Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to call the Health Committee meeting for February 19th to order.

Bills: HB245, HB278, SB59, SB78

Keywords: inhalants, controlled substances, butyl nitrite, nitrous oxide, amyl nitrite, health, public safety, HB278, ivermectin, pharmacist, standing order, prescription drug, pharmacy, State Board of Pharmacy, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, CRNP, medical licensure, drug dispensing, adverse events

Transcript Highlights:

• few that would be possibly impacted, but I would like to have this get discussed in the Ed Policy in order
• few that would be possibly impacted, but I would like to have this get discussed in the Ed Policy in order
• few that would be possibly impacted, but I would like to have this get discussed in the Ed Policy in order
• I would like to have this get discussed in the Ed Policy in order to, because you're talking a much broader
• I would like to have this get discussed in the Ed Policy in order to, because you're talking a much broader

Bills: HF72, HF66, HF69, HF73

Keywords: campaign finance, state funding, political activity, nonprofits, government transparency, HF66, Minnesota second-degree murder, unintentional murder, protective order, order for protection, harassment restraining order, domestic violence, victim protection, cross-jurisdictional orders, out-of-state restraining order, tribal court order, Canadian protective order, public safety, criminal law, homicide

Transcript Highlights:

• Just have a brief presentation about Executive Order 2026-235.
• executive order 2026-235. executive order 2026-235.
• I'll let my comments yesterday stand where they were.
• Um yesterday stand uh where they were.
• One, we're called up on executive order.

Keywords: 00:01 Call to Order and Roll Call 01:22 Overview/Impact of Executive Order 47:02 General Funds in Road Plan 50:37 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation met for its first meeting and received an overview from Transportation Cabinet officials on the governor’s executive order responding to high gas prices. Deputy Secretary Mike Hancock and budget director Shawn McKiernan explained that the order declared a state of emergency, reduced the state motor fuels tax by 10 cents per gallon, froze the tax rate for FY27, and urged Congress to suspend the federal gas tax. They said the emergency regulation would remain in effect until the war in Iran ends or Kentucky gas prices fall below $3 per gallon, and that any transportation budget shortfalls could be covered by the state budget reserve trust fund if requested later by the governor. McKiernan estimated the 10-cent reduction would reduce the road fund by about $26.8 million per month, with roughly 44% flowing to county road aid, rural secondary, and municipal road aid. He said the immediate impact to counties and cities would be about $11.8 million for one month, while the cabinet would see about $15 million per month less available for its own use. He also said the freeze on the FY27 motor fuels tax rate would prevent a scheduled increase and, compared with the budget assumption, would produce about $42 million in net additional revenue, split between local governments and the cabinet. He added that if the reduction lasted through December, the major transportation programs could be down about 16.9% from budgeted levels. Members focused on the effect on local governments, the road fund, and the cabinet’s cash management process. Several senators and representatives criticized the executive order as short-sighted or political, while others emphasized the need for a long-term solution to transportation funding. Questions were raised about how make-whole payments to counties and cities would be handled, how the cabinet manages cash flow, and whether the state should continue relying on general fund transfers to support the road plan. Cabinet officials said they would work with lawmakers, explained that project authorizations are managed based on cash flow and seasonal spending patterns, and noted that construction and maintenance costs have risen sharply, making revenue adequacy a continuing concern.

Transcript Highlights:

• Will the Senate of the 33rd Legislature of the State of Hawaii please come to order?
• Will the newly elected and reelected members of the Senate please stand, raise your right hands, and
• <00:24:30.600> Raise<00:24:30.840> Your of the Senate please stand Raise Your of the
• Senate please stand Raise Your Right<00:24:31.360> hands<00:24:31.960> and<00:24:32.159
• Will the senators please stand when your names are called. Senator Henry Aquino, here.

