home visiting; she emphasized supportive relationships, protective factors, and the importance of positive childhood experiences. The committee then heard from Allison Mahoney and Missy Barranco, along with a recorded family story from Abby, about evidence-based home visiting programs in North Dakota. Abby described how Healthy Families North Dakota supported her family after a premature birth and NICU stay by providing weekly in-home coaching, developmental screenings, postpartum mental health check-ins, referrals, and parenting support. The presenters explained that home visiting is voluntary, relationship-based, and usually begins prenatally or shortly after birth, with referrals coming from hospitals, WIC, pregnancy navigators, human service zones, self-referrals, and other community partners. They said North Dakota currently has four main evidence-based models operating through 12 organizations, with Healthy Families available in all 53 counties, though only a fraction of eligible families are served. Funding was described as a patchwork of federal MIECHV/Title IV-E, Medicaid, state and tribal funds, philanthropy, charitable gaming, and other grants; members discussed whether the Legislature or agencies should expand support and how to improve outreach and sustainability. Finally, the committee received a memorandum on artificial intelligence and sexual exploitation, focusing on AI-generated child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, sextortion, and chatbot-related risks. The report summarized federal and state law, including North Dakota’s existing computer-generated image provisions, the federal PROTECT Act, the Take It Down Act, and recent federal executive orders on AI policy. Members discussed the need for child-safety protections, the limits of executive orders, and broader concerns about AI’s effect on critical thinking and misinformation. The committee then heard from BCI Special Agent Cassidy Halsef, who said AI is already driving a sharp rise in child exploitation cases in North Dakota, including AI-generated explicit images of real minors and school-based incidents involving mass-shared manipulated images. She said investigators are seeing more cyber tips, more difficult forensic work, and lasting harm to victims and families, and urged stronger legal penalties, specialized training, victim services, and prevention education in schools and communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, it sounds like we're all ready.
• Just one in four kindergarten classrooms meet the 95% measles protection threshold.
• Just one in four kindergarten classrooms meet the 95% measles protection threshold.
• Representatives, there are on the board of America to be ready to be.
• I'm ready to explain my vote. Mr. Chairman, by my count, we have passed 100 bills tonight.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, journal approval, guest introductions, and a proclamation recognizing March as International Women’s Celebration Month. Members also welcomed guests from several school districts and the Arizona FFA. The chamber then moved through first readings of numerous Senate bills and took up several motions, including reconsideration of HB 2169 and referral of HB 210 and HB 2103 to an additional Committee of the Whole for further amendment. In Committee of the Whole, the House advanced HB 2100 and HB 2103 with technical amendments and due-pass recommendations. It then considered a series of bills on Calendar 2, including HB 2048, HB 2364, HB 2415, HB 2775, HB 2833, HB 2862, HB 2870, HB 2995, and HB 4067. Debate centered on election administration, sovereignty and international organizations, private school regulation, law enforcement face coverings, domestic violence and coercive control, and voter roll categories. HB 2862 drew the most procedural attention, with a division vote on a substitute amendment; the House rejected a motion to replace the adopted amendment, and the report was later adopted. On Calendar 3, the House considered education bills. HB 2093, which repeals the requirement for K-12 health education to include mental health instruction, prompted extensive debate over student suicide prevention, school counseling, parental responsibility, and whether schools should provide mental health support; it received a due-pass recommendation by a 27-22 division vote. The House also advanced HB 2313, which was described as responding to a Tucson Unified School District work stoppage tied to a political protest, and HB 2423, HB 2478, and other education measures after amendments and, in one case, withdrawal of an appropriations amendment. The session continued into HB 2830 as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, and while you're getting ready, Chair Jordan moves that House File 1124 be before the committee
• chair Jordan moves at getting ready chair Jordan moves at house<00:01:29.320><c> file</c><00:01:29.640
• So go ahead, and when you're ready, introduce yourself for the record and begin.
• prepping to get ready for school that very next week.
• She's prepping to get ready for school that very next week.

Bills: HF1124 , HF1457 , HF1803

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to talk about the fact that when I was first in kindergarten, some older boys thought I didn't
• ><02:33:57.120><c> was</c><02:33:57.560><c> first</c><02:33:57.920><c> in</c><02:33:58.439><c> kindergarten
• </c><02:33:59.439><c> some</c> when I was first in kindergarten some when I was first in kindergarten
• Representative, are you ready? Right. Representative, are you ready? Do you have your witness?

