Education Committee - Senate

Fisher button pusher button sorry about that I realize there's a cost impact of this these are really mine sand talked a B. R. BLR the last two scholarships that are offered the state they don't allow for super scores to be taking accounts that's first the governor's scholarship in the second is the critical needs minority teacher scholarship program in my thought and talked to Senator Hickey yes in the white working on because I would not work its way through RSA is that with there should be some uniformity in how that's applied here in the state in specifically to the governor's scholars. I mean I would just say we want those kids to stay here in the state of Arkansas and and allowing them to utilize that scholarship but thanks to critical point in being able to do that server scores are you know pretty commonly accepted at any major institution at this point even outside the state and again at that so that's what the bill does my understanding is is two point four million dollars if it's fully implemented are once it's fully implemented I think it stages itself out over a couple years before reaches that point. Okay and then how are they funded again I think the governor scholars as vai Gee are right G. R. so are they both funded by G. R. revenue stabilization scholarship you know water scholarship can only fund scholarships that were in place time implementation this is what I generally remember yes since those were both in place beforehand they are funded through G. R. and often times funded through one time money or has been in the past okay. We are on Senate bill one thirty nine. Okay are there any questions. What is okay. What what is the is there a minimum. ACT score is nineteen to. What is the minimum ACT score for the governor's scholarship. For the governor's scholars program is thirty to thirty two so and so this is okay and then what about the what about the critical needs minority terrace a bottom line is it nineteen I think it is right. Okay. Session. Are there any questions for members of the committee. Right Sam nine is there anyone here to speak for against the bill Sam Nunn thank you because for your bill motion do pass as their second. Second all those in favor say aye and oppose ayes have it congratulations you passed your bill Senate bill one forty members on that member take that to the floor to pass off the floor the night my intention is to hold that in the House Committee and two we know that we do have funding for but I think we should make a priority I think that's responsible thank you for. You're recognized as president Senate bill one I think representative Scott would like to been here I think she's on our way and there's also an individual named Andrew Baker which was instrumental in kind of developing this bill so this is Senate bill one forty I'm I just really want to go to the bones the bill first then we can talk about the needed and and maybe some the intent so be one request if the B. one the part of the bill that requires that school districts have disciplinary policies in place that require an administrator or designate a to make a reasonable request for information related to adverse childhood experiences prior to implementing this plan or action that would exceed ten cumulative days out of school so we're only talking about expulsions or service suspensions I'm not sure how you know that's the same thing and in some ways but in excess of ten school days my hope is that very few individuals very few students at page two a one provides the definition of for this section of adverse childhood experiences to be used for implementation of B. three on pages two three three or two through three outlines potential sources of that information so that's to the request be made up on termination on this on these aces in in C. one requires that the findings be considered improper behavioral supports are considered prior to that expulsion. Prior to that expulsion right are there any questions from members of the committee. Representative Scott would you like to say anything. I catch a ride. I'm sorry I'm not sure what he shared already but we have some joint notes that we worked on together so he might have presented what I might want to add sorry resent it I was going to do the best I think you could to do the compassion part of it a lot better than my colleagues would probably agree one thing that it so I'll finish up on that you know one of the most important parts is the six dash eighteen dash five one eight which is the positive behavioral supports that something that's going to be further developed by eighty eight eighty I don't anticipate this is going to be able to be implemented right off the bat there's gonna be some time that it's going to meet state place for eighty did really create standards that could be utilized one thing to keep in mind I think is that you have school districts that are doing this well they're essentially already doing what this bill last for you have other districts that are not doing it well I don't really want to say how many times I got an email or text saying that this is going to be too hard for me it should never be to art we're talking about altering a child's life in their trajectory as they move forward and you know sometimes the only safe place they have is the school I did this look back and understanding can help administrators better understand how to help these children how to make sure that they have long term positive impact in in in really that's when the reasons I was involved with bill so turn of representative Scott go ahead representative Scott okay so Senate bill one forty if passed would increase the positive act outcomes for our at most you what this bill basically does it require schools take more time to consider the circumstances surrounding the child's behavior when considering placing a student in alternative learning environment or when considering suspension for more than ten days or expulsion I'm not going to read through all our notes because like I said I don't know he covered but the only other thing is this bill allows children who need. Attention the most to receive it require schools to consider traumatic experiences such as physical behavior domestic violence parental separation divorce and in such things This allows the misbehavior to be viewed in content rather than at the back you improvise that the adequate attention will be given to the students who need it the most. Yes one moment I recognize you in a minute and I wanted to say I worked with an individual and he is a gentleman from Mountain Home Arkansas that develops I have developed a software and and it was a school that contacted him after one of their students have committed suicide and they were he the superintendent administrators at was actually in a different state contacted him and said can you develop and design for me a software system that will help us at track what is going on with these use just like you have an as student that might be an academic distress you would also have a somebody who would be in life yeah crisis so not just academic crisis the life crisis and so there are several state or several schools in the State of Arkansas that implement and utilize this technology in order to really have some ice out there and it it doesn't violate anybody's privacy it basically as well as described was there are these bits and pieces of information that are located and held at the school but they're all in like different places and what this did was bring it all into a dashboard to where they could see here are your at risk youth and so it's so incredibly important that we understand that there are at risk youth academically but then there's at risk you Senator also socially at risk and so this technology gives them the ability to have that dashboard to just know and to watch what might be going on with that student with the student that commited suicide there was a pattern of behavior where that student was a showing up to a certain class every single day because of somebody in the class that was doing something to that student and so it just you know and and afterwards they set. They came and talked about it if we had known we could have stepped in and done some about it so it's a little bit at contingent to your bill but something that I wanted to bring about because I think it's super important that our schools employee that type of technology to help them do what you're trying to do here and there's there's solutions out there to help do that Senator Elliot you're recognized for a question I thank you madam chair Senator Dismang I you might have said this because I hope to hear from being that to and want to sit down and breathe did you mention funding up for for the bill because I'm under the impression that we have some of the Kobe Fund service of this right yes so as far as the cost of the school district that's anticipated to be zero again a lot of these things are already generally in place maybe not followed but it's as far as the behavioral support system and that that sort of thing that is something that eighties taking a much bigger look at and they're E. R. COVID funds that will be made available for that study as they work through it setting out the guidelines that there. Because I think as well be it when when the funds were set aside at the at the national level there was a recognition that we were going to need funding for you know in the normal course of things we would need it but after all of the trauma of having gone we are not finished the pandemic but that's added to the trauma for kids who otherwise might not have had a child with somebody who's lost a parent or grandparent or whoever close in the lives and now they're suffering from the trauma directly as a result of this I just don't want our schools I wanna be sure schools know this there's funding for and that does not have to be you know a reason not to do this thank you for that can I also ask that I don't know if Senator Dismang coveted I'm sure he did this bill also there's a lot of things that that that this bill doesn't do and I want to make sure it's clear because some of the principals and teachers might have some hesitation to change that's just kind of the society we live in but this bill does not take away disciplinary options from our teachers and our principals and I want to make sure that that's very clear that that's not the intentions the technically of Arbil. Any other questions from members of the committee. All right S. C. N. nine is there anyone here to speak for or against the bill. Right C. N. nine to close for your bill yes in one thing I'd like to see as far as I receive more contact positive contact on this bill than probably any bill I filed since I've been legislature I mean that that's how much I think you know support in the community in the education community recognizing that there is a problem want to tackle it and so that was something I was supportive of it they were supportive of all I don't how many versions of this bill we had as we amended through the last you know several months unfortunately you know of the bill and so again and one thing I'd add enter Baker's here I I appreciate his work as a foster parent on this bill is when it brought it to my attention there is some issues where some these basic questions weren't being asked the expulsion of someone that was in his care or and just left his care and and really he was the one that said Hey we there should never be a situation that we just expel someone we don't try to put ourselves in their shoes I understand the situation understand what their background is so we can help fix or at least guide in in the right direction instead of just an hour all right of expulsion so again thank you for your work. Thank you and motion to pass some center Chesterfield is there a second second from center back on all those in favor say aye opposed ayes have it congratulations you foster bill. Thank you. Representante. If you'll state your name for the record you're recognized president house bill eleven seventy two David Tollett state representative district twelve. house bill eleven seventy two is very simple bill it takes Watson rule and puts it into law with a notification procedure currently school districts are required to go before the state board of education to obtain what is commonly known as an act twelve forty waiver these waivers Allow school districts to have a little bit of flexibility to improve functions or efficiencies or student outcomes all waivers have an expiration date all this bill does is establish a notification procedure two schools of the state board of education decides to have a hearing to revoke or modify that waiver before that expiration date ended requires the state board of education to notify the superintendent but also the board president that this is coming up and this is going to be discussed and it had no opposition and House education and it had no opposition from house for with that I'll take any questions you may have. Okay are there any questions from the members of the committee. Yes senator back on. Is there is currently no notification at all they just show up there is notification but it's only to the superintendent well it's just notification it is really not clear how that notification is made or who it goes to this makes it specific. What's the timing of the notification before the show up for a it's really fifteen days fifteen days before the fifteen business days yes three weeks twenty one calendar days mental yes. Senator Sturch. Thank you mention representative Todd I just wanted to ask is it review at their meeting or when they come on campus to do a review I'm not cover it it's if the state board of education has a meeting to specifically revoke address for the expiration date at here in Little Rock and so this would give districts notification to to know that this is going to be discussed or you know that action is going to be taken and and and let the board president no as well and that way there can be at least some kind of planning prior to that meeting okay okay thank you thank you ma'am check. The other questions. All right stand nine is there anyone here to speak for against house bill eleven seventy two. All right C. N. nine in close for your bill I'm closed all right what is the pleasure of the Committee. And there's are second to second all those in favor say aye. And oppose ayes have it congratulations you've passed your bill. Senators Sullivan is passing over Senate bill one ninety one because It says I think he's working on that. M. I have you senator Beckham you are presenting. House Bill fourteen twenty