Kevin Cook — Was asked why the bill includes kindergarten rather than starting at a higher grade.
Kevin Cook — Explained that the bill could be moved up to older grades, but argued younger children are already using cell phones.
Kevin Cook — Confirmed the bill itself does not explicitly say 'age-appropriate' and that this is expected to come from local levels or the State Board.
Kevin Cook — Expressed support for the bill and described the need for guidance on appropriate AI use in schools.
Kevin Cook — Senator Kevin Cook is thanked for bringing forward the bill and getting ahead of AI policy, then invited to close the presentation. He closes by describing the broad working group behind the bill and emphasizing that Idaho should lead in AI and prepare students for future jobs. The exchange ends with a question about whether he will carry the bill on the floor.
Dave Lent — The chair is addressed during the discussion.
Dave Lent — The chair is addressed as Mr. Chairman.
Dave Lent — The chair, Dave Lent, is addressed several times as the meeting proceeds, first in response to remarks, then as he indicates he will entertain appropriate motions, and finally as he moves the meeting to the next agenda item and notes JFAC’s presence.
Dave Lent — The Chair asks a series of follow-up questions to clarify budget figures and staffing implications, first confirming whether the $33 million figure came from IDLA alone, then asking for the total delta between the governor’s recommendation and the departments, how many support units that would represent, and how many students would need to leave the system to account for the budget difference. The Chair then corrects the amount to $152 million and continues the discussion with a follow-up.
Cindy Carlson — Senator Carlson is recognized and then asks whether the legislation addresses facial recognition software, raising concern about its impact on students.
Cindy Carlson — Asked about collection of student data.
James Woodward — Senator Woodward identifies the privacy requirements section as 33-707 and notes it is on page three.
James Woodward — Seconded the motion on Senate Bill 1227.
James Woodward — Thanked after the prior comment and then raised a question about Medicaid expansion costs.
James Woodward — Asked how large the catastrophic fund would be today if it still existed, using inflation as a guide.
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 — Referenced in the follow-up question about the CAT fund and Medicaid growth.
James Woodward — The question continued regarding whether the CAT fund would have doubled over 10 years.
James Woodward — Addressed by Mr. Bybee in response to the question.
James Woodward — Continued the line of questioning and requested follow-up with actual numbers.
James Woodward — Asked whether the fiscal year 2026 revenue projection numbers were corrected from the original adopted number.
James Woodward — Addressed by Mr. Bybee in response.
James Woodward — Addressed by the speaker while explaining the revenue forecast adjustment.
James Woodward — Continued questioning about the difference between the original and revised revenue projections.
James Woodward — Addressed in the explanation of the adopted revised revenue number and the delta from the original forecast.
James Woodward — Thanked the committee and explained that JFAC coming to germane committees was intended to improve fairness and information sharing.
James Woodward — Thanked for bringing the analysts in and praised the idea.
Tammy Nichols — Was addressed in the discussion about transparency language on page 3.
Tammy Nichols — Raised the question of whether kindergarten is the right starting point for AI instruction.
Tammy Nichols — Asked why the framework starts in kindergarten.
Tammy Nichols — Supported the motion while emphasizing child protection and responsible AI use.
Tammy Nichols — Senator Nichols is recognized and then asks follow-up questions about the fiscal year 2025, 2026, and 2027 projections, followed by a question about whether student enrollment has remained steady.
Tammy Nichols — Keith Bybee referenced Senator Nichols as someone who had not seen much of the high-level budget picture.
Tammy Nichols — Asked a question and clarified speaker order before yielding to another senator.
Tammy Nichols — Cited as one of the senators who do not serve on JFAC and may benefit from the committee presentations.
Van Burtenshaw — Indicated readiness for a motion.
Kimberly Gardner — Kimberly Gardner was called to testify in person, introduced herself as representing the Workforce Development Council, and noted her involvement with the AI Working Group. She then provided testimony in support of the bill, after which her remarks were concluded.
William Goodman — William Goodman was scheduled as a virtual public commenter, then called as the next speaker. He testified as a board member of the Idaho Education Technology Association and a school technology director, and spoke in support of the bill, emphasizing vendor transparency and control over student data.
Reed Stefan — Reed Stefan is introduced in the meeting as a virtual participant/public commenter and then announced as the next witness, marking the committee’s first video presentation of the year.
Reed Steffen — Reed Steffen introduced himself, identified his leadership roles at St. Luke's Health System and the Idaho Technology Council, and testified in support of the bill, concluding his remarks by urging the committee to support it.
Norris Krueger — Norris Krueger introduced himself as an entrepreneurship education expert and began his testimony by explaining that he had been an AI skeptic who became a convert, framing his support for the bill as part of that broader perspective.
Josh Lerner — Referenced as part of a presentation on what makes a city successful at AI.
Gauthier from Startup Genome — Referenced as part of a presentation on what makes a city successful at AI.
Alexis Morgan — Alexis Morgan was called to testify and introduced herself as a resident of Eagle, Idaho and director of public policy for Idaho PTA. She said she served on the work group that developed the legislation and argued that it reflects Idaho values by keeping human judgment central. She added that parents have concerns about AI but generally support having the conversation and appreciate the state's efforts to lead on AI safety, student data privacy, and educator preparedness.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Janie Ward-Engelking is part of the committee discussion on Senate Bill 1227 and then makes the motion to send the bill to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Senator Ward-Engelking is identified as being first in the queue for questions and then confirmed as the next senator to ask a question.
Mr. Keith Bybee — Asked to come forward from LSO for the presentation.
Mr. McGurkin — Named as one of the presenters to begin the overview.
Campbell — Named as another presenter in the planned order.
Kell McGurkin — Introduced self as a budget analyst with the Legislative Services Office and began an overview of the public school support program.