Transcript Highlights:

• The Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling reports that...
• The Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling reports that the matter be scheduled for consideration
• The Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling reports that the matter be scheduled for consideration

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're very interested in the Liberty Bell tour, and they all have dates that they want us to schedule
• We are working on the travel schedule as we speak.
• We are working on the travel schedule as we speak.
• In terms of volunteers, we do have the volunteers scheduled for the Fourth of July parade in Boise and
• Scheduled for the Fourth of July parade in Boise and everywhere in the state of Idaho with the to-go

Summary: The America 250 in Idaho Advisory Council met to review planning for Idaho’s 250th anniversary celebrations and related statewide programming. Members approved the May 11, 2026 minutes and received a financial update showing about $54,967.53 currently available to spend before fiscal year-end, with additional interest and donation revenue expected after July 1. Staff also reported that most grant funds have been dispersed, with about $17,500 remaining to be paid once grant agreements are finalized. Treasurer Ellsworth gave a broad update on America 250 activities across Idaho, including more than 1,900 volunteer ambassadors, co-branding by cities, counties, businesses, schools, and veterans groups, and numerous local events and displays. He highlighted the Liberty Bell tour planning, the Liberty Grove tree-planting effort, the 250,000 acts of service milestone, and the distribution of “to-go” celebration packets and volunteer support for Fourth of July events. Jesse Barcroft outlined the July 4 Capitol celebration, describing a pancake breakfast, parade, flyover, booths, concerts, Capitol tours, food trucks, and a lineup of performers led by Josh Ritter, with outreach to groups such as the DAR and SAR. Other updates focused on statewide and national America 250 programming. Hannah Hine reported on federal initiatives including the “Our American Story” oral history program, America’s Block Party, the American Field Trip contest, the Freedom Truck mobile museum visit to Idaho, the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., and the American Heroes art contest. Stephen Hatcher described Arts Idaho’s Cowgirl Congress in the Wood River Valley and the Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo partnership, emphasizing traditional arts, ranch culture, and archival documentation. Idaho Public Television also reported on educational materials, live coverage plans for the July 4 parade and concert, and an upcoming hour-long special highlighting how Idaho communities are celebrating America 250. The committee ended by setting its next meeting for June 10 and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• ...where we basically stated that it's instructional gaps and not intended to supplant regularly scheduled
• committee considers this bill, I simply want to highlight that these changes will affect how schools schedule
• committee considers this bill, I simply want to highlight that these changes will affect how schools schedule
• For example, creating enrollment thresholds not only creates scheduling nightmares, as Dr.
• Simmons mentioned, it adds... ...thresholds not only create scheduling nightmares, as Dr.

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The committee took up House Bill 940, which revises Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA) policy and funding. Sponsors Rep. Doug Pickett and Rep. Sonia Galavis walked through the bill’s intent: to preserve IDLA as a gap-filling resource for Idaho students while narrowing access to areas such as credit recovery, dual credit, rural course offerings, graduation-required courses, and overload courses. They also explained provisions limiting K-5/LaunchPad use, excluding private school reimbursement, addressing custom sections, setting course fees, and tying eligibility to students enrolled in schools that are not entirely virtual. The sponsors said the bill’s fiscal note reflects a roughly $13.4 million reduction driven by multiple policy changes, including private school enrollment, driver’s ed, LaunchPad, online-only enrollment, custom sections, and fee offsets. Testimony was split. School administrators and IDLA supporters, including Andy Grover, Craig Woods, Dr. Jeff Simmons, Dr. Jason Moss, Jeff Gee, Catherine Larson, and Quinn Perry, argued that the amendments would sharply reduce access, especially in rural districts, and would make it harder to staff required and elective courses, recover credits, and offer dual credit or other opportunities. They said the custom-section limits and the “not entirely virtual” language would create administrative burdens and restrict flexibility, and several noted that the program is already being cut significantly. Supporters of the bill as written said it is a workable compromise that addresses concerns about custom sections and funding while preserving IDLA’s core mission. Committee members questioned the sponsors and witnesses about the meaning of “not entirely virtual,” the treatment of schools like GEMP Online, how the fee caps work, and how the fiscal note was calculated. After testimony, Senator Cook moved to send House Bill 940 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation. Senators Carlson and Zito opposed the motion, saying the bill should be amended or that the cuts are too severe, while Senator Ward-Engelking supported the motion despite concerns about the reductions, citing even more problematic intent language in the related appropriation bill. The motion passed, and the bill was sent to the floor with a due pass recommendation; Senators Carlson and Zito were recorded as voting no.

