Senate News

The Arkansas legislature has tried to apply lessons learned by other states when it enacted school safety laws over the past several years. The Senate and House Committees on Education heard an update from the chair of the commission, who said that “collectively we’ve passed some of the most comprehensive school safety legislation in the country.”

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission broke records for job creation and investment last year. Thirty companies invested close to $6 billion and announced the creation of 5,359 jobs. The average salary of those new jobs is $29 an hour.

The state will continue to accept applications from families who want to fund their children’s tuition with Education Freedom Accounts, and perhaps as early as February the state will begin accepting applications for next school year.

One of the ongoing developments in state government over the past six months has been the efforts of the Human Services Department to reduce the number of people on Medicaid. The goal is to return the health coverage program to levels more closely resembling those prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic the federal government issued emergency regulations that prohibit the state from dropping people on Medicaid, regardless of whether or not their financial circumstances changed.

Since last year enrollment has gone up at most of the publicly supported institutions of higher education in Arkansas. The academic year began about a month ago and headcounts for this year are based on enrollment as of the 11^th day of class.

The state Department of Education has released its annual school report cards, which allow parents to evaluate how well their children are being taught and whether they are learning at grade level. The school report cards provide a wealth of data and create an effective system of accountability for public education.

This week the Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin submitted an Opinion (2023-059) to clarify the laws concerning Arkansas School Board Association’s policies concerning previous legislation I had written.

The laws the legislature created were very clear in their purpose and intent.  It was brought to my attention that a school board had a policy mirroring a federal model that would violate those laws.  Therefore, I sought the Attorney General’s opinion.

The state Transportation Department has written a plan to reduce carbon emissions by improving traffic flow and connecting highways more efficiently with railroad terminals and ports. The department is due to receive $87 million from the federal government, between now and 2026, for projects that reduce carbon emissions.

Even though Arkansas has taken major steps to improve foster care over the past several years, the Division of Children and Family Services intends to do even better at recruiting foster families and providing services to children at a younger age.

In a four-day special session, the legislature lowered state taxes by almost $250 million this year. Legislators also approved the governor’s proposal to prohibit state and local government officials from requiring proof of Covid vaccinations in order to qualify for services, employment or education. Arkansas had a ban in effect, but it expired in August.