Keywords: Order of the Day: PENDING, 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going ask that you stand with us.
• In order to change the Constitution, you need 38 states to ratify any change.
• In order to change the the constitution.
• going to accelerate your debt in order going to accelerate your debt in order to<00:26:41.039>
• that and they've sworn an oath to stand that and they've sworn an oath to stand by<00:55:49.359>

Keywords: Concurrent meeting of the House Standing Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs and the House Standing Committee on State Government. Title of video has been shortened due to YouTube length restrictions. Discussion of HCR 45: 00:04:14, 958, all

Summary: The joint meeting of the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee and the House State Government Committee was called to consider House Concurrent Resolution 45, sponsored by Representative Jason Petri. The resolution would support calling for a federal balanced budget amendment through the Article V process. Petri argued that Kentucky’s own constitutional balanced-budget requirement shows the value of fiscal restraint, and he said decades of federal deficit spending and rising debt make a constitutional amendment necessary. Governor Ron DeSantis and Lauren Ends of the National Campaign for a Balanced Budget Amendment also testified in support, emphasizing the growth of federal debt, the risk of a future debt crisis, and the view that Congress is unlikely to solve the problem on its own. Members asked about the mechanics and risks of an Article V convention, including whether the convention’s “sole purpose” language would be enforceable and whether a convention could become a “runaway” process. DeSantis and Ends said states can impose guardrails on delegates, including criminal penalties and delegate-limitation laws, and noted that any proposed amendment would still require ratification by 38 states. They also said that if Congress chose to draft the amendment itself in response to state pressure, that would be acceptable. One witness said 18 states have passed faithful-delegate or delegate-limitation laws. Representative Callaway asked what would happen if the debt issue is not addressed. Witnesses responded that continued borrowing could lead to economic dislocation, higher interest costs, and a debt crisis that would crowd out other federal spending. They said the current debt burden is already more than $100,000 per U.S. citizen and roughly $300,000 per taxpayer, and that a balanced budget amendment would be a first step toward stopping the growth of debt before any long-term paydown could occur. The transcript provided does not show a final vote or other committee action on the resolution.

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiNwbov9r5c, 2026-06-21T07:17:06+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, This is a Joint meeting of the House Standing Committee on Local Government and Senate Standing Committee on State and Local Government. Upon adjournment of this meeting the House Standing Committee on Local Government meeting will start. Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:06 Review of 2024 CDBG 00:02:08, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and we stand ready to administer their payroll as soon as we have language that supports that.
• Um and we<00:02:25.440> stand<00:02:25.760> ready<00:02:26.000> to<00:02:26.239>
• to<00:02:26.800> administer<00:02:27.360> their we stand ready to to administer
• their we stand ready to to administer their payroll<00:02:27.840> as<00:02:28.080> soon
• And if nothing else, we stand a PVAs. And if nothing else, we stand a journ.

Keywords: Call to Order: 00:15 PVA Administration : 00:15 Adjournment: 10:17, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved prior meeting minutes, and then took up a single agenda item involving the Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) salary schedule and payroll administration. Finance Cabinet representatives Dale Clemens and general counsel Barbie Dickens testified that the cabinet’s role is to administer PVA payroll and that it needs clear statutory language to do so without interpretation. They said the salary schedule is set in statute, not regulation, and explained that the last update they were aware of was in 2020, with later changes tied to CPI and then updated in 2024 through House Bill 122. Members asked whether PVA salaries had effectively doubled under the 2024 update, how the schedule had been adjusted before 2024, and whether the cabinet could update the schedule administratively. The Finance Cabinet responded that the current language would apply the same increment given to other state employees rather than a CPI-based increase, and that the schedule itself remains in KRS 132.590. The chair and members discussed proposed budget language, including references to the Kentucky Association of PVAs and issues arising since the 2022 budget, with the goal of cleaning up the language so the cabinet could make necessary adjustments. The chair indicated the most recent language appeared to be in the newly dropped HB 500 budget bill and asked whether the PVA representatives could live with it; the PVAs appeared agreeable. No formal vote was taken on the substantive issue during the meeting, and after concluding there were no further questions, the chair adjourned the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because we're talking about competency to stand trial.
• This stands alone only to govern that conduct.
• Is he standing around? Is he loitering around?
• The family did nothing to ask for a protective order.
• The family still does nothing to get a protective order. Ms.

