Transcript Highlights:

• HB 1057 supports the recruitment and fair compensation of top talent in career and technology education
• Career and Technology Education, or CTE.
• These updates will help address teacher shortages and ensure students benefit from instructors with real-world

Bills: HB1057

Keywords: teacher salary, retirement benefits, career education, work experience credit, Texas Education Code

Summary: The Senate committee met, established a quorum, and took up House Bill 1057, sponsored in the Senate by Senator Adam Hinojosa. Hinojosa explained that the bill would expand the amount of prior industry experience that can count toward TRS and salary step credit for career and technology education teachers, increasing the cap from two years to five years. He said the change is intended to help recruit and fairly compensate skilled professionals such as electricians, nurses, welders, and programmers, and to address teacher shortages beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. No members asked questions, and no one signed up to testify. The committee then voted to report HB 1057 favorably to the full Senate. The motion passed unanimously, 13 ayes and 0 nays, and the chair announced the committee would stand recessed subject to call.

Transcript Highlights:

• certain requirements, including the requirement that associations must be operated for the mutual benefit
• certain requirements, including the requirement that associations must be operated for the mutual benefit
• Allowing this change would benefit both the community and Washington's entertainment industry by boosting
• The striking amendment makes contributions for supplemental benefits a mandatory subject of bargaining
• House Bill 2264 is an act relating to unemployment benefits for workers unemployed as a result of an

Bills: HB1526, HB1069, HB1347, HB2091, HB2264

Keywords: liquor license, snack bar, state regulations, alcohol sales, business licensing, collective bargaining, retirement benefits, employee rights, public sector, supplemental benefits, education, funding, student loans, affordability, higher education, public employers, employee information, bargaining representatives, labor relations, union representation

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several labor, cannabis, liquor, and workplace bills. Second Substitute House Bill 2479 on recovering unpaid wages would create a wage recovery program at L&I, funded by civil penalties, to provide limited advance payments to low-wage workers facing immediate economic harm while wage complaints are still being investigated; supporters said it would speed relief for workers and improve enforcement, while the sponsor emphasized it was a consensus product of labor, employer, legal services, and academic stakeholders. Engrossed House Bill 1941 would allow licensed cannabis producers to form agricultural cooperatives, with a striking amendment limiting any cooperative to three producer licenses; supporters argued cannabis producers should have the same cooperative tools as other agricultural sectors, while some testimony urged future changes to prepare for possible interstate commerce. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2476 would expand spirits, beer, and wine theater licenses from 120 to 200 seats per screen and add youth-safety controls, and House Bill 1526 would allow snack bar licensees to sell wine by the glass; both drew support from industry witnesses, with LCB noting the small number of affected licenses and flagging a fee-update issue for HB 1526. The committee also heard extensive testimony on Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1155, which would void and unenforce non-compete agreements and broaden limits on non-solicitation agreements. Labor and worker advocates strongly supported the bill as a way to improve worker mobility and prevent abusive litigation, while business, banking, and some health-care witnesses raised concerns about protecting investments, confidential information, and physician practice stability, asking for narrower exemptions for senior executives and certain health-care settings. Other bills heard included Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2303, which would prohibit employers from requesting, requiring, or coercing microchip implants in employees; and Substitute House Bill 2405, a PTSD treatment pilot for workers’ compensation claimants, which L&I said could improve outcomes and potentially reduce long-term system costs. In executive action, the committee advanced several bills. It adopted a Saldaña striking amendment and a narrower amendment to House Bill 1069, limiting supplemental retirement bargaining to Department of Corrections employees, and sent the bill to Ways and Means. The committee also adopted a striking amendment to House Bill 1347 on cannabis testing labs and moved it to Rules, and passed Second Substitute House Bill 1701, House Bill 291, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2229, House Bill 2264, Substitute House Bill 2472, and Second Substitute House Bill 2345. A King striking amendment to Second Substitute House Bill 1128 on the child care workforce standards board was not adopted, but the underlying bill was advanced to Rules. The chair announced that the committee’s final day of executive action would be the next day, with a later start time.

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 1057 supports the recruitment and fair compensation of top talent in career and technology education
• programmers bring to the classroom, these updates will help address teacher shortages and ensure students benefit

Bills: HB1057

Keywords: teacher salary, retirement benefits, career education, work experience credit, Texas Education Code, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 1876 seeks to establish a career and technical education reporting grant program administered
• by the Texas Education Agency.
• They should receive credit for industry-based experience outside of education.
• They would get counted, and this is for TRS benefits in the long run. How is this...?
• So I work for the Texas Education Agency. I haven't been in contact with anyone from TRS. Okay.

