Video & Transcript Research : 'practical knowledge'
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MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Protecting Public Trust / Prioritizing Infrastructure Projects / Offering Students More Choices Mar 27th, 2026
Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- So, you have so much knowledge of this process. How has it changed during your time here?
- >> So, you have so much knowledge of this >> So, you have so much knowledge of this process
- Minnesotans who live in manufactured housing parks are being forced out of their homes due to predatory practices
- Those practices include price gouging and aggressive evictions.
- Those practices include price gouging and aggressive evictions.
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee 3/13/25
Human Services Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- The intent behind this was really to just codify current practice and to make sure that it was super
- So I see it's under prohibited hiring practices.
- <00:33:52.799>
um Pro under prohibited hiring practices um Pro under prohibited hiring practices - It operates in a vacuum, disconnected from reality and practicality.
- <01:04:14.799>
at <01:04:14.960>your uh similar practices at your uh similar practices
Keywords:
veterans, veterans affairs, State Soldiers Assistance Program, Veterans Stable Housing Initiative, MAXIS, human services data, data sharing, eligibility verification, informed consent, private data, benefits coordination, veteran housing, veteran assistance, Department of Human Services, Children Youth and Families, state benefits, federal benefits, privacy, public assistance, human services
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Human Services Mar 12th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- For these larger systems, or that there would be a lack of knowledge.
- We've also built communities of practice amongst Promise Neighborhoods.
- We know that it's been a crisis, so there's been a community of practice around that.
- On family maintenance CFTs, this is another best practice that we strongly support.
- This is a practice known as abatement.
Summary:
The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services held an informational hearing on child welfare, foster care, child support, and related prevention efforts. The chair opened by emphasizing mandated reporting reform, foster care system improvements, and community-based prevention, and noted that no votes would be taken. Public testimony focused first on mandated reporting, where a lived-experience advocate and several organizations argued that the current system overreports families, especially Black, Native, and Latino families, causes trauma, and should be reformed through standardized training, clearer thresholds, and stronger community supports rather than more hotline referrals. Casey Family Programs cited data showing nearly 90% of reports are unsubstantiated, while CDSS said it is already forming a Mandated Reporting Advisory Committee, updating training, and exploring community pathways and possible changes to the list of mandated reporters. CWDA and SEIU supported training and alternative response concepts but stressed child safety, county capacity, funding, and the need for careful implementation and accountability.
The committee then discussed a proposal to create a foster care multi-agency office within the California Health and Human Services Agency, led by a chief foster youth advocate with authority to coordinate across departments. Advocates said foster youth often need services from education, health, housing, and behavioral health systems that do not coordinate well, and argued that a central office with real authority could improve placement stability and access to services. CDSS responded that existing structures already provide coordination, including AB 2083 interagency teams, the Child Welfare Council, complex care steering committees, and the foster care ombudsperson, but said it was open to technical assistance. Members raised concerns about whether the new office would have enough authority and funding to avoid becoming another layer of bureaucracy, and the chair emphasized the need for real “teeth” and better interagency action.
The final major topic was the continuation and expansion of Promise Neighborhoods. A community leader described strong early results from the state-funded neighborhoods, including improved kindergarten readiness, reduced chronic absenteeism, higher graduation rates, food access, housing supports, and mental health services, but warned that current funding sunsets in June 2025 and that a fiscal cliff could jeopardize staff and services. CDSS said the four funded neighborhoods have reported positive outcomes and valuable flexibility, but also noted challenges with one-time funding, student mental health, and long-term planning. Assemblymember Mia Bonta urged continued investment, saying the place-based model is difficult to rebuild once lost, and the chair asked LAO to help identify the minimum funding needed to preserve the existing infrastructure while evaluation results are still pending.
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
Appr/Sub-Health and Human Services Jan 29th, 2026 at 09:30 am
Transcript Highlights:
- let Kathy kind of follow up on what we found during that process because she certainly is more knowledgeable
- To my knowledge, there's not been any reduction in services, especially from the crisis Area.
- And to my knowledge, Kathy may have a different opinion, but to my knowledge, I've not heard anyone Tell
- And to my knowledge, we've had Conversations, and we try to have more conversations with lobbyists than
- We prioritize the integration of public health expertise with modern business practices.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Make America Healthy Again Kentucky Task Force (9-17-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- and knowledge of students' own mental and physical wellness.