Bills: HB 1194, HB 1221, HB1738, HB1913, HB2177, HB2178, HB2180, HB2229, HB2282, HB2448, HB2492, HB2777, HB2984, HB3357, HB3553, HB3602

Keywords: emergency protection order, protective order, magistrate, criminal procedure, victim safety, family violence, domestic violence, stalking, assault, magistrate's order, temporary protection, court order duration, defendant restrictions, Article 17.292, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, emergency restraining order, victim protection, firearm restriction, pretrial intervention, reimbursement fee

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:14:56.720> So, standing. So, what is that exactly? So, standing.
• Good standing and also member updated. Good standing and also member of<00:15:01.880> HSTA.
• I'll stand on our comments.
• Uh, we'll stand on Sebastian for HGEA. Uh, we'll stand on our<00:47:54.960> comments.
• stand in strong support of HB 1878. stand in strong support of HB 1878.

Bills: SB2567, SB2448, SB3046, SB2231, SB2526

Keywords: harassment, restraining order, temporary restraining order, injunction, protective order, public employer, public servant, public employee, government employee, state employee, legislator, judge, judicial branch, executive branch, local government, political subdivision, workplace violence, threats, stalking, employee safety

Transcript Highlights:

• I call this meeting of the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee to order.
• There will be no standing or sitting in the walkways or aisles.
• It's that the orders aren't being issued to start with.
• No family should have to stand where mine stands today.
• <00:56:53.760> are<00:56:54.240> uh pickup orders are uh pickup orders are uh are<00

Bills: HF3465, HF3782, HF4075, HF391, HF3946, HF2976, HF3350

Keywords: theft, vulnerable adults, public safety, penalties, Minnesota statutes, chemical irritants, law enforcement, transparency, building owners, tenant rights, notification, remediation, firearm restrictions, domestic violence, court orders, criminal convictions, firearms prohibition, gun surrender, order for protection, protective order

Transcript Highlights:

• Meeting 7 of the Senate Standing Committee on Education will come to order.
• >> Please stand to be recognized. >> Please stand to be recognized.
• stand to be recognized. stand to be recognized.
• <00:09:04.959> to to have to go out of state in order to to have to go out of state in order
• They really stand to benefit.

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call: 0:03 Bills for Consideration: 3:10 Adjournment: 56:19, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Education Committee heard House Bill 1, which would have Kentucky opt into a federal education freedom tax credit program allowing donations to scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs) for K-12 educational expenses. The bill sponsors said it would not use Kentucky general funds, would be administered through the Secretary of State, and would let donors claim up to a $1,700 federal tax credit for contributions to SGOs. They argued the program could support public, private, religious, and homeschool-related educational needs, including tutoring, transportation, technology, special needs services, and other school expenses. Several senators raised concerns about whether the bill would favor larger districts with more school-choice options over rural counties with only one public school, creating a two-tier system. The sponsors responded that public school districts could also create SGOs and that the federal rules limit eligibility to families at or below 300% of area median gross income. They also said the program would not reduce existing state or federal school funding, but would instead redirect federal tax credit dollars that Kentucky donors might otherwise send to other states or back to the federal government. Members asked about the structure and oversight of SGOs, including whether they must be nonprofits, how broad their missions could be, and whether funds could be earmarked for specific purposes. The sponsors said SGOs must be certified, serve at least two schools and 10 students, spend at least 90% of receipts on scholarships, and cannot be directed to a specific student, though they can be targeted to categories such as elementary students or special needs services. They also said homeschool families would need to organize through a co-op or existing approved SGO. No vote was taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Keywords: 00:01 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:34 Economic Development Cabinet 27:51 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee met without a quorum, so the minutes from the last two meetings were not approved. Secretary Noel of the Cabinet for Economic Development then gave a broad overview of the cabinet’s work and an update on the Kentucky Product Development Initiative (KPD), with Deputy Secretary Katie Smith and General Counsel Matt also present. He said the cabinet’s strategy is to focus on high-wage job creation, especially in automotive transformation, business and financial professional services, tourism, logistics, agri-tech, aerospace, and other high-tech sectors, while also supporting small and medium-sized businesses and existing employers. Noel highlighted several program results and examples, including average incentivized wages approaching $27 per hour, 877 jobs and $346 million in investment through hub operations, $90 million through Commonwealth Ventures, help for hundreds of companies through the Kentucky Intellectual Property Alliance, work with 220 companies through the Kentucky Science and Technology Council, nearly 3,000 students in Advanced Kentucky, and more than 1,100 participants in Kentucky Valor. He also cited 35,000 workers trained through Bluegrass State Skills, 177 businesses helped by the small business tax credit, and 77 entertainment incentive transactions totaling about $200 million and 7,400 jobs. On the grant side, he said the cabinet had approved 155 projects under a federal grant program, committing $99 million, with outreach aimed at smaller communities and all 120 counties. The main focus of the second half was KPD. Noel described it as a program that requires more than basic due diligence, emphasizing community readiness, local vision, title and mineral-rights review, sewer validation, and consultant review. He said 109 projects had been awarded in the earlier rounds, and in 2024 there were 45 requests for information seeking $81 million against $35 million in available funding, showing strong demand. He also said the cabinet has worked with local economic developers through five regions aligned with area development districts, and that the secretary, deputy secretary, or commissioner of business development must attend the regional meetings, with 100% attendance reported for the key three last year. In response to questions, he said Jefferson County’s lack of KPD projects so far likely reflects where local land and development strategies are in the process rather than a lack of interest, and he said the cabinet has not heard that Kentucky’s occupational safety and health rules are clearly helping or hurting competitiveness, though he offered to look into it further.