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 148, with the chair limiting testimony to two minutes and asking for no outbursts so the committee could get through eight bills that day. Representative Kofalt, the prime sponsor, said HB 148 was the same as last year’s HB 396, which passed both chambers but was vetoed by the governor. He explained the bill would allow, but not require, separation by biological sex in bathrooms, locker rooms, houses of correction, and certain athletic competitions, leaving local school boards and administrators discretion to set policies. He argued the bill was meant to address safety and privacy concerns and cited a Milford incident and concerns in several school districts as examples of why local flexibility was needed. Committee members questioned the lack of a definition of “biological sex” and how the bill would be applied. Kofalt said he did not think a definition was necessary because males and females are generally understood, and he said the bill would give local policymakers latitude to make practical rules. He also said the bill was intended to address situations where people might misuse transgender claims to access spaces inappropriately. In response to questions, he said he was aware of issues in Kearsarge, Milford, and Mascoma school districts and had heard of discomfort in the State House, though he did not know all the details. Several opponents testified that the bill would discriminate against transgender and non-binary people and create enforcement problems. Executive Councilor Karen Hill said the bill would roll back New Hampshire’s anti-discrimination protections and conflict with the state’s Live Free or Die values. Alice Wade, a trans woman, said she had used women’s restrooms without incident and argued the bill would invite invasive enforcement and harassment. Representative La Selig said the bill was discriminatory and that bathroom concerns were being confused with unrelated harassment by cisgender males. Betsy Harrington supported the bill, citing a girls’ soccer game at Kearsarge that she said was disrupted by a boy playing on a girls’ team. Rosie Emer and her child testified against the bill, saying bathroom restrictions would increase anxiety and risk for trans and non-binary children. Stephen Scaer and Wendy Stallings supported the bill, arguing sex is biologically fixed and that excluding males from female spaces should not require genital inspections. No vote or final committee action was taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're getting ready for a through-year pilot next year.
• They're getting ready for a through-year pilot next year.
• The hospital knows what equipment needs to be ready when they get to the hospital.
• Well, that grant's getting ready to expire.
• Well, that grant's getting ready to expire.

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the previous day’s journal by a 126-0 vote, and suspended business for the Speaker to sign several bills and substitutes. Members then spent much of the day introducing guests, including county assessors, students, civic groups, and visitors from local schools and universities. The chamber then took up House Bill 2002, the elementary and secondary education budget. Members adopted several amendments, including technical fixes to allow board-operated schools to use personal service funds for career ladder payments, clarifications to child care subsidy language, and changes to Parents as Teachers rules so that enrollment remains voluntary and virtual visits are not reimbursable. An amendment to shift $1 million from one child care facilities line to Child Care Works passed, as did an amendment to fund a new Success-Ready Student Assessment with $2 million to help replace the MAP test. A proposal to pay child care subsidies for foster children based on enrollment rather than attendance failed 53-93, and an amendment to divert $10 million in Title I funds into a competitive grant program also failed. A later amendment to send budget reports to the ranking minority member passed, while an attempt to remove child care subsidy language from the bill failed. The House then moved to higher education and workforce development appropriations. Members approved an amendment broadening a pre-apprenticeship program statewide and supported funding for Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries through a transfer from dual credit scholarship funds. The most extensive debate centered on House Bill 2003’s higher education funding model, where the chair defended an FTE-based approach as more transparent than the long-standing status quo, while opponents warned it would sharply cut funding for institutions such as Harris-Stowe, Lincoln, Truman State, and some community colleges, and would ignore factors like graduation rates, research, and workforce needs. A compromise amendment to soften the transition was withdrawn, and a separate amendment to restore the governor’s recommendation was also debated at length, with members arguing over the fairness and consequences of the proposed model.

Transcript Highlights:

• Strom, just a quick procedural thing: would you like us to hold questions until you're ready to take
• to take a breath or would you're ready to take a breath or would you<00:14:41.759><c> rather</c><00:
• And I'm sure Representative Bakeberg is ready to jump in on this because he has to deal with this as
• to jump in on this bakeberg is ready to jump in on this because<00:51:05.839><c> he</c><00:51:05.960
• And if there's other questions, we can have those ready for next Thursday.

Committee: House Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Then it came up that there was um, you know, it just wasn't ready because we needed more.
• and it was ready to come for<00:57:54.960><c> a</c><00:57:55.119><c> vote</c><00:57:55.280><c> and</
• </c><00:58:12.240><c> I</c><00:58:12.480><c> can't</c> ready because we needed more.
• I can't ready because we needed more.
• that the schools policy to be ready that the schools would<00:59:38.720><c> just</c><00:59:38.880><c

Bills: HF4893

Committee: House Education Finance

Keywords: education finance, student support, aid allowances, appropriation, school funding