Education Committee- House
Video
Transcript
1 document
Bills discussed (61)
| Bill | Title | Sponsor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
HB1728
Act 906
· 8 mentions in agenda, chapter, transcript
Matched: “…IC CHARTER SCHOOL TO IMPLEMENT A MOBILE PANIC ALERT SYSTEM. HB1728 Ennett TO REQUIRE REPORTING ON THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS RECEI…”
|
TO REQUIRE REPORTING ON THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS RECEIVING ACCOMMODATIONS FOR A DISABILITY AT INSTITUTIONS … | Ennett | Notification that HB1728 is now Act 906 |
|
HB1017
Act 904
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1017 A. Collins TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING PAID MATERNITY LEAVE…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING PAID MATERNITY LEAVE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES; AND TO REQUIRE … | A. Collins | Notification that HB1017 is now Act 904 |
|
HB1139
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…NT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES. HB1139 B. McKenzie TO CREATE THE RELEASED TIME EDUCATION ACT. HB18…”
|
TO CREATE THE RELEASED TIME EDUCATION ACT. | B. McKenzie | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1482
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…NT AT EACH MEETING OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS. HB1482 Gramlich TO CREATE AN EXCEPTION TO THE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RE…”
|
TO CREATE AN EXCEPTION TO THE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR A STUDENT WHO TAKES A … | Gramlich | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1492
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…ENTS FOR A STUDENT WHO TAKES A GED TEST AND RECEIVES A GED. HB1492 Gramlich TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT AND OPEN-EN…”
|
TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT AND OPEN-ENROLLMENT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL TO IMPLEMENT A MOBILE … | Gramlich | Recommended for study in the Interim by the … |
|
HB1709
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…Hope Duke RE-REFERRED TO COMMITTEE Number Sponsor Subtitle HB1709 Steele TO AMEND THE HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS IN THE SCHOOLS P…”
|
TO AMEND THE HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM; AND TO INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH … | Steele | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1710
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM. REGULAR AGENDA Number Sponsor Subtitle HB1710 Vaught TO PROHIBIT A SCHOOL FROM USING OR REFERENCING A PUB…”
|
TO PROHIBIT A SCHOOL FROM USING OR REFERENCING A PUBLIC SCHOOL RATING IN ANY ADVERTISING, … | Vaught | WITHDRAWN BY AUTHOR |
|
HB1727
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1727 L. Johnson TO AMEND THE FUNDING AVAILABLE TO ADULT EDUCATIO…”
|
TO AMEND THE FUNDING AVAILABLE TO ADULT EDUCATION CHARTER SCHOOLS. | L. Johnson | WITHDRAWN BY AUTHOR |
|
HB1747
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1747 Vaught TO CREATE THE BABIES AT SCHOOL ACT; AND TO ALLOW SCH…”
|
TO CREATE THE BABIES AT SCHOOL ACT; AND TO ALLOW SCHOOLS TO PERMIT EMPLOYEES WHO … | Vaught | Recommended for study in the Interim by the … |
|
HB1755
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…O PAY FOR INCURRED COSTS FOR APPROVED PAID MATERNITY LEAVE. HB1755 T. Shephard TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL TO PARTICIPATE IN…”
|
TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ARKANSAS PREVENTION NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY. | T. Shephard | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1761
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…RENTS TO BRING THEIR INFANTS SIX MONTHS OR YOUNGER TO WORK. HB1761 D. Garner TO INCREASE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH THE EST…”
|
TO INCREASE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INCOME LIMITS FOR STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR EDUCATIONAL … | D. Garner | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1766
Act 907
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1766 Ennett TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS RESPOND, INNOVATE, SUCCEED, A…”
|
TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS RESPOND, INNOVATE, SUCCEED, AND EMPOWER (RISE) ACT. | Ennett | Notification that HB1766 is now Act 907 |
|
HB1806
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…MITISM IN STATE-SUPPORTED INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. HB1806 Vaught TO PROVIDE CURRICULUM TRANSPARENCY FOR PARENTS OF KI…”
|
TO PROVIDE CURRICULUM TRANSPARENCY FOR PARENTS OF KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE TWELVE STUDENTS; AND TO ALLOW … | Vaught | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1864
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1864 Andrews TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE TO IMPROVE…”
|
TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY IN STUDENT INSTRUCTION; AND TO … | Andrews | Recommended for study in the Interim by the … |
|
HB1866
Act 908
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1866 Brooks TO CREATE ELI'S LAW; AND TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC SCHO…”
|
TO CREATE ELI'S LAW; AND TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL TO INSTALL AN AUDIO RECORDING … | Brooks | Notification that HB1866 is now Act 908 |
|
HB1874
Act 795
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…LOCKER ROOM AND DRESSING ROOM ON THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CAMPUS. HB1874 B. McKenzie AN ACT TO AMEND THE USE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP…”
|
AN ACT TO AMEND THE USE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUNDING THAT EXCEEDS THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT … | B. McKenzie | Notification that HB1874 is now Act 795 |
|
HB1903
Act 911
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…CATION TO INCLUDE CHIROPRACTORS OR CHIROPRACTIC PHYSICIANS. HB1903 Walker TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE TO PROVIDE…”
|
TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE TO PROVIDE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH FLEXIBILITY REGARDING ALTERNATIVE … | Walker | Notification that HB1903 is now Act 911 |
|
HB1919
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…ARDS DURING THE ARKANSAS ACADEMIC STANDARDS REVISION CYCLE. HB1919 McAlindon TO CREATE THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ACCESS AND TRANSPAREN…”
|
TO CREATE THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ACCESS AND TRANSPARENCY ACT; AND TO REQUIRE PUBLIC ACCESS TO … | McAlindon | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1924
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1924 Puryear TO REPEAL THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE STATE BOARD OF E…”
|
TO REPEAL THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ESTABLISH RULES REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION … | Puryear | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1933
Act 912
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1933 McCollum TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING A SCHOOL DISTRICT BOAR…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING A SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS; AND TO CREATE A … | McCollum | Notification that HB1933 is now Act 912 |
|
HB1938
Act 807
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…MOVAL FOR A MEMBER OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS. HB1938 Joey Carr TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE CONCERNI…”
|
TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE CONCERNING THE CREATION OF DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLANS AND … | Joey Carr | Notification that HB1938 is now Act 807 |
|
HB1939
Act 808
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1939 Joey Carr TO AMEND ELIGIBILITY FOR TEACHER INCENTIVE AND ME…”
|
TO AMEND ELIGIBILITY FOR TEACHER INCENTIVE AND MERIT PAY; TO AMEND REQUIREMENTS FOR SUMMATIVE EVALUATIONS; … | Joey Carr | Notification that HB1939 is now Act 808 |
|
HB1940
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1940 Walker TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL DI…”
|
TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES AND MAINTAINS A FOUR-DAY … | Walker | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1941
Act 809
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…NTAINS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. HB1941 Joey Carr CONCERNING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BOARDS AND COM…”
|
CONCERNING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS; AND TO PROTECT ARKANSAS STUDENTS BY ENSURING THE … | Joey Carr | Notification that HB1941 is now Act 809 |
|
HB1945
Act 913
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1945 McCollum TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS OPPORTUNITY PUBLIC SCHOOL CH…”
|
TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS OPPORTUNITY PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE ACT; TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE … | McCollum | Notification that HB1945 is now Act 913 |
|
SB352
Act 721
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…EEDOM ACCOUNTS IN THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR AND THEREAFTER. SB352 Stone TO PROHIBIT ANTISEMITISM IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SEC…”
|
TO PROHIBIT ANTISEMITISM IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS; AND TO PROHIBIT ANTISEMITISM IN STATE-SUPPORTED … | Stone | Notification that SB352 is now Act 721 |
|
SB373
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…ED TO EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS. SB373 Irvin TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS FINANCIAL EDUCATION COMMISSION.…”
|
TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS FINANCIAL EDUCATION COMMISSION. | Irvin | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB390
Act 695
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB390 J. English TO ESTABLISH THE STATE APPRENTICESHIP AGENCY ACT…”
|
TO ESTABLISH THE STATE APPRENTICESHIP AGENCY ACT. | J. English | Notification that SB390 is now Act 695 |
|
SB402
Act 725
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB402 C. Penzo TO PROHIBIT A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AN EDUCAT…”
|
TO PROHIBIT A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AN EDUCATIONAL SERVICE COOPERATIVE FROM REQUIRING OR TAKING … | C. Penzo | Notification that SB402 is now Act 725 |
|
SB467
Act 645
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB467 C. Penzo TO MODIFY THE DEFINITION OF "HEALTHCARE PROVIDER"…”
|
TO MODIFY THE DEFINITION OF "HEALTHCARE PROVIDER" REGARDING STUDENT ATHLETE CONCUSSION EDUCATION TO INCLUDE CHIROPRACTORS … | C. Penzo | Notification that SB467 is now Act 645 |
|
SB470
Act 646
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…RNING ENHANCED TRANSPORTATION; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. SB470 J. Dotson TO REQUIRE AN ADULT APPROVED TO OVERSEE THE ADMIN…”
|
TO REQUIRE AN ADULT APPROVED TO OVERSEE THE ADMINISTRATION OF A STATEWIDE STUDENT ASSESSMENT TO … | J. Dotson | Notification that SB470 is now Act 646 |
|
SB515
Act 647
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…STUDENTS IN A VIRTUAL SETTING TO MEET CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS. SB515 J. Petty TO REQUIRE THAT A UNIT DEDICATED TO ARKANSAS VETER…”
|
TO REQUIRE THAT A UNIT DEDICATED TO ARKANSAS VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES BE INCLUDED WITHIN … | J. Petty | Notification that SB515 is now Act 647 |
|
SB522
Act 648
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB522 M. McKee TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING THE ARKANSAS SCHOOL FOR…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING THE ARKANSAS SCHOOL FOR MATHEMATICS, SCIENCES, AND THE ARTS; AND … | M. McKee | Notification that SB522 is now Act 648 |
|
SB547
Act 728
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…AND FEES PAID BY STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE ONLINE PROGRAMS. SB547 D. Sullivan TO REPEAL THE REQUIREMENT THAT A HOMESCHOOLED S…”
