Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 341 of the Regular Session
*CRH113* 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1512 3
4
By: Representatives M. Shepherd, Evans, Beaty Jr., Brooks, Eubanks, Wardlaw, Barker, K. Brown, M. 5
Brown, John Carr, Cavenaugh, Crawford, Gramlich, Hawk, McAlindon, McClure, S. Meeks, Nazarenko, 6
Rose, Torres, Wing, Achor, Beck, Eaves, Unger, Andrews 7
By: Senator J. Dismang 8
9
For An Act To Be Entitled 10
AN ACT TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ACCESS ACT; TO AMEND 11
VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE AS THEY 12
RELATE TO EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS; AND FOR 13
OTHER PURPOSES. 14
15
16
Subtitle 17
TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ACCESS ACT; AND 18
TO AMEND VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE 19
ARKANSAS CODE AS THEY RELATE TO 20
EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. 21
22
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 23
24
SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Title. 25
This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Arkansas ACCESS Act”. 26
27
SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 6-1-404(a), concerning the membership of 28
the School Leadership Coordinating Council, is amended to read as follows: 29
(a) The School Leadership Coordinating Council consists of seventeen 30
(17) the following members as follows: 31
(1) The Chair of the Arkansas Association of Colleges for 32
Teacher Education Council of Deans; 33
(2) The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education; 34
(3) The Director of the Arkansas Leadership Academy; 35
(4)(2) The Commissioner of the Division of Higher Education; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(5)(3) The Director of the Division of Career and Technical 1
Education; 2
(6) The Executive Director of the Arkansas Association of 3
Educational Administrators; 4
(7) The Executive Director of the Arkansas Education 5
Association; 6
(8) The Executive Director of the Arkansas School Boards 7
Association; 8
(9) The Executive Director of the Arkansas Association for 9
Supervision and Curriculum Development; 10
(10) The Executive Director of the Arkansas Rural Ed 11
Association; 12
(11) A representative from the Arkansas Professors of 13
Educational Administration; 14
(12) A representative from the Arkansas Center for Executive 15
Leadership; 16
(13) A representative from an education service cooperative; 17
(14) A representative from the Arkansas Public School Resource 18
Center, Inc.; 19
(15) A representative from the Arkansas State Teachers 20
Association; 21
(16)(4) The Chair of the Senate Committee on Education or the 22
chair's designee; and 23
(17)(5) The Chair of the House Committee on Education or the 24
chair's designee; and 25
(6) Other stakeholders as deemed necessary by the members 26
designated under subdivisions (a)(1) -(5) of this section. 27
28
SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 6 -1-404(d), concerning meetings of the 29
School Leadership Coordinating Council, is amended to read as follows: 30
(d)(1) The council shall meet at the times and places that the Chair 31
of the School Leadership Coordinating Council deems necessary but no less 32
than four (4) times per year. 33
(2) Seven (7) A majority of the members of the council shall 34
constitute a quorum for the purpose of transacting business. 35
(3) All actions of the council are by quorum. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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1
SECTION 4. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 5, Subchapter 11 is 2
repealed. 3
Subchapter 11 — Council on Postsecondary Education and Career Readiness 4
6-5-1101. Legislative intent. 5
The General Assembly finds that: 6
(1) Public schools should help all students: 7
(A) Have the reading, writing, and mathematics skills 8
needed to succeed in all first -year coursework in associate and baccalaureate 9
degree programs in non -mathematics-based majors; and 10
(B) Be ready for as many career options as possible by 11
having a base level of employability; and 12
(2) The development of college and career readiness standards 13
should be undertaken as an integrative process among: 14
(A) The General Assembly; 15
(B) State agencies that regulate and support the public 16
educational systems of the state; 17
(C) Kindergarten, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary 18
educational institutions; and 19
(D) The public. 20
21
6-5-1102. Council on Postsecondary Education and Career Readiness 22
established — Membership — Meetings. 23
(a) This subchapter establishes the Council on Postsecondary Education 24
and Career Readiness to facilitate the collaboration of kindergarten, 25
elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions in Arkansas 26
in developing college and career readiness standards that align school 27
curriculum and graduation standards with postsecondary education requirements 28
