Senators and representatives on the Joint Budget Committee debated Senate Bill 362, a youth-organization grant program, over concerns that its language could restrict funds to particular organizations and include requirements tied to the LEARNS Act.

Representative Collins raised the request for a roll-call division by chamber before the vote; Senator Hammer, sponsor of SB 362, said the bill establishes eligibility parameters consistent with the LEARNS Act and Supreme Court precedent and includes matching grants and weighting for new programs. Hammer said national organizations could use memoranda of understanding to ensure local affiliates would not be forced to violate state law, and that the Department of Education would promulgate rules to verify compliance.

Representative Shepherd asked whether a memorandum of understanding would be required in every case; Hammer said it would not be required if an applicant can produce evidence that it is not subject to directives that would violate the law, and that the Department of Education would be the gatekeeper for those determinations.

The committee began voting by the House and many House members recorded yes or no votes in a division. After the chamber division and subsequent Senate roll call, the chair announced, “Bill failed.” The transcript does not record an exact yes/no tally in the final announcement beyond the roll-call discussion and the chair’s announcement that the motion failed.

Committee discussion focused on two themes: whether the bill in practice targeted organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, and whether incorporating LEARNS Act language and compliance rules was an appropriate mechanism to ensure legal compliance. Senator Hammer described the bill as a matching-grant program with weighting for new programs and safeguards to protect local organizations.