|
TO REPEAL THE REQUIREMENT THAT A HOMESCHOOLED STUDENT LIVE WITHIN A CERTAIN RADIUS OF A … | D. Sullivan | Notification that SB547 is now Act 728 |
|
SB90
Act 902
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…CHOOL TEACHERS UNDER THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 2003. SB90 J. English TO REQUIRE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO BE AFFORDED…”
|
TO REQUIRE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO BE AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT PUBLIC COMMENT … | J. English | Notification that SB90 is now Act 902 |
|
HB1020
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…YPES OF ASSESSMENTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAY PROVIDE TO STUDENTS. HB1020 A. Collins TO REPEAL THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FR…”
|
TO REPEAL THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM; TO CREATE A NEW EDUCATION FUNDING … | A. Collins | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1023
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND OPEN-ENROLLMENT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS. HB1023 A. Collins TO AMEND THE STATE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM; AN…”
|
TO AMEND THE STATE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM; AND TO AMEND THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR LOAN … | A. Collins | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1025
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…EPAYMENT AMOUNTS UNDER THE STATE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM. HB1025 McGruder TO CREATE THE TEACHER FAIR DISMISSAL ACT OF 2025.…”
|
TO CREATE THE TEACHER FAIR DISMISSAL ACT OF 2025. | McGruder | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1027
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…LEARNING MATERIALS. DEFERRED BILLS Number Sponsor Subtitle HB1027 D. Garner TO CREATE THE BRIGHTER START ACT OF 2025; AND TO…”
|
TO CREATE THE BRIGHTER START ACT OF 2025; AND TO REQUIRE THE TREASURER OF STATE … | D. Garner | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1030
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…TING AND FUTURE ARKANSAS BRIGHTER FUTURE FUND PLAN ACCOUNT. HB1030 T. Shephard TO REQUIRE A SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER OR LAW ENF…”
|
TO REQUIRE A SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER OR LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL TO OBTAIN CERTIFICATION IN YOUTH … | T. Shephard | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1031
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…OUNSELOR TO RECEIVE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING. HB1031 D. Garner TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS HEALTHY LIFESTYLE EDUCATIO…”
|
TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS HEALTHY LIFESTYLE EDUCATION ACT OF 2025; AND TO ENSURE THE HEALTH … | D. Garner | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1081
· 1 mention in chapter
Matched: “HB1081 B. McKenzie TO REPEAL ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE DEVELOPMEN…”
|
TO REPEAL ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES. | B. McKenzie | WITHDRAWN BY AUTHOR |
|
HB1144
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…McGruder TO CREATE THE TEACHER FAIR DISMISSAL ACT OF 2025. HB1144 Wooten TO REQUIRE A PARTICIPATING SCHOOL UNDER THE ARKANSAS…”
|
TO REQUIRE A PARTICIPATING SCHOOL UNDER THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM TO COMPLY … | Wooten | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1197
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…REPORTING REQUIREMENTS TO WHICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE SUBJECT. HB1197 S. Meeks TO PROHIBIT SCHEDULING, HOSTING, OR REQUIRING AN O…”
|
TO PROHIBIT SCHEDULING, HOSTING, OR REQUIRING AN OUTDOOR PRACTICE, SCRIMMAGE, GAME, OR ACTIVITY FOR AN … | S. Meeks | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1239
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…IC SCHOOLS ADDRESSES CERTAIN HEALTH ISSUES FACING STUDENTS. HB1239 A. Collins TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 2003;…”
|
TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 2003; AND TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL CATEGORY … | A. Collins | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1242
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…DITIONAL CATEGORY OF FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING. HB1242 J. Mayberry TO AMEND THE MECHANISM BY WHICH SCHOOL NURSES A…”
|
TO AMEND THE MECHANISM BY WHICH SCHOOL NURSES ARE COMPENSATED. | J. Mayberry | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1312
Act 909
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…ENT DISTRICT. PENDING FISCAL IMPACT Number Sponsor Subtitle HB1312 Brooks TO AMEND PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING AMOUNTS UNDER THE PUB…”
|
TO AMEND PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING AMOUNTS UNDER THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 2003. | Brooks | Notification that HB1312 is now Act 909 |
|
HB1490
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…TIONAL EDUCATION CATEGORY OF FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION. HB1490 Wardlaw TO REPEAL THE REQUIREMENT THAT A PUBLIC SCHOOL STUD…”
|
TO REPEAL THE REQUIREMENT THAT A PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT RETURN TEMPORARILY ISSUED ITEMS, RESOURCES, MATERIALS, … | Wardlaw | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1528
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…AMEND THE MECHANISM BY WHICH SCHOOL NURSES ARE COMPENSATED. HB1528 McGruder TO REQUIRE A REPORT CARD TO INCLUDE A STUDENT'S CU…”
|
TO REQUIRE A REPORT CARD TO INCLUDE A STUDENT'S CURRENT READING GRADE LEVEL. | McGruder | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1539
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…RT CARD TO INCLUDE A STUDENT'S CURRENT READING GRADE LEVEL. HB1539 A. Collins TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 2003;…”
|
TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 2003; AND TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL EDUCATION … | A. Collins | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1541
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…N AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING HAS BEEN DECLARED. Page 4 of 5 HB1541 Wooten TO REQUIRE A PRIVATE SCHOOL THAT ACCEPTS STATE FUNDI…”
|
TO REQUIRE A PRIVATE SCHOOL THAT ACCEPTS STATE FUNDING OF ANY TYPE TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION … | Wooten | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1542
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…TRANSPORTATION TO CERTAIN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE SCHOOL. HB1542 Wooten TO REQUIRE PRIVATE SCHOOLS TO ADMINISTER AN ANNUAL S…”
|
TO REQUIRE PRIVATE SCHOOLS TO ADMINISTER AN ANNUAL STATEWIDE STUDENT ASSESSMENT; AND TO REQUIRE PRIVATE … | Wooten | Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1756
Act 803
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…UNDING AMOUNTS UNDER THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 2003. HB1756 Vaught TO ALLOW A PARENT, LEGAL GUARDIAN, OR PERSON STANDIN…”
|
TO ALLOW A PARENT, LEGAL GUARDIAN, OR PERSON STANDING IN LOCO PARENTIS TO A STUDENT … | Vaught | Notification that HB1756 is now Act 803 |
|
HB1825
· 1 mention in chapter
Matched: “HB1825 Wooldridge TO ALLOW A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TO REQUIRE AN ENRO…”
|
TO ALLOW A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TO REQUIRE AN ENROLLED STUDENT TO EARN ONE UNIT … | Wooldridge | Recommended for study in the Interim by the … |
|
HB1946
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…D MAINTAIN THE COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS THE STUDENT OBTAINS. HB1946 Bentley TO REQUIRE HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTION…”
|
TO REQUIRE HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. | Bentley | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1962
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HB1962 Vaught TO PROHIBIT A SCHOOL FROM SERVING OR SELLING ULTRA-P…”
|
TO PROHIBIT A SCHOOL FROM SERVING OR SELLING ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD ON THE SCHOOL CAMPUS DURING … | Vaught | Recommended for study in the Interim by the … |
|
HB1966
Act 914
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…SED FOOD ON THE SCHOOL CAMPUS DURING THE NORMAL SCHOOL DAY. HB1966 Barnett TO AUTHORIZE AN INCORPORATED TOWN OR A CITY OF THE…”
|
TO AUTHORIZE AN INCORPORATED TOWN OR A CITY OF THE SECOND CLASS TO PETITION THE … | Barnett | Notification that HB1966 is now Act 914 |
|
SB183
Act 724
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…Y AT THE RESIDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. SB183 J. Dotson TO AMEND THE UNIVERSAL ACT ASSESSMENT PROGRAM ACT…”
|
TO AMEND THE UNIVERSAL ACT ASSESSMENT PROGRAM ACT; AND TO AMEND THE TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS … | J. Dotson | Notification that SB183 is now Act 724 |
|
SB303
Act 644
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…SCHOOL IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE TO ENROLL IN A HOME SCHOOL. SB303 Dees TO ALLOW A RESIDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PERMIT A PRIVAT…”
|
TO ALLOW A RESIDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PERMIT A PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENT TO PARTICIPATE IN … | Dees | Notification that SB303 is now Act 644 |
|
SB450
Act 915
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…ENTARY SCHOOL OR SATELLITE SCHOOL UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. SB450 B. Davis TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO INCLUDE…”
|
TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO INCLUDE A HUMAN FETAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSION … | B. Davis | Notification that SB450 is now Act 915 |
|
SB545
Act 564
· 1 mention in chapter
Matched: “SB545 M. Johnson TO AMEND THE LAW RELATED TO THE PROPERTY AND FIN…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW RELATED TO THE PROPERTY AND FINANCES OF STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER … | M. Johnson | Notification that SB545 is now Act 564 |
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Barely, but we'll take it. Welcome back from a long
recess. Members, without objection, we're going to move around again on the agenda. We're going to hear as much as we can within reason, at least for maybe the next 45 minutes to an hour to just get some house bills out of here. Sorry, Representative Cozart.
I apologize if you thought that. So first, without objection, we're going to hear HB 17...
56. 56 by Representative Vaught. Thank you, sir. Representative Vaught, if you
Representative DeAnn Vaught
Unverified
0:38
would please introduce yourself. You're recognized. DM Vaught, District 87. This will just be where the parent or
person standing in loco parentist of a student to keep up with the documented hours of their community service hours. And with that, I'm closed. Representative Vaught has presented the
bill. Are there questions on the bill?
Seeing no questions, is there anyone sign this up to speak for or against the bill? Seeing no one sign up to speak for or against. Representative Vaught, you are closed for your bill. I'm closed. Make a motion do pass. She's made a motion do pass. Representative Vaught has presented her bill and has a motion do pass. Do we have any discussion on the motion? Seeing no discussion on the motion. All in favor say aye.
All opposed, congratulations to Representative Vaught. You've passed your bill. Members, without objection, I'm going to yield the chair to Representative Cozart.
So there may be objection. I apologize. We're going to adjourn there,
Speaker 12
1:44
boys and girls. As soon as he passes that bill.
Speaker 16
1:50
Oh, Bill's going to run. 1866. Here's an amendment. Is this 1866? 1866, there is an
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
1:55
amendment that staff is passing out. They're going to pass out an
amendment to you, and I'll let you all get that.
