Education Committee- House

The fire prevention code to January first twenty twenty five what we had the we met with the with the State Farm Marshall we had three schools that we had already passed or had had actually done their homework got their figures together pass their millage when they passed their millage they did not realize that the the safe room was was a built in for twenty twenty three they missed that deadline I think we have three schools that are involved here and so the cost of the of the product now instead of two hundred dollars a square foot it's actually about three hundred dollars so meeting with the fire marshal and Senate calling most of those guys myself as mothers got together and they agreed to this to move it back to allow the schools to go ahead and bill what they tell their voters they would bill when they passed the millage. The bill and that she would be glad to answer any questions members any questions. Seeing none of do not have anyone signed up to speak for against the bill I will ask anyone wanna speak for against the bill as amended. Seeing none representative Holcomb recognized close your bill closed I appreciate a good vote Mister representative painter you're recognized. I have a motion do pass by representative painter any discussion on the. The motion for bill passage of the bill as amended. Seeing none all in favor say aye opposed nay Great Lakes you pass the bill thank you Mr committee appreciate staff members were going to go to the top back to the top now. Representative Bentley is here for concurrence and Senate Amendment house bill eleven fifty six. Representative bill you're recognized. Chairman of the committee thank you all for being here this one was here Brandt Senate amendment brought a good bill to the Senate and in that there was a a question on the front page on the overnight stays making sure that those individual want to have a private room we're able to have a private room when they would just correcting that wording actually representative makes brought this to my attention. I thought we could fix it and rules but Senator Hickey that we need to fix it now so we're fixing that now that's pretty much The Amendment I appreciate a good vote on the amendment members as the yellow sheet that's the Senate amendment representative long you're recognized for a question. I have a motion and property any questions. By committee on the concurrence of the amendment. Seeing none anyone in the audience that would like to speak for against the amendment. Seeing none represent long you're recognized for motion. The motion do pass on the concurrence the Senate amendment house bill eleven fifty six a discussion on the motion. Seeing none all in favor say aye opposed nay regulations amendment has passed. Thank you chairman thank you Committee. Representative along. You're brought to a House bill fourteen sixty eight re re referred that back to committee you want to present that today you're recognized. Thank you Mr chairman a plane long house district thirty nine. the. Over the weekend as I was preparing to bring us a bill to the floor there's a couple things that Sir jumped out at me that Monday some clarification in two different sections written by script at the amendment shows here or we're just changing our Page two line thirty four delete any word and in an enhanced and then emancipated consists substituting. Name listed on the an intent of emancipated in the Page three line three regulating shall not and substituting. Not withstanding so basically of in the first section it was dealing with the derivatives of nines what we talk about those I. For the redact Bobby a problem with Robert being called Bob in the of the second section there's basically dealing with making sure that it's clear that NO matter what the parent decides is force Given permission for the child to be called by different names of the teachers are still not obligated to do so with that violates their their religious or conscience police. And with that I'd like a motion that we have some members what you have a status passed out white sheet represent long as explained the amendment to house bill fourteen sixty eight these are the two items but one on page two one on page three. Give me just a moment to look over those two things. Representative law is there any questions by committee on the amendment. Representative garner you're recognized for a question I just wanna make sure even if the parent says it's okay the teacher shall not no the the teacher of does. With making this amendment is trying to make it clear that the teacher is not forced to do it it through the previous language made it sound a little bit like if the the parents said that they couldn't hear they wanted your child to be called by different names the teacher had to do it despite secure their religious or conscience objections the the the word now is basically to try to clarify that the teachers of religious liberty would still be protected in teacher that it doesn't bother your to to call the child by different names would be a perfectly of the. Acceptable for them to do so. It is no questions. Representative flowers you're recognized. thank you Mr chair and I've I suppose I would. I have a question and I guess I guess. One clarification would I be able to ask a question regarding the bill once the this. Amendment is adopted and I do have a question about the. Amendment also certainly ask questions on the amendment now you will be up to the sponsor if he wants to run the bill today or not if you guys then you would be able to ask questions on the bill okay thank you so much of represent long. Just if you could Clarify again what deleting. An emancipated is doing. The representative McKenzie pay part of the the point the other day in committee but he was concerned that the wording not not be clear that if for from person such as a selfish is. Using a derivative of the name would not have a problem so if your if your child's name Robert the teacher called Bob and that's there would be a problem you're nobody's getting in trouble for that. what we're trying to basically just clarifies that it the. That situation would be a problem. Follow up you're recognized and then just earlier in your remarks or your explanation about the Amendment you mentioned something about which I don't see necessarily referred to in the amendment but you mentioned something about religious liberties and I'm I was just wondering in the case where someone's religious liberty is protected what