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SAI Weekly Legislative Update – March 7, 2025
Week 8 of the Legislative session is the scheduled “funnel week”. As I mentioned last week, Friday of this week is the preset date that requires bills to be passed out of the full committees in either the House or Senate. A reminder that anything requiring an appropriation or anything that has a potential tax impact is exempt from the funnel.
This was a quieter week for subcommittees, but quite a bit of committee action due to the funnel. The storm on Wednesday slowed things down and there really wasn't any action involving education on Thursday. You should also remember that bills will change numbers as a part of the process as they move forward.
SF 418 was signed by the Governor last weekend. This is the Sex/Gender and Gender Identity bill.
Here are some of the bills that moved this week.
Passed off of the House Floor
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SF 278 Robotics Activities — Requires the DE to include technical education assistance to schools on chartering technical and career education student organizations. Allows a high school athletic organization to sponsor robotics competitions.
**It now GOES to the Governor because both chambers passed it unanimously.
Passed out of the Senate Education Committee — (Tuesday)
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SF 138 allows high school Bible study courses (11-5)
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SF 172 mandates specific instruction about child abuse (16-9)
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SSB 1158 passed out of the Senate Ag committee that requires instruction on nutrition and local production. (11-4)
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SSB 1099 came out of the Senate Judiciary (same as HF 163). It allows districts to create School Threat Assessment teams, and share information with other entities.
Passed out of the House Education Committee — (Tuesday and Wednesday)
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HF 102 Seizure training (21-2)
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HF 334 Chaplains (with an amendment) (14-9)
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HSB 220 Coaches and concussion training (23-0)
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HSB 218 Religious Absences (14-9)
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HF 156 Instructional materials (14-9)
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HSB 217 Reduction in Force*** (15-8)
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HF 68 Open Enrollment and EL students
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HF 461 Chronic Absenteeism fix (23-0)
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HSB 2 Military training absences
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HF 543 Feminine Hygiene products
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HSB 173 School Nutrition — requires content instruction regarding nutrition (State Government Committee.
Of note: A bill to remove the 1080 hour option and require 180 days did NOT get through committee.
Subcommittees that were held this week (A reminder that you can go to this site and type the bill number into the box and search.)
- HF 621 — Addresses who can carry guns on school grounds.
- HF 730 — Establishes a work group to study special education weighting.
- HF 119 — Authorizes content specialist licenses
- HSB 278 — PE requirements.
- SF 431 — Construction bonds and contractors and retainage.
- HF 535 — Would mandate a public school review.
- HF 536 — Would require districts to offer and teach a gun safety course.
- HSB 276 — Would no longer allow 1080 hours as an option for school calendars.
- HF 552 — Fixes some of the Chronic absenteeism bills.
- SF 410 — public comment at board meetings.
Advocacy Points
- Remind your legislators that we need SSA done ASAP, and that we need additional funding for the programs that districts are asked to do. Talk about your insurance cost increases (medical and liability/property.) Ask them to provide funding for staff shortages, safety issues in buildings, social workers, etc.
- Explain to your communities what the funding bills will do to your district, and the subsequent services to kids. Even the one-time money proposed by the House would help with the numerous unfunded mandates in much of the new legislation.
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Talk to your legislators about HSB 156, that requires all learning materials be placed online.
- Get legislators into your buildings. Let them see what is really happening.
Final Thought
We have a long way to go in the legislative session. Continue to talk with your legislators whenever you can. There are a lot of good things that they could do that would help our schools and help us to educate our students.
Have a great weekend.
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