EDUCATION: Be sure to join us Tuesday March 17th for Pre-K Day at the Capitol. It’s going to be a great day with kids everywhere, legislators reading to children, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and lunch with the launch of a new Pre-K video from the Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.
This week HB1485 to create a Task Force to study Special Education passed out of the House. The Task Force will consist of legislators and stakeholders, including parents with children participating in special education programs. Many important issues for this community are outlined for the study.
The only hurdle remaining for SB325 is passage by the House. The bill lowers standards for education by permitting school districts to provide less than the 38 units of classes currently required by the state’s Standards of Accreditation. It will also result in a need to revise the definition of adequacy established as part of the Lake View lawsuit. AACF opposed lowering educational standards.
Finally, HB1827 in the Judiciary Committee raises many red flags. It’s entitled Parent’s Bill of Rights but it does little to insure the well-being of children. The bill would allow parents to refuse all immunizations, refuse to send children to school for as many days as the parent chooses, refuse to have children complete assignments, and many other exemptions.
HEALTH: The soft drink tax bill, Senate Bill 725, is expected to be presented to the Senate Revenue and Tax Committee any day now. This bill reduces the soft drink tax rate and would result in a $5.2 million dollar reduction in the Medicaid Trust Fund the first full year of implementation. The Health Reform Task Force created by Act 46, convened on Tuesday. Also, the advisory council that will work with this legislative task force was announced this week.
TAX AND BUDGET: No big tax bills ran this week, but we expect the heavy hitters to start coming up in committee next week. Be on the lookout for the Working Families Opportunity Act to come up soon. This bill (HB1344) is based on the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and will help low-income working families in Arkansas keep more of what they earn.
Three new bills (HB1924, HB1785, and SB600) may require drug testing for eligibility for public benefits if they pass. The potentially restricted benefits include SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) which helps make sure low-income families don’t go hungry by providing food assistance and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) which is a program that helps families make ends meet by providing temporary cash assistance.
JUVENILE JUSTICE: As the session unfolds juvenile justice legislation is beginning to emerge as a focus of concern and interest. The proposed Fair Sentencing of Minors Act (HB1197) was tabled several weeks ago in House Judiciary Committee for amendments. In a surprising voice vote late Thursday, the committee rejected a request to allow consideration of the amended bill. Despite this setback sponsors will continue to bring this bill up for re-consideration.
Two bills (SB982 and SB1025) seeking to reduce the incarceration of youthful offenders by offering more effective community-based alternatives are likely to be combined into one bill. This would help DYS focus on reducing the incarceration of youth who do not pose a substantial risk to public safety, improve public safety and expand proven effective community alternatives. This bill will be a critical concern during the upcoming week.