nine is that correct. And state your name for the record you're recognized senator Charles Beckham district twelve. Hi. Aaron Hogan I'm with Arkansas family council. All right of fourteen twenty nine changes the waiting period that required for lotus school student to transfer to a home school from fourteen days. To five days. after the service masters are started if others records center and all property before drawing allows a superintendent to waive the requirements also has a cleanup language of a driver's licenses. The others were built in two thousand nineteen. Okay are there any questions Senator Chesterfield you're recognized for a question. Senator why is it a good idea. What. Well Senate bill thank you for that question We and the representative Lowery I believe that. Well I'll I'll back up of the history of this is back in the nineties I believe there used to be no waiting period and anyway I think in nineteen ninety seven I believe They they passed a law that allowed public school students to transfer to a home school at any time but in nineteen ninety nine they sought to change that to where they could not come out of the public school until I think I believe after this semester or or before and so there is a compromise I believe in nineteen ninety nine where they made it fourteen days and there were some reasons for that you know back in the day back in the nineties you couldn't order materials and things like that and get there quickly but now there's really no no need for a waiting period because no families can sign up at my curriculum and have it at their house in like two days and so we believe that if you. Lessen that down from fourteen days to five days it really just kind of makes a little more fair I'm has currently I think that Currently if if the parent wants to pull their students out of public school and go to a private school there is no waiting period and so um this is just making a little bit more fair for home schoolers to you and be able to just help lessen that time frame of the waiting period so that they can home school. We just ask that a parent could pull to get out of school at any time no that's for profit school so if a parent is has a child in public school and they want to pull their child out to go to a private school they can pull them at any time there's no waiting period now if you will if you have a child in public school and you want to pull them out to home school there's a currently a fourteen day waiting period so this is just lessening that fourteen day waiting period to five school days so if this law passes. It will it will just make it where if a parent wants to pull the child out to home school they will only have to wait five school days any kind during the school year yes ma'am yes ma'am so if they're in the middle of taking. The ACT aspire. In a pair just decides I don't want to miss school. So during that period you could just take a child out we would know where he or she is but that would happen. Any time and I guess this was troubling to me about it the parents have a right to take their kids out of school but when you're talking about just any time **** nilly it troubles me because there are periods of time we are assessing how are kids are doing. And if you can pull a child out in the middle of ACT aspire testing then we may never get to know. Where the children are on the child yes and that's what's troubling me about the bill because there is no specification now if the full amount after the October deadline for counting kids that didn't hurt the school district report amount before that's a child down but to pull them out in the middle of the school year when they are prepping for the assessments that let the parents know and the state know how their kids are doing that's why I have a problem with it not being except during you know something of that sort and I making any sense to you. I understand what you're getting getting to there the The current law allows you to pull out any time. As long as you wait two weeks. Usually during that two weeks if you're pulling them out and you're in the middle ACT aspire ACT aspire not only two weeks we know that. It is problematic to say it's day two of ACT aspire testing nearly five days. Well it it's still troubling because I'm I would think that during that particular period. You know local I'm I'm just I'm just know none the believes that there are times when there are to be some constraints. In that they ought not to be taken out in the middle of the testing period. If they want Fulham at any other time that's fine but I do think that there is a problem with that academically for the child especially because he or she needs to know the parent needs to know what he or she is doing AS far AS where they are economically and where they're gonna go so that that's my only concern with the bill. I understand it currently the law the law allows you to decide on Tuesday to take your kid to a private school with or private charter school with. No waiting no cooling off period the only thing is private charter schools have to give the ACT aspire to and home schools that. That's my concern and I'm I'm here to argue with that it is a great concern. At I have a quick question and do you know and I know it's it was current language was fourteen school days or calendar days fourteen calendar days some assuming Do you know and then there was also the option for that to be waived by the school district board of directors do you know if how often this is been a problem or occurred I mean are you trying to fix our address a problem that's act that has occurred with them not waving that fourteen days or or it being a problem to wait fourteen days and to go down to five days. I'm just I'm just wondering not that I don't think it's really addressing any any issue it's really just trying to bring it down to fairness you know currently like I said I'm like Senator said you know a a parent can pull their child out and put them in a private school and there's no waiting period. But that's not the same for home schoolers and so this was originally this fourteen day Calendared day waiting period was originally put in there as a compromise because You know. They they originally wanted to totally prohibit. public school students from transferring to home school during the semester so fourteen day waiting period was compromised back in the nineties and with things Changing over the years no need to really wait on curriculum to to come to their home there's I mean there's other reasons as well We really did they did really that thought I think I represent Lowery was to just try to bring that down as much as possible to make it a little bit more fair. Okay. And and it's mainly just about materials like waiting for materials to have I'm not. Of the wave so the materials I think that was added in amended in there later yep and that just requires the student to return all materials before they transferred a home school like library books or things like that. Path laptop six after okay Senator Elliot you're recognized for a question. Now this I just don't know so it's not necessarily about the bill but not necessarily in the bill I don't think but if the. Is there a an amount of time that has to go by any kind of time constraints when if the student for example when it's come back to the public school. Can you come back to us any day you wish. I'm kind of thinking you can that's what I want to know if you have five I'm getting this wrong. That's a question I have no idea on that yeah all right Does anybody know. Any time any time all right And so not to quibble about the number of days but if we were going to. Because I I think the fourteen days may be important for certain things but if we're just if we're trying to reach parity it. We're not we're we're trying to get close to parity here because we're not reaching its work if we're talking about but the private schools right of the private schools you can just you don't have to give notice that was sent and so now this is gonna be five days rather than fourteen days yes our top five school days side school days so I'm not bugging for five days I'm just observing that you know we're reaching for parity we're not there I guess we might get there at some point if you want to our and the other thing I just don't understand what's going on with the driver's license for use by a with the even with our public schools what we're still doing the driver's license thing and and why we need to change it I just need for it that's just some clean up language there was a bill that passed I believe in twenty nineteen that took the requirement out for a student to have a notarized notice of intent form to return to go and get their driver's license so I believe that was scratched out I'm in twenty nineteen and so this is really that part of the bill is just clean up language always wonder necessary restrict in some other place yes ma'am Sam all right that's right we passed a bill in twenty. And so that's okay I got that part of it that was really confusing okay other questions. Great seeing other questions is there anyone here to speak for against this bill. Yes the department of ed if you'll come to the table question by Senator Hester. You're recognized senator Chesterfield. Thank you it made sense for us are you out of order. No I am because the only part of this that concerns me is the part about being able to remove a child during the middle of ACT. Testing. Could you speak to that. I can't status math department education and. I looked at the I I requested the exact numbers of the number of students in the spring protesting that actually file in in a wine and I did it in a non code years and you know notice of intent for home school okay and so There were only seven hundred notice of intense filed between March and June in two thousand nineteen and twenty statewide so that would have fallen during that testing window on the seven hundred and of those seven hundred when I went back and talked the home school office about how many times do districts automatically do that waiver of the fourteen days it was that most districts do allow the waiver immediately out that the students so it's not a concern the state department obviously because they say only seven hundred eighty eight so that obviously means that that's not a major issue with the law so there's about twenty one thousand students better home school students most of those home schooled student's father notice of intent to home school prior to school ever starting there are the first semester there's about fifteen hundred additional students that normally file I think the concern that we were hearing from school districts and even our own personal the department was. Why was that student the middle of the semester pulling out and in that discussion of that having those five days that allows for if there is some type of concern going on at the school in a in a student is just trying to remove not really doing that the purpose of home school that five days would allow the district to do whatever they needed today so I'm good at thank you thank you it's not a worry for the state department of education is certainly not one thank you okay any other questions. All right St nine you're recognized to close for the bill No bill motion do pass motion do pass as their second second all those in favor say aye. And opposed ayes have it the bill passes congratulations you've passed your bill all right moving to the next bill. This representative Cozart still here. There you are. I'm actually represent Cozart I'm gonna let is well Senator Davis isn't here she. Okay the. All right represent Cozart go ahead come on we'll we'll get you on the table. Everyone you want to do. All right House Bill fifteen forty nine. Your S. please state your name Sir the record the recognized thank you madam chair of a representative Bruce Cozart district twenty four and I'm also the House chairman and what I would meet a doctor may with the sure my letters reduce or sell yeah I'm sure may and director of the criminal justice institution Arkansas center for school safety you're recognized we've we've heard this bill go ahead right this is a or schools what school safety bills The establish a center school safety for the criminal justice Advisory Board and I want to turn it over to that's mine let her kind of yes. Thank you Sir and I'll be very very brief because you all have heard this before this is to be able to fill in the gaps from what the governor's commission school safety commission the thirty recommendations and based on the assessment of the schools themselves I and it includes hi being able to do. A variety of things including. Lockdown drills. audits every three years. and making sure that there is size sufficient interaction with law enforcement fire and die county emergency managers and then it also establishes a an advisory board for the Arkansas center for school safety and also recognizes the need for. Mental health training for schools counselors as well as soft license staff if I got that correct thank you are there any questions Senator Chesterfield. Thank you better hearing thank you chairman Cozart and. However you Cheryl I'm trying ma'am good to see you there to see you as well I guess one of the things when I deal with that when I think it's safe to use the trip to hot springs. If you could liable for Smith and we had a rate that. Is anything about that in here I kind of thought it was but I'm not really really sure because it made me feel safer for our kids. Tell you about this or but officers one went into a hot springs and took a tour of their school in this is basically to set up that that board and I'll let her talk more about it but it it does have to do with school safety and SROs but it or is it set up the advisory board okay this is just the advisory board itself yes Max NO he demo step we can make in order to make sure that they are more safe is that another bill somewhere yes ma'am okay I thought I read somewhere okay yes ma'am. Okay all right any other questions right C. nine Sir anyone here to speak for or against this bill House Bill fifteen I mean. Three on fifteen forty nine right C. nine U. close for your bill ma'am I'm closed motion to pass by Senator English second by Senator Sturch all those in favor say aye and opposed ayes have it congratulations to pass the bill and senator I mean representive Cozart house bill forty fifteen forty one the Senator English. thank you Cozart again district twenty four this bill here is a bill to others concerning the insurance contribution that schools make towards a teacher salaries of or to their increase what is