- We addressed a lot of those things through the practical living program review process, which was in
- Yes, sir. teachers in doing best practices is when teachers in doing best practices is when you<01:37
- <01:40:18.960>
living states that we had uh practical living states that we had uh practical - and knowledge of the student's own mental and physical wellness.
Summary:
The task force met with a quorum, approved the minutes from the August 20 meeting, and then heard testimony from Representative Steven Doan on House Bill 439, a school nutrition bill aimed at restricting certain ultra-processed foods in schools. Doan said the bill was inspired by his own health journey and his work in agriculture, and he described the measure as targeting specific chemical additives in foods served during the school day, not concession sales or after-hours activities. He said the bill would phase in later to give schools time to adjust and noted that the list of restricted additives was drawn from efforts in other states and advocacy groups. Members asked about the chemical abstract numbers, fiscal impact, summer meal programs, fundraisers, and whether the bill would affect parent-provided items; Doan said he had not done a fiscal note and explained that the bill was intended to apply only during instructional time on school property.
Committee members generally reacted favorably, with some raising practical concerns about cost and implementation. One member asked about high fructose corn syrup, which Doan said was not included because it is too pervasive in the food system. Another member noted that schools already limit some homemade items and asked about the line between school-provided and parent-provided food. Doan also said the list was based in part on Turning Point USA materials and similar laws in other states, and he referenced federal efforts to define ultra-processed foods.
The committee then heard from Kentucky Department of Education officials Matt Ross, Lauren Moore, and Katie Embry on school meals and nutrition programs. They outlined Kentucky’s school lunch, breakfast, summer meals, and other USDA child nutrition programs, including participation and reimbursement figures, and explained how community eligibility provision schools, meal patterns, offer-versus-serve, smart snacks, and local wellness policies work. They said USDA and FDA are currently seeking public input on a uniform definition of ultra-processed foods, that there are no current USDA requirements specifically on ultra-processed foods, and that schools already operate under federal and state rules governing competitive foods, including a state time restriction on smart snacks. They also discussed local purchasing, noting its benefits but also the procurement and staffing challenges schools face. No votes or final actions on the bill were taken in the portion provided.
NE
Nebraska 2025-2026 Regular Session
Legislative Morning Session Apr 17th, 2026
Nebraska Unicameral Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- This is the most common-sense, most practical bill.
- But this is such a common-sense, practical bill.
- We need to get practical, pragmatic.
- I would like to point out there is a lot of knowledge in the Legislature.
- Bryson is probably the most knowledgeable person in this Capitol.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Dec 8th, 2025 at 09:45 am
Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- Thank you so much for your knowledge and for giving me so much time.
- That is part of traditional tribal knowledge.
- Traditional environmental knowledge, I believe TEK is the acronym that the federal government is also
- This is again from a layman looking at this with a little bit of knowledge.
- How we voice and practice our nuclear safety advice is important.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- We have enhanced the practices around preventing miners from purchasing lottery tickets.
- You know, that's an issue that comes up that Robert brought up, Ryan having his institutional knowledge
- I mean we rely on a lot of his institutional knowledge to To understand how to put in those guardrails
- I'm a practicing lawyer licensed in Texas.
- Again it was it was uh, it was what yeah, it was a mistake I should have a knowledge receipt, but don't
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- I have practiced animal law in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts for 20 years.
- <01:21:01.159>
key <01:21:01.400>provisions from predatory practices key provisions - from predatory practices key provisions of<01:21:01.920>
the <01:21:02.000>bill <01:21: - My question is this: how many veterans who have experienced this process and have firsthand knowledge
- I don't have any firsthand knowledge with that.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- why this doesn't work in practicality.
- Not work in practicality.
- They're going to continue on with their practices.
- I also have been practicing for 33 years.
- To my knowledge... I've been doing this for 21 years in civil practice.
Bills:
HB4806
Keywords:
civil action, damages, health care services, noneconomic damages, negligence, legal standards, 1184, house, all
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Taxation and Revenue Feb 2nd, 2026 at 08:34 am
House Taxation & Revenue
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Senate Executive Departments and Administration (04/15/2026)
Executive Departments and Administration
Transcript Highlights:
- But what this uh practice for anything.
