Education Committee - Senate

just makes it very clear so if you wanted to do something with the lottery scholarship you know this is the process you have to follow it's the same thing in that and if somebody in the House decided they wanted to do something has to do with lottery scholarship then they would have to submit the bill and it would go through a fiscal impact study ideas just to make sure that we're not obligating the lottery scholarship two more. Anything that's got a lot have going to have a long term that so does this this is amending the rules so it takes two thirds of the committee to to adopted. Yeah. And then to suspend this rule if we choose to its suspension in the committee once adopted to it would take two thirds as well. Okay thank you. Thanks. Anybody else have any questions. About it. So could I hear a motion to accept these rules. Senator Hammer made a motion to accept the rules. And Senator Leding seconded. The rules are is there any discussion. I yes yes the feel why is that users necessary to make a change in the lottery scholarship instead of a simple majority. You know I'm sorry did you no good could we postpone adapting that certainly we know all right it's such a high threshold just changed we can we can take this up next week at our next meeting if you prefer or would you all like to do that then you have a chance to read it and and get a better idea of what we're talking about I appreciate it thank you thanks on the committee. Yes thank you. Thank you senator Hammer for withdrawing your motion. And Senator Leding for your second. Thank you very much okay so moving right along then we have a few bills on the agenda today. first one is house bill ten seventeen. And Representative berry and I believe that senator Bryant. Can do that. But. Thank you madam chair committee this bill is a. Brought by representative mark berry who is a retired Air Force general very familiar with how the state does business and the regarding our. Our military operations and a rescue resources and items such as that this bill specifically addresses the Civil Air Patrol analyzes because cartons Hillary I'm not sure how many members are aware if they have a CAP. System within their local community but like up at our airport we have a very active unit and these are our members of our community the unpaid members that give up their time and talents and resources to be able to provide a training into the airforce as cadets then also give back to our community through stem programming so that they. Very active and good for our community what this bill does is allows our school system in addition to existing language of our cities and our counties allows our school system to give paid leave to those members that are requested to be activated in the event of emergency or for special training as for up to fifteen days per calendar year so authorize a school district to give them a paid leave for them to conduct those missions if you'll recall I think general burying his and his testimony saying that one that one Arkansas River flooded they had a need for. air patrol to go up and find for look for people that might be stranded in the utilize Civil Air Patrol on two years and if they're at. An education that is teach the you know this law will allow that school districts easily pay them for them to go give up this community hours. So. This Chesterfield thank you and thank you for bringing the bill I'm in favor of that I'm not sure what is the school district to pick up the cost of the of the lady. Yes yeah that the what the what they'll do is they will they will pay for up to fifteen days for them to be gone but it will be coming out of the school budget yes yeah they will allocating more money for school budgets for that and Katie you know just in case they needed. As of now this is this the the bill fiscal impact is though may be up to fifteen hundred dollars per substitute teacher if they give up all fifteen days okay thank you. Anybody else have a question. Okay is there any in the body in the audience who has signed up to speak for against this bill. Please okay. All right let's see so are you closing your bill I'm cause for the bill okay we'll hear a motion I would like the motion to pass second. All those in favor. All opposed thank you very much to pass the bill. Okay are set one up here is by representative ought. House bill eleven twenty two and who said they were going to build I'll keep Senator Hammer is going to present that bill. This. I'm sorry go ahead thank you ma'am chair members of the committee of rain this bill on behalf of the representative vote of the Senate sponsor on it the Bill addresses an issue last session we passed a bill regarding the start date of the school year and what this bill will do is Reserve or save a portion of that bill but it will address the portion that has unintended consequences to it and the bills for self explanatory and that if you look at line twenty seven a page one on or after the Monday of the week in which August nineteen falls neither are not earlier than the fourteenth of August and not later than twenty six was going to creation flexibility one of the things that was brought to our attention is that of the bill as it was passed last time creates a hardship on schools because what was happening was they weren't able to start therefore they weren't able to finish their session until after Christmas which really creates a hardship as far as educational loss for things coming back so what this does is restore that flexibility it leaves a preserve that that for date of flexible option is still in there it also preserves that if the school wants to operate based on ours not on set days it preserves that gives the school's latitude with that I'll be glad to and this is supported by every institutional entity out there that I know of and was actually requested shall but thank you. I'll shut up thank you for. Are there any questions the Committee. Center I'm moving past. Of the center Chesterfield has moved do pass it on you senator Dotson has seconded. And are there any. Anybody in favor I'm I are you in favor. Opposed thank you pass your bill thank you for members a committee manager. Okay. And then US senator Dotson. You for. Thank you madam chair and I'll take that do pass one but Manager members of the committee Senate bill sixty eight you have before you hear. Simply expands on something we we passed last session two years ago the whole cost education component is six dash sixteen one fifty four And we're adding a section due to that it's. Two paragraph bills fairly self explanatory but there is no mandate added to school districts it is simply to designate to Holocaust education week as the last full week of January and it the mandate I guess is to direct the state board of education to inform districts which week that is in and to encourage that that take place during that week but it it still's less leaves the flexibility up to local school districts to decide if that would work for them within their schedule so I don't have to do it during that week they can and I also have somebody here long it would like to. Make a few comments on. On the bill. You're recognized yourself please thank you I thank you madam chair and center Dotson my name is Steve run L. Little Rock small businessman and I'm here representing the Holocaust education living proposal committee which helped to pass the bill that was referenced by Senator Dotson and in the last session as a point of personal privilege madam chair it's an honor to be testifying before you and your committee today you're not been friends colleagues for thirty years madam chair and it's been fun watching your your career over these decades back a very long very long wait I'm fairly young yes yes you maintain your youth I've not but this bill just to add very briefly to what Senator Dotson has has explained the timing of the consideration this bill today and this week is perfect because if this bill passes into law we hope it will Fast forward one year this the the the the last full week of instruction January twenty fifth will be in the last full week of instruction for all Arkansas public schools and that this will be the first ever Holocaust education week designated by the state by this legislature that's that is not a coincidence that the last full week of instruction January was chosen as this Friday January twenty seventh is the forty skews me the seventy eighth anniversary of the US army and the allied liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Europe which exposed to the world the vast atrocities of the **** killing over eleven million citizens including six million Jews during the Holocaust and exposing the world to why the greatest generation fought against tyranny and for liberty and justice for all all citizens of the world during World War two and January twenty seventh is also the United Nations date designated for international Holocaust Remembrance Day so it is not only appropriate it's timely and it's important to designate this week to give guidance to school districts to center Dotson says not not to mandate that the instruction occurred during that week but to provide a really an Avenue and a platform and an opportunity for teachers and administrators to be able to teach the Holocaust as required by the law passed in the last legislative session with that I will thank you Committee ask for a good vote and and I'm willing to answer any questions that the committee may have. Yes senator Leding. The thank you manager I do support the bill plan to vote for the one to make sure real quick and forgive my ignorance here this is in any way conflict with the governor's prohibitions executive order that prohibited the teaching of CRT. Not that I'm aware of that could you repeat the question. Just making sure that the bill does And anyway conflict with the governor's executive order banning C. R. T. in K. twelve schools. Okay. Okay it's close to your closed the bill. Yes. So here second. All in favor. All opposed. Thank you very much thank you madam chair and members. Hello ladies and gentleman that is all we have on the agenda for Tuesday. And so we will see what we have next week. The agenda and we will come back and revisit the rules so if you all would take a look at those and then we can vote on them on next Wednesday our thank you for we we are just.