Caleb Williams — Caleb Williams is introduced as the Senate Page and introduces himself as coming from Shelley, Idaho, noting that his school visits the legislature each year. He then shares that after the school year he plans to serve an LDS mission and attend BYU, says he is not particularly interested in going into politics, and is still figuring out his career path. He closes by saying he looks forward to serving with the committee.
Cindy Carlson — Senator Cindy Carlson asks Caleb about his plans after graduation and whether his experience at the legislature has changed them. Caleb responds that after the school year he plans to serve an LDS mission and then attend BYU.
Cindy Carlson — Senator Cindy Carlson expresses support for the bill and the idea of regional centers, while also raising questions about whether the state would incur additional ongoing expenses and whether districts would be expected to use their own funds.
Cindy Carlson — Named as a big supporter of the school; likely a transcription error for a legislator name, but preserved as spoken.
Kevin Cook — Jokes that politics became a hobby for him too and asks Caleb about his career choice.
Kevin Cook — Moves to accept the minutes for February 12, 2026.
Kevin Cook — Senator Cook makes the motion to send Senate Bill 1317 to the Senate floor with a do pass recommendation.
Christy Zito — Christy Zito states that she has reviewed the February minutes and then moves to accept the minutes of February 10, 2026.
Christy Zito — Senator Christy Zito expresses serious concerns about the bill, including the fiscal note, implementation, and real estate-related logistics. She states clearly that she will vote no and explains that her opposition is based on a lack of clarity about regional center locations and how the proposal would be implemented. Her no-vote position is then referenced as the discussion transitions to the next speaker.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Senator Janie Ward-Engelking references having read the February 16, 2026 minutes and moves to accept them, constituting a single motion to approve the minutes.
Carrie Semmelroth — Senator Carrie Semmelroth first moves to approve the minutes from February 17, 2026. She then shifts to asking Senator Burtenshaw whether he is familiar with SESTA in higher education and follows up by seeking clarification about SESTA and its connection to the bill.
Van Burtenshaw — Senator Van Burtenshaw is introduced to lead the discussion on Senate Bill 1317, then identifies himself as the sponsor from District 31 and begins presenting the bill. The discussion continues with references to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, followed by a question-and-answer exchange about SESTA, which is clarified as special education services and technical assistance.
Van Burtenshaw — Named as a big supporter of the school; likely refers to Van Burtenshaw? The transcript says Ron Mendive, which is not in the expected member list, so this is left as spoken.
Lisa Pofelski-Rosa — Lisa Pofelski-Rosa introduces herself as the Department of Education’s financial specialist principal and funding/accountability coordinator for IDEA programs, then explains SESTA and how it relates to proposed regional centers. She describes the regional model as combining different support functions, notes that similar systems have worked efficiently in Oregon, and explains that districts could buy into services based on student needs and use regionally staffed in-person providers instead of remote contractors.
Stoney Winston — Stoney Winston, superintendent of Fruitland School District, testifies in person about the staffing pressures smaller districts face in meeting IDEA obligations. He explains that the bill’s voluntary regional service center framework reflects this reality and could help districts collaborate, reduce costs, and strengthen services for students with disabilities.
Scott Muir — Scott Muir appears by video and testifies as superintendent of the Soda Springs School District in support of the bill. He begins by discussing staffing costs and then responds to a question by explaining that online services could supplement in-person regional support and help share costs.
Dr. Jean Henscheide — Listed as an in-person witness to testify.
Dave Lent — Addressed as 'Senator Lent' while the witness thanks the committee.
Dave Lent — Multiple speakers addressed Dave Lent as Chairman Lent while thanking him and the committee, indicating a continuous sequence of courteous acknowledgments directed to the chair during the meeting.
Dave Lent — Addressed as Chairman Lent by the speaker.
Dave Lent — Noted as having visited the school district for over two hours to learn about the program.
Dave Lent — Dave Lent is addressed as Chairman Lent and thanked for being present, and the discussion continues with a remark indicating he was present on the day shown in the video or photo.