- Where they go from there, we have no knowledge, no information.
- Where they go from there, we have no knowledge, no information.
- Um, current practice that we see inadvertently... I'll follow up if that's okay.
- people that are far more knowledgeable people that are far more knowledgeable on<01:27:31.360>
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
Commission to Study Costs of Special Education (12/19/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- practices that that met students needs? practices that that met students needs?
- Um, I I don't have the knowledge<01:24:58.719>
right <01:24:58.960>now <01:24:59.120> - to<01:24:59.360>
say <01:24:59.600>what <01:24:59.840>we're knowledge right - I just have a little bit of knowledge as to this gentleman's job.
- <01:51:00.880>
there's <01:51:01.199>some practice and there are there's some practice
Summary:
The commission met to review and amend the minutes from its previous meeting, correcting the date, several spelling and wording errors, and clarifying references to a scholarship fund and a member’s title. The minutes were then approved as amended, with some members abstaining because they were not present at the prior meeting. The chair then turned to the commission’s work plan under SB 57, emphasizing the need to prioritize the statutory topics and identify which issues require additional research, documentation, and possible spreadsheets.
Members discussed a broad range of special education cost drivers and policy questions, including student referral rates, why students are classified as other health impaired, whether referrals increased after COVID school closures, intervention processes before referral, the cost of services required under IEPs and 504 plans, differences between federal law, state law, and DOE rules, reporting of special education costs, out-of-district and residential placements, district sharing of resources, dispute resolution, graduation rates, and adult learning outcomes. Several members raised concerns that school environments, mental health, bullying, and possible overidentification may be contributing to rising special education numbers and costs, while others cautioned that some reported district percentages may be inflated or unclear because of how the data are counted.
A major portion of the meeting focused on HB 742, which would eliminate prorated special education aid when state appropriations are insufficient and require the governor to draw a warrant to cover shortfalls. Representative Ames explained that the bill had been recommended for interim study because the commission is already examining special education costing, and he highlighted the gap between FY24 special education costs of about $977.1 million and state aid of $33.9 million for catastrophic aid, $67.4 million for differentiated aid, and $50.8 million in federal IDEA funds, leaving local districts to cover about $825.1 million. He argued the commission should ultimately make clear that both the federal government and the state should contribute more.
The Department of Education, through Melissa White, answered questions about data and oversight. She said special education counts come from IEPs entered into the state system using SASIDs, that DOE monitors districts through both desk audits and on-site visits, and that billing is checked against the services listed in each student’s IEP. She also said DOE’s special education work is largely federally funded, with roughly $56.7 million received through IDEA this year and about $49.1 million flowing through to LEAs, while the department retains a small amount for administration and statewide support activities. Members also discussed how adequacy calculations use special education counts from the state system and how those figures are reported.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Information Technology Oversight Committee (8-13-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- Is there anything practical? I mean, how soon can that practically be implemented?
- Was it practical?
- Is there anything is it is that a practical practical practical um um um I<00:54:11.599>
mean < - Was it practical? Was it be implemented? Was it practical?
- And that's just on the knowledge.
Keywords:
Meeting Start 00:00:00
Roll Call 00:00:27
Legislative Research Commission 00:01:15
KentuckyWired Operations Company 00:17:30
Wireless Internet Service Providers Association 00:40:15
Administrative Office of the Courts 01:08:55
Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts 01:33:00, 958, all
Summary:
The committee first approved the July 9 minutes without objection and heard from Jay Hartz and Jonathan Harris of the Legislative Research Commission. Members asked about Capitol and legislator security in light of recent targeted shootings in other states. Hartz said LRC had removed members’ home addresses from its website, was reviewing other state-government records for similar information, and was working with the Speaker, Senate President, Kentucky State Police, and outside security experts on broader safety measures. He also said LRC is exploring commercial products to help block personal contact information from public view, but declined to name vendors publicly. Harris added that driver’s license scans at the Capitol are handled by Kentucky State Police, while LRC has a process for flagging high-volume or concerning contacts for police review. The LRC also reported that redistricting work has already begun, with census coordination underway, evaluation of redistricting software including Mapitude and open-source tools, and plans to make the same tools available to the public in the LRC library.
