Conference Committee approves Senate Bill 191, a K–12 "cleanup" bill

A conference committee approved the conference committee report on Senate Bill 191 in a unanimous roll-call vote, adopting a package of technical changes to K–12 education law.

Unidentified Speaker, who opened the meeting, introduced the bill as a K–12 "cleanup" measure and said it would replace an earlier phrase referencing "bullet resistant film" with language referring to "entry resistant film," noting, "Great intention unfortunately, bullet resistant does not exist." The bill also clarifies grading policy to prevent local education agencies from setting a minimum grade above 0; the sponsor said some districts had been assigning a 50 to work left blank, and the change makes 0 the minimum.

Representative Cipicchi, speaking for the House conferees, outlined several agreed technical changes: extending the validity period for a professional teaching license from six to eight years; requiring 60 professional-development units for renewal; moving submission of comprehensive support and improvement plans from annually to every three years; excluding students whose chronic absenteeism is driven by medical treatment or chronic illness from chronic-absenteeism counts; requiring districts to create intervention plans (and reviewing those plans every three years rather than annually); and not counting students who relocate to a district after Dec. 31 in that district's chronic-absenteeism metric because the district lacks sufficient time to provide interventions.

The presiding member treated Representative Cipicchi's statement as a motion to accept the conference committee report; the motion was seconded (the transcript does not specify who seconded). The clerk called a roll-call vote. Senators and Representatives recorded the following votes: Senator Lamar — Aye; Senator Lowe — Aye; Senator Lundberg — Aye; Senator Roberts — Aye; Senator Taylor — Aye; Representative Cipicchi — Aye; Representative Lafferty — Aye; Representative Moody — Aye. The clerk announced "8 ayes," and the presiding member said the conference committee report on Senate Bill 191 had been accepted.

No amendments, dissenting remarks, or requests for further committee action were recorded, and the committee adjourned.