Keywords: 00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:30 Energy and Environment Cabinet 18:56 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Tourism and Energy committee received a presentation from Gordon Sloan, Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, and Deputy Commissioner David Fields on the Division of Mine Safety. They outlined the division’s structure, saying it has four branch offices in Madisonville, Harlan, Hazard, and Pikeville, with 36 inspectors total, plus administrative staff and several headquarters specialists. They also explained that four additional inspectors are on sick leave or workers’ compensation and will not be backfilled, and confirmed that inspectors work from offices rather than from home. The presentation focused on mine safety duties and staffing needs. Sloan said underground licensed mines must receive six inspections annually, including mine safety analyses, an electrical inspection, roof inspections, and regular inspections of airways, returns, belts, and miner safety equipment. He also described the division’s mine rescue responsibilities, including providing rescue coverage where operators do not have their own teams, maintaining teams within an hour’s drive of mines, and supporting training and certification. The division also conducts 17 training courses and about 8,000 to 9,000 trainings per year. Members were given updated mine and employment figures. Sloan reported 126 licensed mines in 2024 across the branch areas, with 61 active all year and others idle or later abandoned. He said Kentucky had 4,683 miners in 2024, with average employment of 4,509, and noted that the state had gone 34 months without a mining fatality since March 2022. He also said the division provides rescue services for 16 underground rock quarries, three highway tunnels, and three underground military training sites. In response to questions, Sloan said the division does not plan to refill the four vacant inspector positions because staffing is adequate statewide, and he said he would provide additional historical mine data later. The committee took no formal action and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So under O, you have to be able to complete everything that the court orders you to do in order to get
• And then they can do another protective order?
• I did not get a protective order. How?
• be a lifetime protective order.
• It says information regarding protective orders.

Bills: HB809, HB 1193, HB1916, HB2558, HB1973, HB2350, HB2399, HB2340, HB 116, HB330, HB2496, HB116

Keywords: digitized signature, waiver of citation, marriage dissolution, electronic notarization, family law, HB 1193, informal marriage, common-law marriage, declaration of informal marriage, confidentiality, privacy, county clerk, vital statistics unit, Family Code, Health and Safety Code, marriage records, public records, personally identifying information, PII, legal representative

Transcript Highlights:

• we'll go ahead and call the first meeting of the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation to order
• /c><00:46:03.760> speak<00:46:04.240> on >> And we're making adjustments as we go in order
• everything else in that arena because we're constantly having to weigh how much cash do we have in order
• cash do<00:53:12.880> we<00:53:13.119> have<00:53:13.839> in<00:53:14.160> order
• We have a motion to adjourn. >> Motion to adjourn. >> We do now stand adjourned.