Transcript Highlights:

• Correction Center and the other at the Olympic Correction Center, and requires that the K-9 teams be scheduled
• This amendment clarifies that the dedicated canine detection team in the proposed budget is scheduled
• Correction Center and the other at the Olympic Correction Center and requires that the K9 teams be scheduled
• the dedicated canine detection team in the proposed budget and requires that the canine team be scheduled
• They need to be able to schedule slots and know that they're going to get paid.

Bills: SB5998

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: fiscal appropriations, budget, state funding, financial management, operating expenses, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Scheduling these hours, the utilization contractor has done in their clinical review.
• Scheduling these hours and using these hours is negotiated between the service agency provider, the member
• Scheduling these hours. Thank you. the utilization contractor has done in their clinical review.
• Scheduling these hours and using these hours is negotiated between the service agency provider, the member
• complex care assistance so that they can truly kind of move things around as they need because their schedules

Bills: HB2402 , HB2555 , HB2599 , HB2685

Committee: House Health Care & Wellness

Keywords: phthalates, medical equipment, healthcare regulation, intravenous therapy, toxic substances, Medicaid, healthcare, traditional practices, health insurance, coverage expansion, therapy, psychotherapy, mental health, regulation, professional standards, tribal data, data protection, privacy, sharing of information, Indigenous rights

Transcript Highlights:

• We're still well ahead of schedule. We'll go to the 2:15 item, and Mr.
• Anything that's introduced will need to be scheduled. So our office will work.
• First of all, we'll schedule the bills that have been approved today, the four policy bills and the appropriations
• leadership or this group as to what chambers you'd like those bills introduced in so that we can schedule
• bills come in Tuesday through Legislative Management, Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday evening, we will schedule

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: Legislative Management met with a quorum, approved the July 11, 2025 minutes, and then considered recommendations from the Legislative Procedures and Arrangements Committee. Beth Dittes explained proposed special session rule changes, which largely mirror prior special session rules and are intended to speed floor action. The changes would allow faster second readings and transmission between chambers, replace regular standing committees with two joint committees for the special session—Joint Appropriations and Joint Policy—and limit bill introduction methods. The package also included delayed-effective-date changes for the next regular session, such as moving the agency and Supreme Court prefile deadline earlier and advancing several resolution deadlines. Liz Fordall then reviewed revisions to the legislative workplace harassment policy, including clarified definitions, longer intake and review deadlines, an option for informal resolution before a review panel, and clearer disclosure rules. The committee adopted the report and forwarded the rules and policy changes. The committee also approved tentative first-day special session agendas for both chambers, with a Speaker-requested revision to allow time to swear in new House members. Megan Gordon outlined the schedule: early Rules Committee meetings, morning floor sessions, a joint session for the governor’s State of the State, then meetings of the joint appropriations and policy committees, with optional later floor and committee time. Members discussed how the joint committees would handle bills and confirmed the process would mirror the prior special session. The agendas were adopted. Chairman Bekkedahl then reported for the Rural Health Transformation Committee, which had completed its work and recommended five bill drafts for the special session: a Presidential Physical Fitness Test requirement for schools, a nutrition component for physician continuing education, joining a physician assistant licensure compact, expanding pharmacist scope for lab testing and prescribing, and a two-year appropriations bill to cover the program through the next regular session. He explained the federal rural health transformation grant, the state’s application, funding restrictions, and the need to keep the bills aligned with CMS requirements to avoid funding reductions or clawbacks. DHS officials said the department would measure outcomes through required metrics, use templates for awards, and set up an Office of Health Transformation to track long-term impacts. The committee adopted the rural health report and forwarded the bills. Finally, members discussed special-session logistics. Legislative staff said employment committees would approve a limited number of staff, Legislative Management would serve as the delayed-bills committee, and a letter would be sent to legislators explaining the process and a suggested Friday noon drafting deadline for bills to be considered at the January 20 meeting. The committee also discussed how many bills might be introduced and how to assign the rural health bills to the House or Senate for origin. No formal vote was taken on those logistics, and the meeting adjourned with plans to reconvene on January 20.