is this is about an increase for their contribution and all we're asking for is the two of the match the minimum increase in the bachelor degree under the license salary schedule if I say anything wrong robin you correct me back there but Anyway we're just asking that schools make that make that increase to match the minimal. All right are there any questions from yes senator Chesterfield you're recognized for a question as we raise the employer contribution is that what you're asking yes ma'am the employee contribution remains the same this is this what raises the employer contribution to match the salary that they're raising because automatically if the salary goes up of the employee the contribution goes back thank you so much. Any other questions. All right anyone here to speak for or against house bill fifteen forty one. Right C. nine U. close for your bill I am close ma'am all right the motion do pass in seconds all those in favor say aye opposed ayes have it the Bill pass is congratulations we will move on to. Hi we're gonna go to your next bill since you're here at all sixteen fourteen. Okay. All right sixteen fourteen this is we've heard this one as well we don't have heard this before in a in a different name on it are there any questions regarding the bill. Anyone here to speak for against the bill okay nine U. cause for you close them motion to pass. And is there a second all right all those in favor say aye. And oppose ayes have it congratulations the bill passes house bill sixteen seventeen seventy seven sixty seven seven is our main funding bill for the schools and part of it So and all the various codes that go along with that. All right now so we changed our adequacy. All right you heard that to so any questions on this bill. All right C. nine is anyone here to speak for against hostile sixteen seventy seven. C. nine you've close for your name ma'am their mission to pass S. and second all those in favor say aye and oppose ayes have it congratulations bill thank you madam chair thank you Committee thank you Mr chair thank you for coming to be with us today. All rights we're going to go back to house bill ten twenty one. Senator Davis. And we also have a guest with you if you if you will please come to the table and doctor bell is here with us today and he has this Handout I believe. And I recognized to speak. Just go ahead and state your name for the record and then I'll happens because Arce has name for the record as well thank you and state senator rand Davis District sixteen all rights. Dr Belleville to state your name for our record that would be nice thank you. The state your name for the record. First of all it would have rocked Robert bill. On the urologist. Retired under Roseville Arkansas. Arraign senator I we're gonna let Senator Davis present the bill and ask questions and then we'll go to you for comments okay are a testimony to. You would also. All introduced the bill yes senator Davis is going to introduce a bill in yeah yes so members we and at the committee we've already discussed this bill and you guys I think brought up a lot of questions and points and that's what doctor bell is here today and to answer some of those questions more directly for you all and explained and the reasoning behind this idea that he's really right to life in this legislation so I will turn it over to him and let him speak and take questions thank you all right there we go go ahead with doctor bill. Well I know you've of of Arkansas of. Who went to college one year. Of early in the am and laws on three years and say it will I went to medical school and in a specialty training in neurology at universal and saw her in Little Rock a resident of Jim's practice of forty six years as a role just in Russellville of in return for two years. What is bill Warner a House bill one O. two one deals with is. Shortening the length. Of American education. We have a really severe shortage of physicians in the United States airforce in Arkansas they're in most states shortages forty thousand doctors United States nine is projected to be eighty thousand two thousand twenty five and eight hundred and twenty thousand two hundred thousand a year two thousand thirty. Something has to be done about this here's the Bill of Yes today deals with the premarital education. I'm. Shares of the training is in most restaurants to use is five years. And the numbers loss specialty training. Is given out by the United States government was phrases Sullivan these residents. We have a lot more graduates. And physicians in Arkansas a region and then we have slots sure service and what we need is to have more slots for specialty training in Arkansas right now we have all these Arkansas. Doctors going on the state police for us to do training in this state out of state we no longer need that so we're working on that centavos on as your bill is his committee to. To have more residency slots sure we're working on that problem so that's to say two years in most cases of medical schools for years. And the fourth year has to do was what. The train using our service team rotation you know of six weeks at a time difference references the dean of the medical school Dr we're stronger is agreed to that some students in full here just do one year specialty which can be applied you know do their residency so that'll then the. We are you will have a three year medical school Alice Walton this building a medical school which will enter your medical schools so I think that's going to be a trainer. So so you were you were there. And as far as. This bill is building the Informatica students. Both remain students go to college for four years sixty seven percent of doctors and other medical students. Sixty seven percent are persons have a degree in college I think. Hello this real fast for this to give a financial incentive. The doctors you're free radical students. I think that if they do things correctly would general cancer devise and then go to college two years and three summers. And then go to medical school save two years now more of financial incentive of the thirty thousand dollars. To go for this purpose and this will not change. The bill of rights you will have to their server second third and fourth year of medical school you know for a tuition fees and books. DO their friend read in three years instead of four there will have fifteen thousand dollars ins and sini. Our state needs is our nation needs is and that's I think that's a fixed price for the number of doctors you again and the. So that's what we want thirty thousand dollars. Financial incentive if they do they're afraid of it in two years fifteen thousand are mentioned senator David do their pre med and three years no financial incentive agreement before it is a motion that been in for years already. Eleventh shortening the program. Any questions. Thank you are there any questions from the members of the committee. Senator. Second. How many students are currently graduating. Their undergrad and three or two or three years. State one. How how many students statewide graduating their undergrad in two to three years. How many students will discover. How many students are graduating in two years or three years. Well. Several applicants to go to medical school. You know that have a hundred and seventy. No per class of medical school No of for terms and any. Africans. So I don't know of. Your improvement in. I have a lot of revisions this freshman. A lot cuter and saw Bills. And your seniors. Sullivan about Five hundred eight eight hundred. Right. Other questions other questions yes senator Elliots hello. Senator Elliot has a question for you on of I have a hearing loss on average of. That's okay what we can make it work doctor bill when you were thinking about the scholarship one of the things that tends to hold a lot of students back is they have a need for scholarship something like this how did you give some consideration to making this needs based as opposed to first come first serve because went on the first come first served basis there there could be students who don't even need the money but just because they are first come first serve they get the scholarship. And we might miss out on another really good student who simply has a need that they just had to that they could not manage that time or they may be more encouraged to go through that time if they knew they could get to a to med school more quickly. Well I think we really. Based on any other grading first come first serve rather than the. That's what I have. I'm just wondering why is that that's kind of what I'm asking because if we work if it if somebody did not need it and got it we just give them some more money but it's somebody who does need it and gets it that will be more to your point because we have more students you see that will be going to the start in the mid School early. Well. I don't think there is any in this problem to begin with. And of. If you. Look at how much it costs to go to college and how much it costs to go to medical school. Just about everybody needs this. It's not very long in other areas it's a. In because alone under did who knows going to screw it your it was awful your turn around us to learn to go to school on that when I went I'm not quibbling with the about it not being expensive I'm not question but I know it is but I but I do know that now and then there are students you know who don't need it and that's that was my only concern if a student who doesn't need the scholarship gets it and you have another good student who needs it doesn't we just missed out on the road. Isn't donated. They probably won't get in the program. As for us the. I'm I'm finished thank you thank you senator bill questions Senator Davis. If you have a copy of the bill. What I'm referencing for everybody else I have to say is line five on page three. I can't find that's referencing in the bill. Did you say page three one five page three page three okay. Is not H. one. And I did amend the bill so that may just be left over any type that from when I needed it so I can get that cleaned up. Okay. Hello. For them to get cleaned up. Whatever the will of the committee is if you guys FOR to you that on it today happy bring it back on yeah do whatever well yeah we can get that amended are there other questions. One of the things that doctor Ballard I appreciate you so much for being here doctor bill and you know for your work and your dedication to the state of Arkansas and and it's you know it's wonderful for me to meet you ice I stay with my mom and dad and you want to residency with might have been so as which is wonderful and I just wanna thank you I share your concerns I really really do share your concerns You know one of the things that does bother me though is in your life in this scholarship program is the first come first serve basis because only kids that would know about it would apply for it and get it where as you might have somebody who really needs it more than private somebody else and every student should have an equal opportunity to apply for the bill for the scholarship that's one of my problems with the way this this is written and I don't disagree with you I think we need to shorten the time frame but I think that has to occur whether it's in the medical school or after in residency because I'm concerned with the way that we have structured our under graduate programs particularly like our lottery scholarships Particularly the lottery scholarship an academic challenge scholarship and here's why. There are some students that have to go for years to undergraduate school in order to afford their degree and let me explain why because my kids are in this boat okay my kids are super smart I mean I I can I'm I'm the proud mom of of four kids but they went to an out of state institution and they have to pay out of state tuition. So that means that they have worked to get scholarships and they have work to do get jobs on campus in order to pay for their college. Their father in nine a and make them sign a contract that they have to pay their college tuition back to us so my children have signed that contract with us and so they have to hustle to make sure that they can afford their living expenses and everything that's required of them to go to college. The reason why it's takes my kids who did enter with concurrent credit he did are probably smart enough to graduate in two or three years the reason why they're state for four years was because they had to only take out enough money and only take enough classes credit hours in order to qualify for some of the scholarships which X. which up which made them. Know how much as and I credit our cost in order to a Ford that semester and they had to go to summer school to and the way it because they had to spread out the financial obligation so that they could meet it and so it's a it's a it's very complicated for some students And so that scenario has required my kids to try to take advantage and take lesser credit hours per semester. So they had to take only twelve credit hours per semester so that they could. At a Ford that semester in the tuition cost and hold down one to two jobs my son Isaac has three jobs right now and he's only taking twelve credit hours so. Some. I completely understand what you are passionate about I don't I don't want to penalize those kids that are going for years to undergraduate and are spreading it out over four years and summer school because they can't afford eighteen credit hours of tuition. And so they can only for twelve credit hours for tuition. So. I had I that's my issue a problem with your legislation and I know that's and long explanation but my son you know looked at going to medical school and he would into obviously be penalized and not be eligible under this and that's fine he's not going to medical school anymore but it's just something that I'm familiar with and I know other kids are also familiar with that because they have to take a little bit longer to get through undergraduate because of their financial situations and so that and that's just I would just with I would love to try to re work your bill with you and help you that I just Dotson those are my concerns on the bill. What we're trying to do the same time you know yeah and I'll make ready to take this time to get the same education. And. You know how Wardlaw roads in during the installation so I understand what you're saying. And the. And a very sentimental about that but the purpose of this is to say childhood this time to get you get to that a voter registration we're trying to say five years yeah as of July. The and I certainly understand your son situation I've been there. Yes I