religious liberty. Would be violated by somebody calling somebody their preferred name it is only if it goes against that person's conscience which you of the. The state constitution my skin compare pricing but says that no one will be compelled by any human authority to go against their religious or skinny they're conscious of it so that's basically what this bill is about is to make sure that people are being forced to participate in of someone's. I believe that they may or may not be. The. The gender sex that they were bored as in. Someone such as myself it's a police The Bible teaches is not to participate with it is basically protects media or teacher that bills I fly in this week and I had a teacher from federal call. Thank you for running this bill because she's she wrecks axes in fear of losing her job because she can't in good conscience participate in calling you know child by a the preferred pronouns in that case for there are. Your name if it doesn't I guess match up with with their biological sex. Final question Mister I give you one more thank you so much so are. Is there are there any cases in the state of Arkansas where a teacher or any public school official is being required either by policy or by the threat of of of losing their job like where someone is said you will lose your job or they have been fired just something where to demonstrate that people are actually being forced she was being compelled to do so they didn't say that there there are you chooses to appear that that might lead to it and she was really glad to see that we're going to try to clarify that hope her religious beliefs would be protected this doesn't infringe upon any child right to be called by different names just basically doesn't require Will to participate if I don't believe that's that's right thank you. I see no other questions NO one is signed up to speak for or against the amendment. You signed up to speak against the bill this is not the bill is the amendment. Okay You're recognized to speak. Would you only be speaking on the amendment not on the bill. You identify yourself for the record and do you represent and you may begin your testimony absolutely my name is Ethan eleven you know I represent myself this my first time testifying so forgive me for the the nerves the Amendment. On this bill from what I understand allows a teacher to use their religious beliefs to justify not identifying or not respecting someone's pronoun or name is that correct So one. I was raised in a Christian household and. Jesus is love and acceptance and if religious liberties are being used to disrespect someone and their wishes I don't believe that is appropriate in genesis chapter one the Bible speaks about night and day god created night and day but we as a society know that dawn and dusk exists. And so I believe that there is space for transgender people here and respecting their names and pronouns is inherently important for us to move on as a society and love one another thank you. Members any questions for Mister Evans NO presents that correctly Havins NO thank you senator. Seeing no questions thank you for your testimony Sir. Anyone else would like to speak for against the amendment. Seeing none representative long you're recognized close for your amendment. Thank you Mr chairman Piper should good vote I make a motion to pass representive long is close for his amendment to house bill fourteen sixty eight and is a member of the committee has made a motion to pass any discussion on the motion. Seeing none all those in favor the motion say aye aye opposed nay. The motion has passed or your. On The Amendment do you want to present your bill today as amended thank you Mr chairman okay you're recognized present your bill as amended. I really didn't have much to add to that We probably talked about the other day the appreciate a good vote of the day in a certain personal one today to make a motion to pass as amended okay. we do have. Mr Evans you know that is signed up to speak against the bill would you like to speak against the bill. You're recognized. Again if you would just a state your name for the record and he represented you may begin your testimony thank you my name is Ethan eleven you know practice representing myself again and thank you for the opportunity to speak on the bill itself it's our own. We don't allow schools to target anyone based on their identity and we cannot single out transducers for their identities this bill only protects first amendment rights for those who believe it's wrong to be trans but where is the right for the folks who are trans. We need to protect these individuals they exist here in Arkansas and they exist in every corner of this world whether you like it or not. They need to be protected under the first amendment rights. For me this is very personal I am a transgender man. And I believe that I have the same rights as each one of you on this committee. And I knew that I was trans at the age of three when I asked my mother if I could be a boy courses in the late eighties early nineties and we can have a kind of language back then and my mom raised me in the most affirming household that she could she let me where boys tennis shoes play on sports with the boys and as I grew older the visibility of trans people became greater it wasn't until the age of twenty five that I. meditation for man. At the time I was present myself to the world as well as designated on my birth certificate which is female so just gonna catch all up when I was born doctor said it's a girl but that was not who I knew myself to be. And even at the age of three I knew who I was and going to school I knew who I was. My best friends were boys. Share a small story about being a child in school and knowing who I was and my friends knowing who I was but not having the language around and I was invited to a friend's birthday party and. They opened the door and one of the voices you invited a girl to this party. And all the guy said no she's cool Jean coming out with us so I knew I was back then and he's trans kids know who they are and we're saying we're not going to respect your name or your pronouns. That is a detriment to those kids we know that the suicide rate for trans kids and non affirming homes over fifty percent. And that is because they're not being affirmed and who they are. And so I ask that you do not pass this bill these kids need to be protected they are our future thank you. Your available to take questions absolutely K. members any questions by the