Dave Lent — Referred to as the good chairman who is at another meeting.
Dave Lent — Named as then-chair involved in discussions on the bill concept.
Kevin Cook — Kevin Cook, serving as vice chair, is asked to start the meeting and is then addressed as Mr. Vice Chairman during the motion to approve the minutes.
Kevin Cook — Addressed by Dr. Brown and thanked by Whitney Ward.
Kevin Cook — Kevin Cook is addressed as Mr. Chairman during the question period, and shortly afterward he closes the meeting by asking for any final comments, announcing that the committee will conclude, and noting that members are expected on the floor in about 15 minutes.
Tammy Nichols — Moved to approve the February 18, 2026, minutes.
Tammy Nichols — Identified as the sponsor/presenter of Senate Bill 1335.
Tammy Nichols — Introduced herself and presented Senate Bill 1335.
Tammy Nichols — Asked to explain how the bill differs from previous attempts.
Tammy Nichols — Deferred the technical explanation to the testifiers.
Tammy Nichols — Referenced for her earlier explanation of the bill's service requirement.
Tammy Nichols — Named as one of the people involved in discussions to incentivize Idaho veterinary students to return to Idaho.
Tammy Nichols — Referenced as having previously attempted to create a similar program four years ago.
Tammy Nichols — Referenced as having previously proposed a similar program involving loan repayment.
Tammy Nichols — Suggested as someone who could answer the question about the bill's requirements.
Tammy Nichols — Provides closing remarks in support of the bill and explains the need for a return-to-Idaho requirement.
Carrie Semmelroth — Carrie Semmelroth is repeatedly addressed in a brief question-and-response exchange, with the transcript showing several misspelled versions of her name. The discussion continues into a bill-related clarification, where the witness directly addresses Senator Semmelroth and explains that the intended effective academic year was 2027–2028.
Dexton Lake — Dexton Lake is introduced as the first witness and then testifies in support of Senate Bill 1335 on behalf of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation. He is subsequently referenced again in a brief follow-up question about whether prior legislation was similar to the current bill, keeping the discussion focused on the same bill and related legislative context.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Senator Ward-Engelking participates in a continuous discussion of the bill, first asking about concerns and whether students are pushing back, then commenting that she would prefer a different way of rewarding those in large animal veterinary practice but is willing to support the bill because of the need. The exchange includes brief chair acknowledgments and witness responses, but remains focused on her questions and comments about the bill’s approach and support.
Mr. Lake — Responded that the mixed-animal veterinary courses are being taken care of.
unnamed sponsor/testifier — The witness clarified that the bill is intended to apply starting in the 2027-28 academic year because students often begin the application process the year before. They emphasized that students already planning to begin coursework in the 2026-27 year should not be affected, and that the change should instead take effect for 2027-28.
Travis Jones — Travis Jones, executive director of the Idaho Veterinary Medical Association, testified in support of the bill. He explained that the IVMA represents more than 320 veterinarians statewide and that the legislation is intended to address a validated shortage of large-animal veterinarians in Idaho. He also noted concerns raised about whether the bill functions more as a requirement than an incentive and how it changes the existing loan-repayment structure. The chair then thanked him and closed his testimony.
Larsa Phillips — Identified herself as representing the Idaho Cattle Association and Idaho Wool Growers and stated support for the program.
Mr. Jones — Referenced as having raised a concern about whether there are enough jobs for graduates.
Van Burtenshaw — Senator Burtenshaw is called on and then moves that Senate Bill 1335 be sent to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Cindy Carlson — Identified as seconding the motion.
Christy Zito — Senator Zito was called on to discuss the motion and stated she would vote no, explaining that she believes the bill takes money from Idaho families. She added that she had also voted no on the original version four years ago.
James Woodward — Argues the bill is not a new program but a requirement on an existing one and says he wants a return on the state's investment.
Dr. Sally Brown — Dr. Sally Brown, an associate professor at the College of Idaho and representative of the Idaho Higher Education Literacy Partnership (I Help), thanked the committee and introduced her colleagues. She explained that I Help works to improve literacy outcomes by supporting educator preparation programs in the science of reading, referenced a handout on the topic, and described Idaho’s revised literacy standards and competency guides. She emphasized that teacher candidates must demonstrate foundational literacy knowledge and pass assessments to graduate, noted ongoing reliability and validity work on those assessments, and highlighted the volunteer, collaborative nature of the partnership. She also mentioned Idaho’s participation in the national Path Forward project and asked permission for colleagues to share examples of partnership work.
Whitney Ward — Identified as a colleague from Northwest Nazarene University.
Whitney Ward — Whitney Ward introduced herself as representing I Help and Northwest Nazarene University, then explained that teacher preparation depends on strong partnerships with school districts to provide candidates with real classroom experience needed for clinical practice and accreditation. She described a long-standing partnership with a local elementary school where she brings students to observe classrooms and conduct instructional rounds, watching teachers, a principal, and an instructional coach improve instruction over time through the science of reading. She concluded that these partnerships benefit both teacher candidates and K-12 students, noting that student learning and test scores are rising as a result.
Carolyn Court — Identified as a colleague from Boise State University.
Carolyn Court — Carolyn Court introduced herself as a clinical assistant professor at Boise State and a member of IHELP, then discussed a literacy and leadership summit. A later reference to her reiterated that she had been talking about literacy summits and providing administrators with literacy instructional training, confirming the same ongoing topic.
Dr. Brown — Dr. Brown described the College of Idaho’s after-school literacy learning lab and the positive growth seen in both first graders and undergraduate tutors. She explained that the program is part of a University of Chicago research study and noted that the partner school’s principal is also participating in the SMART leadership pathway, learning alongside teachers. Dr. Brown then emphasized that principals need literacy knowledge to support reading instruction, coach teachers, conduct classroom walkthroughs, and help build stronger instructional systems, concluding that district and principal expertise are essential for systemwide improvement.