Ways and Means Committee hears pitched bills on school training, restorative practices, civic engagement and family programs

The Ways and Means Committee received presentations on a series of education and family-focused bills during a committee hearing; presenters asked for favorable reports but no committee votes were recorded at the session.

Committee members heard brief presentations and requests for favorable reports on at least nine separate Senate bills covering county board anti-bias training, restorative practices in schools, a civic excellence student credential, student member compensation, a family literacy recording program for incarcerated people, a change in statutory language for emergency-use epinephrine, funding for children’s programs, conformity and effective-date changes to workforce-related legislation, and an amendment to first-aid and CPR staffing ratios for school-age care programs.

SB 293: County Board Member Anti-Bias Training Act Gifty Ochre, an intern in the office of Senator Brian Feldman, presented Senate Bill 293 on behalf of Senator Feldman. Ochre told the committee that “SB 293 requires that each member of a county board of education is required to complete anti-bias training at least once during their term,” and urged “a favorable report.” The presentation was brief and no committee action occurred during the hearing.

SB 68: Restorative practices comprehensive plan A presenter for SB 68 described three core objectives: replacing the statutory term “restorative approaches” with “restorative practices,”…