committee for the witness. Seeing none thank you for your testimony thank you anyone else in the audience that would like to speak for or against house bill fourteen sixty eight as amended. C. nine represent long recognized close for your bill. Thank you Mr chairman one thing I wanted to make perfectly clear of this bill is not attacking children is basically just trying to protect teachers and administrators rights to not to be compelled to say things that they do not believe are true that seems like a very. Reasonable thing to ask for my commission of the date of tolerance is a two way street I would ask that the people that I do believe of this way would be tolerant of other people that do not it is not stopping anyone from of. Identifying it however they want to if teachers decided that is okay with them it doesn't prevent them from acknowledging the child with a reporter named that the child chooses does protect people who do not want to participate in the. I thank you for that I'll make a motion to pass as amended. Members you've heard other closing representative long made a motion to pass on house bill fourteen sixty eight as amended any discussion on the motion. Seeing representative flowers you're recognized for discussion. Thank you Mr chair in some might be tired of me. Talkin especially on issues like this and I'm probably tired of talking to myself but I feel compelled to to say something in a wilderness where no one. Understands. OR is speaks for people who are not interested and who are in a very very small minority of folks and. I'm I'm is acknowledge. That I once was someone who didn't understand and probably made light of pronoun reference. Because I've never had to think about it I've never had to ask someone to call me something different and a lot of times when I am in the seat I'm in the C. very well aware that I am Privileged in so many ways especially to be able to serve and represent the interests and the voice of people who I don't know and so I try to do so from a perspective of openness and compassion. And As best I can empathy. And I try to ask myself what if I wanted someone to call me by a name That identified with the closest I can get to it was when I was a kid in school You know black people were grappling with the identity of what we would be call in over the years it's gone from being called something to you know trying to find a way to go from one word to Negro to black to Afro American and African American and while that's not the same. I did experience where I want to be called African Americans and people you know refused to call me that. Now that wasn't even my name. That just was what I wanted to be referred to as and how I wanted to identify with the culture that I didn't even really know anything about because it wasn't taught in schools and it was maligned. I can't imagine. Me saying to someone my name is Vivian call me Vivian call me this. And someone saying that it's against their religion to call me who I say I am. And so for that reason I'm not supporting this bill as much as I like representative log I I think that there's no problem we don't have any lawsuits we don't have any firings or no examples of anyone being forced to do anything they don't want to do when they are free to do in the State of Arkansas so I don't think this bill is necessary except to point out that a very small population in our state are people who are grappling with having to tell people that they are a different agenda than they were born with and that they. I want to be called by another name something I could never imagine having to do. So for that reason I'll be voting no and I ask others to follow in that footstep thank you. Any additional discussion. On the motion. Seeing none all those in favor of house bill fourteen sixty eight as amended and motion do pass say aye aye opposed nay. Graduations your bill has passed as amended. The C. representative Scott I don't see her Gramlich sorry season already he is not he is out of town today will go to House Bill fifteen twenty six. Representative Bailey members before representative Bentley presents her bill we have a group visiting here today we have missed calling Calloway is here with the group from the Arkansas community college's leadership institute class of twenty twenty they're making up for cancelled visit that they arranged back to the state capitol back during covid these are new and emerging leaders. Just a little bit a note of that just look clarity why they why they were here now they are but we're very glad these are new and emerging leaders from community colleges across the state that have a very vested interest in education would you please make them welcome today. We we thank you for being here what you're doing our state education and most especially your interest in education policy so thank you for being here today representive Bentley House Bill fifteen twenty six you're recognized thank you chairman thank you colleagues of. Arkansas as many as you know was forty eight the nation when it comes to health we have fourteen deals like try to do things since I've been in session trying to improve that and somehow we were stuck or at so sometimes they do things will be different if we want to change the trajectory that we're on so I'm asking today do so that I don't know of any other state in the nation still when I'm asking you to do today or something I think a very simple thing that could really change the health overall in our state so just wanna bring up a couple things affects you today over thirty six thousand or Kansas serve with diabetes that's fourteen point eight percent of our population another eight hundred thousand have pre diabetes. Also on our state we have one of the highest rates of maternal infant mortality Cross the nation some High Street so those of these of things I want to address with this bill today if you read over the bill you'll see that breast feeding alone can decrease diabetes by thirty three percent I know when we think about a child being breast fed we don't think about the lifelong effects of that within just a short term of the going to be a prevented from getting illness may have much more and immunities when they're a newborn but there was like their lifelong affects or not just when they're new but their whole life is better the whole health is better as you can see the decreases Abby's by thirty three percent of for those children that are breast fed also if we look at the for the mother as well so it's not just for the