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
2:13
It looks like it's got a couple of pages. You might want to look at it
a little bit. everybody got it got a motion to amend uh so yeah keith rich uh 78 and this amendment is based upon feedback that we had in committee this morning this is the audio recording bill that we discussed
the amendment does four things and again this is based upon the feedback from the folks who've been asking questions to try and incorporate all that. It says that a school shall not destroy the audio recording device, audio recording for a minimum of 90 days. That way allows, if there is an allegation, they have to maintain the audio recording for no longer than 12 months. So that addressed the issue of keeping it forever. It also says that on there at the bottom of the
second one, bottom of the first page, uh, created that it, uh, can only be requested by certain people. So we're trying to limit the people who would have access to it. So, uh, public school district, open enrollment charter, uh, administrator, or a parent legal guardian, someone saying local apprentice, uh, who may have a reason for allegation of wrongdoing. So they can require, they can request it. Uh, and then it also, uh, dealing with a funding mechanism. Uh, it allows schools to utilize the, uh, funding for, um, school safety grants. So it allows them to request that, uh,
to the department. And one other, oh, sorry, the first part, uh, top of the amendment, uh, we put a timeframe on that. So to allow a school district until the 27, 28 school year to be able to, uh, implement this, the rationale for that timeframe was so that number one, should there be grants that they can apply for, specifically like Dr. Smith talked about this morning, that they would have ample time to apply for those grants, to also utilize other potential
funding mechanisms, frankly, also to give us a fiscal session and another general session to address any additional funding issues that may be there to ensure that they can get this taken care
of for schools. And with that, I would make a motion to adopt the amendment. We have a motion on the amendment. Any
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
4:39
discussion? All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? No. All right, you're welcome to
present your bill as amended. So you just heard me present
the amendment. You heard me present the bill this morning. Nothing has changed substantially from the bill outside of the amendment that I just discussed,
so I'll be happy to take any questions on that amendment. All right.
Representative Hope Duke
Unverified
5:00
Representative Duke. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Sorry. Just a quick one. So on the school safety grant, those funds will be available for them to apply for and use for this. there's funds for will be funds for it there are funds for the school safety grant be
happy to bring someone from the department to discuss school safety grant funds if you like sure hello friends introduce yourself you're
Speaker 38
5:29
welcome to testify jacob oliva department of
education so we've been really fortunate that the legislature through their appropriation has allocated 50 million dollars over the past few budget cycles schools to support school safety priorities initiatives. What we've done as an agency is set a methodology, primary based on enrollment, to allocate funds to districts so that they can meet the needs of what we'd say is different tiered priorities. So when you're looking at implementing best practices in school safety, every campus is
unique. So a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't meet the needs, but I think most schools start with single point entries, fencing, cameras, some of those components, what we would do is amend the grant to make the purchase of equipment to meet this piece of legislation an allowable expense so that the schools can use the dollars that they're getting allocated to meet this as a priority.
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
6:30
Any other questions? All right, seeing no other questions.
from the audience like to uh speak for the bill or against the
bill seeing none would you like to close for your bill uh yes representative
and i appreciate the committee i appreciate your input everyone's been very helpful to again make this bill a better a better bill which is indicative of how we work in this committee so i am close for
the bill i'll make a motion to pass we have a motion to pass any discussion on the bill as amended as amended
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
7:00
seeing none all in favor say Aye. Any opposed? No? Congratulations. You have passed your bill. Thank you, committee, Mr. Chair.
And I have no clue who's next, but I'm
sure there's somebody. Okay. Representative, if you would please introduce yourself for the record, and you're recognized to present either HB 1728 or 1766, depending upon which one's
Representative Denise Jones Ennett
Unverified
7:31
going first. All right. Good afternoon, everybody. I am State Representative Denise Sennett, District 80, here downtown Little Rock and parts of Pulaski County.
I have Allison Guthrie here. She's an advocate, and she's also a college student. She will be helping me present the bill. Today, we're talking about House Bill 1728, a measure designed to strengthen our communities to students with disabilities in Arkansas' higher education institutions. By requiring these institutions to report the number of students receiving accommodations, we aim to gather essential data that will inform police, oh, sorry, policies and practices
to better support these students' academic and professional journeys. This bill is a step towards ensuring that students, regardless of ability, have equitable opportunities to succeed. All right. So why does this bill matter? matters. Arkansas currently lacks comprehensive data on students with disabilities in higher education. Also, addressing equity in higher education, students with disabilities face
unique challenges in higher education from securing accommodations to navigating career readiness. Another reason why this matters is because it benefits institutions and policy policymakers. Informed decision-making data will help shape better policy at both institutional and state levels. Let's see. And I'm going to let my guest here speak on it, if you don't mind.
If you would, please introduce yourself for
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
9:22
the record. Can you recognize? Hello, and thank you for allowing me to be here today. My name is Allison Guthrie, and I first and foremost would like to thank Representative Ennett for her help in facilitating the creation of these bills,
Chair
Unverified
9:37
and without whom none of this would be possible. Quick story, when I first
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
9:43
discovered the issue that this particular bill intends to remedy, I texted representative in it and asked who in the legislature was passionate about people with
Chair
Unverified
9:52
disabilities and she called me in that moment. She called me right then and she said what's going on like what have you got and I personally believe that this is a testament to representative in its passion for her work for people with disabilities and goes to show that there are
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
10:09
legislative legislators who truly work for their constituents. So I was born and raised in Arkansas. I'm a central High graduate. I also graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pulaski Tech, and I'm a current graduate student at Illinois State University's Cognitive and Experimental Psychology program.
I also have a disability called Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which
Chair
Unverified
10:28
can be quite severe and have encountered a multitude of what I believe to be unnecessary
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
10:36
challenges in higher education. So during my undergraduate studies, despite my incredible academic capabilities, I found myself encountering a lot of challenges with the accommodations process and a lack of accommodations that met my specific needs. And when I tried to look for data on graduation rates and student success outcomes, I was
shocked that I couldn't find much consistent, reliable, or even recent data on this, because I thought, you know, if I'm having this much difficulty, I can only imagine how these other younger, maybe less skilled students were doing. This lack of data was not just on a state level, but also on a federal level. It's hard to describe what it felt like to look for data in which you think you should be included, only to find that there is none. It felt like no one cared about me. It felt like no one cared about my experiences or struggles, and ultimately that no one cared
about students with disabilities, particularly in higher education. If we're not keeping track of outcomes for students with disabilities, we don't have the data to support the need for institutional changes to improve those outcomes. And so HB 1728 requires that the total proportion of students registered to receive accommodations are counted, reported, and that statistics on retention and graduation rates for these students are reported in the Arkansas Department of Higher Education's annual legislative report. The hope is that this data will incentivize institutions to further investigate any issues
that may account for potentially low graduation rates, for example. It seems somewhat problematic to me that we're funding these departments for essential services to these students with disabilities without checking in to see whether or not the needs of these students are being met. And while these numbers won't be able to identify any specific problem within an institution, it's a start. Because ultimately, you can't fix a problem that you don't know exists, and the data from this bill will help us to inform institutions if there is a problem.
I think as lawmakers, it's important to make sure that taxpayer money is well spent in holding institutions accountable for this data. Because if taxpayer money is being spent on programs that aren't meeting the needs of students with disabilities, we're not just failing students with disabilities, we're also failing taxpayers. Some important factors about the need for this bill is that the number of students with disabilities enrolling in higher education institutions has tripled over the last few decades and is only projected to increase. We also know that
Arkansas has the second highest percentage of people with disabilities and additionally it was in much of the research that I did find it was found that one study found that up to 19% of undergraduates were students with disabilities. This was thought to be an undercount and yet based on the research that I did in this area, only three institutions in the entire state of Arkansas reported more than 10% of their student body as being registered to receive accommodations. This tells us that there is something going on here and we're not reaching those students.
The research that exists on graduation rates is mixed. Some studies report slightly lower graduation rates for students with disabilities. Some show that they graduate at similar rates to their non-disabled peers. What this tells us is that students with disabilities are capable of graduating at similar rates, which suggests that it is possible for institutions to successfully address the needs of these students. But currently, we don't have this data. I think any efforts towards increasing retention and graduation rates is an overall win for
Arkansas institutions, as well as an overall win for the economy and the employability of Arkansas graduates. However, without this data, we can't know whether or not, again, we're meeting or failing to meet the needs of these students with disabilities. So I think it's time we started following the statistics on students with disabilities to better serve their journeys in the future. So I'm asking for this committee to vote for this legislation and to finally count us in.
Representative Kozar, you recognize, are you ready to take questions? Do you
Representative Denise Jones Ennett
Unverified
14:49
have more representing it? Well, I'd just like to mention, too, Allison is my constituent, and we've been working on this for quite some time. And so she's been very integral in this process. I just want to just let the committee know that. Representative Kozler, are
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
15:05
you recognized for a question? Thank you, Mr. Chair. Our biggest question is, what
is the restrictions on recording or keeping data on students with disabilities? I know there was some stuff we did in the past that was kind of hard for identifications you could not identify.
can you tell me what that restrictions are
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
15:24
yes so when students go through the admissions process they are allowed to disclose or not disclose whether or not they have a disability this in turn still they wouldn't be counted even if they self-identified this would only be if students sought out
Chair
Unverified
15:39
accommodations through the school's disability resource office or its equivalent so if they're
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
15:47
not identified so you're just keeping data on how many not so much an individual is that correct
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
15:53
oh there's no direct identify identifying information that we're recording in that so
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
15:58
i guess my question so what what kind of identification what kind of a are you what are you
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
16:06
probably but i'm now yeah no that's fine um so students who are registered to receive accommodations so a student can say you know during the admissions process yes I have a disability and disclose that to the university that they still do not count at that point they would this would only count whether or not students who are receiving accommodations so they have to be registered to receive the accommodations and then in terms of
privacy we put in the stipulation that schools are excluded if they have less than three percent of the total student population registered to receive accommodations this is also what NCES has in terms of their reporting and what they require, and that is in place to protect student privacy. Representative Payne, are you recognized
Representative Stetson Painter
Unverified
16:51
for a question? Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Allison, did you say there was already only three institutions that are doing this, and if so,
if that's a correct first question, and if second, if so, can you tell
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
17:07
me who they are? I can actually look that up. So I did a study of, I pulled all of the Title IV institutions for the entire state of Arkansas through FAFSA website and then cross-referenced that
Chair
Unverified
17:20
with NCES database called College Navigator and went through every single institution and recorded the total percentage
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
17:27
that was reported in these. And I can actually find that data.
