Transcript Highlights:

• de-escalation and anti-bias techniques, consistent with guidance from the State Peace Officer Standards and Training
• Overall, we believe that school resource officers are just not trained to discipline students or provide

Bills: H3895, H5157

Keywords: career education, technical training, Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, pilot program, youth education, school safety, education, mental health, children, security measures, 1212, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a public hearing on two bills: H. 5171, an act relative to safer schools, focused on school resource officers (SROs), and H. 3895, an act expanding career and technical education opportunities for Lynn students. Committee chairs opened the hearing with standard instructions on testimony length, live streaming, and submitting written materials. Testimony on the safer schools bill was largely supportive and emphasized limiting SRO involvement in routine school discipline while preserving their role in serious criminal matters. Witnesses from the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee and the CPCS Ed Law Project argued that over-policing contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline, especially for students with disabilities and students of color, and said the bill would encourage de-escalation, anti-bias training, restorative justice, and other non-police safety models. One witness described a student being handcuffed after a minor hallway incident, while committee members raised concerns about school safety, gang activity, and the role of SROs in communities like Chelsea; the witness responded that the bill does not eliminate SROs but seeks to clarify their role and improve training. A third witness, Joey Ford of Parent Data Force, offered a more mixed view, saying school discipline problems often stem from district administration, restraint/seclusion practices, and inconsistent DESE standards, not only from SROs. He said some bill language was duplicative because SROs already cannot provide psychological services. On the Lynn CTE bill, Ford testified in strong support, saying career and technical education had been valuable in his own schooling and helped him stay engaged and gain useful skills. After testimony concluded and no further witnesses came forward, the committee closed testimony and adjourned without taking a vote on either bill.

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:

• The committee's jurisdiction covers a wide range of important topics: workforce training, job creation
• By prioritizing workforce development and skills training, we can ensure that local residents are first
• It simply gives schools and training providers more flexibility.
• HB 322 provides a targeted, cost-effective solution to help schools deliver training that is relevant
• and get these people into the workforce, but it's so expensive, as you can imagine. ...the training

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

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> 2023 uh Minneapolis VA Vocational 2023 uh Minneapolis VA Vocational Rehabilitation<00:12:54.079>
• local masonry training that's run out of their training facility in New Brighton.
• Allocated through the Vocational Rehabilitation area at DEED, Mr.
• I was trained as a scout sniper.
• I was trained as a scout sniper.

Bills: HF1439, HF1004, HF498, HF1326

Keywords: HF1439, Minnesota Grocers Association Foundation, Carts to Careers, workforce development fund, DEED, Department of Employment and Economic Development, grocery industry, food industry, food retail, retail workforce, job training, career pathways, scholarships, certifications, workforce pipeline, one-time appropriation, industry training, labor shortage, youth employment, apprenticeship

Bills: HB2398, HB4363, HB3557, HB3701, HB2210

Keywords: credential of value, education, workforce development, labor market, government reporting, higher education, Oklahoma State University, Board of Trustees, presidential selection, college governance, Oklahoma Agricultural Extension, local funding, financial institutions, county extension services, state funds, academic programs, low-producing programs, Oklahoma State Board of Regents, program review, curriculum quality

Transcript Highlights:

• I had an opportunity to do some training at Plum Island research facility on some of these reportable
• ><01:14:21.480><c> for</c><01:14:21.679><c> wildlife</c><01:14:22.080><c> services</c> who's had training
• for wildlife services who's had training for wildlife services on<01:14:23.320><c> documenting</c><01
• > covering the loss if you don't have covering the loss if you don't have people<01:37:05.880><c> trained
• in determining elk damage people trained in determining elk damage um<01:37:10.280><c> but</c><01:37

Bills: HF601, HF271, HF1101, HF979

Keywords: agriculture, depredation compensation, livestock, crop damage, elk, wolves, wildlife management, skills path program, career and technical education, CTE, dual credit, postsecondary options enrollment, apprenticeship, apprenticeship readiness, dual training, work-based learning, career pathways, skilled trades, workforce development, high school to career

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 4443 establishes a pilot program through the Texas Workforce Commission to train students and recent
• Additionally, this bill creates a training requirement that employers provide heat illness prevention
• The most common provisions—water breaks, shade, rest periods, and training—are inexpensive and easy to
• surveyed had not received any CPR instruction, and 63% of them had not received any heat safety training
• That company even has heat training, all that stuff, and everybody's well aware of the situation.