embedded reddit decrease diabetes even among the mother so the mother can breast feed throughout her life thirteen months it decreases the amount of diabetes even and women so it just that simple thing forget increase the rate of breast feeding cross our state we could decrease the amount of diabetes that were seen and improve the health of our cans that's a purpose one of the purposes of the bill the other thing is I think not all of you know that we have passed and returning mortality Review Committee to try to find out why is Arkansas a have the high rates of maternal death that we have in the high rates of infant deaths so as we look at the reports we'll pass that in two thousand nineteen we've got two reports back from then and so we look at see what of the some of the reasons of infants in Arkansas are dying in one of the the third the third highest reason Frankenstein Arkansas sids and so we look at breast feeding of infants of respite they decrease up to the full address for the decrease all the way to eighty percent decrease since it's such a huge amount of decrease I'm not really into something I think is not going to make a difference our state I think you can make a huge difference in our state if we can actually get an increase in the number of women that are breast feeding past six weeks the other one brands for women and women are dying the the the number one cause older women that are black Americans that are hemorrhaging or have hypertension cardiac issues and those things are all improved if the woman will breast feed up to thirteen months of a woman has present before she's got decrease your chances of hemorrhaging and so. I think we increase again we're thirteen percent of women breast feed after six weeks here in Arkansas we've got to increase that number for one improve the health of our cans is that the whole purpose of the of the bill that I bring it to you today is to get that so why would I want high schools to read here about the importance of that his information I share to this day what difference would it make for our for Arkansas high school to hear that information well those kids in that class are gonna be future employers and so maybe the understand the benefit to the employee that's working for them to be more likely to give that a that will move right to go income get that one extra spaces needs to pump give that the ex things she's just for those few months to make sure that she has encouragement she needs because it's a lot of work it's extra work about three young grandchildren right now I can tell you that's a lot of extra effort to be able to pump to make sure those kids have respect especially what mom has to go back to work so we have future employers in that class we have future co workers in that class so maybe if they know I believe my coworkers a little extra slack here to go income for a few minutes but the understand that long term benefits for that mom so should be healthier for that baby to be healthier to improve health in Arkansas I think it's a very simple thing that we had let's try to get that seed planted earlier to change the culture in our state because if we want to change things that state we have got to do things differently than we have done in the past to this a purpose of the bill to ask for one class during health peered one class period during their high school time for them to hear the benefits just to get that little bit of a scene point to some of the time comes around with their employer their co worker there spouse because it's a lot of extra work for that spouse to support that wife this can breast feed throughout the infancy of that child so again if we get mom suppress speed up to nine months we will see a huge increase in the health of the mom for her lifetime and for the in fits not just for that short period whether breast feeding is a lifetime health benefits and so that's what I read a passion about this bill I'm passionate about making changes in our state and with that colleagues I would have to take any questions that you might have. Any questions from committee members. Seeing none we didn't have anyone signed up to speak for or against but I'll ask Is there anyone in the audience that would like to speak for or against this bill. Seeing none. Representative Bentley you're recognized close for your bill Collins thank you for your time I hope that it talk too fast I tried to slow down to get but I am I am I am very I'm very passionate about this bill I really really wanted to make a difference in our state to improve to get away from forty eight and this is really it may seem like a simple thing but it could make a huge difference the long term so that I would appreciate a good vote. We have the closing on the bill representative Barker you're recognized. I have a motion do pass by representative Barker's any discussion on the motion representative Dick you're recognized for discussion thank you Mr chair reasonably I appreciate your I know your passion on this and I don't dispute any of those statistics and everything that you shared support of all of that United is a little bit about this that for me it's more process than it is an issue with what you're wanting to do and and I would prefer this to be done and rules and I understand why you chose not to do it that way but I preferred this issue been addressed and rules on the school district level that more the state department level rather than a law and but otherwise I think it's great I just can't support for that reason thank you for bringing awareness to it I do appreciate that. Any other discussion. Seeing none you have a motion by representative Barker do pass on house bill fifteen twenty six all those in favor the motion say aye. Those nay. Motion passes graduations thank you chairman thank you committee I appreciate it I don't see anyone here to run Senate bill one ninety four representative Murdock. Representative Cozart you will run that today. You're recognized presenter bill. Thank you Mr chairman represent Bruce Cozart district ninety one. Have a bill that's here from server Murdock this is kind of a similar build what he ran and of regular session of two thousand and fifteen it's just has some changes and some strikes and to make this a little better bill for the school so this is an act concerning public school district waivers to mend the process for which a public school district may attain a waiver so what would this does the. Some granting of a waiver to a public district a charter may apply for