Transcript Highlights:

• timeframe for operating and capital programs, you were able to keep the majority of projects on schedule
• is that means we only need 13 more vessels between now and 2030 to replace the vessels that are scheduled
• When vessels in the system are out of service, Bainbridge is frequently reduced to a single-boat schedule
• It's tracking within the budget, and it's actually ahead of schedule for completion of this first phase
• committee to continue supporting our proven success by advancing the governor's proposed funding schedule

Bills: SB6005

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: transportation budget, transportation appropriations, capital budget, supplemental budget, Washington State Department of Transportation, WSDOT, Washington State Patrol, Department of Licensing, ferries, Puget Sound ferries, tolling, express toll lanes, highway safety, traffic safety, impaired driving, ignition interlock, speed cameras, transit funding, public transit, multimodal transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• timeframe for operating and capital programs, you were able to keep the majority of projects on schedule
• is that means we only need 13 more vessels between now and 2030 to replace the vessels that are scheduled
• When vessels in the system are out of service, Bainbridge is frequently reduced to a single-boat schedule
• It's tracking within the budget, and it's actually ahead of schedule for completion of this first phase
• committee to continue supporting our proven success by advancing the governor's proposed funding schedule

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met on January 13, 2026, for a work session on Governor Ferguson’s proposed 2026 supplemental transportation budget and a public hearing on Senate Bill 6005, which makes supplemental transportation appropriations for the 2025–27 biennium. Committee staff reviewed the transportation budget outlook, noting that the 2025 session had balanced the transportation budget over four years with significant new revenues, but that recent fuel-tax and Climate Commitment Act forecasts had softened the long-term outlook. Staff and the governor’s budget team said the proposal still leaves the budget in positive shape while addressing major needs such as preservation, ferry replacement, maintenance, and the state self-insurance account. The governor’s office described a $16.8 billion transportation budget proposal centered on preservation and maintenance, including $3.1 billion in bonding for eligible preservation projects, $1.1 billion for three new ferries, additional ferry preservation funding, pavement and bridge work, maintenance funding, County Road Administration Board startup money, State Patrol communications upgrades, DOL service access improvements, dredging for the Lower Columbia River, and restored regional mobility grant funding. Committee members asked about ferry capacity, DOL mobile offices, self-insurance costs, and whether additional preservation money could be used in 2026. Testifiers from cities, counties, labor, ports, construction, business, and environmental groups generally supported the emphasis on preservation, ferry reliability, local road funding, and freight projects, while some urged broader transit and rail investment and one witness criticized the budget’s spending approach. During public testimony on SB 6005, speakers from Bainbridge Island and ferry communities supported ferry investments and reliability improvements; local government and labor representatives backed preservation funding and better working conditions for transportation workers; business and construction groups endorsed maintenance, paving, bridge repair, and the Lower Columbia dredging item; and port and environmental advocates supported freight, port electrification, and rail funding. One witness raised concerns about the cost and long-term implications of hybrid-electric ferry maintenance, and another urged restraint in spending. The hearing ended after testimony, with the chair noting the sign-in tally and adjourning the committee without a vote on the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2 and what may happen there, there will be some compaction within the teacher's salary schedules
• We would urge us over time. to consider our policies to decompact salary schedules as you move along.
• Some of these salary schedules literally increase salaries by about a dollar or two a year, because we've
• essentially set a state salary schedule with our minimums.
• I just want to add that what we see is that school districts who are in charge of setting salary schedules