It would take me a second. But it was that only 3% of Arkansas institutions have more than 10% of their student body registered to receive accommodations, whereas the national assumed to be undercounted or underreported percent is 19% of students registered to receive accommodations. Representative Mayberry, you recognize for a question?
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
18:01
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm so excited about this conversation because this is something that I was saying
that after we get through the session, I would love to have like an ISP and further discussion on this. I have a 23-year-old daughter with spina bifida, will graduate here soon, hopefully, from UALR. And it's definitely been a journey, and I will tell you, when I was pregnant with her, I never imagined that she would make it all the way to college in many different ways because we also were told she may not live that long,
but then also really weren't given a whole lot of hope that she would graduate from high school, get a degree there, and then go on to
college. So, I mean, this is a huge thing. I'm so proud of her. But there's struggles
Speaker 73
18:53
along the way. Sorry. My husband gets so mad at me because I cry so easily, but I'm passionate
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
19:05
about this stuff. she was supposed to graduate in December and I don't want to get into the specifics but so much
of the issue that happened she ended up having
to not pass a class she has accommodations she has had a neuropsych test that we've done it explains what some of the issues are but from what we understand, you know, when you're in K-12, you have a lot of protections through 504. There's a lot of things out there that can help you and work with the teacher, and you have
conversation. When you get to college, they're pretty much told, yeah, you have this, but it's up to the professor. You have to get permission from the, the professor makes the call as to whether or not they're going to give you this accommodation that you need. And I've got a problem with that. She was a few hours late turning in a paper. She didn't graduate. That's big.
So, and her planning and decision-making is part of her disability. She has frontal lobe processing issues. And I'm probably sharing more information than she'd want me to share, you know, publicly because there's people all over that watch. But, you know, there's an organizational thing, and so it's very hard for her to stay on task. And sometimes professors just don't want to give any, you know, any leniency in that.
This is not a child who's lazy, and she's an adult. Sorry, she'll always be my baby. she's not lazy so whatever we
can do my questions um I'll get some questions in here I think we need more than this
is what my point is is that I really think we need to look at this and I I've even mentioned this to others um that this is something that we we really need to look at um when we get out of session when we have more time I don't know if there's necessarily a
Bill, but with this, are you also asking not just the number of people, but are you finding out what is the disability? Because I would be interested in knowing what disabilities we're seeing in college. So I'd like to know that information. What disabilities are there as opposed to what we've seen K to 12, because we might be able to bridge this gap to, okay, well, why are these
students going K-12? Why aren't they going on? You know, who is going on to higher ed, and what can we do to help get them there? And then also, what degrees are they seeking? You know, I'd be really interested in knowing what fields of study they're going into as well. So I realize that's not all. I'm talking about lots of different things, but are those things that you're trying to get out of this information as well, that type of stuff?
Speaker 58
22:29
Thank you so much for sharing everything that you did. I understand
Chair
Unverified
22:35
most of what you were talking about. That was, I mean, I would love to do, I mean, I have a whole folder full of policy proposals and legislative, but also non-legislative solutions that would help to identify this issue um and looking at disability data because the way that i the way that disability is studied the way that it's asked about um is different from from study to study from institution to institution from accommodations
office to accommodation office there's no uniform way to study or even really be able to identify students that that have different needs um whatever those might be um and so i might be doing my thesis on that. We'll see. But yeah, so this was, to me, I wanted a lot more for this, but I knew that this was a start because with this data, we can at least look and say, okay, why
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
23:23
do we have so many universities with these low graduation rates for students? You know, or why are we not retaining these students? But why does this one seem to have, you know,
Chair
Unverified
23:33
really high retention and graduation rates? And like, maybe we can look to see what that institution is doing. What have they implemented? What are
Speaker 77
23:39
they doing? What are they not doing? so that we can identify, you know, what seems to be helping these students. So we should talk more.
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
23:46
Yes, I definitely want to make that connection because this is a big issue. I want to help. Representative Beck, you're recognized for a
Representative Rick Beck
Unverified
23:58
question. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was just trying to clear things up for me.
So the data that we're talking about, we're done. We've done this right. Now we have our data. And that's kind of where I'm at. So you're going to have, like, the institution, the number of undergrads that they had that received certificates, I guess, or degrees and certificates and everything. And then you'll have the number of those that ask for accommodations. Not that said, because if I'm understanding you right, you're saying that
if they list themselves as having a disability but they don't ask for accommodations, they would not be included. Is that correct? Do I understand that correct?
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
24:44
Yes, that's correct, and that's just to essentially look at whether or not the accommodation services, whether or not the services being offered to these
Chair
Unverified
24:53
students are actually helping them to stay in
Representative Rick Beck
Unverified
24:58
school and to graduate. Okay. But that's the data. It's just saying that they asked for an accommodation,
And if they graduated, I understand there won't be an individual information. But the number that asked, I guess I should say it better, the number that asked for accommodations and then the number that graduated or got some type of certificate. The concerns I have is that I'm almost a little bit following up on Representative Mayberry. You know, it seems like we, you know, a little bit more granular.
Yeah, I mean, we want to know what the experience was, certainly if it was a bad experience, so that might give us some actionable items that we could do. But I guess I think there's the data itself. You know, you're going to have, I win, I ask for accommodations, but I haven't graduated yet. I'm in a four-year program or something to that nature. So they wouldn't actually hit the report until they graduated, right?
You see what I'm saying? This first roll of data is going to be kind of skewed because I might have asked for accommodations, but I'm four years away from the second part, which is that I actually almost like a completer as a freshman and now I'm a sophomore, that type of thing, so you could see what's going on there and make sure that, you know, and I don't think that would reveal too
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
26:34
much personal data. Yes, and so we spoke with members of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education about this, and essentially they would do it the same way that they tracked different types of demographic data.
Chair
Unverified
26:45
So in some of the legislative reports, they looked at these cohorts of students based on race, ethnicity, gender, and things of that nature, and this just adds students receiving
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
26:56
accommodations to that type of data that they're following. so so yeah this is just in
Representative Rick Beck
Unverified
27:02
addition to an already report yes additional category correct all right thank you represent do you recognize for a question
Representative Hope Duke
Unverified
27:14
actually thank you mr chair um they
Representative Matt Brown
Unverified
27:16
got my questions represent brown you recognize Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Guthrie, you, earlier in the discussion, excuse
me, can you hear? Yeah. Come to me. Okay. You mentioned that you wouldn't be keeping track of specific individuals.
And maybe I misunderstood, but then how, if you don't do that, how are you going to keep track of students that graduate? So
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
27:59
just to clarify, when we say we're not keeping track of individual students, we mean we're not tracking their any sort of direct identifying information. And that's one of the reasons that we have the less than 3% stipulation. So like if a school
Chair
Unverified
28:14
only has 100 students and they have three students who are receiving accommodations
or two and a half students receiving accommodations, I don't know how, that sounds weird, but in statistics,
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
28:25
you know what I mean. Then having that report, for them to report that would be able to indirectly identify, oh, well, we know so-and-so has this, we know so-and-so has that, so they would be easily identified. So that's why we have less than 3% being excluded. So those universities where there would be that risk of indirect identifying information um are exempt essentially from this report or from reporting that so they would still report it to
Chair
Unverified
28:53
whoever they're supposed to but it wouldn't be included in the legislative report statistics so you would have
Representative Matt Brown
Unverified
29:00
to keep track of the like like allison guthrie has accommodations and she she did graduate he would but but then when the report comes in i mean the school would know that but when the report comes in, it wouldn't come in with your name and personally identifying information. Correct. It would not have that information. Thank you. And you mentioned EDS. It's a subject I'm very interested in, so I'd like to exchange phone numbers, if you don't mind.
Chair
Unverified
29:29
Yes, absolutely. Thank you. Representative Gonzalez, we're
Representative Justin Gonzales
Unverified
29:37
in New York, guys. Yes. Well, first of all, thank you. Thank you both, Representative Ennett,
for bringing this. Bill, and you have a wonderful, bright future in front of you. So you'll be tracking accommodations, and you've already discussed how you would not include institutions that have less than 3% student population with disabilities.
So my question is, will you be tracking, I'm interested in knowing the big picture. So, in other words, will you be tracking the types of accommodations that they'll be receiving? Will you be tracking maybe their first-generation students? Would you be tracking something? You know, in other words, like a comprehensive, it might be, yes, they're receiving accommodations, but the institution of higher ed may be, they may have some additional programs
that because they're not only receiving accommodations, scaffolding, instruction, et cetera, But they also might be in that first-generation pool, or they might be in a sorority or a fraternity or et cetera. I'm just curious about that, to look at the big picture. Yeah, I mean, I would actually, I would personally
Chair
Unverified
30:50
love to add all of these things and make this a really complicated, like, not that asking for this data makes something convoluted and complicated, but, I mean, I would be much more thorough.
But this is just a start. So this is just for the ADHD's annual legislative report that they put out yearly. And they do
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
31:12
look at those types of things in terms of, I want to say one of the things they look at is first generation and second generation, first year, second time students. If I recall correctly, I couldn't tell you which report that comes on. But that sort of data ultimately would be
Chair
Unverified
31:30
up to, I think, institutions as well as what ADHD typically tracks for their legislative report, so, yeah.
Are there additional questions about the committee?
Representative Jessie McGruder
Unverified
31:48
Representative Magruder, you're recognized. And I don't know if this is a question for you or our hired people who are in the room, but as an individual who has a disabled child and actually received some disability services myself, What is the barrier that we're facing with students actually registering with disability services?
Chair
Unverified
32:11
I would love to answer that question. Okay. It's actually a large mix of variables. Based on a meta-analysis or systematic review from 2019,
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
32:26
The top barriers to accommodations were a lack of student knowledge and awareness, appropriate documentation, receiving accommodations that are actually useful, so they actually help the students, and then negative reactions from peers as well as from faculty members
Chair
Unverified
32:47
upon their disclosure of their disability status. But we could also go into the medical gatekeeping, the fact that we require medical documentation when sometimes the issue is not necessarily falls under the medical model of disability, which says that the issue is not, the medical model of disability says that the disability is within the person and not within the environment, right? So I can operate in a multitude of different environments,
but when I have to physically show up to class, that's a barrier for me when I go into a flare and I can't move my muscles. But if you allow me to zoom into my class, then the environment is no longer a barrier to my academic success. And then I can, you know, I can therefore then attend class, turn
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
33:38
in my assignments, and I have, in that situation, I have no disability, right? So we could, anyway, those are the top, according to most of the research, but there's a lot more embedded into each of those factors.
