We just completed week three of the 94th General Assembly. Our Policy Panel staff are hard at work reading and interpreting bill, studying those in our scope of work (read our priorities here). Our Steering Committee continues to vote weekly on which bills we support, oppose or watch.
LAST REMINDER: Join us for our 2023 Lobby Day THIS Tuesday! RSVP today so we can get a breakfast & lunch headcount.
If you can't come all day, stop by at the State Capitol rotunda at 11:30 a.m. for our Rally Around Public Education in partnership with Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families and Arkansas Education Association.
BILLS WE’RE WATCHING
Public-to-Private School Voucher System
HB1204: To Require Private Schools to Administer an Annual Statewide Student Assessment; and to Require Private Schools to Admit each Student Who Applies for Admission and Intends to Cover Private School Cost with State Funding
Lead Sponsor: Rep. Jim Wooten [R]
HB1205: To Require a School that Accepts State Funding of any Type to Provide Transportation to Certain Students Enrolled in the School
Lead Sponsor: Rep. Jim Wooten [R]
HB1206: To Amend Arkansas Law Concerning the Information Considered under the School Rating System
Lead Sponsor: Rep. Joey Carr [R]
CFC Stance: OPPOSE
Summary: These three should be consider package as they fit together like puzzle pieces in their intended impact. They would pave the road to a public-to-private school voucher system that would:
(1) allow a former public school student to retain public-funded transportation to and from school if they live within 35 miles of the private school
(2) require the private school that accepts a public school student to begin administering standardized tests and reporting the results BUT
(3) shield the private school from having to include the scores of students who transferred with vouchers for the first two years of a student's attendance at the private school.
Why It Matters: These bills appear to be designed to make it more appealing to the parents of the public school students to use the vouchers as well as more appealing to the private schools to readily participate in the voucher system. This would take money away from public education.
Current Status: All three bills are pending fiscal impact reports in the House Education Committee.
TAKE ACTION: Come Rally Around Public Education THIS Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at the State Capitol rotunda.
Targeting Abortion Coverage Through Maternity Leave Requirements
HB1006: To Amend The Law Regarding Employment; And To Require Certain Employers To Provide Paid Maternity Leave.
Lead Sponsor: Rep Aaron Pilkington [R]
CFC Stance: WATCHSummary: This bill would require employers who include abortion services in their healthcare packages to pay 12 weeks of maternity leave to all employees who are birth mothers.
Why It Matters: While this would help provide needed maternity leave, it is discriminatory in nature as it only applies to some employers. This bill seems like a retaliation against specific companies, like Walmart, for their stance on abortion and a way to motivate them to drop their abortion coverage.
Current Status: Reported correctly engrossed
Tax Credits For Early Education
HB1158: To Create The Early Childhood Education Workforce Quality Incentive Act; And To Create Income Tax Credits For Certain Early Childhood Education Workers And For Eligible Business Childcare Expenses.
Lead Sponsor: Rep. Julia Mayberry [R]
CFC Stance: SUPPORT
Summary: HB1158 would create a tiered tax credit system for early childhood educators based on their education experience. The credits would range from $1,800 for those with Child Development Associate credential to $3,000 for a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education.
It would also create a tax credit to offset the cost of early childhood education centers, including maintenance and renovations, equipment, and support employees.
Why it matters: Early childhood education is one of CFC's 10 priorities to focus on this legislative session, because we recognize that quality education sets our children on the path to success in life. This legislation would further incentivize educators and administrators to provide quality education.
Current Status: Referred to the House Committee on Revenue and Taxation
More Severe Punitive Policy Around Fentanyl
HB1043: To Amend Penalties For Offenses Involving Fentanyl; And To Enhance Sentences For Certain Offenses Involving Fentanyl
Lead Sponsors: Rep. Mark Berry & Sen. Gary Stubblefield
CFC Stance: OPPOSE
Summary: Anyone found guilty of delivering fentanyl would serve a mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison or, if the offense led to a person's death, life with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years. This bill provides opportunities to further criminalize substances laced with fentanyl unbeknownst to the users.
Why It Matters: Treating fentanyl like the new crack is repeating the same mistakes from the '80s and '90s – punitive policies that lock up drug dealers and users alike on lengthy sentences contribute to the system of mass incarceration. Harsh penalties for fentanyl possession will not reduce overdoses or use and will have disparate impact on communities of color and will exacerbate opioid epidemic.
This is a wasted opportunity to invest state resources in tools that are proven to stop overdoses and addiction.
Current Status: Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
Further Reading: "State Laws Are Treating Fentanyl Like the New Crack—And Making the Same Mistakes of the 80s and 90s", "More Imprisonment Does Not Reduce State Drug Problems"
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