know you have thank you senator Packham your recognized. One of my. One of the glaring concerns on this so we can afford it simply put need you stated there's eight hundred students a year that may qualify for this. That caps out around twenty four million a year that's a big number for scholarships. for very very specific substance very specific area of of education I think if we're going to do this with a I know that outlined some private funds but also says that state funds are going to be used for this a private funds I think that that would be in another way of addressing for you to address what you're wanting to see is is with a private foundation of versus going through legislation to do this. I think that would. Bear a recommended way of going would you would you have an issue doing the. Is putting the state on the hook for twenty four million years of. Tall order. From medical school scholarships. We're going to have to deal with allegations financed with another bill. Henderson will remember coming to the legislature. Our. For that. They're not available this year issues just service credit for the thing what what's the what's the request for funding from the legislature and your bill that you're you know that how much yes Sir. Well I think a room terms of a million dollars we'll have to have some ministration cause for that university of the. Division of higher education and and counselors. Of the the. Let's take care of that for us this morning. With these printable Sims with their not going to get to serve thousand dollars after the. Two years of free medical you're going to after the first year medical school. We're not going to have to say what I'm inferring medicine you know and and and get the money and go someplace else and do something else we want to hear in medical school and I want is to be applied. June or other medical school. They're in Arkansas. And representative cloud is working on another bill and we're healthy asking for a million dollars I think and doctor bill and misunderstood your question I in in terms of the number of people that would graduate that would qualify even graduate in two years I mean I think it's. Fairly safe to say that numbers under five and maybe even three or less it's very few that would meet the three the two year. Undergrad timeline the three year of course would expand a little more and we just don't know what that is. And but I don't think the numbers would be as high as eight hundred I think there's just misunderstanding and that yeah thank you. Are there any further questions from anybody on the committee. Anybody in the audience want to speak for against the bill. If not what's the pleasure of the Committee. Yes members and I thank you for your time I know we ever to committee meetings have taken time on this and and I just appreciate after bill coming to I'm sure his intention and vision for this so I and I appreciate a good vote thank you. Thank you thank you senator. Since their motion. As. I'm sorry. Did I hear motion. I'm hearing things. There's not a motion on there's not a motion on the bill a senator and and talked about And so I will have to leave it at that but thank you so much for making a presentation to us would really appreciate it thank you senator. So I misplaced my agenda The Simpsons which one is there another let's see I've got it covered up what you have one. Two fifty one Senate okay Senate bill two fifty one yes. Thank members does Senator Jane English district thirty four this is basically a cleanup bill for school district waivers and provisions of the code for the Arkansas. But charter schools. Sir can you say anything else about what is clean up words everybody clear with that are you pardon I can you say anything more about about what is clean enough yeah if it did have make some changes in some of the of charter schools we if they're going out of out of business or how how we handle that. I do not have any any questions Scott committee members. You need a little more time to take a look at it or just give me a sign. It's two fifty one is that are you finding it. Okay. Okay. Right. You need a moment Senator recommend that be helpful to you okay all right If there are not any questions from the committee does anybody in the are you most want to speak for or against the bill. If not madam chair I can call you might consider any stuff that. And. Your clothes for you bill is there cause for the bill thank you and I both a motion do pass as a motion to pass a second all those in favor I. Those opposed no the motion passes congrats. The. That's the last one and we have. On the back okay. All right there it is you know if the dog is dashed my hopes. Okay so the items House Bill fifteen ten a we do we do that with if. C. still here. Nine. Senate bill do you have a are you gonna be doing five eighty today right okay all right. All right. Representative Jamie Scott House District thirty seven because it okay I have doctor yes yeah it's just introduced for some doctors here on main she's the director of the national criminal justice institute I think that are close all right you're recognized to present your bill I'll keep this very brief I know you've heard this before house bill fifteen ten is the companion bill to Senate bill four oh seven House Bill fifteen ten AM is a law to institute a memorandum of understanding between school districts boards of directors and local law enforcement concerning the jurisdiction policies and procedures of school resource officers this bill also requires that all school resource officers within eighteen months of being hired complete a forty hour basic school resource program that is being developed by the Arkansas center for safety This imho you will promote coordination between a school district board of directors law enforcement to established financial responsibility chain of command evaluation and for the training requirements by school resource officers we've been working on this bill since last June the Arkansas department of education we have letters of support from the chiefs association the sheriff's association And do you want anything no ma'am you're very I have a great you're doing great and pass both chambers this is the final leg on all the different all right members have a question about the bill we have heard all right senator back I still the same concern an ongoing voices removal you know. Eighteen months is a long time. To be in a position out training. I agree I most certainly agree yes but you know we. With things we work on and I think if we could have something sooner that was agreed upon between everybody that worked on this committee with her over it the last eight plus months it is our desire that it would have been shorter than eighteen months but. I am only discussed it before that came up over again as was indicated a senator Chesterfield. All right and I I think I just have a quick question would productive Dr may I don't I don't I don't know if you were there are representative Scott when it was discussed in the house but I think there was some discussion is about the training especially for the cultural competence part of this man and I you know I I didn't hear it I think there was some discussion about it that you thought perhaps You would be doing everything to try to make sure that that happens that is going to be in there it is yes I have a motion on guarantee yeah it's got it's already in there yeah it's already in there I'm talking this time limit signs. I thought that you were going to I thought so yes ma'am my apologies. Yeah we do what we'll do ma'am this will go ahead and For the SROs that are already gone through a basic SRO clans we'll send them out announcmenet hi that our cultural diversity incompetence classes available to them it's a four hour class and encourage them I'll I'll send an email that'll encourage them to to take it I would really appreciate that you know we had to settle for the eighteen months I would especially like for that to to you know I I appreciate your making that a priority is reversed I will do that and what. Certainly like to ask the other folks in the districts and others to support doctor may in that in that effort because that's that can really cut down on a lot of problems a lot of people don't appreciate it breaking all right anybody in or you're going to speak for against the bill. I see nobody if you have another another question on Senator okay Senate Chesterfield you're recognized one motion. Motion do pass as their second or the second all those in favor I. Those opposed no motion passes thank you for visiting our little party thank you all right. Senate Chesterfield's. This is Senate bill five eighty. Am I recognize you are recognized that the list of folks who had signed up to speak for or against the bill what are they are all for the no no no there are some against a take that back all right but you're recognized and Chesterfield thank you so much House plus Senate bill five eighty was brought to me by a member of The. The entity about which we are speaking and I think we need to say first of all this says may. It is not mandatory. L.. It allow it's totally permissive you get allows online training but only for the fearing. Only for theory they can not apply to the practical. We cannot allow folks who are going to be cutting people's hair. Because people say without having the practice that they need to put in but all this does is say you may have online training for theory thank you cannot have that that's with a fifty percent As You can not have it the practical that's all it does and it puts us where we were during the pandemic that was two executive order this A. S. it's codified that you may do it but you don't have to do it and I'd be happy to take any questions all right and the question of senator Beckham. My understanding and if I'm wrong about this was regardless there's no requirement in the code now for in person training as an actor there is nothing in the code about this at all so what for in person or in person either and so we have here now you saying that you may and I emphasize that in line twenty four the curriculum described in this section may be complete it to supervisory learning I had a lot of calls saying I don't want to do you don't have to. You simply don't have to but in this day of technology if something should happen you are able to provide the theory online if you do not wish to do so you do not have to do so it's that simple with a complex center back and it's a it's a permissive bill that addresses actually I guess would put. More restriction in the law than what we have now yes. All right senator. Senator English. So I guess kinda with Senator Beckham aye I guess I'm not sure what why we need this because I as I have checked their there is no. Rule against doing online At all servicers are like are we are we sitting something else up that we don't need to are we putting in of the law as I said it was brought to me by a member of the body what is this this person said that through executive order they were allowed to do things online it was my assumption the and that in the past at all it to be in person hi so in case there wine as a catastrophe of some time then they would have this already in the law and not have to depend upon the executive branch to do it as the only reason I brought the beehive I I I guess I just don't know that from what I've checked that there really is. Maybe what we donated I'll certainly take a day. I just can't any sort of as as I've checked with folks in there so but we don't have any law that says you can't do that or that the you know the it people are required to do so much so I guess that and I I'm I'm sure and as you've said it with fifty percent with the theory even the practical I think that's the thing it probably makes people nervous is. To make sure that there is a practical and and as it is today I'm not sure that that is even in in the law it says up to fifty percent of the crimes training program as authorized right by the United States Department of Education United States department of education says that only a that practical cannot be friends right. Online now there's a law somewhere that is established what could and could not be practiced online a we would not have the reference to the United States Department of Education so that I may be federal law. But there are rules and raise in place now that name it. What you can and cannot teach in theory hi I mean in in the practicum so there's a law there or we would not have the reference to the United States Department of Education so it's not just **** nilly there is a law out there already that says you cannot do this in the practicum it must be done in person on I think schools would prefer that you know good of the school's barber schools things like that would like to know for sure that everybody is getting the the best education they possibly can yet shall. Senator Beckham did you have another I was curious if there's anyone here speak for or against the bill yeah sponsor so that they can because there was a law that was re I'm trying to I would hope we can get some understanding of we're on Senator chest feels Bill when we say there is nothing that says what you can do one way or the other there is a law that was repealed in the last session but I don't know if that had some some affect on what we're talking about or not it may have but senator we are at the point now if are there any other questions from members this is just a follow up there are rules and race and govern. This entity as a matter of fact we're working on a bill now they can perhaps restore some of those individuals who have licenses license before they were taken away so there are rules and Greeks about it but one of the most specific rules and rates on most specific rule is that the United States Department of of education requires that the practicum be done in person. So we're just allowing them if they want to do the rest the very online if they do not want to do it online they don't have to do it online well it's as somebody who gets their hair cut I would like the brother rescind rules and rags. That we're ready for the for the people to from the audience to speak for against okay. All right Senator Sturch did you have a question okay all right thank you thank you senator Elliot I apologize I have to go run the bill and and public health all right those to speak we have several to speak for the bill will go for and against Senate and. I'm sorry can you can you know come I cannot say that name can Kenyatta Kenyatta ticket rates can Jana Haines you'll come forward please thank you for being with us today. Distill come and