Committee discusses sending S955 to conference committee to resolve class-size, construction differences

The House Education Committee spent part of its May 26 meeting discussing whether to send S955 to a conference committee to resolve outstanding differences between the House and Senate versions.

The chair said there are "differences between the House and what came out of even the Senate education committee originally" and cited concerns about the delay in proposed class-size minimums, grouping issues and school construction language that still need work. The chair said a conference committee would let negotiators "sit down, go over where the two sides are," try to close easier items first, then tackle larger disagreements and, if an agreement is reached, bring it back to both houses for approval.

A committee member asked whether conference committees consider only specific sections or the whole bill; the chair responded that the process generally reviews the areas of disagreement and works through them, often starting with easier items. Members voiced caution that the timing between earlier passage and late-May conference work could render some provisions moot or cause desirable provisions to fall away as priorities change.

The chair called for members to indicate support by raising their hands. The transcript ends after that call and does not record a formal tally or definitive outcome in the provided segments.