Latest news with #Bill1512
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas lawmakers send higher education bill to governor's desk
Education Secretary Jacob Oliva speaks at a press conference on Feb. 14, 2025 as Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders listens. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Legislation that would overhaul the state's higher education system awaits the governor's signature following the approval of identical bills by the Arkansas Legislature on Monday. Arkansas ACCESS, a legislative priority for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, would make changes to the state's funding model, scholarships, course credits and the admissions process, among other things. After Republicans Sen. Jonathan Dismang of Searcy and Rep. Matthew Shepherd of El Dorado filed Senate Bill 246 and House Bill 1512 last month, the legislation continued to be 'a work-in-progress' for weeks, House Speaker Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, told the Advocate Monday. 'We had a lot of input from stakeholders, both from higher ed to the public, and feel like the end result is a very good compromise piece of legislation,' Evans said. 'It looks like the support in both the House and the Senate has been very strong. There's even been some bipartisan support on that, so we appreciated that understanding.' Speaking from the House floor Thursday, Rep. Lincoln Barnett, D-Hughes, said even though he appreciated parts of Arkansas ACCESS, the legislation should have been run separately instead of a large 123-page bill, which allows lawmakers 'to sneak in the bad along with the good.' Arkansas ACCESS reduces the size and membership of a variety of boards and councils, and Barnett said he was particularly concerned about the removal of 'critical stakeholders' from a council designed to close the achievement gap. 'This bill aims to erase and ignore continued realities of existing disparities when it comes to the field of education,' Barnett said. '…I am strongly opposed to this bill for the manner in which it was run. The process has been rushed. Input from others was sought on the back end rather than on the front end, and voices of our youth, our educators and key stakeholders have been ignored or at best, half-listened to.' Several students voiced their displeasure during last week's Joint Education Committee meeting over a prohibition on granting excused absences to public high school and college students who participate in political protests or attempts to influence legislation or other governmental policymaking. As someone who visited the Legislature as a teenager, Evans said he understood the importance of involving youth in the process of the General Assembly. The implications of the bills' original language 'was an unintended consequence,' he said. 'I think there were some House members that felt like that may need to have been amended in order so that we could encourage and let it be a part of a field trip, let it be a part of coming and seeing the process of how legislation moves, special events, special interest topics…it would have just been an error in not allowing that, so I think it was good to get those discussions,' Evans said. Higher education bill receives initial approval from Arkansas lawmakers The committee did adopt an amendment presented by the bill's sponsors that would allow high school students to be granted an excused absence for engaging in governmental policymaking with parental consent. School districts would also be required to submit an annual report to the state education department on the absences. The amendment left the original prohibition intact for college students, who also could be found liable for property damage that occurs during a protest. Under the legislation, students would not receive their degree or credential, or have their credits transferred to another Arkansas school until they pay for the damaged property. Additional provisions of the legislation include a focus on 'accelerated learning' that will expand high school students' access to courses beyond the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. The legislation also has provisions aimed at supporting participation in concurrent credit courses that allow high school students to take courses for college credit. As part of an effort to streamline participation in higher education, Arkansas ACCESS proposes creating a universal college application, a common-course numbering system among state institutions and a program that would establish provisional admission to students who meet basic standards. Both the Arkansas House and Senate approved Arkansas ACCESS Monday without discussion. Reporter Tess Vrbin contributed to this report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Four takeaways from the ninth week of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly
Video: Arkansas legislature activity for March 12 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Week nine of the 95th General Assembly showed an increasing number of bills becoming law. Forty-one bills were signed into law this week, alongside legislation changing the nature of electrical utilities for ratepayers, movement on the governor's signature higher-education bill and legislation on nitrogen gas execution to the governor's desk. University of Arkansas among 60 universities under federal investigation over DEI practices NEW LAWS Alongside more mundane items like budget appropriations, 41 bills signed into law Thursday included legislation on campaign contributions, medical marijuana and election laws, including laws for write-in candidates. This makes 299 bills signed into law this session. ELECTRIC UTILITIES A bill that has garnered a lot of debate in the Senate cleared that chamber and was sent to the House on Wednesday. Senate Bill 307 changes the relationship between the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) and electric utilities by charging rates on construction projects in process. League of Women Voters submits Arkansas ballot question to roll back initiative changes A related matter is a bill filed on Friday by Sen. Matt McKee (R-Pearcy) requiring the PSC to approve any power plants being closed. Part of the support for SB307 by senators, including McKee, was that Arkansas is due to lose two of its coal-fired power plants in 2030. HIGHER EDUCATION The House and Senate passed identical bills to put Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' higher education revamping Arkansas ACCESS for 'acceleration, common sense, cost, eligibility, scholarships, and standardization,' closer to becoming law. Senate Bill 246 and House Bill 1512 were transmitted to their opposite chamber, where they were voted and moved to committee on Thursday. One sticking point with legislators was the original legislation's language stating that absences for public policy advocacy or attempts to influence legislation and political protests would count as unexcused absences. Sponsors made an amendment Monday afternoon for schools to allow an excused absence for public policy advocacy or to influence legislation if parents provide written permission, but political protests would remain unexcused. University of Arkansas among 60 universities under federal investigation over DEI practices NITROGEN GAS Legislation allowing the state to use nitrogen gas to execute death-penalty inmates has passed both chambers and been sent to the governor for signature as House Bill 1489. Arkansas currently has 25 inmates on death row. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington legislature's first deadline claims hundreds of bills — But are they really dead?