The committee then heard from Kentucky Wired Operations Company CEO Robert Morphonius, COO Tom Snyder, and counsel Patrick Hughes about the Kentucky Wired network. They explained the corporate structure: Kentucky Wired Operations Company is a private for-profit special purpose entity that designs, builds, operates, and maintains the network; Kentucky Wired Infrastructure Company is a nonprofit instrumentality used for financing; and Open Fiber Kentucky handles commercialization of excess capacity under a wholesale agreement. They said Kentucky Wired Operations is in the operations and maintenance phase, with those obligations continuing until 2045, and that technical changes to the network generally require KCNA approval through formal change-order processes. They also said the company conducted a market test in June 2023 under Schedule 19 of its contract, considered proposals including Open Fiber and the incumbent service provider, and retained the existing provider.
Members asked about KCNA’s role, procurement, network customers, and revenue. The witnesses said Quac operates outside normal state procurement because its process is governed by contract, while KCNA acts as the Commonwealth’s oversight authority and filter for changes. They identified current network users as including AOC, KCTCS, postsecondary education, and other Commonwealth agencies, with all requests routed through KCNA; they also said a separate change process for Exceliccom is in litigation. On funding, they said the operation is paid through monthly appropriations, with roughly a million dollars a month for the service provider and a couple hundred thousand for Quac’s oversight, not including debt service, which is bundled into the availability payment. The discussion ended as members began asking about responsibility for damage-related costs such as squirrel-related outages.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Bill to ban semiautomatic military-style assault weapons 2/24/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- physicians and advanced practice physicians and advanced practice providers<00:24:41.919>
of< - Rifles, whether for hunting, target practice, or what you call an assault weapon, were used in three
- To our knowledge, all hyperlinks have been removed from the documents.
- To our knowledge, all hyperlinks have been removed from the documents.
- To our knowledge, all >> Thank you.
Summary:
The committee took up House File 3433 and House File 3402 together, both aimed at restricting assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The bill authors described the measures as bans on the sale and possession of enumerated military-style semi-automatic weapons and magazines over 10 rounds, while allowing current owners to keep firearms through a BCA certification process. They framed the bills as a response to the Annunciation School shooting and broader gun violence, emphasizing public support and the need to act to protect children and communities.
Testimony in support came from Annunciation families and a Hennepin Healthcare emergency physician. Survivors and family members described the shooting’s aftermath in personal detail, including the death of children, severe injuries, long-term trauma, and ongoing medical treatment. They argued that the type of weapon mattered because it increased the speed and severity of the attack, and that limiting access to these weapons could slow future mass shootings and save lives. The physician said the injuries he treated showed how high-velocity rifles cause far greater tissue damage and urged swift action to limit access.
Opposition testimony came from the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Center and the NRA. They argued the bills would not have prevented the Annunciation shooting, contended that the 1994 federal assault weapons ban did not reduce crime, and said the legislation would likely face constitutional challenges because the firearms and magazines are in common use and protected by the Second Amendment. They also raised concerns about the bill’s grandfathering, registration, renewal, inspection, storage, and ammunition restrictions, and suggested lawmakers should instead focus on mental health intervention and other upstream causes of violence. The hearing ended with the committee moving into member discussion; no vote or final action was taken in the excerpt.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration Jun 21st, 2026 at 10:00 am
Transcript Highlights:
- Implementing best practices is something that I always felt.
- The word best practices brings a vision, a theme, but what does best practices mean?
- Do we support more efficient practices, more streamlined practices?
- He was so far ahead of his time at any use best practices, right?
- If you don't have the institutional knowledge...
Summary:
The commission opened an informal discussion focused on developing recommendations for its September report on correctional consolidation and cooperation. Chairs Dan Hunt and Senator Brownsberger emphasized that the group is still in an information-gathering phase, but should begin putting ideas on the table, including possible written recommendations, further hearings, and additional facility tours. Members discussed whether the commission should seek more input from frontline stakeholders such as sheriffs, probation, parole, reentry centers, unions, and the judiciary, and whether recommendations should be organized around specific issue areas like medical costs, programming, reentry, and facility operations.