sit next to senator Chesterfield and shall assist you with the microphone. Thank you. Hi my name is Kenyatta Hayes I'm a student at the Arkansas College of Barbara here designee of. I was going to kind of talk about the importance of distance learning. So I guess I'm a student I'm also a single mom we're. And And I work really hard to make sure I'm keeping everything balanced well as you know we have children or family that you're taking care of you have to. You know I have to miss school sometimes for doctor's appointments speech therapy things of that nature and the you know the pandemic is still kinda will still is affecting our lives I caught corona virus last summer while I was in school as well and distance education has helped me stay Cotto is. So I think it's important that we keep it okay. And at the. Snitch so. What. A lot of cities have unique circumstances and it'll just help was help to keep was restored and to know that will make it in the industry that we want to be successful in okay perfect great thank you so much have how old is your baby of all I have twin boys there for awhile let's see. Riggle science that's a prayer for you tonight. All right thank you so much for being with us all right to me. All right we have Paul Wilson to speak against. If you'll state your name for the record you're recognized to speak yes ma'am thank you my name is Paul Wilson and I am the owner of the salon professional academy insurer would Arkansas. And I would like to speak against this bill Our school are why is reduce the best quality graduates in the beauty industry and we do that through hands on training in person learning salon experience and. We can accomplish that goal if we do it online I understand your your point of view about doing the three. Virtual through soon those type of things that we think we've done that when COVID first kicked off we switch to an online program. Because the student's life still have to continue people still have to live and move on with the program we just can't put paws on people's lives but we learned is that there's just certain things you can't do online and then translate that to a practical for example we had some students that we're learning here cutting in that particular moment of time when code was first started out this time last year. So what happened is that we set a camera up and we put a mannequin there it's is okay you've gotta manipulated do this this and this and we will talk about the theory but when we came back when we came back in the class in person we learned that the students didn't grass that skill and there's just certain things that you learn in person that the staff and the educators have to physically have access to the student to maneuver their hands and things like that It would if you talk about those in a three point our curriculum is set up in a sense that in the morning you learn very in the afternoon you learn practical if we were to do a fifty percent program like Senator Chesterfield talking about. We would or less front load the classes I don't really see another way that to do the program if you did that so what would happen is that we would have the first seven hundred fifty hours of theory. Fast forward six months from now okay do you remember when we talked about here could in theory five months ago one now we're actually going to do it. And the way the program is set up is that you come in the morning to learn the theory and you immediately turn around and learn what you just talked about in the classroom on an actual person or Amanda can depending on where the students are in the phase of the program. So that's in a practical standpoint of educating students and making them better salon professionals that point doesn't that's not going to translate into an education that's better for the student. And another point I think that maybe there's a little confusion that you're talking about with the department of education They don't necessarily this is my understanding determine what how a program is implemented they say to their creditors that you shall follow a set of specific curriculums and if these institutions follow those curriculums they will then be credit credited and recognized post secondary institutions the accreditors then determine how schools implement those programs. And prior to COVID cosmetology and barbering barring was not allowed to be taught online at all. What's COVID happen they allowed us to do temporary education to address the needs of students in school on a clock hour program. And then the now we've learned past that that it doesn't quite work And I will I think this bill would would have been fine if it'd been introduced when COVID first started but now that the governor's lifted the the mask mandate we've kinda in a. Post code recovery where people are coming back together in gathering it just doesn't make sense for schools to have the option to do that. If the other side of it is that it presents a lot of legislative and administrative challenges for the schools so the Department of that requires us to. Administrate all fifteen hundred hours to the cosmetology program for example. If my school is to take hours from an online class for another institution we did have to then certify that the three classes are up to par and then we do our practical classes but then on the back in were also requiring required to maintain certain licensing requirements placement graduations if our school that has a If we have a high drop rate we have students going to default or other metrics at the department of ed says that we don't need we will lose our accreditation and so presents a serious challenge for schools to administrate a fifteen hundred dollar cosmetology program if we don't have full control over it because it's going to be how am I going to be responsible for that students three classes that they don't attend my institution the I'm also responsible for their job placement and how they would perform on the workplace because that's essentially the set of rules that cosmetology and barbering schools have to play by would they are accredited institutions by the department of education. And so. In my opinion that is the real reason why we can't have a online program for cosmetology and barbering is it doesn't allow students to get the full education that they need because they're here to do a hands on program. And it doesn't allow the schools to fully encompass that and the student if we're going to be responsible for the entire student education that we need to have control of that student. And make sure that they meet the standards and the metric set fire national creditors It's so that's those are the main points that I have for other non passing or not passing against this bill okay if you have questions about the accrediting I might be able to help you I think there's a little bit of confusion how that may work in maybe that's not even my place to say but but I thank you for thank you for your time. Thank you at the yes Senator Sturch would you take questions Senator Sturch I'll do my best okay. I hate to put you on the spot thank you ma'am to that date and anybody from farmers health or cosmetology board that and I don't have Jose Romero on speed down. So I'm I'm going to ask you. At yes someone has. Back to so what I wanted to know when you're talking about curriculum. Is it the Department of and then that puts forth those guidelines is that you kept talking about going back okay with it is that the US department of it is who you're referring to them as far as the curriculum what is required and what's not what I mean curriculum like our schools accredited accredited by NAAC is and they say you have to have X. Y. Z. of so many very practical and then it breaks down even further okay on their so what that means is that we have to play by a very specific set of rules for that a creditor to say that yes you are doing the right things you are teaching the students appropriately and we recognize that and we accredited you for that It's really no different than going to a four year institution they have a criminal is saying things are just a fifteen hundred hours clock hour program In their prior to co that they did not allow us to do distance that the accrediting body the accrediting company or the accrediting institution yes they did not of the Department of that doesn't say who can or can't do things they just say to the accreditors create a set of standards that if institutions want to go to they have to play by the set of rules so that everybody gets the same level playing field of education there are a few different accreditors out there but for the three little differences between the two but for the most part you know it's like you to go to Kroger to get your gas and you go to that sign I mean you still get in you're still getting the same thing is just so how that limited the different cosmetology schools might try to get accredited by a certain one over the other based on the appearance of it's a much better accrediting agency or it's more strenuous or it's more tractive hers that's what's saying there there's that there's other different nuances to about it but I mean for the most part if you're credited by one institution your program is just as good thing or the other and it just depends different states have different hours and so it really also depends on what type of state you're in and I mean there's a lot that goes into it so do you think and is it the accrediting body or as the department of ed that would allow school to make its own decision about whether to use online instruction for curriculum are not like what do you think you'd have that power still even to for your school personally we're not gonna take it or we're not going to accept online instruction we want full fifteen hundred you know in practice it would that still be allowed under the accrediting body or the Department of for right now they've allowed certain schools are school for example to do distance that but that has passed now that we're back in session I mean they I mean are credit there okay but now that we're back in session in the rule basically said in tool you are allowed to come back to me in. Person you can do this and said but now that we have him back in person and we came back into person training end of may early June of last year in so there was only a six to eight week window more we did it we did to the distance education I guess I need to date they say what we can and can't do it is not up to me as a school so if the state did pass this legislation I would not even be able to to do it in less our creditors said that we could. Okay so that was where I was getting okay it made it sound to me as if the way that was written since it is permissive language in the bill that you as the owner of the school or you is about of school and then your creditor you all get together and you say I don't want to accept this or don't do this you would be forced to or at least the way it appeared to me and so another body or another school that did wonder except you know fifty percent of the online curriculum or whatever they could to use now they may have a different credit or something like that but it sounded more permissive to me the run off the coast and I don't think of it any a creditor is going to allow forty fifty percent online education for on for hands on program like cosmetology or barbering I I think they have in the interim right now just because of COVID but I don't really foresee that happening I mean mainly because NAC is our creditors said that it it it has to end once you're back in person thank you ma'am appreciate indulgence thank you senator back on. Is there a. Portion of your curriculum that you'd be comfortable with teaching online I'm I'm. Distortion are part of the twenty twenty one program from the salon professional academy insurer would as the the program content has salesmanship salon management fifty hours professional courtesy appearance and attitude forty nine hours domestic violence and sexual assault one hour things like the related science hundred twenty hours is there a portion of that that you'd be comfortable with teaching online insurance have an online instruction for the at all there are some portions but it's a very very small portion for example electricity is I think four hours it's more of a classroom lecture type of setting but that is just one poor portion you know we're required to give basics on you know anatomy and chemistry and electricity and things like that but that's typical of any institution you know I've I've got a degree in electrical engineering and I had to take an economics and psychology class I mean I could have done those online but you know when I look at the grand scope of the four years that I was an undergraduate and then my graduate school the now that I could do on my was very very minuscule and I don't think that it really would have benefited me to it I mean at the end of the day cosmetology is you know a hands on program and students come to school to learn how to sell because that's really what cosmetology is when you're working as a line you're selling your services you're selling here cuts here colors manicures pedicures or will or whatever it is but it's a sales type of job and unless you have the social skills and all the other things that go part to it you can earn a wage to do that and so that's part of school as well I mean for all those that have been the school we know that there's a lot more to school than just getting a piece of paper and walking out the door and saying that you you've done it I mean there's a lot of social intrinsic skills that come part. Being with an institution that you can't really capture in. Online per se. What. During the the cover nineteen pandemic we seen this a lot and lot of school districts really want a hybrid schedule. And. In my conversations with senator Chesterfield and. Just the way that I'm reading this bill is that it kind of seems to be the intent here is to. Not take away from the ends in person Parker to allow you to do. The things that you don't need to be Dr forty mile I don't know how far as typical student right commutes but the. Just to try to try to allow. A single mom to take the card that you can online at night that she gets the kids And beds or things like that that's what I think is the intent and if that is the intent and. IT you still have the ability from my understanding of the bill to not allow a. Sir Beckham's cosmetology school all for all the online courses and you have to take the credit for an answer is it is that well that that's somewhat true but I would counter that with you know the state