This story was originally published on The Washington State Legislature hit its first 'do-or-die' deadline for policy bills on Friday. That means bills that don't significantly impact the budget — those focused more on setting public policy — had to make it out of their committee of origin in either the House or Senate to stay alive. As of Friday, lawmakers had submitted 1,802 bills this session. Hundreds didn't make the cut. If you've been following my coverage of this legislative session, you know I've written about dozens of bills on a variety of issues. Here's a list of notable bills that effectively died on Friday. The bills that didn't make it House Bill 1536 – Would have increased early intervention for minors caught unlawfully possessing firearms. Previous coverage here. Senate Bill 5174 – A proposed ban on wood-burning stoves. It actually passed its committee, but on Friday, its sponsor said she won't move it forward this year. Previous coverage here. House Bill 1512 – Would have prevented law enforcement from pulling over motorists for non-moving violations, like a broken taillight or expired tabs. Previous coverage here. House Bill 1630 – Would have required dairy farmers and cattle feedlot operators to track methane emissions from their herds. Previous coverage here. It also included a potential study on methane emissions from humans. Previous coverage here. House Bill 1938 – Proposed the creation of a Washington State Flag Redesign Committee. Previous coverage here. House Bill 1426 – A groundbreaking proposal that would have introduced the Impaired Driving Protection Order (IDPO), a new legal tool to address impaired driving. Previous coverage here. House Bill 1739 – Sought to regulate the use of automated checkout systems to protect grocery store clerks from being overwhelmed or exposed to unsafe working conditions. Previous coverage here. House Bill 1596 – Would have created a special restricted driver's license for individuals with suspended licenses due to excessive speeding or reckless driving. Previous coverage here. Senate Bill 5482 – Aimed to end the use of dogs by local law enforcement to track problematic wildlife — such as bears, cougars, and wolves — unless explicitly approved by the state. Previous coverage here. House Bill 1825 – Would have repealed a 30-year-old law barring Washington from actively participating in grizzly bear recovery efforts, which are currently under federal control. Previous coverage here. Senate Bill 5091 – A Republican-backed bill that would have severed Washington's ties to California's strict vehicle emissions rules. Previous coverage here. Senate Bill 5578 – Would have put Washington's minimum wage on track to reach $25 per hour by 2032. Previous coverage here. Dead or just on life support? That said, nothing ever truly dies in the Washington State Legislature. At any moment, Democratic leadership in the House and Senate could pull a Lazarus move and resurrect a bill from the grave. But let's be real — most of these bills aren't coming back. For now, these proposals are casualties of the legislative process. But in politics, there's always the next session.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas ACCESS higher education bills entered in legislature
VIDEO: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces Arkansas ACCESS legislation LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Promised higher education reform legislation was entered into the Arkansas legislature on Monday. The Arkansas Access Act was entered as a bill in both the House and Senate. In both cases, the bills, House Bill 1512 and Senate Bill 246, have had their floor reading and are now before the House and Senate Education Committee. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces Arkansas ACCESS higher education reform legislation As promised by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a Friday announcement, the bills make several changes to the higher education process in the state. Among the changes is moving the state's School Leadership Coordinating Council from 17 members to five members, with the ability to add members 'as deemed necessary.' The legislation includes provisions for accelerated learning in every public high school, where students can access college-level and technical coursework. The term 'advanced placement' would be struck from Arkansas regulations. It also forbids student walkouts for political or social protests, classifying them as an 'unexcused absence.' Any student who causes damage during a protest will be liable for the cost of repairs. The legislation maintains that 'An officer, agent, administrator, employee, teacher, or contractor of a state-supported institution of higher education shall not adversely or advantageously treat students of the state-supported institution of higher education differently on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, color, or national origin except to the extent otherwise allowed by federal law.' Free school breakfast bill advances in Arkansas legislature It also prohibits state higher-education teachers from compelling students or staff to adopt a political, philosophical or religious viewpoint. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