A major theme was the need for a more integrated and consistent correctional system. Participants raised concerns about fragmentation across DOC, county sheriffs, probation, and parole, and suggested exploring step-down pathways, minimum security, pre-release, day reporting, and regional reentry hubs to improve outcomes and reduce recidivism. Several speakers stressed the importance of uniform standards, evidence-based programming, better data on outcomes and spending, and clearer alignment between custody conditions and rehabilitation goals. There was also discussion of looking to other states and international models, as well as revisiting older reports and plans, including the 2009 commission report and the 2010 corrections master plan.
Facility-specific issues were also raised, including the need to examine women’s facilities such as Framingham, Bridgewater, and restrictive housing practices in light of suicide concerns and mental health needs. Members discussed the relationship between correctional custody and behavioral health, the role of the judiciary in sentencing and reentry planning, and whether judges should be better informed about available programming and step-down options. There was broad agreement that collaboration, transparency, and accountability should be strengthened, with some members urging that recommendations be based on firsthand facts and data rather than opinion alone.
The meeting also included presentation of a written set of eight high-level recommendations compiled by advocacy and legal organizations, which focused on clearer and more consistent programming, equitable application of rules, and reducing punitive conditions that function like solitary confinement. The chairs said the document would be shared with members and posted online. No formal votes were taken during the discussion, and the meeting ended with plans to continue the conversation at a future session, including possible follow-up on reentry centers, restrictive housing, and other systemwide reforms.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Public Health Jun 21st, 2026 at 09:00 am
Joint Committee on Public Health
Transcript Highlights:
- While perhaps uncommon, these practice exams... ...these practice exams, unrelated to the procedure that
- for unconscious practice exams.
- We train doctors who practice where they train.
- They also can practice in acute care.
- best practices.
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Public Health held a hybrid hearing on a wide range of bills focused on patient safety, workforce development, health equity, and access to care. A major portion of the hearing centered on H. 2362/S. 1491, which would require health care providers to offer trained chaperones for sensitive exams. Sponsors and supporters said the bill is a common-sense safeguard prompted by cases of physician sexual abuse, and survivors gave emotional testimony describing grooming, isolation, and abuse during exams when no chaperone was present. Support also came from a health services researcher, a physician, and a RAINN representative, all arguing that trained chaperones and clearer documentation would improve transparency and protect patients. Committee members asked about clarifying who may serve as a chaperone and whether the bill would apply to other clinicians such as PTs and OTs.
The committee also heard testimony on H. 2401/S. 1485, which would require explicit informed consent for certain educational exams performed on unconscious patients. The bill’s supporters said patients should know in advance if students or physicians will conduct non-medically necessary exams while they are under anesthesia, and that the measure would protect survivors from retraumatization. The hearing then moved to H. 2537, a primary care access bill. Health Care for All, the Massachusetts Medical Society, pediatric and internal medicine physicians, and a patient advocate described long waits, provider shortages, and difficulty finding primary care, especially for low-income people and people of color. They supported the bill’s proposed primary care spending target, payment reforms, Medicaid graduate medical education funding, and a commercial payment floor for health centers.
Another set of bills addressed workforce and safety issues. H. 2397/S. 1593 would establish a nursing workforce center; nursing leaders said Massachusetts should make the current workforce council permanent to support data collection, apprenticeships, and long-term planning for the state’s largest health care workforce. H. 2396/S. 1535 would require safe patient handling and mobility programs in health facilities; nurses described serious injuries from lifting patients and said better equipment and programs would reduce staff injuries and improve patient outcomes. H. 2501/S. 1505 on LGBTQ+ health disparities drew support from a medical student and Doctors for America, who urged collection of sexual orientation and gender identity data to improve care and school outcomes. Finally, H. 2448/S. 1522 on patient safety and equitable access to care drew strong support from nursing organizations and individual nurses who described unsafe staffing, burnout, and patient harm, while the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems opposed the bill as redundant for psychiatric facilities already regulated by the Department of Mental Health.
AZ
Transcript Highlights:
- So being a county supervisor, I saw how this works in practice.
- Works in practice.
- As a practical matter, and someone... Printed so everyone knows it.
- As a practical matter, and someone that's there, and you've been there as a supervisor, we get calls:
- When it comes to surgeries, the U.S. was practically alone on this issue.