Dr. Jean Henshide — Dr. Jean Henshide is announced as an upcoming witness in the hearing schedule, alongside Kayla Dodson and Dr. Joy Jansen.
Kayla Dodson — Kayla Dodson is announced as a witness and then testifies in support of Senate Bill 1317. She identifies herself as a Boise resident speaking for herself and shares a personal story about former students, using examples like Billy, Bobby, and Mary to argue that educating rural students is worthwhile and that they deserve access to similar support services. She concludes by yielding for questions.
Dr. Joy Jansen — Dr. Joy Jansen is announced as the next witness and noted to be testifying by video. She then presents testimony in support of regional service centers, introducing herself as the director of special services and federal programs for the Lake Pondre School District, and concludes by asking the committee to support Bill 1317 and indicating she is available for questions.
Jean Henscheide — President of the League of Women Voters of Idaho testifies in support of Senate Bill 1317.
Billy — Former student with muscular dystrophy who needed a motorized wheelchair.
Bobby — Former student with muscular dystrophy who needed a motorized wheelchair.
Mary — Billy and Bobby's sister, also in the witness's class.
Catherine Larson — Catherine Larson is announced as a forthcoming in-person witness, then appears to testify in favor of S 1317, saying the bill improves efficiency by making better use of existing spending. She concludes by stating it is a good bill and offers to answer questions.
Kelly Hyle — Kelly Hyle is introduced as a forthcoming witness, then appears to give her testimony before the committee, and the chair concludes by thanking her after her remarks.
Kelly Hale — Announced as the next in-person witness.
Jonathan Gill — Announced as the next in-person witness.
Jonathan Gillen — Jonathan Gillen is introduced as the next witness and then begins his testimony in support of Senate Bill 1317, discussing regional service centers.
Melissa Vianne — Announced as the next witness.
Kelly Heil — A general education teacher in the Pocatello School District testifies as an individual in support of the bill.
Melissa Viann — Melissa Viann is announced as one of the remaining witnesses, and then again identified as one of the final two witnesses to be heard, alongside Kevin Moxley.
Kevin Moxley — Kevin Moxley is announced as one of the remaining witnesses, then as the next and final in-person witness. He identifies himself as being from Kimberly, Idaho, says he works as a maintenance technician at Chobani and is also a licensed real estate agent, and begins sharing testimony with a personal anecdote about a coworker in Jerome whose son has an IEP but cannot get services there.
Mr. Moxley — The speaker comments on Mr. Moxley's testimony about special education access.
Superintendent Carla La Orange — Superintendent Carla La Orange of District 91 is introduced as the first presenter, coming to discuss a successful project her district has been working on.
Tess Field — Tess Field, the principal of Bush Elementary, is introduced as the person who originated the pilot idea and brought it forward to be tested at her school. She then speaks to the board, introducing the example student Eddie and beginning to describe the kindergarten behavioral challenges the pilot is intended to address.
Eddie — The transcript introduces Eddie as a fictional kindergarten student used to illustrate common school behavior challenges. Eddie is described as explosive and occasionally violent, and the discussion continues by explaining that he struggles to enter play appropriately and has difficulty navigating peer relationships.
Tess — The speaker turns the presentation over to Tess.
Tess — Tess is introduced as the person who brought forward the PASS (Positive Approach to Student Success) program, and the discussion immediately turns to her to explain the program in more detail.
Lauren — Before the presentation, the speaker told Lauren that the next part would be a video, and Lauren advised that they do not present it that way, leading to the decision not to use a video in the presentation setup.
principal — Described the strain on teachers in a higher-needs school and how they were out of ideas.
Superintendent La Orange — Superintendent La Orange is cited for the point that even one or two students can disrupt a school environment and derail the learning of other students.
Andy — A student described as too smart for special education and too disruptive for general education before PASS.
Dr. Ed Cates — Introduces himself and says he is from Kootenai Classical Academy in Post Falls, Idaho.
Chase Miller — Student from the school who won the Northwest Spelling Bee.