Barbara Ehardt — Asked for clarification on the hierarchy of criteria for schools to receive funds, including whether safety is the top factor.
Barbara Ehardt — Asked whether her light is on and indicates she has a statement to make later.
Barbara Ehardt — Her light is referenced as being on, but she waits to speak until later.
Barbara Ehardt — Speaks in support of the bill and frames it as relieving property owners from a difficult tax decision.
Barbara Ehardt — Supports the bill as a way to reduce the burden on property owners and help rural communities.
Barbara Ehardt — Continues supporting the bill and urges a unanimous due pass.
Barbara Ehardt — Thanked for her comments; the speaker says the bill caused confusion and concern about unequal treatment among districts.
Barbara Ehardt — Her closing comments on the previous bill are referenced as a segue.
Barbara Ehardt — Her earlier comments are used as a segue into the discussion of the new bill.
Barbara Ehardt — Representative Ehart was recognized and congratulated the district on becoming debt-free.
James Woodward — Representative Nelson is called on, but the transcript likely misidentifies the member; context indicates a committee member is being checked for questions.
James Woodward — Referenced as having asked a question in the introductory hearing about who pays the administrator cost.
James Woodward — Representative Nelson was identified as making the motion; the transcript likely intended a member with a similar-sounding name, but the exact identity is uncertain from the audio.
Douglas Pickett — Representative Douglas Pickett introduces himself and his district, then asks that Representative Furness join him and lead off the presentation, noting that Furness will speak first and he will follow up.
Douglas Pickett — Representative Pickett is handed the floor to clarify parts of the bill that had been interpreted differently than intended, and he begins explaining that some provisions were subject to differing interpretations from the original intent.
Douglas Pickett — Representative Douglas Pickett clarified the distinction between this bill and House Bill 521, explaining that HB 521 requires existing indebtedness to be addressed first, while this bill is aimed at current unmet facility needs and critical repairs for school districts.
Douglas Pickett — Representative Douglas Pickett is thanked for bringing forward the bill and for answering questions about the bill, including its funding mechanism.
Dave Lent — Dave Lent is repeatedly addressed as the chair ('Mr. Chairman'/'Mr. Chair') during a brief procedural exchange, including a question about public testimony.
Dave Lent — Dave Lent, acting as chair, asks Representative Nelson to correct his motion and explains that under Mason’s Rules the original motion can only be withdrawn by unanimous consent. He then recognizes Nelson’s motion for unanimous consent to withdraw the original motion and proceeds to restate the corrected motion.
Jack Nelsen — Jack Nelsen was addressed by the chair, then commented that the bill appropriately tries to balance districts’ ability to pay and effort. He illustrated the point with his own district, noting the wide range in local wealth and school funding capacity, and then moved to send S 636 to the floor with a do pass recommendation.
Kevin Lancaster — Kevin Lancaster testifies by telephone as the first witness, identifies himself as the superintendent in Camas County, and speaks in support of the changes proposed in House Bill 608 while describing Camas County’s project history. The chair then thanks him and opens the floor for questions.
Mark Gee — Mark Gee was introduced as the next in-person testifier and then began his testimony, identifying himself as the superintendent of Middleton School District and speaking in favor of House Bill 608.
Tony Wisniewski — Representative Tony Wisniewski asked the sponsor to explain how this bill overlaps with House Bill 521 and which measure would take precedence. The sponsor responded by clarifying the relationship between House Bill 521 and HB 292 and how the funding would be distributed to school districts.
Tony Wisniewski — Representative Tony Wisniewski asked the sponsor questions about the School District Facilities Fund, including how much money is currently in the fund, how it is funded, and how the fund is distributed.
Soñia Galaviz — Representative So ia Galaviz commented on school facilities funding, noting that there are different pots of money for facilities and state funding. She explained that school facility funds are distributed based on average daily attendance, and supported the bill as a way to help districts access needed funds. She further emphasized that districts need multiple ways to access funding for facility safety and maintenance, since smaller districts receive less money while larger districts receive more.
Soñia Galaviz — Representative So ia Galaviz is recognized for her significant work on the bill, then called upon by the chair, and begins her remarks on House Bill 636, noting the time pressure and introducing herself as the district representative.
Kent Marmon — Requests clarification of the motion because he heard House Bill 636 instead of House Bill 608.
Dan Garner — Representative Dan Garner was discussed and then spoke on the bill, first being referenced for asking for a review of how funding is distributed across the state and how amounts vary by district. He then stated that he supports the bill, but emphasized the need to address the inequities between rural community schools and large urban schools.
Christy Zito — Representative Galaviz discussed the School District Facilities Fund, explaining that allocations depend on student enrollment and ADA. She was thanked for putting the bill together, then asked how many funds are currently in the district facilities fund. In response, she said the 2024-2025 distribution was about $141 million total and based on ADA, and added that she may need to defer or check on the funding source for clarification.
Derek Bubb — Derek Bubb, superintendent of West Ada School District, introduced himself and testified on behalf of the district in support of HB 636, explaining how the bill clarifies school facility funding.
Mark Sauter — Identified as speaking and making the motion to approve the minutes.
Dale Hawkins — Chairman Hawkins is asked to have information brought back on the impacts to rural districts. Later in the same exchange, Dale Hawkins introduces RS 331-38C1, thanks Chairman Hawkins, says the committee will wait for him, and returns the gavel to the chair.
Dale Hawkins — Addressed as Chairman Hawkins.
Dale Hawkins — Supports the bill and explains the distinction between the school facilities fund and the public school facilities cooperative fund.
Dale Hawkins — Chairman Hawkins was addressed during discussion.
Michael Veile — Called on to speak; likely Michael Veile.
Michael Veile — Introduces RS 33325 and identifies himself as representing District 35.
Barbara Ehardt — Moves to introduce RS 33325 and notes committee support for similar measures.