Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1446 3
4
By: Representative Lundstrum 5
By: Senator J. English 6
7
For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS WORKFORCE CHALLENGE 9
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF 10
"APPROVED INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION" TO INCLUDE 11
CERTAIN PUBLIC OR PRIVATE VOCATIONAL -TECHNICAL 12
SCHOOLS AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTES; TO INCREASE THE 13
AWARD AMOUNTS; TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER 14
PURPOSES. 15
16
17
Subtitle 18
TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS WORKFORCE 19
CHALLENGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; AND TO 20
DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 21
22
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 23
24
SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-302 is amended to read as follows: 25
6-85-302. Definitions. 26
As used in this subchapter: 27
(1) “Approved institution of higher education” means an 28
institution of higher education approved by the Division of Higher Education 29
to participate in the Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship Program and 30
that is: 31
(A) A state-supported two-year or four-year college or 32
university; or 33
(B) A private, nonprofit two -year or four-year college or 34
university with its primary headquarters located in Arkansas that is eligible 35
to receive Title IV federal student aid funds; 36 HB1446
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(C) A public or private vocational -technical school that 1
is: 2
(i) Eligible to receive Title IV federal student aid 3
funds; 4
(ii) Included on the Workforce Innovation and 5
Opportunity Act eligible training provider list; 6
(iii) Qualified to receive approval for veteran's 7
education benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; or 8
(iv) Included on the State Board of Private Career 9
Education list; or 10
(D) A public or private technical institute that is: 11
(i) Eligible to receive Title IV federal student aid 12
funds; 13
(ii) Included on the Workforce Innovation and 14
Opportunity Act eligible training provider list; 15
(iii) Qualified to receive approval for veteran's 16
education benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; or 17
(iv) Included on the State Board of Private Career 18
Education list; and 19
(2)(A) “Certificate program” means a program that is offered or 20
made available to a student by an approved institution of higher education 21
that leads to the obtainment of a certification or license, including without 22
limitation a program operated or sponsored by a third party or a United 23
States Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program . 24
(B) The credit hours or contact hours awarded for a 25
certificate program may include credit hours or contact hours that are not 26
creditable toward an associate or a baccalaureate degree. 27
28
SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-304 is amended to read as follows: 29
6-85-304. Eligibility. 30
(a) A student is eligible to receive an Arkansas Workforce Challenge 31
Scholarship for an academic year if the student applies to the Division of 32
Higher Education by a date determined by the Division of Higher Education 33
preceding the academic year and: 34
(1) Is an Arkansas resident or, if the student is less than 35
twenty-one (21) years of age, either the student or one (1) parent of the 36 HB1446
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student is an Arkansas resident; 1
(2) Is a citizen of the United States or is a lawful permanent 2
resident; 3
(3) Meets either of the following requirements: 4
(A) Graduated from a: 5
(i) Public high school in Arkansas or another state; 6
(ii) Private high school in Arkansas or another 7
state; or 8
(iii) Home school under § 6 -15-501 et seq. or 9
recognized by another state; or 10
(B) Received a high school equivalency diploma approved by 11
the Adult Education Section or another state; 12
(3)(4) Is not receiving a scholarship under the Arkansas 13
Academic Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-201 et seq.; 14
(4)(5) Is accepted for admission in a program of study at an 15
approved institution of higher education or a private trade school licensed 16
to do business in Arkansas that leads to an associate degree or a certificate 17
program that results in a portable license or certificate in one (1) of the 18
following high-demand fields: 19
(A) Industry Manufacturing; 20
(B) Health care; and 21
(C) Information technology; and 22
(C) Construction trades; and 23
(D) Logistics and distribution; and 24
(5)(A)(6) Whose program of study or certificate program will 25
result in the student's being qualified to work in an occupation identified 26
by the Division of Higher Education, in consultation with the Division of 27
Workforce Services under subdivision (a)(5)(B)(i) of this section . 28
(B)(i) The Division of Workforce Services shall provide 29
annually to the Division of Higher Education by March 1 a list that 30
identifies the five (5) most in -demand occupations in this state in each 31
high-demand field under subdivision (a)(4) of this section that require the 32
completion of a program of study that leads to an associate degree or a 33
certificate program. 34
(ii) The Division of Workforce Services shall publish 35
on its website the list under subdivision (a)(5)(B)(i) of this section and 36 HB1446
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data supporting the list. 1
(b)(1) A student who received a scholarship under this subchapter and 2
successfully completed a program of study or certificate program that meets 3
the requirements under subdivision (a)(4) of this section is eligible to 4