and business community expectations for employability. 29
(b) The council shall consist of eleven (11) members as follows: 30
(1) The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education or 31
his or her designee; 32
(2) The Commissioner of the Division of Higher Education or his 33
or her designee; 34
(3) The Director of the Division of Career and Technical 35
Education or his or her designee; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(4) The Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission 1
or his or her designee; 2
(5) The Director of the Division of Workforce Services or his or 3
her designee; 4
(6) A president or chancellor of an Arkansas four -year 5
institution of higher education or his or her designee, appointed annually by 6
the Commissioner of the Division of Higher Education; 7
(7) The Executive Director of the Arkansas Association of 8
Educational Administrators or his or her designee; 9
(8) The Executive Director of Arkansas Community Colleges or his 10
or her designee; 11
(9) The Executive Director of the Arkansas Education Association 12
or his or her designee; 13
(10) The Executive Director of the Arkansas School Boards 14
Association or his or her designee; and 15
(11) The President of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and 16
the Associated Industries of Arkansas or his or her designee. 17
(c)(1) The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education or his 18
or her designee shall call the first meeting of the council and serve as 19
chair for the first meeting. 20
(2) The first meeting shall occur within thirty (30) days of the 21
effective date of this subchapter. 22
(d) At the first meeting of the council and annually thereafter, the 23
voting members of the council shall elect one (1) member to serve as chair 24
for one (1) year. 25
(e)(1) All members are voting members except the chair, who may vote 26
only to break a tie vote. 27
(2) A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum for the 28
transaction of business. 29
(f) The council shall meet at least three (3) times in a calendar 30
year. 31
(g) The Department of Education shall provide meeting space and staff 32
for the council. 33
(h) Council members shall serve without pay and shall not receive 34
expense reimbursement except from the agency or institution employing the 35
member. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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1
6-5-1103. Powers and duties. 2
(a) The Council on Postsecondary Education and Career Readiness shall: 3
(1) Develop a unified strategy to: 4
(A) Reduce remediation rates among high school graduates 5
entering postsecondary education by at least fifty percent (50%) by the year 6
2020; and 7
(B) Increase postsecondary graduation and completion 8
rates; 9
(2)(A) Support college and career readiness standards that: 10
(i) Require higher performance levels than those 11
currently required for high school graduation; and 12
(ii) Promote accelerated learning opportunities, 13
including without limitation Advanced Placement courses, concurrent credit 14
opportunities, and other accelerated opportunities with college or 15
vocational-technical school assistance to ensure that all students have the 16
skills to be successful in either employment or postsecondary education. 17
(B) College and career readiness standards shall be 18
implemented with the understanding that until July 1, 2022, interim high 19
school graduation standards may be used until the high school graduation 20
standards adopted by the State Board of Education are equal to the college 21
and career readiness standards; 22
(3) Develop a successful transition -to-work matrix that schools 23
and students may use to help students develop employment skills; 24
(4) Develop guidelines for secondary school intervention 25
programs and transitional courses; 26
(5) Develop guidelines for professional development for teachers 27
of transitional courses and opportunities for collaboration among high 28
school, vocational-technical school, and college faculty to ensure that 29
transitional courses target gaps in students' college and career readiness 30
skills; and 31
(6) Provide the reports required under this subchapter. 32
(b)(1) The council shall establish working groups of its members, or 33
staff of the agencies or institutions employing the members, to direct the 34
planning process and strategic implementation of its plans. 35
(2) The working groups shall: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
6 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(A) Develop goals and action plans; 1
(B) Identify resources; and 2
(C) Determine expected outcomes to measure for each 3
strategy promoting college and career readiness and postsecondary completion. 4
5
6-5-1104. Reporting requirements. 6
(a) By June 30, 2014, the Council on Postsecondary Education and 7
Career Readiness shall: 8
(1) Develop a written plan to reduce remediation rates and 9
