2025 Regular Session - Day 29 - HB 694 Veto Override Vote Explanation, Rep. Smith

thank you Mr Speaker um I had this argument over the weekend and I thought I was right I come to find out I was wrong um I was fighting saying well we're going to be 100% funded so we're going to take the excess and try to get the other pot funded and get it fully funded and then I was told the story about when this started 15 years ago and how they took a they had the teachers put participate in this and listening to the floor debate I can understand why my wife I got to listen to it over the years every time she'd get a little increase her health insurance would go up so she really didn't get an increased in her pay I've heard testimony about starting pay I remember when she first started teaching and her bring her take home was about $850 a month and our house payment was about 200 more than that so I had to kick in just to make the house payment uh we all have stories and I understand the leadership and I understand the testimony here today and I appreciate where our caucus has gone with this with the teachers we have made big strides and I'm proud of that and we've made a lot of strides in our retirement program our health program for teachers and our teacher salaries so I think our I think we're headed in the right direction I I changed my vote to no just to send home the message to the argument I had that I was wrong but uh I still feel like our leadership was trying and is doing the right thing and hopefully gentleman from Warren I hope that we can address this when we come back that we can look at it and not just take it for granted what the sacrifice of the teachers have been over the years on participating to make it whole but uh again I appreciate the testimony on the floor the each of the comments and I just wanted to explain my vote that uh I wanted to show that my argument was wrong and that I'm taking responsibility that um I thought that it was a certain way but I still feel like the bill was intended for the right reason and that is to fully fund our responsibilities so anyway that that's my explanation of my vote