Bills: HB 1057, HB1876

Keywords: teacher salary, retirement benefits, career education, work experience credit, Texas Education Code, technical training, workforce development, grants, education funding, 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• physical impact of 253,000, there will not be additional appropriations because the Department of Education
• that the off-the-formula schools will continue to receive dollars and allow the state Department of Education
• Senate Bill 1360 directs the State Department of Education to establish a three-year pilot program putting

Bills: SB169, SB1991, SB1992, SB1204, SB1339, SB182, SB1847, SB1360, SB1346

Keywords: longevity pay, state employees, Oklahoma government, salary increase, emergency declaration, capital planning, funding allocation, state budget, infrastructure, emergency measures, income tax credit, qualified project, economic development, infrastructure funding, small population areas, school employees, teachers, support personnel, support employees, public schools

Transcript Highlights:

• fiscal impact of $253,000, there will not be additional appropriations because the Department of Education
• the off-the-formula schools will continue to receive dollars and allows the State Department of Education
• the off-the-formula schools will continue to receive dollars and allows the State Department of Education
• Senate Bill 1360 directs the State Department of Education to establish a three-year pilot program, putting

Bills: SB169, SB1991, SB1992, SB1204, SB1339, SB182, SB1847, SB1360, SB1346

Keywords: longevity pay, state employees, Oklahoma government, salary increase, emergency declaration, capital planning, funding allocation, state budget, infrastructure, emergency measures, income tax credit, qualified project, economic development, infrastructure funding, small population areas, school employees, teachers, support personnel, support employees, public schools

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee met with a quorum and considered a series of bills, most of them receiving unanimous or near-unanimous support. Senate Bill 169 would increase the annual longevity payment award for state employees by 50% across all service years and passed 17-1. Senate Bill 1991, described as a cleanup bill for the Ocamp Fund, passed 19-0. Senate Bill 1992, which defines “strategic financing partner” under the SIDE Act for Department of Commerce projects, passed 20-0. The committee also approved Senate Bill 1204, as amended, to provide Oklahoma teachers and school employees three days of bereavement leave after the death of a spouse or child, including a miscarriage; the amendment specified funding from the public school paid maternity leave revolving fund. Senate Bill 1339 passed to codify continued funding for off-the-formula schools and allow the State Department of Education to access funds to cover the 2023 teacher pay raise for those schools. Senate Bill 182 passed to allow certain CLEET-certified law enforcement officers and resident care specialists to join the OPERS hazardous duty retirement plan. Additional measures approved included Senate Bill 1847, allowing certain Advantage Waiver Medicaid recipients diagnosed with cognitive impairment to remain in assisted living and age in place; Senate Bill 1360, creating a three-year pilot program placing math instructional teams in the lowest-performing districts; and Senate Bill 1346, as amended, directing the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to establish a water and wastewater infrastructure investment program after removing an appropriation section. Several questions focused on funding sources, eligibility, and population-based allocation formulas, but no bills were rejected. Senate Bills 1427 and 1566 were laid over to go directly to the floor with no fiscal impact, and the committee adjourned after announcing it would meet again the following Wednesday.

Transcript Highlights:

• Over 80% of child care educators are skipping meal breaks.
• claims for unemployment insurance benefits.
• Wages as well as the benefits. By sacrificing...
• We do want our educators to earn more.
• My name is Elsa Jacobson, and I represent the Early Care and Education Consortium.

Bills: HB1347, HB2091, HB2264

Keywords: education, funding, student loans, affordability, higher education, public employers, employee information, bargaining representatives, labor relations, union representation, unemployment insurance, benefits, employment, layoffs, workforce reduction, 904, all

