Legislation – Page 16 – Family Council

LEARNS Act Could Provide Unprecedented Access to Education In Arkansas

Feb 21, 2023Jerry CoxLegislationArkansas Legislature, Education, School Choice

Little Rock, Ark. — On Monday members of the Arkansas General Assembly filed S.B. 294, the LEARNS Act. The bill gradually implements a system of publicly funded accounts that Arkansas students can use to pay for things like tuition, curriculum, and other education expenses.

Family Council President Jerry Cox issued a statement, saying, “This voluntary school choice program could provide students in Arkansas with unprecedented access to education. Once the measure is fully implemented, Arkansas law would make it possible for students to receive a publicly-funded education at a public or private school or at home. Students who choose to attend a private school or who are educated at home under the current form of this bill would take a norm-referenced test or other assessment approved by the State Board of Education every year. The bill does not require students make a certain score on that test. I’m sure many families will appreciate that.”

Cox pointed out that S.B. 294 is an omnibus education bill. “A lot of us have focused on the school choice element of the bill, but the measure deals with critical race theory, teacher salaries, protecting elementary school children from inappropriate sexual material at school, and a lot of other important issues. That’s something to keep in mind as well.”

Cox noted that the bill utilizes the State Board of Education to establish the school choice program. “Much of what the LEARNS Act does is provide a framework that the State Board of Education and the Department of Education will use as it sets up the program between 2023 and 2025. The framework in the bill is good, and if the bill passes, we will know more details about how the program will work once the state board begins announcing plans to implement it. Hearings on the bill are currently underway. We are monitoring those hearings to see if amendments are added to the proposed legislation. We all want to make sure students get the best education possible, and we look forward to working with policymakers so that the LEARNS Act will help as many students in Arkansas as possible.”

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Bill Filed to Protect Teachers From Being Penalized for Declining to Use Students’ Preferred Pronouns

Feb 21, 2023Jerry CoxLegislationArkansas Legislature, Transgender

A measure filed at the Arkansas Legislature on Monday would protect teachers and faculty from being penalized if they fail to use a student’s or co-worker’s preferred pronouns.

H.B. 1468 by Rep. Wayne Long (R – Bradford) says that a teacher or faculty member who declines to use a student’s or co-worker’s preferred pronouns could not be held civilly, criminally, or administratively liable.

The bill would apply to teachers and faculty at public schools and state-supported colleges and universities in Arkansas.

Educators in other states have been fired and suspended for declining to use students’ chosen pronouns.

H.B. 1468 would help prevent that from happening in Arkansas.

You Can Read H.B. 1468 Here.

Appropriation Measure Would Renew Million Dollar Grant Program for Pregnancy Centers

Feb 21, 2023Jerry CoxAbortion, LegislationAbortion, Arkansas Legislature, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

A measure filed at the Arkansas Legislature on Monday would renew funding for state grants awarded to pregnancy help organizations.

S.B. 286 by Sen. Scott Flippo (R – Bull Shoals) authorizes $1 million in state-funded grants for crisis pregnancy centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies, and social services agencies that provide material support to women with unplanned pregnancies.

The bill also contains language clarifying that grant funding cannot go to abortion providers or their affiliates.

The Department of Finance and Administration would be responsible for awarding the grants, which would become available when Fiscal Year 2024 begins this summer.

S.B. 286 is virtually identical to a good appropriation measure the Arkansas Legislature passed last year. It ensures that the grant program that lawmakers authorized in 2022 will continue to provide funding for pregnancy help organizations in the coming year.

You Can Read S.B. 286 Here.