reapply for a scholarship under this subchapter if the student is accepted 5
for admission in a different program of study or certificate program that 6
meets the requirements under subdivision (a)(4) of this section. 7
(2) A student who received a scholarship under this subchapter 8
and does not successfully complete the program of study or certificate 9
program is eligible to reapply for and receive a scholarship one (1) time 10
only. 11
(b)(1) An instructor of the program of study or certificate program 12
under subdivision (a)(6) of this section is required to be licensed or 13
certified in the subject he or she teaches. 14
(2) If the program of study or certificate program is a United 15
States Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program, the 16
qualifications of the instructor shall be determined by the rules for 17
Arkansas's Registered Apprenticeship Programs promulgated by the Office of 18
Skills Development. 19
20
SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-305(b), concerning the award amounts 21
distributed under the Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship Program, is 22
amended to read as follows: 23
(b)(1) The division shall distribute scholarships from the funds 24
available in an equal amount to every student eligible to receive a 25
scholarship under this subchapter. 26
(2) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the 27
maximum scholarship award a student may receive in an academic year shall be 28
the lesser of: 29
(A) Eight hundred dollars ($800) Two thousand five hundred 30
dollars ($2,500); or 31
(B)(i) The cost of the certificate program or program of 32
study. 33
(ii) The cost of a certificate program or program of 34
study shall include: 35
(a) Tuition, fees, or other charges; 36 HB1446
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(b) Textbooks or other course materials; and 1
(c) Equipment needed for a course. 2
(3) The scholarship awards may be used for expenses included in 3
the cost of the certificate program or program of study. 4
(4) A scholarship under this section shall be only for the 5
academic year for which it is awarded. 6
(5) If the program of study or certificate program extends 7
beyond an academic year, a student who is making sufficient progress may 8
carry over any unspent portion of the scholarship. 9
10
SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-307 is amended to read as follows: 11
6-85-307. Rules. 12
The Division of Higher Education , in consultation with the Division of 13
Workforce Services, shall promulgate rules to implement this subchapter. 14
15
SECTION 5. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 85, Subchapter 3, is amended 16
to add an additional section to read as follows: 17
6-85-308. Reporting. 18
(a) An approved institution of higher education or certificate program 19
accepting funds under this subchapter shall submit an annual report to the 20
Division of Higher Education that includes without limitation the following: 21
(1) The number of students who graduate with a degree, license, 22
or certification from the approved institution of higher education; 23
(2) A comparison of the enrollment data and graduation data; 24
(3) Job placement statistics; 25
(4) Starting salaries of graduates; and 26
(5) Student information required to be provided to the division 27
under § 6-85-216. 28
(b) The division shall submit the annual report required under 29
subsection (a) of this section to the: 30
(1) House Committee on Education; 31
(2) Senate Committee on Education; and 32
(3) Lottery Oversight Subcommittee of the Legislative Council. 33
34
SECTION 6. DO NOT CODIFY. Rules. 35
(a) When adopting the initial rules required under this act, the 36 HB1446
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Division of Higher Education shall file the final rules with the Secretary of 1
State for adoption under § 25 -15-204(f): 2
(1) On or before ninety (90) days from the effective date of 3
this act; or 4
(2) If approval under § 10 -3-309 has not occurred by ninety (90) 5
days from the effective date of this act, as soon as practicable after 6
approval under § 10-3-309. 7
(b) The division shall file the proposed rules with the Legislative 8
Council under § 10-3-309(c) sufficiently in advance of ninety (90) days from 9
the effective date of this act, so that the Legislative Council may consider 10
the rules for approval before ninety (90) days from the effective date of 11
this act. 12
13
SECTION 7. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 14
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that the Arkansas Constitution, 15
Article 19, § 14 was amended by Issue 1 of 2024 to allow state lottery 16
proceeds to fund vocational or technical school scholarships for Arkansans; 17
that there are workforce needs within the state, and the current law needs to 18
be amended immediately in order to effectuate this change voted for by the 19
people that would allow Arkansans to benefit from this change in the use of 20
lottery proceeds; and that this act is immediately necessary because the 21
process and procedures to distribute these scholarships need to be updated as 22
quickly as possible in order to provide scholarship funding for Arkansans 23
that would allow them to receive training and join the workforce of the 24
state. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, and this act being 25
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, and 26
safety shall become effective on: 27
(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 28
(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 29
the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 30
bill; or 31
(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 32
overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 33
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