Cindy Carlson — Asked about collection of data on students.
James Woodward — Senator Woodward identifies section 33-707 as the privacy requirements and points to page three.
James Woodward — Mentioned indirectly through 'Senator Grau' is not in the expected list; no ID assigned. 'Chuck Winder' is also referenced as a comparison, not in the expected list.
James Woodward — Seconded the motion on Senate Bill 1227.
James Woodward — Thanked after speaking and then asked a follow-up question about Medicaid expansion and the catastrophic fund.
James Woodward — Asked about what the catastrophic fund cost would have been in 2018 and whether it would have doubled over 10 years.
James Woodward — Continued the line of questioning about Medicaid growth and the catastrophic fund.
James Woodward — Asked whether the catastrophic fund would likely have doubled over 10 years based on Medicaid growth.
James Woodward — Continued asking about the relationship between Medicaid growth and the catastrophic fund.
James Woodward — Asked whether the fiscal year 2026 revenue projection numbers were corrected from the original adopted number.
James Woodward — Was directly addressed by Mr. Bybee in response to the question.
James Woodward — Asked about the adjusted revenue forecast numbers on the slide.
James Woodward — Asked for clarification on the revised revenue number and the delta from the original projection.
Tammy Nichols — Senator Nichols thanks Senator Cook and begins asking about parental community engagement and parent options.
Tammy Nichols — Asked whether the bill places authority in Section 33-704 for school districts to adopt parental notification or opt-out policies.
Tammy Nichols — Asked whether the bill allows school districts to adopt parental notification or opt-out policies and whether that is where the language fits.
Tammy Nichols — Raised the question of whether kindergarten is necessary or whether the bill should start at a higher grade.
Tammy Nichols — Questioned whether kindergarten is necessary or whether the age range should be moved up.
Tammy Nichols — Asked whether the bill explicitly says instruction must be age-appropriate.
Tammy Nichols — Asked why the framework starts in kindergarten.
Tammy Nichols — Senator Nichols expresses support for the motion and the bill, emphasizing that her support is rooted in protecting children and ensuring AI tools are used responsibly and appropriately.
Tammy Nichols — Senator Tammy Nichols was introduced by the chair and then asked for fiscal year 2025, 2026, and 2027 totals and projections, following up with additional questions about enrollment trends and related fiscal-year data.
Tammy Nichols — Was identified as someone who had not seen much of the high-level budget picture.
Tammy Nichols — Senator Tammy Nichols asked a budget-focused question, initially deferring when she could not clearly see who was speaking, then followed up by asking whether there were any statutes or policy ideas that could help improve the budget.
Tammy Nichols — Cited as a senator who does not serve on JFAC and may benefit from the committee presentations.
Van Burtenshaw — Indicated he was ready for a motion.
Kimberly Gardner — Kimberly Gardner, representing the Workforce Development Council and drawing on her work with the AI Working Group, testified in support of the bill. She said the measure is an important, measured step toward preparing Idaho’s future workforce for AI-enabled tools. Gardner explained that employers want workers who understand how to use AI appropriately and know when human judgment should take precedence. She emphasized that the bill does not mandate AI use or replace teachers, but instead focuses on AI literacy, privacy, transparency, and vendor accountability. She concluded by urging support for the bill.
William Goodman — William Goodman was introduced as a virtual public commenter and then called as the next speaker. He identified himself as a board member of the Idaho Education Technology Association and a school technology director, and he testified in support of the bill, emphasizing vendor transparency and control over student data before offering to answer questions.
Reed Stefan — Named as a virtual public commenter.
Reed Steffen — Reed Steffen gives remote testimony, identifying himself as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for St. Luke's Health System and Board Chair of the Idaho Technology Council, and concludes by urging the committee to adopt and support the bill.
Norris Krueger — Norris Krueger introduces himself as a PhD and expert in entrepreneurship education, explaining that he teaches entrepreneurship and those who teach it. He also notes that he was initially skeptical about AI but has since become a convert.
Josh Lerner — Cited as one of the experts from a presentation on what makes a city successful at AI.
Gauthier — Cited as one of the experts from the Startup Genome in a presentation on AI city success.
Dave Lent — Thanked along with the committee.
Dave Lent — Calls the vote and announces the next agenda item.
Dave Lent — Introduces the JFAC discussion and praises the committee's experience.
Dave Lent — Notes the committee's combined JFAC experience and welcomes Senator Grow.
Dave Lent — Addressed as Mr. Chairman in the committee setting; the chair is being spoken to directly.
Alexis Morgan — The chair calls Alexis Morgan from the audience to testify, and she begins her testimony by introducing herself as a resident of Eagle, Idaho and the Idaho PTA director of public policy, noting that she also served on the work group that developed the legislation.
Janie Ward-Engelking — The chair identifies Senator Ward-Engelking, and she then moves to send Senate Bill 1227 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Senator Ward-Engelking thanked the chair and then raised concerns about higher education funding, asking about the EWA for each college, the total EWA and rescissions, and noting enrollment growth without additional money. She also expressed concern about a $10.7 million rescission from universities and asked whether the $2 million cut previously made to Boise State University and the University of Idaho had been restored. A follow-up response indicated that the restoration was included in the FY 2027 budget request.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Janie Ward-Engelking is identified as the first senator to speak, then takes the floor to thank the analysts, LSO staff, and the chair before beginning remarks on the K-12 budget.
Mr. Keith Bybee — Asked to come forward from LSO for the presentation.
Mr. McGurkin — Named as the first presenter to begin before others on the agenda.
Campbell — Named as a subsequent presenter in the agenda order.
Kell McGurkin — Introduced self as a budget analyst with the Legislative Services Office and began an overview of public school support funding.
Kevin Campbell — Introduced himself as a principal budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office and began a higher education budget overview.
Christy Zito — Senator Zito commented that she appreciated the presentation and, despite not having JFAC background, was able to follow most of it. She was also referenced as one of the senators who had not seen much of the high-level budget picture, reinforcing that her comments centered on learning and understanding the budget overview.
Christy Zito — Cited as a senator who does not serve on JFAC and may benefit from the committee presentations.
Mr. Bybee — After concluding his presentation, Mr. Bybee takes questions from the committee about whether there are statutory changes or policy bills that could reduce the budget. He declines to recommend specific bills to remove from statute, explaining that staff should remain nonpartisan, but says he would be willing to help legislators walk through policy ideas and understand their implications.