Speaker 77
33:50
But a lot of it is internalized stigma as well. No one wants to stand up and say, hey, I'm disabled.
Representative Jessie McGruder
Unverified
34:01
I have this disability. That's the same information we're getting from our higher ed people. Okay. Thank you.
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
34:10
Representative Mayberry, you're recognized. That is something else, too, is that it would be interesting to see how many are able to take classes online because that has helped tremendously my daughter to be able to take these classes
because she can't drive anywhere. The only way she can get to class is if I drive her there, which we kind of did a combination because being there in person has also been helpful too. But online classes have really helped. So would we be able to gather that from this if they're doing online versus in person? Would that be part of this?
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
34:46
It would be my understanding that yes, because I went to Arizona State University
for two years solely online, and I was registered
Chair
Unverified
34:54
to receive accommodations, and so under what the bill says, which is being registered to receive accommodations, that would capture both in-person, online, and hybrid students is the way I understand it. But
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
35:06
it would be noted that the student is doing it online or not? No. You would just know that the student's enrolled,
but you don't know if it's online classes or in-person classes?
Speaker 119
35:16
I wouldn't. Okay. The information that we'd be
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
35:19
gathering from this wouldn't indicate to me that.
Speaker 56
35:23
That's something that I'm not necessarily sure of. I would love to
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
35:27
throw as much in as we possibly could to get the most accurate data that we can. There's lots of information that
I think is really needed to help us figure out what we can do to support. This is important because without that education, they may not be able to get that job. And we want someone to be as independent as possible. We don't want them to rely their whole life on Social Security and Medicaid.
We want them to be independent. My daughter wants to be independent. She wants to work and wants the job, and that's why this is important. So anyway, thank you. Absolutely.
Chair
Unverified
36:09
I actually created a header on my notes that is a quote from a letter from the National Council on Disability and it says, I actually didn't even notice it until earlier today because I'd gotten
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
36:23
used to seeing it, but it says, higher education provides the clearest path to equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency
Chair
Unverified
36:32
for individuals with disabilities, and I wholeheartedly believe that. Representative Duke, you recognize.
Representative Hope Duke
Unverified
36:42
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Representative Innet, and thank you for testifying on this as well. Here's my question. I guess it appears to me, so please, this is, I guess, my question. If I'm wrong, please let me know. It doesn't seem like this is going to be complete information, and then we're going to put it into a report.
And I don't have a problem with gathering. I think I see what you're trying to do here, but it seems like it's going to be incomplete and then it's going to roll into a report is the intent to have action from that report. And my concern is that because what is the purpose of the report if you're not going to do something with it, but then my concern is that the report's not going to be an accurate picture of things. And so it's like we're, I feel like we're like a little ahead of something or not. I don't know.
It's just like it's missing a piece. And that concerns me that we're going to be trying to do something with not complete information. So am I incorrect in
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
37:50
take some questions, too. I don't mind. So this is, I mean, this is the same sort of thing that we're looking at with the other demographics that have been collected in the ADHE's annual legislative report, which, you know, We're not looking at all of the specific factors for tradition versus non-traditional or graduation and retention rates by race, ethnicity, or gender.
We're not going into super detail with that. I think there could be a separate piece of legislation where we invite institutions or require institutions to report on a lot more of these statistics, which I think is absolutely 100% needed. This just applies to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education's annual legislative report, which is already just sort of a rough estimate. And then, of course, the ultimate result of this is for institutions to be able to then say,
okay, something is or is not working here. What can we do to change that? And would hopefully incentivize
Speaker 58
38:50
them to seek further investigation and reporting on that, if that makes sense. that one. Are there additional questions about
the committee? Seeing none, we do not have anyone
signed up to speak for or against this bill. Would anyone like to speak for
Representative Denise Jones Ennett
Unverified
39:25
or against the bill? Seeing none, Representative
Henry, would you like to close for your bill? Thank you, committee. I'd like to echo some of the concerns that Representative Mayberry and Representative McGruder. I also have a child with special needs. So this, and he's six, well, he's a twin, so they're 16. And so I'm about to figure out this whole gray area with higher ed with him.
And so that's why I think this is important to get something like this passed so kids, our children, not kids, our children have a fair shake. Like you mentioned earlier, we don't want our kids to depend on these government entitlements. We want them to be able to grow to their full potential. And I think this bill here will help along the way, and I'm closed. Representative Innan has
closed for her bill. What's the will of committee?
We have a motion to do pass. Is there a discussion on that motion? Seeing no discussion on the motion. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed?
Congratulations to Representative Ennett. You've passed your bill. Thank you, committee. Committee with Representative Ennett's blessing. We're going to do one more bill from her. This will be the last bill we hear and then you can start the drive. So Representative Ennett, you're recognized to present HB 17. I'm sorry. I apologize. Yes, also we have
Riverside Gardner. I apologize. I told you that. So HB 1766, Riverside Manit.
Representative Denise Jones Ennett
Unverified
40:57
Yes. Again, I'd like to thank you all for your patience. I know it's been a long day here at the Capitol. 1766, this is the Arkansas Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empowerment Act. This legislation is designed to strengthen our commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity with Arkansas's higher education system by requiring institutions to offer individualized accommodations to
students with disabilities. We aim to create an environment where every student has the support they need to thrive academically and personally. This bill reflects our dedication to empowering all students and ensuring that higher education education in Arkansas is accessible and accommodating to everyone. So this bill will help individualized accommodations. Institutions are required to provide reasonable accommodations
tailored to the specific needs of students with disabilities, facilitating equal access to educational opportunities. Also, this bill mandates information about available disability services in the process of requesting accommodations by communicating, sorry, communicated in plain language and be readily accessible during the application process, orientation, and academic catalogs
and on institutional websites. Additionally, students seeking accommodations must present written documentation indicating the need for reasonable accommodations or disability services. The oversight on this bill outlines measures for monitoring and assuring compliance by higher education institutions, promoting accountability in the provision of accommodations.
And with that, I'm going to
let my esteemed constituent add some information to this. You're recognized. Thank
Chair
Unverified
43:12
you. And also, thank you so much for bearing with us. I've been here for as long as you all have, and I'm exhausted. And thank you very much for
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
43:24
your support and for your time. So I feel like when most people say the words students with disabilities, They immediately think about K-12 kids, and this is because students with disabilities receive the most support that they ever will during their primary education years.
There's actually a term for it when administrators actively seek to identify with students with disabilities in K-12 to offer them support and resources, and they call it the hunt. There's an actual name for this, and this is because these schools are equipped with a multitude of programs and services. resources to help these students but once these students graduate from high school their once ubiquitous support from schools and programs it drops off significantly there's also a term for that when this happens and they call it
the drop-off it's used to describe the lack of resources during the transition to post-secondary education and employment for students with disabilities this is also a national issue and it is also something that I watched happen with my brother who has autism. HB 1766 would streamline and make more accessible the process of understanding, registering for, and receiving accommodations and expands the allowed documentation needed for accommodations to improve the transitional process from K through 12 education into higher education
institutions. Like I mentioned earlier, of the barriers to students requesting and receiving accommodations are lack of awareness that accommodations exist, as well as the process by which to request them, and lack of appropriate documentation, and those are at the top. My own experience during the accommodations process was rather harrowing, and had I not had the self-advocacy skills and access to resources that I did, my college experience
might not have led me to where I am today. Research shows that students are less likely to both request and receive accommodations in higher education compared to K-12 settings. Research also shows that of the students who reported having a disability to their institution, only about 12-13% actually registered to receive accommodations. According to that study, about 88% of students with disabilities were not currently receiving support through the accommodations process.
I also found similar results in a pilot study that I did last semester wherein 61% of respondents who indicated they had a health condition or disability that could impact their academic success, only 11% indicated that they were registered to receive accommodations. This tells us that there are significant barriers for students with disabilities in both requesting and receiving accommodations in higher education. And HB 1766 seeks to eliminate the barriers that it reasonably can.
Chair
Unverified
46:22
So I ask the committee to pass the RISE Act. And thank you for your time. And we'll obviously probably take a bunch of questions on this one. Thank you. Representative Beck,
Representative Rick Beck
Unverified
46:39
you recognize your question? Is there a fiscal impact
study on this? So there is not a fiscal impact on this based on House rules, uh, which require fiscal impact for K through 12. Uh, we don't require them for higher ed. However, a member can request a fiscal impact. Uh, and so we certainly have the, um, the right to request
a fiscal impact, which would then go to the
department of BLR, uh, and at that time we would not take a
Speaker 16
47:06
vote on the bill. So, I mean, it doesn't
Representative Rick Beck
Unverified
47:13
sound like it would have much of a fiscal impact, but I don't know. Maybe somebody from one of the university, higher ed or something might weigh in. I see a couple of
higher ed folks in the back, if you'd like to weigh
I know they're just giving us thumbs up,
Speaker 140
47:33
which means nothing to me at this point. Secretary, if
you'd love to tip on in, please introduce yourself. Jacob Oliva, Department
Speaker 38
47:46
of Education. I think it's a good question. So I'm going to do my best to speak on behalf of the higher institutions. They have the registration offices now that would accept students that would come in and want accommodations to be registered.
I think what this bill is doing, it's almost like, I feel like this bill was the precursor to the one that we just passed that was going to ask us to collect some better data on how many of the students are coming in and requesting accommodations, and I know that data is a little bit limited in the type of information, but for the annual report, I like it, it's just a start, it's a baseline, and it may lead us to want to ask further questions in in the future or get deeper into the data. 'Cause the students have to self-disclose
or they have to go in and identify. We heard about some of the limiting barriers and factors. I think this as the precursor to getting better data is making sure the institutions are being as proactive as they can to welcome students to come in and ask for those accommodations so that they can be successful in the classroom. So I feel like if you were to ask the presidents and chancellors, they would say we have offices staffed and ready to support services.