and receive so state board shall use the same criteria as used for an open enrollment public charter school waivers in order to grant. A waiver submitted by a public school. And then the development division of elementary secondary education may request additional information from the public school district if necessary following the public school district submission of a waiver under subdivision C. one A. of this section. There's a lot of stricken language in this in this is striking it to make it worse for little more equal to the the schools of that same as the waivers that the Charter's yet state board may revoke a waiver granted under this section only upon showing calls to revoke the waiver granted to this section state board shall give the public school district superintendent local public school district board of directors president at least fifteen business days noting and noted in writing electronic email of the state board's intent to revoke the waiver granted to the public school district under this section. Failure to notify the public school superintendent of public public school district board of directors president has revived require this subdivision eight two eight of this section shall result in the waiver of the right of the waiver of the right of the school board to be revoked to revoke the waiver granted to this section until notification required under subdivision is met. So they have to provide the reason that the state board S. pride reason they want to run ten to revoke that waiver at this granted to the public school district of this section so basically this just gives you the equal opportunity that a charter beside you get and it just cause them that they cannot just revoked or not grant a waiver because they don't want to granted to you they have to really show because of wine and at present that within fifteen days to give you the chance to digested and contact them back so I'll be glad to try to do this I don't think we have the if we if we need some other testimony we might have someone here that could so. I read for questions. Sure representative make sure recognized. Well for one away so the of sauce for what you're doing here the the question that I have is is just kind of a semantics The bill says that they're going to they'll do it the way that we do open enrollment public charter schools so what I want to make sure is we don't have this section a code that says public schools to the waiver this way open enrollment does the waiver does it this way and we put a little piece of code here that says ignore all this and use the. The public charters so I guess my my question is is are we striking all of all of this language so we don't have unnecessary language or why not just adjust the public schools to mirror the open enrollment versus just pointing to the open enrollment that that hopefully that makes sense or after well if I remember correctly from last time we ran this each charter does everything a little different so the reason it was ran the first time because charter for pulling students out of schools especially over at risk at that time represented Murdock Terry Nelson Murdock and so it was it was causing them problems with having enough money to pay for teachers and for other things to cut their rolled down so that was to give them the opportunity of a teacher that the charter was paying less money to their teachers that they could do that same thing or if they were you know the things they were doing so basically what we're looking at now is just it's not so much that we want to change all the language it would just be the if that charter is using this you can't just tell school they can't have it you have to show right because of wine they can't just say you know we're gonna revoke this no you can't your your your your request is non so we're just looking at equal territory if that charter gets that that waiver that school should be able to get that waiver but it won't it won't apply to every school across the state does not for every school across state let's just want to one o'clock for waiver for charter in their area follows you're recognized for follow up so it's it's so I just got allow the local public school to compete with the local charter school is not going to just be a carte Blanche check for everybody across okay I'm with you now I thank you. Any additional questions from committee. Seeing none anyone would like to speak for against the bill. Seeing none representative Cozart recognized close for your bill thank you Mr chairman I'll close with a lot of dimming to. Total guesswork is there but you know I think I did. I'm closed Richard good vote all the time I make a motion. Representative flowers you're recognized. Motion to pass I have a motion to pass by representative flowers on Senate bill one ninety any discussion on the motion. Seeing none all those in favor say aye opposed nay the bill is passed. Do not see representative Mayberry. The representative Bentley on fifteen twenty seven. I assume that's why you stuck around. I just adopted a second committee I guess today. was brought to my attention from my for each director M. at him covers period plastic count of that although students are allowed to get an excused absence for FFA if those students go to school for the first forty students that go to school that doesn't have an FFA director there absences are necessarily excuse of this just allows for its kids that have an excused absence to go to the protocol that they do now for FFA and get excused absence for four H. activities that's it and it shall not take any questions and by my. Any questions from committee members. Seeing none. He won like to speak for against the bill. The none option Bentley you're recognized close for your bill I you know a lot of my schools I district do not have FFA that not a lot some just have four H. and it's a great I was it for each student a great activity with that I'd appreciate a good vote representative. Painter you're recognized. I have a motion do pass representative pandering discussion on the motion seeing none all in favor the most say aye opposed nay bills passed resolutions. Members next three on the agenda representive Vaught she is not here I did ask her if she wanted to run those today I have not got a response representing the client Michael Landon had notified me she liked pass over today. any other business and he's come before the committee. Seeing none good work today Preciado your help thank you all for being here we are adjourned.