Summary:
The committee first took up SB 1167, which would let municipalities and counties satisfy certain public notice requirements by posting notices on their official websites instead of only in newspapers. The sponsor argued the bill is permissive, meant to modernize notice practices, reduce costs, and help governments meet deadlines, while a Blackman amendment added a six-month transition period requiring continued newspaper publication and a notice to the public about the change. Media representatives, tribal advocates, and others opposed the bill, warning that moving away from print could reduce access for rural, tribal, and older residents and weaken transparency; county and local government representatives supported it as a flexible, efficient option. The committee adopted the amendment and then passed SB 1167 as amended on a 4-3 vote.
The committee then heard SB 1021, which after a strike-everything amendment would require the Auditor General to refer possible criminal conduct involving health profession regulatory boards to the Attorney General and outline how such investigations should proceed. The sponsor and supporters said the measure would create a mechanism for accountability when audits uncover criminal activity and address conflicts of interest in enforcement. With no opposition testimony, the committee adopted the strike-everything amendment and passed SB 1021 as amended on a 4-3 vote.
Next was SB 1011, a bill directing county medical examiners or forensic pathologists to review an infant’s immunization and vaccination history and any countermeasures given in the 90 days before a sudden unexplained infant death. The sponsor said the bill was intended to improve data collection, align Arizona with best practices, and help identify correlations without implying causation. Opponents, including vaccine advocacy groups and a disability advocate, argued the state already collects much of this information, that the bill could fuel misinformation about vaccines, and that it failed to address the main known risk factors for SIDS such as unsafe sleep. The committee passed SB 1011 on a 4-3 vote.
The committee also considered SB 1013, an original merit-based public hiring bill that was not amended after a proposed strike-everything was defeated. The sponsor framed it as ensuring public employees are hired based on qualifications rather than identity-based preferences, while opponents from the ACLU and others argued existing law already prohibits discrimination and that the bill could create new liability and hinder outreach to diverse communities. Supporters said it would clarify merit hiring and prevent quota-based practices. The committee passed SB 1013 on a 4-3 vote. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1015, which the sponsor said would create accountability and data collection around detransition care for minors, while the proposed strike-everything would instead establish a family and medical leave insurance program through Medicaid beginning in 2029; testimony on that bill and the striker was underway when the transcript ended.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Senate Legislative Session Day 50 (3-19-26)
Kentucky Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- . receive a Kentucky license to practice.
- license to practice. license to practice. So,<00:33:25.160>
Mr. - <00:38:51.320>
and the body having knowledge and the body having knowledge and information - Seeing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll. licensure, licensure of practical licensure, licensure
- of practical nursing,<00:51:32.760>
and <00:51:33.000>adding <00:51:33.280>credential
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Education Policy Committee approves bill to repeal ethnic studies requirements 2/18/25
Transcript Highlights:
- Knowledge of the past is worthless without action in the present.
- Knowledge of the past is worthless without action in the present.
- Knowledge of the past is worthless without action in the present.
- Do you value knowledge? Do you value a child's right to education?
- will find best practices, and they will<01:02:37.440>
evolve.
Summary:
House File 29 was heard in committee as a proposal to suspend adoption of the revised social studies standards, push implementation to 2030-31, repeal the requirement to embed ethnic studies across all standards, and cancel related appropriations. The bill sponsor argued Minnesota schools should focus on basic academic achievement and that ethnic studies requirements add burdens and distract from reading, math, and science. The chair moved the bill to the Committee on Education Finance after opening the hearing and then took extensive public testimony.
Testimony was sharply divided. Supporters of HF 29, including Katherine Kersten, Deanna Moose, Kendall Qualls, Hillary Swanson, and Diane Smith, argued the ethnic studies framework is ideological, overly focused on race, insufficiently transparent, and costly in professional development time; several said it would divide students or burden teachers. Some supporters also claimed the standards or framework promote activism, critical race theory, or racial stratification. Opponents, including Mark Westfall, Crystal Johnson, Jim Grathwol, Marcus Penny, Claude Sigman, and Courtney Major, said the standards are inclusive, research-based, and designed to help students understand multiple perspectives, civic life, and the contributions of diverse Minnesotans. They emphasized that ethnic studies can improve engagement, critical thinking, and representation, and that teachers should be trusted to implement the standards.
No final vote on the bill was taken in the portion of the meeting provided. The only formal action noted was the chair’s motion to re-refer House File 29 to the Committee on Education Finance.