Speaker 37
49:03
Could there be a fiscal impact if all of a sudden maybe there's a big wave of students that are coming in and requesting more stuff? They may need to look at how they're supporting students. But I feel like under the current infrastructure, they'd be able to accommodate the spirit of the language in this this bill so that we can make sure we're doing our due diligence to be as proactive
Speaker 38
49:27
as we can to make sure students know that there's accommodations available for them and that they're actually there's a
difference between students that register for accommodations and then use them right so like are we how are we following up and making sure that that it's being implemented with fidelity. I didn't get fired,
so I did my best.
Representative Justin Gonzales
Unverified
49:55
Representative Gonzalez-Worlin, you recognize for a question. Yes. You mentioned in K-12 the hunt,
okay, to ensure that, you know, we're not missing students who would qualify for disabilities accommodations. And then you mentioned the drop-off. I'm just
wondering and I don't know exactly I'm just going to ask but I know that when a student is a senior graduating senior they have a they have their final you know meeting before graduation and then and then I think and this is where I might need some help here I'm thinking that there's a there's a process where they are tracked from that point to age 21 to see the transition what happens I'm thinking that unless I'm wrong about that um but I'm just wondering that you know with the
you know how k-12 is kind of moving into the student moving into higher ed and this part the bridge where we're losing them I don't I don't know how that um I'm just thinking about what you were saying earlier if if there is a way to bring those two things two two entities together So I guess my question is, is that something, you know, in terms of what your, you know, with your RISE Act, is it possible to have something related to help with that bridge process between K-12 and when they turn 21?
I mean, and that may be a question, and maybe I'm totally off base, but that's what I'm thinking and remembering from annual review meetings. No, so I think you're bringing up
Speaker 38
51:49
a really very valid question. I don't know if it's question, comment, or concern, right? So
Speaker 37
51:55
I'm going to try to take a little bit of what we said and see if we could kind of navigate through that. When you look at the laws that are provided for students under the Individual with Disabilities
Speaker 38
52:09
Education Act, that's really specific to kind of that K-12 environment, and a student is eligible to receive the support and services from age three to up to 22. So when you say 21, but when the child turns 22. So some students may stay in their high school, even though they're beyond the typical age of what you would consider the cohort of their peer to graduate as a 12th grader, because they need additional supports and services. Depending on the range of disabilities, and this is why it's a continuum of services and
it's a very large spectrum, some of those students might transition to an adults with disabilities program and start receiving services like that. Other students may be working towards transitioning to post-secondary outcomes, and this is why under federal law, they're required to have a transition individualized education plan that really starts, I want to say it's required to start beginning at either age 16 or 14. No, it's well beyond the expected time for graduation.
So there are some provisions already federally required in place to address what your questions or comments or concerns are. Can we do a
Speaker 37
53:21
better job in supporting districts and working with higher institutions and informing parents about the rights that are appropriated to them under faith with a free and appropriate public education through IDEA, I think that's
Speaker 38
53:32
something we always need to do a better job of. So does that need to be addressed in this bill? I don't think so. I think we have a
lot of laws that address that. How can we better support school districts and inform parents and work with high-risk education institutions to fill out that transition plan is a deeper conversation that I think we're always trying to do a better job of.
Speaker 147
54:23
Really? You want to talk? Mr. Chair, I just want to say real quick, motion do pass at the proper time. I will hear your motion in just
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
54:35
a minute. Are there any other... Ms. Mary, would you like to speak
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
54:41
one minute? Yes, I will try to make this short. I know we all want to go home, but I just want to comment that
you'd mentioned the transition services that are out there and starting at 14. That doesn't happen all the time and never happened with my daughter.
And part of the reason why is because she's not in special education. I've been an advocate for her to not be in special ed. She was mainstreamed the entire time. And so when you have the disability and you're just covered under 504, you miss all of those services. I was begging Arkansas Rehab Services to come and meet with my daughter, and they kept telling me, you have to wait, you have to wait.
It wasn't until her senior year, the last semester, that they were willing to come and finally see her. Luckily, she's got a pretty good advocate and her mom, and I was already doing all the things she needed to do, but I think about all those families that are out there that, you know, they don't know, And they're missed. And so, you know, we do need to back up a little bit and make sure that there's that really good transition from high school to college
and that they know that college is available, that they're being told. I tell people all the time, when you see a child with a disability, I want you to treat them like you treat everybody else. When you first meet them, you might ask them their name. You might ask them their favorite color. You might ask them, you know, what are their hobbies or what have you. And you often will ask them, what do they want to be when they grow up? 30 seconds left. I'm sorry.
You ask them, what do you want to be when you grow up? How often do you ask the child with the disability, what do you want to be when you grow up? That's got to be one of the very first questions we start asking these kids. Put that expectation in there, and it starts at a really young age. I'm sorry, you know I can talk about this stuff for a long time. And thank you very much, Representative Enid, for bringing all this forward. Thank you. All
Speaker 23
56:55
right. Any other questions, seeing none? Would you like close for you, Bill?
Representative Denise Jones Ennett
Unverified
56:59
Yes. Again, I want to thank the committee for being patient with us. Again, I have a son with special needs, and so all this is very near and dear to me. I want the very best for him, and I want the very best for every other child who has any type of special needs. And I want to thank Allison for helping me along this journey. She drove in from Illinois because she goes to school there. She drove in through the storms last night.
So it's been a journey, and I would appreciate if you would vote this bill out of the committee so we can all go home. And I want to tell everybody to have a safe trip back home, too. Reverend Painter,
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
57:41
do you have a motion? Motion to pass. We have a motion to do pass. Any discussion on the motion? Seeing none, all in favor say aye. Any opposed, no. Congratulations.
Representative Denise Jones Ennett
Unverified
57:53
Your bill has passed again. Can I say one more thing? No, you cannot. No, I just want to thank the Department of Education and the Secretary for meeting with me last Monday.
And I also want to thank Melissa Russ and Mr. Shane Brawley back there as well. Thank you. Do you also have a bill?
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
58:08
Ms. Garner? Yeah, Representative Garner has a bill. Okay,
come on. Sit down there at the table and let's go. What did
Speaker 104
58:22
looked up. Nobody here. Sorry about that. I thought it'd be quick. Thank you, Mr.
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
58:26
Chair, and I will let you all take out all of your aggression on me and your frustration.
If you don't mind, I'd love to have Pete Guest come up to
Speaker 158
58:37
the table with me. Yeah, if you would, please introduce yourself for the
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
58:43
record, and you're recognized. I'm Denise Garner, State Rep. from
Speaker 159
58:48
District 20, Fayetteville. And Pete Guest, Economic Policy Director, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Thank you. And first of all, I'd
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
58:58
love to thank everybody who stayed all day, and especially Pete, but all of the folks that have been here to testify all day.
Thank you very much. And thank you guys for the opportunity to present House Bill 1761. Most of you guys have been here long enough that you know that I was not a proponent of the voucher part. I thought there were some great things in the Learns Act, but the vouchers were difficult for me to deal with. And part of that reason, much of that reason, is that I'm worried about the fiscal responsibility for the budget
and also the responsibility to make sure that our constitutional obligation to make sure that all children are educated happens with vouchers. This bill is a simple bill that I'd just love for you to think about. that ensures when school vouchers open up to every student in the 25-26 year, that we're dispersing those vouchers in a fiscally responsible way
by tying eligibility to a family's income. The bill retains the existing eligibility. Students with disabilities identified under IDA, children in foster care, and a child who previously attended a D- or F-rated school, meaning that any child who already receives a voucher, regardless of their family income, would continue that full voucher. So kindergarteners that started last year would continue on,
but new kindergartners would not be eligible unless they fit into this category. That group of children, the kindergartners, and any other child who does not qualify under the existing eligibility categories from the last two years would have to qualify based on their family income, and that's where Pete comes in. So I met Pete several years ago when I was on Revantax, and he helped me get through Revantax, And so we have looked at the federal poverty level and basically chosen three tiers of eligibility.
And the first tier would be a family that makes 250% over federal poverty level would still qualify for the full amount of the voucher. and that's about 90% of the pupil funding. A family making 250% of the FPL means an annual income of about $78,000. A family who makes over 250% and up to 350%, the second tier of the FPL,
would qualify for a voucher equal to 50% of the prior year statewide foundation funding that's allocated to each student, so that a two-adult, two-children family making 350% of the FPL means an annual income level of about $109,500. And then the third tier is a family who makes over 350% and up to 400% of the federal poverty level would qualify for a voucher equal to 25% of the prior year statewide foundation funding allocated per student.
So a two adult, two children family making 400% of the FPL would qualify for a voucher equal to 25% of the prior year statewide funding allocated per student. Using this formula, the state could be saved up to $200 million per year. And I've got a handout that I'm glad to share if anybody wants one, but basically it's just the financial estimates based on current applications of the education freedom accounts with income limits.
So I've got several of those if you're interested. It doesn't, to me, make fiscal sense to subsidize private or homeschooling in the amount of almost $7,000 per voucher per year for a family of four making over $125,000 a year. This is more than two times the median household income in Arkansas and more than 80% of households in the state
would still be eligible for a voucher under this bill. Establishing income caps for school vouchers will help ensure the health of our state budget, which I'm extremely concerned about. The state surplus has decreased in recent quarters, and we've already received more than 30,000 voucher applications. Other states have seen the cost of their universal voucher programs balloon astronomically. In Arizona, the first year of universal vouchers was projected to cost $33 million,
but ultimately had a price tag of over $550 million in year one and over $700 million in year two. In Iowa, the first-year estimate was $107 million, but financial costs were 20% higher in year one and 36% higher in year two. This bill takes a pragmatic approach to ensuring school choice, a thriving public school system, and a healthy budget.
That's all it is, and I'm glad to take any questions, and I'm sure Pete will too. Are there questions
from the committee? Representative Beck, you're recognized for
Representative Rick Beck
Unverified
1:04:58
a question. The $250 million savings, is that annual? Yes, it is. Yes, sir. And
did I hear you correct that you said the first tier, which is fully paid, represents, I thought you said 90%.
Did I hear that? Did I hear it wrong? I might have heard wrong. 90% of
Speaker 159
1:05:30
the funding. Right. I think what you're... 99% of students, maybe I heard wrong. 90, but... Yeah, I think of what you're asking, that first tier would be 62% of households in Arkansas would still be under that first tier. Okay. So 62% would still qualify
Representative Rick Beck
Unverified
1:05:43
for the full voucher amount. Okay, so 62%. Right. So then the tier, help me out with the tiers.
