Committee advances H650 to register edtech providers, directs Agency of Education study

The Ways & Means committee voted to report H650 favorably after lawmakers stripped fee and certification mandates and directed the Agency of Education to review products that educational-technology providers register with the Secretary of State.

Rick Seagel of the Office of Legislative Counsel told the committee that the version reported out of House Commerce no longer imposes a fee or penalties. Instead, providers that do business in the state and supply products used in public schools would list their entities and products with the Secretary of State; the Agency of Education (AOE) would review those registrations, assess whether any products should be certified for use in schools and recommend which entities should handle certification. Seagel said the bill sets a study and a report back to the legislature in November 2027, and lists an effective date of July 1, 2026.

Committee members pressed fiscal questions; the legislative fiscal office (JFO) said there is no fiscal note for the bill as amended because it contains no fee or revenue estimate. The bill’s reporter, Edie Granning, said AOE provided testimony on earlier drafts and that the study will clarify the cost and capacity implications for the agency.

Supporters framed the measure as an initial, oversight-focused step. One committee member said the edtech market is largely unregulated and warned that “our kids are the guinea pigs,” urging the study be tailored to avoid duplicating strong local district protections and to evaluate whether technology spending yields measurable educational outcomes. Representative Bill Canfield and an academic speaker asked that the study consider existing district IT arrangements so the state does not duplicate services.

Representative OD moved that H650 (draft 4.2) be found favorable; Representative Burkard seconded. The clerk called the roll and, as recorded in the transcript, the committee found the bill favorable (the roll-call record notes Representative Paige absent). The committee did not record a penalty or fee in the version it advanced.

The bill would require the Secretary of State registration fields to include the provider name and products and include a certification-study process led by AOE. The committee did not adopt a product-certification regime on the floor; instead the study is charged with advising what certification—if any—would be appropriate and what entities should perform it.

Next steps: the bill advances per committee procedure with the AOE study scheduled to report back to the legislature by Nov. 15, 2027.