Bills: HB446, HB1609, HB4443, HB4464, HB4735, HB5476

Keywords: heat illness prevention, workplace safety, Texas Workforce Commission, advisory board, employee rights, administrative penalties, training requirements, employee training, occupational health, employer penalties, worker rights, heat illness, volunteer firefighter, volunteer emergency responder, emergency medical services volunteer, EMS volunteer, firefighter, fire department, emergency services, declared disaster

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:20:28.400><c> re</c> agency so uh back to vocational re agency so uh back to vocational re services
• </c> what folks are well suited to training what folks are well suited to training to<00:21:27.159><c
• </c> and our communities and The Vocational and our communities and The Vocational Rehabilitation<01:
• <01:12:54.639><c> rehabilit</c> vocational rehabilit vocational rehabilit after<01:12:56.080><c> I</c
• Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee.

Bills: HF1538, HF1965, HF2251, HF2838

Keywords: teacher apprenticeship, registered apprenticeship, teacher licensure, teacher shortage, workforce development, education finance, K-12 education, higher education, Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, PELSB, Tier 3 license, teacher preparation, mentor teacher, school district, cooperative unit, teacher pipeline, alternative licensure, apprenticeship program, labor and industry, union representation

Transcript Highlights:

• We take anesthesia... ...to us with the surgical and anesthesia training that we have.
• And so we have a vast training.
• We train four to six years after dental school in hospital and outpatient-based settings.
• And so we have a vast training.
• We train four to six years after dental school in hospital and outpatient-based settings.

Bills: HB2048, HB2189, HB2248, HB2403, HB2728, HB2729, HB2730, HB2731, HB2906, HCR2058

Keywords: orders of protection, domestic violence, court procedures, legal guardian, enforcement, healthcare, licensed health aides, scope of practice, ventilator care, training standards, medical freedom, healthcare mandates, employment requirements, public health, government regulation, elderly, physical disabilities, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, home and community based services, funding increase

Transcript Highlights:

• creates the Louisiana Higher Education Research Security Council to develop research security policy, training
• they're really doing that to infiltrate the nationalists who controlled the military research and training
• research partnerships for risk, requires disclosure of foreign funding and affiliations, provides training
• the governor in Louisiana Economic Development, and that this study would help ensure workforce-training
• He concluded that the study would ensure workforce-training tools align with the jobs of the future in

Bills: HR171, HCR49, HB632, HB1084, SB310, SB351, SB399

Keywords: HR171, House Resolution 171, M.J. Foster Promise Program, TOPS-Tech, TOPS Tech Award, Board of Regents, Louisiana Works, Louisiana Community and Technical College System, LCATCS, financial aid, scholarship, workforce development, career training, technical education, vocational education, postsecondary credential, associate degree, industry-based credential, high-demand jobs, high-wage occupations

Bills: SB1213, SB1221, SB1636, SB1687, SB1772, SB1932, SB2062

Keywords: SB1213, earned credits, inmate credits, good time, sentence reduction, Department of Corrections, DOC, prison reform, corrections policy, inmate classification, class levels, rehabilitation credits, achievement credits, vocational training, educational credits, prison programs, public safety, violent offenders, violent crime exclusions, sex offense exclusions

Bills: SB1026, SB1126, SB1143, SB1166

Keywords: alternative education, school funding, student accountability, education reform, school district governance, educational records, student privacy, FERPA, family educational rights and privacy act, Department of Child Safety, DCS caseworker, child welfare, abuse or neglect, juvenile justice, juvenile court, juvenile corrections, school records, discipline records, attendance records, school district

Bills: S7038, S1694

Keywords: education, Florida College System, tuition waivers, vocational rehabilitation, state universities, accreditation, public safety, technology education, digital literacy, artificial intelligence, computer science, high school graduation

Summary: The Committee on Education Postsecondary heard and approved CS/SB 1694, which would revise general education core standards at public postsecondary institutions to incorporate technology-related instruction. The adopted amendment shifted the bill away from creating a sixth core course and instead required technology integration within existing core courses to include digital literacy, AI tool application, and related instruction in areas such as software engineering, networks, databases, and cybersecurity as applicable. For high school computer science courses, the amendment added guidance on critical evaluation of AI results, AI limitations, and ethical use of AI. The committee adopted the amendment and then voted the bill favorably. The committee also took up confirmation appointments on tabs 1 through 2 and, on one motion, recommended confirmation of all appointees favorably. In addition, it considered SPB 7038 on postsecondary education and workforce development, which addresses tuition and fee policies, consumer protections, career and technical education, student acceleration, and institutional operations. Members asked about dual enrollment expansion, CIE licensure exemptions, and the removal of the Classic Learning Test as a fee-waiver qualifier; staff said the dual enrollment change was intended to expand student options without necessarily increasing enrollment, the CLT removal was an error to be corrected, and a Florida Dental Association representative raised concern about preserving the long-standing exemption for dental assisting programs. The committee moved SPB 7038 as a committee bill and reported it favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman Edmonds thanked the Chair and explained that the bill would allow specialized vocational and
• training if it wanted to.
• This type of school could be a regional school of choice focused on vocation. Rep.
• school that districts could collaborate around and create a regional school of choice focused on vocation
• and technical to meet work, that they have the ability to specialize in vocational and technical to