That's what's coming around. Okay. No. See there, if I'd have just
been patient. It's late. I get it. I'll jump back. I'm going to read this first, so I'll let someone else ask
a question, and I'll come back. So I'll jump in and follow up on your question. So just to clarify, so you said $250
Speaker 159
1:06:18
million annual savings? Yes, that is correct. I mean, that's an estimate.
Um, so the, the challenge, of course, in estimating this is we don't have, uh, household incomes specific to families that are requesting this. We do know through census data, the spread of incomes in Arkansas. So if you do that proportionally and say, you know, people at the low income are likely to request a voucher at the same rate as people at the high income, then the savings goes
down. But if it, as we know, higher income people are more likely to do, to request, then you're more likely to have more savings because those are the folks who can afford it already and would not get the full voucher. And how did we arrive at that $250 million savings? Yeah. So again, I'm not sure if you've got the sheet. The sheet here is a more update version where we looked at, according to the LEARN's website, the current number of applications is 35,323. Maybe that's gone up in
the past couple of days. Then you have an EFA funding amount of just under $7,000, as Representative Garner said. If you do the math on that, the simple math on that, it comes to $240 million, we can expect this to cost. Again, that's an estimate. It might be a little bit less than that, but as we know, the current budget calls for $188 million in EFA funding with a $90 million set aside, right? So we're likely going to have to get into that set aside this coming year.
That's one-time funding, right? So there's going to be ongoing tremendous cost for EFAs. So we're not saving $250 million. No. The next line, the total cost with income limits on this is $107 to $167 million instead of the $240. That's a range based on assumptions on who's likely to request vouchers, right, based on income level. So the total budget savings is between $73 and $133 million annually.
That's at the current rate of applications. That's using the number of current applications. at, you know, this $35,000. I think we didn't expect that number to go up. We know the applications are ongoing. There's an open window for accepting applications. So they might, you know, the number of total costs could go up. Therefore, savings would go up. Representative Nazarenko, you're recognized for a question. Well,
Representative Jason Nazarenko
Unverified
1:09:00
thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for putting this together, Representative Garner,
because I appreciate that you're being fiscally responsible. And I think we all need to be that. I have a couple questions. So one, because from last night I was taking notes and things. I'll start with this one because we kind of brought up one. So you said $250 million. I do have that sheet. I know I think everybody does.
It shows $240 million, and then you just explained the 35,323 vouchers that you pulled off the website. So I'm seeing that math as just sheerly the highest tier.
So then if we look at, I mean, because if we're arbitrarily going to pick the highest tier, if we arbitrarily pick the lowest tier, then that's 60,614,268. And that's just, those are just, you know, estimates because it's not really. And then somewhere in between, 121,000 is that middle tier. So would you agree
that that number, that 250, 40 million, number one, That's just purely an estimate using the highest possible voucher tier that you're looking at.
Speaker 159
1:10:12
So, yes, that's calculated using the full amount of the voucher that's available, 6,824. So if
Representative Jason Nazarenko
Unverified
1:10:22
everyone, follow up, so if everyone had 100% of the high, that 100%, your top tier, that would have to be every one of those vouchers being that top tier. And that's the only way that you're actually going to realize that $240 million would be if every one of those $35,323 were on that top tier.
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
1:10:47
Which is what happens in 26. Okay. I
Representative Jason Nazarenko
Unverified
1:10:49
just want to make sure we were clear on that. And then, so my other one
is this, and I don't think this was covered, and I didn't see it. So I've got constituents that come in, say they're on the voucher system. Let's just say this was, you know, let's say this was enacted, if this was approved, and then they are on a tiered system because they fall under that.
They start receiving that voucher. Let's just say they're in the middle or the low end because it's a family of four or two spouses working dual income. Then they get a divorce. Now they're single income. Kids are, you know, in a semi-normalcy at that point, but then the income's changed. So now they're no longer
going to qualify. What would be the – what does that look like? Where would they go from
Speaker 188
1:11:41
there? Would the kids have to be pulled out of that?
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
1:11:47
No. So then how would that work? We've tried extremely hard to make sure that anybody who's getting the voucher, anyone who is eligible under those other programs do not get taken off. And I did see that. I knew
Representative Jason Nazarenko
Unverified
1:12:05
that you talked about that. But I guess my question, and it's my fault, I apologize. I'm probably just not
being clear enough. So if they qualified at the beginning of the year, they qualify, let's just say they're on the bottom tier.
Let's just say they qualify on the bottom tier. One of those incomes is lost, so then it's, say it's not going to be calculated. How, where are they going to fall? Because now they don't qualify for that tier, so now they're outside of that system. Are they going to have to, are they going to change at that point? Their incomes change, is that going to be, like, how is that going to be affected if their income changes? Or vice versa, they get married, now their income's doubled, so now they're out of the program. A major life change, how would
Speaker 159
1:12:47
that be, how would that be affected? Yeah, I mean, technically, the way the bill is written, that there's a check for eligibility when they're applying.
So it's at the time of application. There is nothing in it that says, we're going to come back and check and see if you're suddenly making a lot more money, and therefore, we're going to give you less. So essentially, it's check at the beginning. I guess that makes the opposite true as well, though. If, you know, you were making 400, let's see, what is it? If you're making 400% of, just under 400% of the federal poverty level and you get 25% of it
and then you lose a bunch of income, then you're still getting 25%. I suppose in a rulemaking process there could be a petition process for saying, our personal financial situation has changed. Can we adjust this? I don't think
Speaker 194
1:13:42
anybody's going to volunteer and come and say we're making more money, though. Sure.
Representative Jason Nazarenko
Unverified
1:13:47
One last question. So the other one that I had, and this kind of, you know, a lot of times I focus heavily on military, law enforcement.
When I did the math on this, and we were recruiting military, and we wanted them to come here, military would be excluded from this. So I have military friends that retire, come home on disability, and they're on the voucher program. Now others, their friend could come over and retire. They're not going to qualify. And so it's kind of like we're recruiting. We say, hey, we want you, but we don't want you to be able to do what your buddy's doing with their family. So how would this address that? Like how could you, you know, address that we're maybe excluding vulnerable populations that we're trying to get here?
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
1:14:34
Well, that is certainly not the intent. And I didn't figure it would. Yeah, that is not the intent. And obviously, I know where all of this is going, but I just wanted to bring up the potential and start thinking about some of these issues. But any vulnerable population ought to be part of the voucher system. And I appreciate it. And I knew
Representative Jason Nazarenko
Unverified
1:14:52
you weren't going there. I just, it really caught
my eye last night when I was looking at it because I was like, I'm going to have friends that are going to be excluded. Right. That's exactly what it was going to be. That's what really caught my eye.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Representative Andrews, you recognize
Representative Wade Andrews
Unverified
1:15:10
for a question. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Noreen, how did you come up with this range of $78,000 to $125,000? Because, I mean, I think if you're going to, you know, put income limits, I would think, you know, maybe north of $300,000, $400,000. Because just in my humble opinion, the $78,000 to $125,000 households, they're the ones that pay a good part of our state income tax. And the ones with, you know, four-people household,
even though they might be making $100,000, they're still struggling day-to-day. And so to me, they're the ones who need this. This would be very important
to them on educating their kids. So why are you targeting the middle class here? Go ahead. Yes,
Speaker 159
1:15:55
I can answer that. Yeah, so you're right. You have to set the limit somewhere. And so we sat down and thought about where does it make sense to peg that. And this is what we did.
We said, okay, a lot of groups out there have said what a survival or a budget to meet basic needs needs to be in the state of Arkansas, right? The United Way does this. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta does this. All those numbers are actually pretty similar. So they said, and, you know, it does vary based on the size of the family, of course, because the federal poverty level changes with that as well. For a family of two, what is that survival budget?
So that's a mom and a child, right? For a family of two, what's that survival budget? What do you need? And that includes taxes and everything else. And then we added in the cost of private schooling your child, that one child in Arkansas. And that came up to a certain amount, right? We did the same thing with a family of four. And we compared both of those amounts to the federal poverty level. and they were both right about 250% of the poverty level. So what that's saying is people who make up to 250% of the poverty level,
according to what other people doing research have found, should give you enough money to private school your kids and pay your basic survival budget. So that was the logic to come up with a 250% of poverty level. And that's the important one, right? Because that's how you get up to 100% of the voucher. You reckon it? I mean, I get there has to be a place somewhere,
Representative Wade Andrews
Unverified
1:17:45
but I'm just kind of thinking you can look at numbers all day. You can talk to people who actually, you know, say you've got two parents that make $50,000, $60,000 a year apiece and, you know, it comes out to $1.20. They're still struggling. By the time insurance is on the rise, homes cost depends on where you live in the state. Some places it's cheaper to live. Some places it's more expensive to live. It's just cost of living is high right now. And so I just don't see why we need to penalize the middle class.
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
1:18:22
Well, this gets into more of the bill, but
public funds are, public tax dollars are collected to fund a public education system that serves everyone, not to act as personal accounts for individuals, for individual families. So, you know, I think that as a state we are obligated to make sure that everyone gets a good education
and the folks that are most vulnerable in the system are those folks that we've listed here, the folks that have very low incomes and then those exceptions that we've added in the bill and certainly could add more. Representative Garner, just a quick question. You referenced public
school funding. Have we seen a decrease in public school funding relative to this, or is there an anticipated
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
1:19:26
one moving forward? Well, I know that, um, much of our new education budget was for education vouchers, and that just worries me from where Arizona and some of the other states have gone with this system. So it does worry me about where we're going to find the money to continue these vouchers. Are there additional questions about the committee? Representative Cozart. Mr. Chair, would you mind
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
1:19:55
if I asked the department to make a comment on this?
I would not mind. Could we get you all to make a comment
Speaker 37
1:20:07
on what we're doing here? Jacob Oliva, Department of Education. Is there a specific question?
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
1:20:11
Well, I just, does this look correct? Is there something that's out of place on it?