does allow us to do a part time cosmetology program and that is for students that are working that can't go to school for a twelve hours a day retainer however long you know from waking up coming to school and going home so there is a part time program options out there billable for students account comedy single moms another part of it is when you are in a credit institution you also get five you can also qualify for financial aid and if you change that ratio the student. Can get less financially living expense money to help the student cover the gap while they're working while they're in school for eight hours a day they can take living expense money to help cover their bills and perhaps to pay for child care it's used for those type of expenses that students have access to and when you change the ratio of online versus in person and when it affects gets to the accreditor levels and they say that we can't do that then what would happen in that situation is that we would possibly have a single mom that says Hey I really want to come to your school do you have an online program and I would say yes we do but if you take the online program we're only going to be able to offer you. Half of your financial aid eligibility and that's not all our rules that's the the accrediting rules and Armitage occasions rules in those regards our hands are tied we cannot change those rules whatsoever It would present a possible conflict for a student that if they could attend the full time program at our institution or any other institution for example they would be able to get those funds were as if they have an online program or accredited allow them to do that we would be able to offer them those funds even if we wanted to it would be out of our control and so yeah one more question we've got a lot of people I just yeah go ahead creating bodies of a private or private companies or the public entities that they're nonprofits. Black is if you go to an active city CCAS dot org that who is a credit is credits are school also credits Arthur's B. school nephew others in front funded through your license your preservation fees yes Sir that's correct. All right thank you all right thank you so much for being here with us today Thomas common. We will come and speak for the bill. And I'm I just just so everyone knows I have one two three four speaking for the bill and one two three speak against the bill left. Three other state your name for the record and then you're recognized to speak. I'm gonna or any others also stayed the organization or interest that you represent us well yes ma'am my name is Thomas Conklin I am a student Arkansas barber college barber here design I've been there since January last week of January I did not come in there during COVID when all this started but I am a disabled person I was I work on my life as a truck driver and was in a drunk driving accident where I was hit by a fourteen year old child driving drunk five years later seven back surgeries a stimulator implant in my spinal cord I'm trying to get back into the work force into a profession to where I can booking schedule my workload based on my physical abilities rather than working for somebody with their expectation of what I need to meet to stay employed since I've started school and if you'll give me just a look at my numbers here since I started school I have two hundred and seventy five hours my grade point averages ninety nine percent on all of my theory Thirty thirty hours of that has been made up online because I go every six weeks to have procedures done on my back the each procedure puts me out two to three days at a time if I'm not allowed to or if I didn't have the opportunity to utilize online learning I would time out of my school over a course of a year I would miss probably a month's worth of school so this gives me the opportunity to continue to get back into the work force and not have to go on disability which is not something that I want I want to be able to provide for my family like the next person dies from my understanding when I take my theory online I'm looking at the same lectures that I would if I was sitting in a classroom I'm using the same curriculum or using the same book it's the same instructor that I would be using if I was sitting in the classroom the only thing that is different is where I'm sitting at the time now any time that we do our class work in theory that's all academic stuff it's all about like like with spoken earlier about electricity in chemistry and anatomy and physiology those sort of things is the information that I have to learn and be able to take a test and passed and that's what got my grade on that ninety nine percent no we start messing with the start working on the mannequin heads and doing things like that that's when it goes into the lab and the practical part that is not something that we do online or in theory because it just doesn't work that way and so this this it really affects me in a personal way you know to be able to go to school online I know I could go to college and and I can go completely online to do all of my classes online qualify for full of financial aid in finding but then I would be again I don't want to work for somebody and have to work and leave their expectations and limitations because I will be able to meet those and that's the reason why this is so important me because it just give us another opportunity for somebody who's is disabled or somebody who has these struggles to overcome like a single mother like a disable personalizing pretty who. May I have a tragedy that they have to overcome for a couple of weeks I make as many classes I can I in person because I do want that aspect in that but I can't make all of them and I'm and there's days that I don't know what day that might be you know I don't know what day I might mess so I do have that opportunity and I appreciate that from my school to be able to have that and I think that we live in a time now where to have a hybrid opportunity where we can do that I think it's it's keeping up with the times I mean all I mean every school that I can think of has some type of online curriculum or opportunities even my daughter who's fifteen you know she does a lot of her school online now so if this the reason why I wanted to come and speak today is because this affects me in a very personal way I want to be able to provide for my family I want to be able to go to work and I want to be able to do the things that everybody else does and without being able to do this I may not be able to do this in this industry that's all I have to say thank you we appreciate you being here and your time and thank you and at some point and I'm not sure if you can answer this question or someone else from the Arkansas college of barbering and it is the accreditation different and would your I realize the bill is permissive but you've heard this discussion about the accreditation or the credit dean accrediting organization allowing it or not allowing it to do you know what your circumstances at your college as far as their accreditation I can speak to that but I can say that that we use the curriculum that we use now is the same correctly that my wife used when she was going through another cosmetology school so it seems to me like it's a pretty average curriculum I don't think that it's okay I don't think that's anything special ones okay thank you so much any other questions any. A senator. Okay Senator Sturch you're recognized for a question you thank you Sir you can thank you and while you're asking your question I'm gonna have the next person that come up to speak against Lizzy Smith. Go ahead Senator Sturch well she's coming in thank you suggestion I'm just going to ask you a quick and working with them are or since you've been bill has been found has the department of health the cost on to board reached out to you with any concerns about it or did you run across anything as far as I had several people call me but nobody from the cosmetology board nobody from the Department of Health I actually thought the bill would be in public health. Because of the issues that are being raised but it is not it's an education issue and that's why it's here nine I'll close my bill differently you know so differently but I will address some of the other stuff but no I have not heard from anybody from the cosmetology board and thank you all right and just wanna. Yes centre back on how many more people to speak M. O. C. we have Quindlen Middleton James young Casey Wester and Miriam kolo hello that are here to speak for it and Carla Jones and Wade Sean to speak against as well as miss Smith. All right so we'll just try to keep everybody go on a day of travel to be here I think it's fair to hear from them thank you. My name is Lucy Smith I work for archers beauty college I am a licensed instructor and also the director of education. In this bill one of the conflicts that are greatly see is we're asking for fifty percent of a fifteen hundred hour course this state in school only allows us mandates that we do one hour of sciri every day. That breaks down to a hundred and eighty seven hours eight hundred eighty seven and a half hours. While we're in school but yet outside of school we want to break it down to fifty percent and during COVID we what little bit we. Did during that time there was such a breakdown in what we do every day hands on it's really hard to maintain relationships maintain how your students are smart how what their needs are and how you need to help instruct and move them in the direction they need to be as an individual makes it really difficult. And You know in school students they gained a lot of acceptance I have witnessed students improve just socially so much from coming into the school and growing with the staff to be recognized for moving through all the different phases that we we do because fifteen hundred hours is not very long for everything that we are required to cover. And we also test our own students so there's a time where we have to get them prepared to go to the clinic for work on a guest that's a time frame then there's a time frame halfway through we're trying to get their practical work where it needs to be and then start educating them on how to pass their practical test. And then from there they're licensed. And it's a very short time. Sometimes it feels like it's too short and if we take fifty percent out of it and they're away from us it just I feel like it takes a lot from what we're doing. Thank you thank you so much appreciate you being with us okay FOR Gwendolyn Middleton. I feel just come up to the table. If Carla Jones wants to come up and be ready on the go we'll have you next. This middle Tennessee state your name for the record you're recognized to give your comments in support of Senate bill five eighty thank you so much my name's going Middleton I am currently the campus president for Arkansas technical school Arkansas college apartment in Arkansas beauty school and I'm also the one that approach Senator Chesterfield about this bill I have this love the. Letter of written out but I think I need to address some things that have come up when. COVID hit in March of twenty twenty our schools were faced with a very short time frame to implement a online program that the governor himself did directed that allow for Parma schools and hospitality schools to then bring in online programming and we have to turn to our accreditation which happens to be an activist and also through a CCSD so I have three schools that are accredited to to bodies what I want to say first is to address that no the cosmetology law does not require in person it doesn't stated however the barber law does say that the classroom that the students must be in a supervised classroom with a licensed instructor the cosmetology board will not allow us to the rules and regulations to implement online learning so when I approached them and asked them if this is something we can bring in a more permanently she told me you need to contact your senator because the law needs to be changed it means to be added. So that's how I got into the Chesterfield. the other thing I wanted to address with the US department of education. Monitors the standards for the the accrediting bodies so how it works when any training I have been into there is federal law there's accrediting guidelines and then there's state law so the Department and US department education actually provides funding for hybrid learning programs in barber in cosmetology schools through the accreditation what the accreditation does the set up the standard support so if the school itself wants to offer an online program they must apply through the accreditation they must so documented observed and records showing that they can actually implement these programs and meet those standards however if you are accredited through magazine you don't want to do this is education you don't have to do this in this case you cannot actually do it so you get an approval letter from the accrediting voicing and that you have met all the standards in that you will comply to the effect every year when we do our annual report we have to submit all of our documentation and there is a second a separate section that is specifically for distance education that we have to show numbers by we have to send records in however if your school doesn't want to do it you simply don't apply you don't do it what we're asking is that Arkansas law allow us at the school because what we experienced or Kobe was completely different where we were yes he mentioned earlier we are held to a standard are we are proprietary school so we are highly highly regulated to make sure students are not receiving fraudulent information or that what we say we do we're actually going to do part of that is that we have to have a fifty five percent graduation rate from students enrolled in our program we report on this every year what I've also recently found out is fifty five percent is the minimal if you stay at fifty five percent for two more years when you're. Are up for re accreditation you can get what's called a finding which means that you're not constantly improving upon those numbers in that can be a problem for the accreditation if we continue to stay at that number we don't meet that number we lose our ability to give students funding to receive title for funding such as grants and scholarships I say all that to say this is not something we throw out like what we saw when we did this was where we had a sixty seven percent average for our students prior to which is the minimum the department of education will allow you to continue to go to school and receive