Summary: The committee heard and took action on several labor, licensing, and workplace bills. House Bill 1347 on cannabis testing labs drew testimony from the sponsor, industry representatives, and LCB/WSDA-related stakeholders. Supporters said the bill would reduce duplication by having LCB rely on WSDA accreditation for initial lab certification, while some witnesses said the bill still needed amendment language to clearly assign authority and avoid overlapping oversight. No vote was taken on HB 1347 during the portion provided, but the sponsor committed to work on clarifying amendments with agencies and stakeholders. The committee then heard House Bill 2229 on the Professional Engineers Registration Act, House Bill 2091 on providing employee information to exclusive bargaining representatives under the Personnel System Reform Act, and House Bill 2264 on unemployment insurance for workers in employer-initiated layoffs or reductions in force. Testimony on HB 2229 focused on board membership changes, pro tem appointments, and updating licensing rules; the bill’s sponsor and the Engineers Board said it modernizes qualifications without changing licensure standards. HB 2091 drew support from labor groups and opposition from Washington Policy Center, with supporters saying it simply aligns state agencies with existing disclosure rules and opponents raising privacy concerns. HB 2264 was supported as a clarification that workers who opt into a layoff or separation program should still qualify for unemployment benefits; one testifier described being denied benefits despite participating in a company reduction-in-force program in good faith. In executive action, the committee voted do pass on Substitute House Bills 2492, 2107, 2151, 2355, and Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2471, and sent them onward, with HB 2105 sent to Ways and Means. Members discussed concerns about private rights of action in HB 2355 and about notice timing and enforcement in HB 2105, but the majority supported the bills. The committee also heard and advanced Substitute House Bill 2472 on fire sprinkler work, with supporters saying local fire officials need clearer enforcement tools and proof-of-licensure authority. Finally, Second Substitute House Bill 2345 on paid leave contributions was presented as a technical fix to align the state paid family and medical leave program with IRS guidance; labor and employer witnesses supported it as a way to avoid higher tax liability and more costly implementation. The longest public hearing was on Second Substitute House Bill 1128, which would create a Child Care Workforce Standards Board to make recommendations on child care worker staffing, retention, and compensation. Child care workers and parents testified in support, citing burnout, low pay, and staffing shortages, while many providers and industry groups opposed it as duplicative of existing workgroups and costly without direct funding for wage increases or higher subsidy rates.

Transcript Highlights:

• over the course of several years, so the tax benefit is delayed.
• So that's really where the benefits come from: you can make those investments on manufacturing types
• Also, Arizona's flat tax locked in permanent revenue losses while the cost of education, housing, and
• The first bill, HB 2089, relates to our health insurance premium benefit.
• It is simply clarifying that the health insurance premium benefit is meant to provide a subsidy to...

Bills: HB2011, HB2089, HB2090, HB2092, HB2477, HB2785

Keywords: individual income tax, subtraction, Arizona Revised Statutes, retirement benefits, adoption costs, charitable contributions, health insurance, premium payment, Arizona State Retirement System, contingent annuitant, long-term disability, benefits limitations, disability compensation, social security, retirement system, elected officials, ASRS, eligibility waiver, age 65, education savings

Transcript Highlights:

• Education to prepare Texas for success in these rapidly growing sectors.
• All of those different sectors could benefit from these basic skills and entry-level workers.
• to an injured employee. benefits to a discharged employee.
• or comparable health benefit plan coverage for the first three years of their retirement.
• The bill would also adjust the amount for the benefit for inflation. 10 years.

Bills: HB1654, HB1691, HB2545, HB2652, HB3799, HB4144, HB5008

Keywords: peace officers, firefighters, employment protection, worker's compensation, job security, maximum medical improvement, government employment, firefighter cancer benefits, emergency medical technicians, compensation claims, cancer exposures, firefighting hazards, workforce training, rural development, grant program, job-specific training, Texas Workforce Commission, child care, single-parent, subsidized

Bills: HB 322, HB 331, HB 673, HB 1147, HB 1154, HB 2488

Keywords: JET Grant Program, career education, technical education, community colleges, technology solutions, high demand jobs, first responders, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, benefits, compensation, presumption of disability, emergency services, healthcare, Medicaid, mental health, substance abuse, treatment access, cost, insurance coverage

Bills: HB 322, HB 331, HB 673, HB 1147, HB 1154, HB 2488

Keywords: JET Grant Program, career education, technical education, community colleges, technology solutions, high demand jobs, first responders, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, benefits, compensation, presumption of disability, emergency services, healthcare, Medicaid, mental health, substance abuse, treatment access, cost, insurance coverage

Bills: HB 322, HB 331, HB 673, HB 1147, HB 1154, HB 2488

Keywords: JET Grant Program, career education, technical education, community colleges, technology solutions, high demand jobs, first responders, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, benefits, compensation, presumption of disability, emergency services, healthcare, Medicaid, mental health, substance abuse, treatment access, cost, insurance coverage

Bills: HB 322, HB 331, HB 673, HB 1147, HB 1154, HB 2488

Keywords: JET Grant Program, career education, technical education, community colleges, technology solutions, high demand jobs, first responders, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, benefits, compensation, presumption of disability, emergency services, healthcare, Medicaid, mental health, substance abuse, treatment access, cost, insurance coverage

Transcript Highlights:

• And bill for the education employees. And bill for the education employees.
• Many of you might have the benefits. Many of you might have the benefits.
• So many of the without benefit is. So many of the without benefit is.
• What a portable benefit is is for people What a portable benefit is is for people What a portable benefit
• The Maryanne Leonard Educators on the Job Injury Act that Educators on the Job Injury Act that Educators

Bills: SB199, HB142, SB86, HB152, HB297, SB1, SB1

Keywords: parental leave, state employees, local education agencies, adoption, work-life balance, family support, portable benefits, portable benefit account, independent contractor, gig worker, 1099 worker, freelancer, app-based worker, rideshare, delivery driver, worker benefits, health insurance, retirement benefits, life insurance, income replacement insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair lays out HB 673 relating to the eligibility of first responders for workers' compensation benefits
• Chair lays out HB 673 relating to the eligibility of first responders for workers' compensation benefits
• Non-routine is basically the routine duty and creates a circular argument when applying benefits.
• DWC has successfully implemented video benefit review conferences system-wide.
• video benefit review conferences system-wide.