Bills: HR175, HCR81, SB105, SB290, SB304, SB374, SB522

Keywords: TOPS, education funding, workforce development, postsecondary education, Louisiana Works, tech training, declining enrollment, public schools, school districts, Louisiana Department of Education, state superintendent, school closures, budget cuts, teacher layoffs, school consolidation, education policy, enrollment decline, birth rates, migration, private schools

Bills: HJR303, SJR83, SJR85, HJR310, HR304, HJR311, SJR82, HJR298, HJR299, HJR300, HJR301, HJR291

Keywords: arts education, cultural heritage, Alabama Center for the Arts, public art, Alabama Arts Hall of Fame, community engagement, Cook Museum, natural science, STEM education, North Alabama, educational programs, student engagement, trade, economic relations, Montenegro, Port of Bar, international cooperation, investment, cargo operations, Alabama

Transcript Highlights:

• We lose training.
• Do you do any other type of training there as well, like supervisor training or continuing training for
• ...for training?
• Improved access to training encourages departments to invest in both initial training and ongoing professional
• But you can't do that without proper training facilities. You have to have a place to train them.

Bills: HB2207, HB2225, HB2602, HB2641

Keywords: braille, disability access, education funding, state corrections, inclusion, HB 2225, Yavapai County, northern Arizona regional training academy, training academy, public safety training, law enforcement training, police academy, first responder training, capital appropriation, state general fund, state treasurer, lapsing appropriation, section 35-190, capital costs, regional training facility

Transcript Highlights:

• For this requirement to be workable, districts will need sufficient time, trained educators, and aligned
• Sometimes, at dental offices, your local dental offices will train their own staff or train other people
• What you have to go through, through the Board of Dentistry, to have your training program approved is
• It's clinical and classroom training. It's on-the-job training. It's an extensive program.
• You're not going to have people trained, and you're going to see a workforce that's going to be hurt

Bills: S1062, S1718, S7038

Keywords: speech education, debate, high school, Florida Debate Initiative, civics, competitive teams, student participation, educational advancement, educator preparation, certification, professional development, temporary certificate, military service, collaboration, teaching effectiveness, education, Florida College System, tuition waivers, vocational rehabilitation, state universities

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education met to consider several education bills and the proposed fiscal year 2026-2027 Department of Education budget. The committee first took up CS/SB 1062 on speech and debate, which would formalize Florida’s Speech and Debate Week, strengthen the partnership between the Department of Education and the Florida Debate Initiative, require annual public reporting, and support statewide speech and debate programming. The bill drew extensive supportive testimony from students, alumni, and advocates who said debate improved civic engagement, literacy, confidence, and school performance, while also noting the need for equitable access and funding for travel and competition. The committee adopted a delete-everything amendment and then reported the bill favorably as amended by a unanimous vote of members present. The committee then heard SB 1718 on educator preparation and certification, which expands access to educator preparation coursework, broadens eligibility for temporary certification for some formerly certified professionals, and allows prior subject-area exam results to satisfy requirements. Public testimony largely supported easing barriers for experienced educators while emphasizing that certification changes are only a partial solution to teacher shortages and should be paired with better pay, retention, and professional respect. The bill was reported favorably. Next, the committee considered SB 7038 on education, which included a wide range of higher education and workforce-related changes, including a tuition waiver for Florida State Guard members, residency clarifications, oversight changes for blind services and vocational rehabilitation providers, licensure updates for private colleges, dual enrollment and assessment revisions, scholarship and funding changes, and reserve-fund requirements. An amendment restored the Classical Learning Test as a qualifying option for a grandparent tuition waiver, adjusted a Pell Grant performance metric, changed accreditation timing, and made other technical revisions. A dental education stakeholder raised concerns that one provision could disrupt long-standing exemptions for dental assisting programs, and the Florida Dental Association said it was working with the sponsor to avoid unintended impacts. The committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably as amended. The final major item was a high-level review of the proposed pre-K-12 budget, totaling $34.9 billion with local funds. Highlights included $30 billion for public schools and K-12 scholarships, a $50 increase in the base student allocation, a 1.64% increase in total funds per FTE, $4.5 billion for family empowerment scholarships as a separate FEFP categorical, $25 million for districts facing future enrollment declines, $65.3 million to help districts with current-year enrollment losses, $432.8 million for VPK, and $30.4 million for regional education consortia. Senators asked about reductions or flat funding in some allocations, teacher pay, declining enrollment support, Schools of Hope funding, and support for non-teaching school staff. Public testimony on the budget focused heavily on concerns about charter and voucher funding, especially the $6 million for Schools of Hope, with speakers urging more investment in traditional public schools, teacher compensation, and school infrastructure. The committee concluded the meeting by adjournment after no further business.