funding when we implemented virtual learning for our students our average went up to ninety percent ninety two percent average for our beauty school and two eighty seven percent average for our partners. Our in home in House standard is eighty five percent and we have a hard time with students mainly meet their their challenges they're dealing with financial struggles they're dealing with medical issues they're dealing with transportation any of that the Department ed says that if a student doesn't show up to your campus for fourteen days you have to drop the apartment is is you can give a student a leave of absence of two hundred eighty days our school doesn't do a hundred eighty day leave of absence will do thirty day increments and what happens is doing a leave of absence is everything stops the student cannot have credit they cannot even if they study at home attorney and homework they can't turn it in to get credit for it they can't the schools can't do anything in stock we lose student engagement what we saw with virtual learning was we have the opportunity to continue to engage of students so we're yes we can offer one hour of the day we can also allow the student to do the homework that we assigned for them to do at the campus they can do that at home if the Sudanese of refresher to be able to go into listen to the live they have that morning they have that opportunity to do that online because there is a whole curriculum lady what's the state board of education R. State Board tests are based on is offered completely online they have a mind to help. I'm learning that requirement that allows students to logging in the teacher controls with the student has access to thank you Review the lesson they can take a test they can do all of that online Milady tracks how much time they have in this system and then we can give students credit for that this state also says that we have to be able to I'm sorry the department is is that we have to be able to show that is distant the difference between a virtual student and a student that has clocked out was in house we have already contracted with a third party servicers who has the time clock that if the student is not on our campus it automatically counts that hours toward virtual learning so when we say up to fifty percent were nasty do your whole seven hundred fifty hours of theory up front what we're saying is we have a school create a schedule so where in you have to sign up for when you get there you can do a part of your learning online but then your practical still has to be done so thank you comes though Tuesday and Wednesday and you do all your practical or your practical work you can do the other parts of your learning through distance education or through an online platform I'm not going to talk about the financial part because we have a very capable financially directed this the address that the only other thing I want to say is that. We're not asking that this be mandatory we're asking that because the department it gave us funding to the carers act in twenty twenty to implement these online programs we bought computers we increased our wifi for our students we gave them accessibility to that we went to the digital learning with the mines have there are so many things that are coming out every day one of my searches just told me about a new program that is going to allow our students to do even more with online we're moving to more technology based we just want to be able to have the ability to do it and not be restricted by the state to do it if your school doesn't want to do it then like Senator Chesterfield St don't do it. Okay I'm sorry I got a little past me there but any questions you're fine you know your stuff all of you do everybody that has testified really. He showed up very much center back on your thank you for coming Your early. Your days already outlined by the cosmetology board correct what we offer in return is out one night schedule is that we set the schedule ourselves. But the schedule is to be submitted to the cosmetology board for approval that know me I daily schedule no one else okay I think have to be able to what we have to do is post our schedule in the school so when the cosmetology board or the bar barber forty because of the war operate differently but when they come in they need to be able to look at the schedule say okay you're supposed to be in very from this time are you in theory from that time are you doing clinicals on at this time but we don't necessarily have to submit a schedule to the board and board say well no you can't you get this time we can't do we we create the schedule as long as the compliance thing we will thank you I guess a S. the question on what you what I mean is there what I'm trying to ask is you have. A certain amount of the area that you can teach in a hour or eight hour day or. What time only under the law the cosmetology board says that we can only do one hour theory a day which is what we do however there is not all that students do on their own they still have to do they have to go to our learning resource center and papers they have to do a study for tests they have to do study guides and all of that that's the portion that we're saying that if we can allow them to also do in our virtual classroom they can get credit for if they're at home at twelve o'clock at night you know doing a study gap or to even though you don't have to have additional rules created outside of this legislation well no I don't take anything because if we apply for if we get it approved in the state then we have to apply for approval to our credit ation naked in ACCS the both have standards this state this is what is allowed in this is not and we have to apply to those. I mean comply to those in. Okay any other questions. To the Committee are thank you thank you for being here with us and. Carla Jones. AS collagens here. Thank you feel the state your name for the record you can and you're recognized to speak against Senate bill five eighty Carla Jones. And I am currently working for Artur's beauty college okay before I start I'd like to say that I would respectfully. Speaking against. I'm a licensed cosmetologist in license compounds instructor I'm also on the other side of the fence I'm a licensed barber in a licensed barber instructor. As far as the curriculum goes our state board of cosmetology has a certificate of training that list. The number of hours that you have to have to train. In each area of the curriculum so our curriculum is set by the board. We have fifteen hundred hours of training. And we're being asked to. Allow seven hundred fifty of those hours to be done in theory. Doing COVID we had students that were. On. This is education. And. Once they were on distance education we have found that the students. Didn't comprehend or they didn't. Remember as well as the issue when they came back in other words kind of like when a policy. Students train and get there in the morning. Generally what happens is they have a practical that follows the theory that they got that morning. And to try to get a student to remember five months down the road like you said to come in and not have to do a chemical on someone T. and or do a hair cut. Is. Not going to be. Very good for that student you know they're not going to remember is hard enough now for us to get students that are on site every day to come to school get the area by the time in the theater from nine to ten o'clock and get to the floor. By ten ten fifteen half I'm sorry for a guy with a total man there in the first place so you got a reminder. Over and over one of the things that they tell you as an instructor is that. It's not only knowing how smart your students are is knowing how they're smart. A lot of our students need readers they need an instructor to read to a so that they can understand comprehend we need to be on site to do that we need to know how students are smart some of them have to see it. Some of them have to hear and see it and someone have to hear see and do it and they have to have all that together in one piece you know they can't be seven fifty hours here and come back seven fifty thousand we don't learn how to do. Erica at that. You got the room six months ago. And I expect you to be able to do it. It's not gonna happen. And as far as the. Federal part in the money part now that. None of that's going to matter if the student. Can't come to school and get keep their grades up to in order to get that another part of the federal parties they have to be able to keep their their grades up along with their attendance. Any update the rate falls down then you know the funds will be lost anyway you know they're gonna go downhill anyway so. I think we must keep the students inside the building with the instructors on site so that we can be there to. For lack of a better word coddled them to get in to laws cosmetology and barbering. Is designed to be a short contact. feel of learning so that you can get out get in there quick and get out quickly go to working to to make a living. And we have to be able to keep those two components together with their part in the practical part you let the record. One hour in the morning are having now would you teach it following that the real hair cutting you do hair cutting. Following that theory on the chemical you do the chemical. And how do students learn repetition we constantly teach them shall do agent telling do. You have to know how your students are smart and how you got to get it across to and I think that we need to keep it together. And because of those reasons I say. I'm against the bill. Respectfully. You're sorry thank you I appreciate you being here James young is here to speak for the bill any questions for her okay James John feel come and speak for the bill. And then wait to Sean I believe we can speak against the bill if you'll just come and stand right there will try to move this along. Mr young if you'll just state your name for the record were happy to have you with us here today thank you you're here to speak for Senate bill five eighty yes ma'am my name is James young I am a licensed instructor and program director Arkansas comes Barbara. And I think the bill a Speaker for the bill because I'm in direct contact with the students a day so I'm here stories like Thomas thank you how to and things that's hindering students from progressing in and get into the work field all the time so if we had this implemented I think it'll be beneficial for the schools after the students I'm here everybody speak I wouldn't expect for the students to wanted to fifty percent of the fifteen hundred dollars virtual I'm not a student Emma come come in contact with our passion about what they do and they want to get on the floor so if they do run into a problem or hurdle in life if they're able to you know do virtual for maybe two weeks of my office some to continue to education and then come back and go ahead and finish up I think it'll be the so thank you I speak for the Bill. Thank you thank you for being with us today yes ma'am have any questions. AS superdog cool San. I'm just I love everybody that has spoken so far just one very cool people. All rights. Mr Wade shawl strong strong I'm sorry strong speaking against the bill. My name's Wade showing owner of Arthur's beauty college and Jacksonville Conway Fort Smith and Jonesboro okay. One laid off with this I'm a businessman. And I have. Breanne Arthur's for quite some time came from the lumber industry I deal with all men all the time as although it was a man of how curve to learn. When I came dealing with women by a lot of women cry and cry I'm a lot of crime can I talk toward they're also taking their heads behind Jesus saying that sure. The. I used to have our conversation I go have dinner with my parents quite a bit Mr caresses my mother she's the Shibata ninety nine my grandfather's Arthur. miss Virginia my granny top notch Les nobody better sorry no disrespect restrictions that has my granny okay. But. Something is Chris sent me a bunch was. You know everything about business but you don't know nothing about my office and I was like there was a man I don't even make any sense. Ninety euros by same comment. About three years of this off on inside an enroll in school. I have my license. I'm an instructor as well and an owner. I'm against the bill for this purpose. There's some things that are being looked at here on the business side of it. There are we're requesting there's a hundred eighty seven hours as required I have the breakdown here of what the state requires of us to do in each section and I believe it was even sent to senator Chesterfield about it In that break down. Out of a hundred eighty seven hours at two hundred eighty seven days of one hour thirty day that's what's required of us inside. The program. There's some things that have been talked about here each school sets their schedule and her question was asked inside that schedule is there You for an I'm just talking about Arthur's here not Tom up to spa or or Arkansas. We go from nine to ten o'clock. Is Your theory time and it breaks down you break out at ten o'clock you go into practical you're going to the floor we have specific things we want you to do. In that time frame. How are we going to figure out this is something I would like for you look and I'm not even I'm I'm I get smacked in the back of the head with this on now. But. Because I was asked if there was any compromise. We talked about this didn't mean you talked about this she called me on phone great conversation. The big thing that I'm. Didn't get back to you with an eye and intended to was your schedule. For thirty hours a week six hours a day at my school your schedule that's what you're supposed to be there for the contract. That's how you determine. Your time frame your Max time frame okay. You can always go to school for twenty two hundred fifty hours Max time that's after you're supposed to graduate you can this basically six months. K. Hendren eighty days. If a student. Does it come to school but one hour a day on theory. What what what happened in my five hours during that day. It goes against the right. It goes against because you have to do what you say you do I don't know how we would be able to write a program. That would say four years since. A student here that that he has a point on he was injured. How do you write a program for that injury for that moment that says. You get to back out of your contract because NAC is makes us stay on our contract you can't deviate from it because you feel sorry for them. That's the rule it's the same across the board whether it's a student who can walk in there stand upright a student