Two Weeks Remain for General Assembly The 87th General
The 87th General Assembly is scheduled to recess in two weeks. Senate Concurrent Resolution 13, which was passed this week, provides for the legislature to recess on April 9.

The Speaker of the House and President Pro Tem of the Senate may reconvene the General Assembly at any time between April 9 and May 1 if they determine it is necessary. The General Assembly will then adjourn on May 1.

With only two weeks remaining, committees will be meeting frequently to complete action on as many bills as possible. A number of important education bills are still in either the House or Senate Education Committees, and AEA will be working to make sure that the bills we support are dealt with before the end of the legislative session.

Attention will also turn to the state budget, because action will have to be taken on the Public School Fund budget before the other major general revenue budgets can be dealt with. AEA is still working with leaders of the House to obtain additional revenue for the public school employee health insurance program, and we hope to be able to report to you on this issue shortly.

We will keep you informed through the Legislative Alert on any actions that we believe you will need to take.

The AEA Bill Tracker, which can be found on www.aeaonline.org is also being updated to keep you informed about important legislation.

House Passes Eight AEA-Supported Bills
Eight AEA-Supported bills were passed in the House today. These bills will now go before the appropriate Senate committees.

HB 1378, sponsored by Rep. Allen Maxwell, D- Monticello, would give income tax relief to heads of households with two or more dependents. If the gross annual income for a head of household does not exceed $17,200, this person would be exempt from state individual income tax. If the gross annual income for a head of household is more than $17,200 but less than $21,300, this person would be eligible for a low income tax credit.

HB 1859, sponsored by Rep. Bill Abernathy, D- Mena, would exempt licensed education employees from the FOI Act under certain conditions to ensure confidentiality of certain documents and procedures relating to code of ethics proceedings of the Professional Licensure Standards Board. However, hearings before the State Board of Education will be open and the records subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

HB 1959, sponsored by Rep. Bill Abernathy, D-Mena, clarifies language in current law that deals with high stakes end-of-course assessments. It establishes that Algebra 1 and English 2 are the two subject areas for these assessments. Among other things, it also provides for a more reasonable time line for the implementation of the second subject area end-of-course assessment. It also calls for greater required state participation and responsibility in the remediation process.

HB 1986, sponsored by Rep. Johnnie Roebuck, D-Arkadelphia, allows for alternative methods to provide testimony under subpoena from a state agency. The bill states that a person may provide testimony either in person, before a certified court reporter under oath at the person's home or place of employment, by video-taped deposition, or by live video communication. The bill also states that if the witness appears in person to provide testimony, that witness shall be compensated for travel and time.

HB 1940, sponsored by Rep. David Cook, D-Williford, updates the language in the Arkansas Code that deals with the duties and responsibilities of local school boards.

HB 1999, sponsored by Rep. Andrea Lea, R-Russellville, would allow teachers to choose an option of earning 12 hours of the required 60 professional development hours (equivalent to 2 of the required 10 days) using the online professional development approved by ADE and related either to the school’s ACSIP plan and/or the teacher’s professional growth plan. The 12 online hours must be taken from the 12 hours reserved for preparation work done before class. Additionally, a teacher who is unable to obtain the required professional development hours due to illness may use online course work to complete the requirements.

HB 2004, sponsored by Rep. Karen Hopper, R-Mountain Home, would eliminate the requirement that teachers or administrators who are also members of the National Guard pay for the cost of a substitute employee when they are on military leave.HB 2163, sponsored by Rep. David Rainey, D-Dumas, addresses the need to close achievement gaps in public schools.

The bill would require a school district that has a chronically underperforming school to use its national school lunch state categorical funding to evaluate the impact of educational strategies used by that school, in order to address any existing achievement gaps. Such an evaluation would identify the programs and intervention strategies used with that funding, and also report the benchmark assessment scores of students involved in these programs and intervention strategies.

Together we can, and together we will build a great public school for every child.