Committee: House House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:23:38.880><c> an</c> reaching out to them to schedule an reaching out to them to schedule an
• </c><01:36:49.679><c> uh</c> and their school um their schedules uh and their school um their schedules
• </c><01:39:33.040><c> are</c> instances and our schedules are instances and our schedules are constantly
• The change in the scheduling for those high school students as a whole.
• It's school scheduling. transportation. It's school scheduling.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee opened a hearing on Senate Bill 185, which would add timelines to Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) investigations. Senator Howard Pearl said the bill was prompted by concerns from the New Hampshire Association of Realtors about delays at the Real Estate Commission, and he explained that the proposal would require OPLC staff to make an initial determination within 30 days and, if misconduct is found, complete an investigation within 60 days. He said the goal is to improve transparency and give consumers and licensees more timely information, while preserving the board’s adjudicatory role. He also noted that the bill had been amended to delay implementation to give OPLC time to work through its backlog. Committee members questioned how the bill would work when an investigation is incomplete and whether the board could send a case back to OPLC without a firm deadline. Pearl said the board would have discretion to continue the investigation or make a final determination, and that the bill was intended to streamline OPLC’s process rather than impose a hard cap on complex cases. OPLC Executive Director Deanna Durus and General Counsel Nicholas Fry then testified that the agency has already changed its procedures under prior legislation, including a facial review of complaints and monthly board review of dismissal memos. They said the bill would substantially alter the current structure, could conflict with existing limitation periods and board duties, and would be difficult to implement without additional staff and funding. Durus said the agency’s backlog is large, that new complaints are being triaged and prioritized, and that some urgent matters are moved ahead based on risk and statutory deadlines. She said OPLC had completed a review of about 500 backlog cases that would now be dismissed under current screening standards, and that those cases are being turned into memos for board review. Board of Medicine public member Nina Gardner testified in favor of the bill but said the backlog is significant and that the agency needs more resources to make the process work effectively. She said the board is seeing progress, but not fast enough, and suggested the bill may not go far enough without additional staffing and funding. No vote was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• postpone the rule number—sorry, I got to remember where we are—215—and to put it on next month's schedule
• <00:30:26.880><c> on</c><00:30:27.039><c> next</c><00:30:27.279><c> month's</c><00:30:27.600><c> schedule
• </c><00:30:28.000><c> It's</c><00:30:28.159><c> been</c> it on next month's schedule.
• It's been it on next month's schedule.
• and then re-implemented rolling schedule and then re-implemented the<00:31:56.640><c> emergency</c><

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and adopted the consent calendar without objection. It then took up Department of Safety Rule 25161 on administrative license suspension forms. After discussion of a staff concern that the rule text should expressly require a defendant’s signature or refusal to sign, and the officer’s witness signature, the agency agreed to revised language. The committee voted to grant conditional approval with those edits. The committee next considered Department of Agriculture rule 192, concerning importation of bovines and domestic animals. Staff identified several issues, including an overly broad federal citation, an unclear definition of infection, a possible conflict between provisions on telephone-issued permits and documents that must be carried, and missing struck-through repeal language. Because the department had not proposed written fixes, members moved to postpone the item until next month, and the motion passed. A second Agriculture item, 25207, was discussed as a long-expired set of rules that the agency said were still needed to run its programs; the committee granted conditional approval. The Public Utilities Commission’s competitive natural gas supplier and aggregator rules prompted the most extensive debate. Staff argued the cited statutes did not clearly authorize the commission to impose fines on natural gas suppliers, while the agency responded that authority could be read from related Department of Energy transition language and general rulemaking provisions. Members discussed whether the issue reflected a statutory gap created when responsibilities were split between the Department of Energy and the commission. The committee ultimately voted to waive and postpone the item to next month so the attorneys could work out the authority question. The committee also postponed Department of Energy items 219 and 220 at the agency’s request, and it noted that the Liquor Commission’s emergency rule had been revised to reduce reporting from monthly to quarterly before being reissued, with the item also postponed.

Transcript Highlights:

• We can require additional documentation for the purposes of salary schedule.
• </c><00:03:57.519><c> That's</c> purposes of salary schedule. That's purposes of salary schedule.
• proposal expands options for tier 2 teachers to enroll in programs that best fit their location, schedule
• </c><00:13:56.800><c> Um,</c> schedule, and professional needs.
• Um, schedule, and professional needs.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• our actuary has done this with other public pension plans and seen them turn around on the same schedule
• > It's</c><00:25:45.840><c> just</c><00:25:46.240><c> full</c><00:25:46.559><c> funding</c> same schedule
• It's just full funding same schedule. It's just full funding does<00:25:47.200><c> it.
• </c><00:27:27.120><c> uh</c><00:27:27.520><c> ahead</c><00:27:27.840><c> of</c><00:27:28.080><c> schedule
• </c> status you know uh ahead of schedule status you know uh ahead of schedule even<00:27:28.799><c>