Keywords: 00:03 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:57 Capital Projects and Highway Plan 56:11 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation met to hear the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s presentation on the governor’s 2026 capital projects budget and recommended highway plan. Secretary Gray and cabinet staff first thanked KYTC snow and ice crews, local road departments, first responders, utility workers, and others for their work during a major winter storm, then outlined the capital budget request. The cabinet said its facilities are aging, with about 35% at or beyond useful life, and that limited road fund revenues led it to focus mainly on maintenance, maintenance pools, aircraft maintenance, environmental compliance, AASHTOWare upgrades, state park road maintenance, truck parking, and reauthorization of several projects, including airport work and road projects. The cabinet said the governor’s budget includes about $22.8 million in state funds for the capital budget over the biennium, plus carry-forward language for maintenance pools and project reauthorizations to avoid losing federal funds. Members asked about repeated reauthorizations, cost increases, and whether projects should be restarted as new requests after carrying over for multiple budgets. The cabinet responded that budget office policy generally allows only one reauthorization before a project must be resubmitted, and said many delays are due to acquisition or other project issues. Members also questioned the basis for increased-cost line items and the $5 million request for commercial truck parking; cabinet staff said they could provide original project cost details and that many increases are inflationary, while the truck parking project is expected to use federal funds and is a cabinet priority. The committee also discussed the decline in road fund receipts, which the cabinet attributed largely to lower motor fuels tax revenue. The presentation then shifted to the 2026 recommended highway plan. Officials said the plan covers more than 1,300 projects over six years and anticipates about $9.5 billion in federal and state funding. They said the plan is intended to maintain existing assets, advance long-term priority projects, and honor prior commitments, including the Mountain Parkway, the Brent Spence Companion Bridge, and the I-69 Ohio River Crossing. About 40% of plan funds are dedicated to existing pavements, bridges, and guardrails, and officials cited a 61% rise in highway construction costs from 2020 to 2025 as a major challenge. To help offset those pressures, the cabinet is seeking $125 million from the budget reserve trust fund for the Brent Spence Bridge and release of a federal grant condition tied to the already appropriated $150 million for the I-69 crossing. No votes were taken at the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• agency since 2025, as well as how we've addressed those issues from the LoRic report and where we stand
• >> So, >> So, >> So, uh uh uh in<00:30:55.560> the<00:30:55.760> order
• c> of<00:30:57.400> your<00:30:57.560> question,<00:30:58.080> the in the order
• that of your question, the in the order that of your question, the inspection<00:30:58.880> part,

Keywords: 00:00 Call to Order 02:45 Roll Call 05:25 Cosmetologists 13:48 Barbers 01:16:06 Adjournment, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the first Senate Standing Committee on Education.
• We move out of the interim education committee into the Senate Standing Committee on Education.
• Senate standing committee on education. Senate standing committee on education.
• Rachel, if you would stand up and be recognized. Welcome to the education committee.
• Uh I'm glad to see my Fed kind stand?

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call - 00:55 26RS SB 22 – 04:52 26RS SB 46 – 0:34:36, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Education met with a quorum and opened the session by recognizing staff and an intern before taking up SB 22, relating to the dual credit scholarship program. Senator Jimmy Higdon presented the bill with Laura Arnold of Nelson County Schools, explaining that it is a narrower version of a prior proposal that had been too broad and had drawn an unfavorable fiscal note. The bill would create a Grow Your Own teacher apprenticeship scholarship for students in registered teacher apprenticeship programs, beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, allowing up to 20 dual credit courses total and no more than eight per year. It requires a district-approved commitment form, annual completion of at least one teaching-and-learning pathway course, and maintenance of a 2.75 GPA on scholarship-funded coursework. Students who withdraw or fail to meet academic requirements would lose eligibility and could be required to repay scholarship funds, though waivers for cause are included. The sponsor said the estimated costs were relatively modest at first and could grow over time, and described the program as a way to address the teacher shortage and help students earn an associate degree in high school and then complete teacher certification with less debt. Testimony from Nelson County Schools described the Lead Nelson model as a partnership among the district, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, and Western Kentucky University, with students beginning education coursework in high school, earning dual credit, and receiving clinical hours in classrooms earlier than in traditional preparation programs. Witnesses said the model includes key assessments, university oversight, and collaboration on curriculum and outcomes, and that it has already produced at least one teacher who returned to Nelson County. Members asked about the GPA cutoff, possible reinstatement after academic recovery, federal funding opportunities, the amount and structure of apprentice pay, and the role of postsecondary partners. Mary Taylor of the Kentucky Department of Education said there appears to be federal support for similar apprenticeship efforts and noted a possible U.S. grant opportunity, while the presenters said high school apprentices are paid hourly and adult apprentices average about $24,000 annually. No vote or final committee action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll go ahead and call the meeting to order here.
• :03:43.840> in<00:03:44.000> that<00:03:44.239> as<00:03:44.400> I've orders
• So that's a tool that we use in order to make cuts.
• that<00:08:42.880> we<00:08:43.039> use<00:08:43.200> in<00:08:43.440> order
• Seeing no other business come for the committee, we'll stand adjourned. Commission for adoption.