Speaker 37
1:20:17
So I haven't had a chance to review this. This is the first time that I've seen this. But if I think about it,
Speaker 38
1:20:24
to make a general comment, our state has made a commitment to make sure that parents are empowered
to find the right educational environment that works best for them and their child. two years ago we've made a commitment and the governor's made a commitment to empower parents and make sure that we fully fund education and i think we've achieved that goal representative brooks asked if education if we're looking at foundation funding has decreased it's increased every year and i know we're going through another cycle where we're looking at increasing that when we're looking at funding this program it's not it's out it's funded outside of
that educational budget in the state and I think Representative Garner brings up valid concerns when she sees how some of these programs are rolled out in other states. Our state was very wise, I believe, with the people that crafted this bill in setting a ceiling with the amount of seats that are going to be available at 39,000 seats. We're just just north of 35,000 seats when you look at people that are looking to participate. So I just go back to we have a new program. We're getting
into year three. The program's going well. We've met all of the conditions and requirements and expectations of that program within the budgeted allocation. I don't know what problem we're trying to solve. Are there additional questions about the committee? Could I
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
1:21:56
just make a quick comment? I do think that in a lot of things that we do, it's not a zero-sum game. If we can lift up everybody and the rest of the folks are lifted.
This is a little bit different in that we do have a limited amount of funds that we can use for these positions. And it just makes sense to me that we make sure that the most vulnerable population are the ones that have access to the funds first. Seeing no additional questions by the committee, and we do not have
anyone signed up to speak for or against this bill. Would anyone like to speak for or against the bill? Seeing none, Representative Garner, would you like to close for your bill? I am closed.
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
1:22:40
I just thank you for letting me present the bill, and I hope we'll think about those folks who don't have an opportunity and make sure that our public funds are working for everyone. Thank you. Representative
Garner is closed for her bill. What's the will of the committee? I can make
Speaker 158
1:22:59
a motion, do pass. Representative Garner made a motion, do
pass. Is there a discussion on that motion?
REPRESENTATIVE GONZALESWORTHY, YOU RECOGNIZE. NO DISCUSSION. SEEING NO DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED SAY NO. NO. REPRESENTATIVE GARDER, YOUR BILL HAS FAILED. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, COMMITTEE, FOR YOUR WORK TODAY. IT'S BEEN OUTSTANDING. AGAIN, REMINDER, MONDAY MORNING, 11:00 A.M. PLEASE BE SAFE DRIVING HOME. HOUSE EDUCATION IS ADJOURNED.
Agenda
RE-REFERRED TO COMMITTEE
Number Sponsor Subtitle
HB1709 Steele TO AMEND THE HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM; AND TO INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS IN THE HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM.
REGULAR AGENDA
Number Sponsor Subtitle
HB1710 Vaught TO PROHIBIT A SCHOOL FROM USING OR REFERENCING A PUBLIC SCHOOL RATING IN ANY ADVERTISING, PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL, OR COMMUNICATION DIRECTED TO THE PUBLIC.
HB1727 L. Johnson TO AMEND THE FUNDING AVAILABLE TO ADULT EDUCATION CHARTER SCHOOLS.
HB1017 A. Collins TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING PAID MATERNITY LEAVE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES; AND TO REQUIRE THE DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION TO PAY FOR INCURRED COSTS FOR APPROVED PAID MATERNITY LEAVE.
HB1755 T. Shephard TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ARKANSAS PREVENTION NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY.
SB402 C. Penzo TO PROHIBIT A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AN EDUCATIONAL SERVICE COOPERATIVE FROM REQUIRING OR TAKING CERTAIN ACTIONS RELATED TO EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS.
SB373 Irvin TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS FINANCIAL EDUCATION COMMISSION.
SB390 J. English TO ESTABLISH THE STATE APPRENTICESHIP AGENCY ACT.
HB1081 B. McKenzie TO REPEAL ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES.
HB1139 B. McKenzie TO CREATE THE RELEASED TIME EDUCATION ACT.
HB1825 Wooldridge TO ALLOW A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TO REQUIRE AN ENROLLED STUDENT TO EARN ONE UNIT OF CREDIT IN A COMPUTER SCIENCE OR COMPUTER SCIENCE-RELATED CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION COURSE IN ORDER TO GRADUATE.
HB1747 Vaught TO CREATE THE BABIES AT SCHOOL ACT; AND TO ALLOW SCHOOLS TO PERMIT EMPLOYEES WHO ARE PARENTS TO BRING THEIR INFANTS SIX MONTHS OR YOUNGER TO WORK.
HB1761 D. Garner TO INCREASE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INCOME LIMITS FOR STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNTS IN THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR AND THEREAFTER.
SB352 Stone TO PROHIBIT ANTISEMITISM IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS; AND TO PROHIBIT ANTISEMITISM IN STATE-SUPPORTED INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
HB1806 Vaught TO PROVIDE CURRICULUM TRANSPARENCY FOR PARENTS OF KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE TWELVE STUDENTS; AND TO ALLOW A PARENT TO REVIEW AND OPT OUT OF SELECTED LIBRARY MEDIA MATERIALS FOR HIS OR HER CHILD.
HB1864 Andrews TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY IN STUDENT INSTRUCTION; AND TO CREATE A STANDARDIZED FLEXIBLE SCHOOL CALENDAR SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
HB1866 Brooks TO CREATE ELI'S LAW; AND TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL TO INSTALL AN AUDIO RECORDING DEVICE IN EACH LOCKER ROOM AND DRESSING ROOM ON THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CAMPUS.
HB1874 B. McKenzie AN ACT TO AMEND THE USE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUNDING THAT EXCEEDS THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT AWARDED TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS UNDER THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING ACT OF 2003.
SB90 J. English TO REQUIRE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO BE AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT PUBLIC COMMENT AT EACH MEETING OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
HB1482 Gramlich TO CREATE AN EXCEPTION TO THE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR A STUDENT WHO TAKES A GED TEST AND RECEIVES A GED.
HB1492 Gramlich TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT AND OPEN-ENROLLMENT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL TO IMPLEMENT A MOBILE PANIC ALERT SYSTEM.
HB1728 Ennett TO REQUIRE REPORTING ON THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS RECEIVING ACCOMMODATIONS FOR A DISABILITY AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
HB1766 Ennett TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS RESPOND, INNOVATE, SUCCEED, AND EMPOWER (RISE) ACT.
SB470 J. Dotson TO REQUIRE AN ADULT APPROVED TO OVERSEE THE ADMINISTRATION OF A STATEWIDE STUDENT ASSESSMENT TO CERTAIN STUDENTS IN A VIRTUAL SETTING TO MEET CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS.
SB515 J. Petty TO REQUIRE THAT A UNIT DEDICATED TO ARKANSAS VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES BE INCLUDED WITHIN EXISTING ARKANSAS HISTORY COURSE CONTENT GUIDELINES.
SB522 M. McKee TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING THE ARKANSAS SCHOOL FOR MATHEMATICS, SCIENCES, AND THE ARTS; AND TO AMEND THE LAW RELATED TO THE TUITION AND FEES PAID BY STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE ONLINE PROGRAMS.
SB545 M. Johnson TO AMEND THE LAW RELATED TO THE PROPERTY AND FINANCES OF STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION; TO AMEND THE LAW RELATED TO BONDS; AND TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING RENTS, TOLLS, FEES, AND OTHER CHARGES RELATED TO ATHLETIC CONTESTS.
SB547 D. Sullivan TO REPEAL THE REQUIREMENT THAT A HOMESCHOOLED STUDENT LIVE WITHIN A CERTAIN RADIUS OF A PRIVATE SCHOOL FOR PURPOSES OF PARTICIPATING IN AN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY.
SB467 C. Penzo TO MODIFY THE DEFINITION OF "HEALTHCARE PROVIDER" REGARDING STUDENT ATHLETE CONCUSSION EDUCATION TO INCLUDE CHIROPRACTORS OR CHIROPRACTIC PHYSICIANS.
HB1903 Walker TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE TO PROVIDE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH FLEXIBILITY REGARDING ALTERNATIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS.
HB1919 McAlindon TO CREATE THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ACCESS AND TRANSPARENCY ACT; AND TO REQUIRE PUBLIC ACCESS TO LEARNING MATERIALS.
HB1924 Puryear TO REPEAL THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ESTABLISH RULES REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEKS.
HB1933 McCollum TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING A SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS; AND TO CREATE A RECALL ELECTION AND PETITION FOR REMOVAL FOR A MEMBER OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
HB1938 Joey Carr TO AMEND PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE CONCERNING THE CREATION OF DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLANS AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION.
HB1939 Joey Carr TO AMEND ELIGIBILITY FOR TEACHER INCENTIVE AND MERIT PAY; TO AMEND REQUIREMENTS FOR SUMMATIVE EVALUATIONS; AND TO AMEND SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE MERIT TEACHER INCENTIVE FUND PROGRAM.
HB1940 Walker TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES AND MAINTAINS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.
HB1941 Joey Carr CONCERNING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS; AND TO PROTECT ARKANSAS STUDENTS BY ENSURING THE EFFICIENT DISPOSITION OF ETHICS COMPLAINTS AGAINST TEACHERS.
HB1945 McCollum TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS OPPORTUNITY PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE ACT; TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE ACT OF 2015; AND TO ALLOW A STUDENT TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER PUBLIC SCHOOL WITHIN HIS OR HER RESIDENT DISTRICT.
Documents
| Title | Type | Pages | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agenda — EDUCATION COMMITTEE- HOUSE, Apr 3, 2025 | Agenda | 5 | Official source ↗ |
Speakers
Representative Keith Brooks Chair
Unverified
Representative DeAnn Vaught
Unverified
Speaker 12
Speaker 16
Representative Bruce Cozart
Unverified
Representative Hope Duke
Unverified
Speaker 38
Representative Denise Jones Ennett
Unverified
Allison Guthrie
Unverified
Chair
Unverified
Speaker 23
Representative Stetson Painter
Unverified
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
Speaker 73
Speaker 58
Speaker 77
Representative Rick Beck
Unverified
Representative Matt Brown
Unverified
Representative Justin Gonzales
Unverified
Representative Jessie McGruder
Unverified
Speaker 119
Speaker 56
Speaker 50
Speaker 140
Speaker 37
Speaker 147
Speaker 155
Speaker 104
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
Speaker 158
Speaker 159
Representative Jason Nazarenko
Unverified
Speaker 188
Speaker 194
Representative Wade Andrews
Unverified