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Personnel, Public Retirement, and Finance heard testimony from Bo Barnes, deputy executive secretary and general counsel for the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), on the TRS budget request for the upcoming biennium and how it compares with House Bill 500 as introduced. Barnes emphasized that the bill fully funds the system’s additional funding request to pay down TRS’s legacy unfunded pension liability, which he described as critical to the system’s long-term funding plan. He also explained that the pension and health insurance requests are broken into several line items, including legacy benefit items, state shared-responsibility payments for retiree health insurance, and reconciliation items that adjust for prior over- or underpayments. Barnes said the state portion of shared responsibility for retiree health insurance was funded below the request in House Bill 500, but he described the health insurance trust as a success story under the post-2010 shared-responsibility model. He said the trust is projected to be fully funded in about two years if medical inflation and federal subsidies remain stable, and he noted that any shortfall in the current budget would be reconciled later and could reduce investment income. In response to questions, he explained that the legacy benefit items are treated as part of the total actuarially determined employer contribution and that unpaid legacy benefits would have the same impact on the retirement trust as unpaid ADC amounts. Barnes also addressed questions about whether the $47.2 million SEEK-related teacher contribution reconciliation could be split between fiscal years, saying it could be done but would reduce investment income and potentially increase future contribution needs. He said the pension fund is currently about 61% funded and that TRS has received full funding for the pension for 10 straight years, with the state having provided full additional funding and more in recent budgets. He concluded by asking the committee to consider TRS’s original budget request, warning that underfunding now would be reflected in future actuarial calculations and could cost the Commonwealth more over time.

Transcript Highlights:

• it up that way and I want to thank everybody again for being here and allowing me to adjust the schedule
• We really need to keep our schedules tight on time because our room is used right after we're done.
• a little bit me to adjust the schedule a little bit this<00:02:00.159><c> morning.
• We really need to keep our schedules<00:05:13.440><c> tight</c><00:05:13.600><c> on</c><00:05:13.840>
• tight on time because our room schedules tight on time because our room is<00:05:14.720><c> used</c>

Bills: HF3393

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Keywords: unemployment insurance, iron ore mining, additional benefits, labor force, economic support, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So House Bill 249 will be scheduled at a later date.
• According to the Medicaid fee schedule, the effective date was January 1, 2015.
• We have no influence or ability to influence. ...fee schedule, which is set by the feds.
• In our FIR, it says that they are reimbursed at 100% of the Medicare fee schedule.
• Actually, Representative, we are paying 150% of the Medicare fee schedule.

Committee: House House Health & Human Services

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So you'll notice on page two we also have a schedule of fiscal year 2027 as well on lines 17, 18, and
• So your schedule, we'll stick to your schedule or however that works. Thank you, Mr. Bybee.
• Chairman, now we're on page six: military compensation schedule.
• The military division is statutorily required to determine pay schedules comparable to those used for
• Looking at the schedule for cash transfers, you would be taking up transferring money into the general

Summary: The committee met in Joint Finance-Appropriations to review budget mechanics, the green sheet, and several budget-related bills and statewide decisions. Staff explained how the green sheet tracks FY 2027 impacts and reviewed bills including HB 503 (soil and water conservation consolidation savings), HB 556 (county jail per diem reimbursement increase), HB 559 (tax conformity with a large general fund impact), and HB 578. Members also discussed the 2026 Idaho Budget Rescissions Act, which would reduce FY 2026 appropriations under different scenarios, and the committee heard extensive debate over whether to use across-the-board reductions or more targeted cuts. After debate, the committee first adopted the substitute rescission motion for FY 2026, which set a 1% additional reduction above the governor’s recommendation, then approved a related motion transferring $22,366,500 from the Public School Income Fund to the General Fund. The committee then moved to statewide decisions and considered ongoing base reductions for selected state agencies. Three motions were offered: the governor’s recommendation, an additional 1% reduction, and an additional 2% reduction. After debate, the original governor’s recommendation passed on a 13-7 vote, while the 1% and 2% alternatives failed. The committee then turned to personnel benefit cost increases, including health insurance and other employer-paid benefits. Staff explained the different funding formulas and agency-specific fill-rate adjustments, and members raised concerns about the role of the Change in Employee Compensation process, salary savings, and whether the figures should be tied to future rather than current-year projections. Motions were offered for the DOGE working group recommendation and the governor’s FY 2027 recommendation for health insurance and variable rate changes, but the discussion was still ongoing when the transcript ended, with no final vote shown on those motions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, we'll now be going to the scheduled agenda for today. Senator Parker.
• As you know, the Sunset Schedule Bill is filed each session to make necessary adjustments.
• The schedules for the next full review will be in 2031.
• I know it's a lot of content and many agencies for us to review, but it's a comprehensive scheduling
• For what we're trying to do here in a sunset scheduling bill.