Bills: HB322, HB331, HB673, HB 1147, HB 1154, HB2488

Keywords: JET Grant Program, career education, technical education, community colleges, technology solutions, high demand jobs, first responders, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, benefits, compensation, presumption of disability, emergency services, healthcare, Medicaid, mental health, substance abuse, treatment access, cost, insurance coverage

Bills: HB166, HB487, SB130, SB181, HB166, HB487, SB130, SB181

Keywords: education policy, wireless communication devices, internet safety, social media, mental health, HB487, Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship Program, veterans, disabled veterans, dependents, spouse benefits, widow benefits, children of veterans, tuition assistance, education benefits, scholarship, college aid, undergraduate tuition, private school reimbursement, books and fees

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm concerned about increasing temp employees and increasing folks who aren't getting benefits on the
• And I'm worried about that for us in terms of Oklahomans having access to benefit and stable employment

Bills: HB3940, HB3078, HB3043

Keywords: Oklahoma National Guard, compensation, education assistance, career technology, military benefits, veterans, donations, Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, state agency, executive branch, HB3043, ODVA, seasonal employees, project labor, pro rata jobs, unclassified service, state personnel law, state employee benefits, paid leave, paid holidays

Summary: The committee took up three Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs-related House bills. House Bill 3940 was presented as a modernization and cleanup of Guard retirement-related provisions, with a confusing pay language removed; members noted it was similar to prior versions and that any fiscal impact would not occur until after 2027. After brief questions, the bill was advanced unanimously, 7-0. House Bill 3078 would allow state agencies and executive-branch entities to add voluntary donation options to payment forms so people could contribute to the ODVA Revolving Fund when paying for items such as licenses, registrations, and tax forms. Members clarified the donations would be extra, strictly voluntary, and not tied to tax proceeds. The bill passed 7-0. House Bill 3043 would authorize ODVA to hire PRN/as-needed staff as seasonal employees under defined limits to help staff veterans homes. Supporters said it would improve flexibility and staffing during peak periods, while the minority leader raised concerns about expanding temporary employment and reducing access to stable, benefit-eligible jobs. The bill passed 5-2. The committee then laid over another item pending Senator Woods’ availability and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education a bit. Let me see if I can do a little better for you, sir.
• I can talk about it maybe from the non-education side a little bit more, and assuming there's some.
• Senate Bill 1204 allows for three days of paid bereavement leave for our educators and support personnel
• I think the The idea is twofold: one is the physical benefit, but also getting kids up and active, which

Bills: SB1360, SB1204, SB1989, SB1189, SB1481

Keywords: mathematics, student assessment, dyscalculia, intervention services, educational funding, professional development, state department of education, school employees, teachers, support personnel, support employees, public schools, school districts, bereavement leave, paid leave, grief leave, family leave, miscarriage, pregnancy loss, maternity leave

Transcript Highlights:

• It says the state will judge students by outcomes, not by educational ideology.
• You don't have to endorse alternative education to oppose discrimination.
• This bill doesn't ask you to create a new benefit.
• to better themselves by pursuing higher education.
• When we talk about public education funding, we're saying that public education specifically needs to

Bills: HB3674, HB4326, HB4331, HB3029, HB2963, HB3551, HB2973, HB3019, HB3461, HB2961, HB3261, HB3759, HB3429, HB3069, HB3372, HB3705

Keywords: school resource officer, sexual assault training, law enforcement training, CLEET, school safety, mental health, continuing education, HB4326, Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program, Oklahoma's Promise, scholarship, tuition assistance, higher education, State Regents for Higher Education, eligibility expansion, adopted students, foster care, DHS custody, child-placing agency, tribal custody

Bills: HB271, HB271

Keywords: HB271, ReEngage Alabama Grant Program, Alabama Commission on Higher Education, adult learner, adult education, returning student, college completion, higher education grant, tuition assistance, mandatory fees, FAFSA, workforce development, community college, university, associate degree, bachelor's degree, stop-out, nonreverting funds, financial aid, postsecondary education