Keywords: 00:02 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:55 FB 2026-2028 Executive Branch Budget 15:17 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee held its first meeting on budget instructions for the 2026-2028 state budget, as required by KRS Chapter 48. Staff from the Office of State Budget Director outlined three recommended changes: restructuring Form B4 for additional budget requests to emphasize the problem, solution, and quantitative data; adding page numbers to the Record P report so agencies’ additional budget requests can be located more easily; and updating the budget calendar to reflect the December 20 presentation of the consensus forecast to LRC under changes made by House Bill 360. Members asked follow-up questions about contribution rates, debt service template rates, and employee health rates. Staff said the fiscal 2026 KS non-hazardous contribution rate is 42.76%, but fiscal 2027 and 2028 rates have not yet been set; debt service rates would be posted later; and employee health rate assumptions are still being discussed with the Personnel Cabinet. Members also asked how program reductions or terminations would be handled, and staff explained that agencies base requests on statutory and federal requirements, while budget reductions are handled through the appropriations act. The committee discussed whether Form B4 should ask agencies to describe alternative options considered and how they were evaluated. Staff said the current instructions do not specifically require that, though some implications may appear in narrative responses, and members agreed to continue working on the instructions. The committee then adopted a motion directing the co-chairs to work with LRC staff to finalize the 2026-2028 budget instructions and present them for adoption, with the motion approved by roll call. Members also noted that federal budget developments, including possible SNAP cost shifts to states, are being monitored but are too early to incorporate into the instructions at this time.

Transcript Highlights:

• Meeting three of the Senate Standing Committee on Education will come to order.
• <00:47:46.720> Uh<00:47:46.960> we our financial house got in order.
• Uh we our financial house got in order.
• The last number that stands out to me is approximately 80, um, that we're at right now.
• , You know, I will say as a warning order, You know, I will say as a warning order, I<01:16:46.480

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call: 0:00:08 26RS SB 3: 0:02:50 26RS SB 1: 0:21:12, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 3, which would expand financial transparency requirements for Kentucky school districts. Sponsor Senator Lindsey Tichenor said the bill would require public access to budgeting and spending information, including final working budgets, monthly credit card statements, superintendent contracts and compensation, audits, and related financial reports posted on district websites. A committee amendment correcting citations was adopted by voice vote. Supporters, including Laura O’Brien, described examples of district spending they viewed as excessive and argued that more detailed public disclosure would help taxpayers and school boards identify misuse of funds. Senator Higdon and others voiced support for transparency, while Senator Meredith said he supported the intent but wanted the bill to go further. The committee passed SB 3 with 11 aye votes and one no vote, with favorable expression. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senator David Givens, which would restore and clarify governance changes for Jefferson County Public Schools by defining the roles of the school board and superintendent. Givens said the bill responds to a state Supreme Court ruling and includes 42 stated reasons for the governance changes. Opponents, including Jefferson County Teachers Association president Maddie Shepard, JCPS Superintendent Brian Yearwood, and board member James Craig, argued the bill would weaken local democratic control, concentrate authority in one administrator, and reduce community voice. Yearwood said he works collaboratively with the board and that the bill is about adults and governance rather than students, while Craig said the district needs stronger oversight, not less. Supporters of the bill argued that the current structure has not produced adequate results and that the changes are needed to improve outcomes and accountability. The transcript ends during the SB 1 testimony and discussion, before a final vote is taken.

Keywords: 00:00 Call to Order 0:30 Roll Call 1:05 HB 904 Discussion 36:20 HB 904 Vote 44:14 Adjournment, 958, all