Bills: HB146 , HB150 , HB1500 , HB1545 , HB1562 , HB2067 , HB2520 , HB2818 , HB3214 , HB3250 , HB3466 , HB3512 , HB3623 , HB4063 , HB4395 , HB4464 , HB4668 , HB4690 , HB5331 , HB3833 , HB146 , HB150

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Keywords: HB 146, Texas Capitol, State Capitol, State Preservation Board, Congress Avenue, Travis County, traffic lanes, lane closure, road closure, municipal authority, local control, Capitol area, downtown Austin, special events, construction traffic plan, pedestrian safety, public works, transportation policy, government code chapter 443, cybersecurity

Transcript Highlights:

• That's essentially what happens when you're given a fee schedule that you have to adopt as a bank, if
• I do think, however, that the premise of the standard pricing schedules is something that ought to be
• We can call it price scheduling, and we don't like the word collusion.
• The proprietary rate schedules are non-disclosed. Oh, no, are they proprietary? No, they're not.
• Section 2 and 101 prohibits the standard fee schedules and eliminates default interchange.

Bills: SB231 , SB584 , SB600 , SB668 , SB841 , SB986 , SB1003 , SB1244 , SB1625 , SB1960 , SB1963 , SB1964 , SB2026 , SB2056 , SB2368

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Keywords: temporary emergency electric energy facility, temporary generation, emergency power, backup generation, mobile generator, portable generator, grid resilience, power outage restoration, transmission and distribution utility, TDU, Public Utility Commission of Texas, PUCT, Utilities Code Section 39.918, competitive bidding, lease authorization, emergency procurement, bulk power system, locational marginal pricing, reliability model, black start

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to jump on the schedule a little bit, and we're going to bring up House File 1997. over uh
• we're going to jump on the over uh we're going to jump on the schedule<00:06:44.680><c> a</c><00:06:
• 44.840><c> little</c> schedule a little schedule a little bit um<00:06:51.160><c> and</c><00:06:51.319
• been a lot of fun expanding our operation from seven trips in 2018 to currently this year we're scheduled
• </c><00:09:48.000><c> to</c> currently this year we're scheduled to currently this year we're scheduled

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Is there something within your schedules? You mentioned earlier it's tough to find time.
• Is there a homeroom or mentoring time that you have already built into your schedules to help address
• So my question is: do you have time built into your schedules that help address, whether it's social
• What we do with our schedule is we take some minutes from every period and we create a period for the
• Sixth period is the only time in the day that they don't have some extra time. schedule.

Summary: The Student Academic Success Subcommittee met to review Florida’s cell phone and social media literacy law, with Representative Brad Yeager describing the 2023 policy as aimed at removing classroom distractions and teaching students how to use social media responsibly. He said the law was intended to keep phones out of classrooms unless used for instruction, require social media literacy education, and limit access to certain sites on school Wi-Fi and government devices. Yeager said feedback since passage has been mixed: many teachers support it and some have adopted inexpensive shoe-organizer or pouch systems, but implementation varies by school and administrator enforcement. He said he is not currently pursuing a broader statewide mandate. Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez and Timber Creek High School Principal Mr. Wasco described Orange County’s approach as bell-to-bell phone restrictions, while Pasco County’s Dr. Zetchy described a similar policy with some flexibility during lunch or passing periods at the high school level. Both districts said the policy was implemented with parent communication, town halls, surveys, and transition periods, and that concerns about emergencies were addressed by allowing phones to be returned at the end of the day and by establishing procedures for parent contact. They reported few theft problems and said discipline issues related to phones have generally been manageable, though some teachers still struggle with enforcement or with students trying to evade the rules. A major portion of the discussion focused on social media literacy instruction. Orange County said it uses counselor-led programs, Canvas courses, resiliency days, and curriculum materials to teach students about cyberbullying, human trafficking, privacy, and the permanence of online posts, with progress tracked through the learning platform. Pasco said it has some resiliency modules but lacks a fully built-out, pre-made social media curriculum and would welcome more guidance from DOE, especially for high school classrooms where instructional time is limited. Members also asked about student anxiety, 504/IEP accommodations, caregiver students, and parent education; the districts said exceptions are handled through school committees and that parent academies and district resources are being used to help families set boundaries and understand the risks and benefits of phones and social media. No votes were taken.