It’s been hectic at the State Capitol as the session winds down. Here’s what happened this week and a look at what to expect after the weekend.
EDUCATION: Pre-K day at the Capitol was a welcome relief from the grind of bills moving through committees. More than 175 participants and about 35 legislators joined us for a good time. Legislators got into the spirit of things by reading to kids as Clifford the Big Red Dog brightened up the festivities. Kids visited the Treasurer’s Office while providers and supporters visited with legislators. Then the whole group got together for lunch and the release of the Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading’s fifth pre-K video featuring Maumelle’s Lil Scholars pre-K center.
HB1733, which would have privatized education in Arkansas starting with the Little Rock school district, failed in committee. The sponsor pulled the bill down without attempting to run it. Next up is HB1593 which would transfer public tax dollars to private schools (who are unaccountable to taxpayers) by allowing students to take public school funds and put them toward attending private schools.
HEALTH: As the Health Care Task Force, created by Act 46, forged ahead, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced members on the Advisory Council on Medicaid Reform. The Advisory Council is made up of advocacy groups, including Arkansas Advocates, and state agency leaders that will work with the legislative Task Force.
March of Dimes will hold a rally on the Capitol steps Monday, March 23 at 10:00am. The focus of the event is on SB785, which allows for education and awareness signage on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) to be posted in all alcohol-serving establishments in the State of Arkansas. The bill passed out of the Senate unanimously and is expected to be presented to the House Rules Committee on Monday.
AFTERSCHOOL: HB1958 is sponsored by Rep. Charles Armstrong. It will set aside two percent of state appropriation of National School Lunch Act monies (also known as poverty funding) intended to reduce the education achievement gap between students. These set-aside monies will fund the Positive Youth Development Grant Program to create afterschool and summer programs in Arkansas.
JUVENILE JUSTICE: SB982, “To Improve the Effectiveness of the Juvenile Justice System,” is the result of a collaboration between the Division of Youth Services, youth service providers, and child advocates. It will provide oversight of commitment reduction services and create a Youth Justice Reform Board to plan and guide system reforms to reduce the use of secure confinement for youth who do not pose a serious risk to public safety. We expect action on this bill, and possibly a House version, early next week.
TAX AND BUDGET: A tax cut on capital gains passed quickly out of committee on Thursday with an amendment to phase it in over two years. The bill (HB1402) reinstates a 50 percent tax break on capital gains and allows capital gains income that exceeds $10 million to be exempt from the state income tax. These measures overwhelmingly benefit wealthy Arkansans.
We expect two bills to run in committee next week that would benefit working families. The first is HB1344, the Working Families Opportunity Act, which would provide tax credits to low-income working families in Arkansas. The second is HB1426, which helps state employees by providing six weeks of paid maternity leave at a maximum of $500 a week.