who comes in there who went in a car accident. They're giving a hundred eighty days we've had a lot of occurrences that happen within our schools have been doing this for fifteen years I've seen a lot of stuff and seen it all but I've seen a lot of stuff. We give them opportunities to stop their time and I it is stopped what what was said It is stopped they can pick back up from right where they left off. The question is in and what I have heard in their situation is. That they struggle getting their students back from LOA which is a leave of absence. Well I don't. In my number with Nakiska is fifty percent it's not fifty five percent fifty four percent ten there's there's three metrics. It's attendance graduation and licensure it's fifty sixty seventy. That's what the metric is if you don't reach that metric. You've you get. Smack on the hand and you get fined you have to get that metric up. What I see here is a bill that's being written to dumb it down so that we can keep going in a slow motion. I'm not picking at the bill I'm looking at it as business side now I am an instructor there are problems with this AS one hour verses what's the other five hours in our school we don't have to take it up I agree. How are they going to do that it's going to create an issue inside that measure each huge. And it's not good for the students at all it financially will bark bind them it will financially bond them. Because there are penalties for not coming to school. If you don't reach your time frame. I don't know what theirs are but I know what mine are. And it's a lot. Because if you don't come to school I'm coming to school every day I come to school every day I go to work every single day just because you didn't come to school that day. Why I give my students ten days in a contract that doesn't cost anything and then they have a hundred eighty days I can work with. I want to know if you do that how in the world isn't isn't contracted day going to fall into play when a student comes in. How's that gonna look. How's it gonna look. How's the money gonna fall well for them the students. That's what I'm interested in. How's it gonna benefit ma'am other than. My kids been sick a couple of days. You know I understand that I deal with every day I have a child myself. At three am I have a twenty two year old and eighteen year old and a three year old are y'all I don't know what I've done you know I'm saying it's it's an issue I see it I understand it. But I also understand because I was standing side by side with students on a daily basis that we're trying to figure out how they're going to get through this program. It is my job. To help them through it and help them through it by being there with them. That's all I have to say about it thank you thank you for hearing my statements remember you know everything about my business you know everything about business but you don't know everything about my business and keep that in mind when you're voting for that that's what I ask for thank you other questions Senator back on. Is there any any percentage you'd be willing to. Well it figures up to what was the percentage that we talked about. But I don't know how we can it's like seven something percent. I don't know how we can oversee that with. The you have if you contract for Paul in them to eight or ten hours a day you're only allowed one hour theory today we do six and the reason why we do six is to benefit the student. That's why I do it that's the way I wrote it I do it so that the student can get there we open at nine because you can drop the kids off at school. You see him off on the bus you can live in Greers ferry Arkansas and you can drive the Conway. And be there on time before nana want. A quick question sure sorry Sir Beckham did you have a follow up question do you do you charge like what is your payment schedule for your or charges do you have like facility fees or anything like that that you are just part of the tuition. I'm not completely fun there's all kinds of fees involved what do you mean do you want me to lie tell you what my kit cost is what my no agency is our it's nine dollars an hour to come to our school basically out figured out okay okay and so if you go over that. You get penalized because I've got people standing in line want to come to school okay you know I'm I'm holding a spot for you for this time. Does that make sense and every school does that. Everyone of them does it because you can't drag people through a program for a long period of time because you stretch it out in you you. You strap yourself. To a student that's why when that students on leave you can get people in and out of there on that period of time there's a six month period there's a time a waiver. Does that make sense yeah I was just curious if you if there was like a tuition fee and then there was like a facility fee there's a tuition free there is a kid costly there is you know like when you take yeah okay so if you have to buy your lab kit or whatever so yeah we bundle that up for you we give them of Chromebooks we we are we were ready when COVID hit we were ready. We were ready we pay for a long time ago and had it sitting there. I don't know why we just did it because I'm for the student we had it sitting there it just happened to work out for us we had a so March fifteenth it they shut us down. We can go to work and we did it and as we were doing that they also offer to go up another twenty five percent from fifty percent to seventy five percent because they were like we this is going on too long we're scared we're gonna lose students and staff I said no because I created a hybrid program that you asked about with the help of my staff that said two zero three hundred hours you Cayman's you're in class work we did it in school because at your back foundation. Three oh one the nine hundred you came on Tuesdays and Thursdays but you did very money Wednesday Friday. Monday Wednesday Friday nine oh one to fifteen hundred hours were in school the reason why was because I needed them on people. They had to be on people. Okay thank you are there any other questions that I answer your questions Senator Elliot you're recognized for a question but as a because I realized this late it just as quickly as you can you mentioned something about a compromise what would that have looked like and that's one of spouse on saying center I don't know what that's gonna look like it needs to be to fit the student I'm not trying to benefit the school why I thought you said you had talked about a compromise I'm just curious that we did she just said what would you be willing to do twenty five percent fifty percent would outlaw the question I would have was would be what would you be willing I was asking about what you would be willing to do if that was possible so but that's okay that answers my question yeah within my school zero thank you all right thank you but. Okay thanks. All right. At we have for the bill we have two more for the bill yes just for a question yes senator Chesterfield you're recognized Senate bill is there anything in this bill that would require any school in Arkansas to offer any virtual program not a thing okay Sullivan destin is driving me nuts because people keep acting like making them do something they don't want to do. I don't care if they don't offer fifty percent. Yes that's their business okay and I'm ready to close on the bill. All right and is there a motion. Senator English. The. Senator English means for immediate consideration is there a second. Second all those in favor say aye. And opposed all right that is a non debatable motion for immediate consideration at what is the pleasure of the committee on Senate bill five eighty. I take it's a motion to pass by Senator Chesterfield is there a second. Second all those in favor say aye. And opposed ayes have it congratulations you've passed your bill and. Casey at Casey western and Miriam piccolo. Thank you for coming and speaking or sorry we passed over you. Okay members of the committee I I am passing over Senate bill five oh one and we're going to do Senate bill five ninety nine quickly I hope. I think that that one has. Yes so senator Elliots. I have to do it from out there but I mean I can just it's a very straightforward bill I can do it from right here if you just to save time. Okay so This this is a Senate bill five oh one okay member Senate bill five oh one and you have before you and. And I have no idea where a copy of the bill is. At five ninety nine it's five ninety nine. If the all right five ninety nine anybody who has ever five by one so we do have somebody here with the treasurer's office grant Wallace second speak about if you have any questions but it establishes Arkansas financial Education Commission what this Education Commission will do is it's really putting all the financial folks in the room to talk about financial literacy and curriculum and there's a lot out there is that the banking association and financial investors and things like that have and it's really trying to put a focus on financial literacy and curriculum and education for our students by creating this commission that will be houses at with the Arkansas treasurer's office for something is the appropriate place to do that financial literacy for me for students is critically important I think every student should read the Dave Ramsey books about death and educating them about money and credit and credit scores and all those good things and so that's what the bill aims to do and I'll be happy to answer any questions. I'll start with a question I'm I'm curious if a part of this will be for the folks who are on the commission itself if that commission will educated self about historic in equities and ability to create to even create savings of any kind and if we're going to teach them about what capitalism actually needs you know because we talk about it and never teach that. So I don't know which one of you asking but somebody I mean I I I I I think it's so important to give all of our students the tools that they need in order to understand savings when I tell a little story I was in baton Rouge and I went to Gino's restaurants phenomenal accounting restaurant if you're ever in baton Rouge Siculo Neil would frequents this restaurant and Shaquille o'neal of course the MBA wanted him to come into the NBA will his mother that not until you low how to balance your checkbook and not until you know how to manage your money and so the the owner of the restaurant Mr Gino became his financial adviser. And it but it really for me it was such an interesting story because there you have people that you know just really don't have the ability to understand or know in your to your point I think it's a great point because I think you need to understand you know how to learn about money and manage money is if you don't you can so easily sink yourself into a sink hole so fast if there is such tragic stories out there about former NFL football players that are homeless because they they never had those tools to be able to manage their money or to understand credit or investments or anything like that and it really should not be particular to your background or your socio economic status it really should be available to all kids but that's what I would I do appreciate question I think I'll be a phenomenal and fabulous thing for them to understand the historical the only thing I would add Senator is that we do have one position that is appointed that is a minority one position is a female and it was for that intentional purpose to make sure that all diverse backgrounds all social economic backgrounds would be representative listen too had a voice at the table so that we can meet individuals where they were when we went out in the field not just students but it if we need to carve out a program that specifically targets minority populations are women populations or a veteran population that we built a comprehensive program that would eight be able and equipped to meet those individuals where they are sent to you to answer your question yeah I did want to point out that direct thank you introduce yourself for the record I I. It Wallace chief deputy treasurer for treasure Milligan I'm sorry thanks so that Senator Irvin I want to be really clear up because I think what you said is is a good thing but for example most people have no notion that there is historic in equity in our tax code for people to be easy to to even try to close that wealth gap so what I'm asking is are in order to teach somebody you need to understand all the reasons that they are where they are and a lot of that is is rooted in historic and I'm purpose historic of decisions that we have made so what I'm saying is it will be important for the commission to understand that is not just a matter of a person just knowing about what to do right now but it will be important to know how it got that way because if we don't change the tax code for example that's never going to be addressed so will be good for you to know this tax code is built in this way that if you are you know like that the the marriage the marriage penalty or what we call it is not so much a marriage penalty as much as it was set up for generally when women did not work outside of the home was set up to advantage that population. And the same advantage did not go to somebody who is single and most of those those were those historic inequities that we built and so I just I love the idea it is really important that the the wealth gap that we see didn't just pop up it is systemic and I just want that to be a part of what the commissioners understand because somebody there if you know that and things we just we just don't even talk about I'll take that back on thank okay all right I will as well yeah it. I. Someone would have to do it all here I just want the idea on the table yes okay all right. Are there any further questions anybody Anybody in the audience were speak for or against the bill because you don't need to be addressed to you hot. If not. Okay so you're recognized Senate is actually working on legislation. Just. To require financial education financial compensation higher at so I love this bill. Thank you I will add you as a concern. Senator been of if I thank we don't have anybody else you want to speak you're recognized the clothes for your bill thank you to members I just appreciate all appreciate the support for it in that discussion okay so critically important so I motion to pass a motion passes their second there's a second all those in favor I hi those opposed no your bill has passed thank you thank you members for the support all right thank you Mr Wallace and all rights