increase postsecondary graduation rates, including without limitation: 10
(A) Annual goals; 11
(B) Action strategies; 12
(C) Assigned responsibilities for implementing strategies; 13
(D) Timelines; and 14
(E) Reporting mechanisms; 15
(2) Provide the written plan to: 16
(A) The House Committee on Education and the Senate 17
Committee on Education; 18
(B) The board of directors of each school district and 19
open-enrollment charter school in this state; and 20
(C) The governing board of each state -supported 21
institution of higher education in this state; and 22
(3) Encourage each school district board of directors and the 23
governing board of each state -supported institution of higher education in 24
the state to participate in the council's plan and to work collaboratively to 25
reduce the remediation rates and further postsecondary graduation and 26
completion rates. 27
(b) By June 30, 2015, and annually thereafter, the council shall 28
report to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on 29
Education: 30
(1) The progress of the council's work for the year; and 31
(2) Its recommendations, which may include without limitation 32
proposals for legislative action. 33
34
SECTION 5. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 5, Subchapter 12 is amended 35
to read as follows: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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Subchapter 12 — Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program Accelerated 1
Learning 2
3
6-5-1201. Established Definition. 4
There is established the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive 5
Program. 6
As used in this subchapter, “accelerated learning” means an organized 7
method of learning that enables a student to meet individual academic goals 8
and graduation requirements while pursuing higher levels of skill 9
development, including without limitation the following coursework: 10
(1) A College Board pre -Advanced Placement and Advanced 11
Placement course; 12
(2) An International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme course; 13
(3) A Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education 14
course; 15
(4) A concurrent credit course; and 16
(5) A substantively similar course or program approved by the 17
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. 18
19
6-5-1202. Purpose of Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program 20
accelerated learning — Grant funding. 21
(a) The purpose of the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive 22
Program accelerated learning is to: 23
(1) Prepare more students for: 24
(A) Success in higher education; 25
(B) Postsecondary training; and 26
(C) Careers in science, technology, engineering, and 27
mathematics High-wage, high-demand careers; 28
(2) Increase the number of students who graduate from 29
institutions of higher education; and 30
(3) Support and enhance Advanced Placement accelerated learning 31
initiatives already operating in the state. 32
(b)(1) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall 33
provide grant funding to organizations that implement measures to achieve the 34
goals of the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program accelerated 35
learning as determined by the division . 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(2) An organization that receives grant funding to implement the 1
Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program under this subchapter 2
shall: 3
(A) Be affiliated with the National Math and Science 4
Initiative; and 5
(B) Have demonstrated success with an Advanced Placement 6
Training and Incentive Program. 7
(3) An organization that receives grant funding to provide the 8
Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program accelerated learning may 9
without limitation: 10
(A) Develop public-private partnerships to advance math 11
and science learning opportunities; 12
(B) Generate revenue from public or private sector 13
entities to support other opportunities; or and 14
(C) Accept grants, donations, gifts, or bequests. 15
(c) Grant funding provided by the division to an organization under 16
this subchapter shall be used to: 17
(1) Support and enhance the Advanced Placement Training and 18
Incentive Program accelerated learning ; 19
(2) Pay for personal services and operating expenses required to 20
carry out the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program accelerated 21
learning; and 22
(3) Pay for technology, materials, assessments, and other 23
resources used in the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program 24
accelerated learning . 25
26
6-5-1203. Components and goals of Advanced Placement Training and 27
Incentive Program accelerated learning . 28
(a) The Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program Accelerated 29
learning shall: 30
(1) Provide advanced placement accelerated learning content 31
directors to work, mentor, and provide resources to advanced placement and 32
pre-advanced placement accelerated learning teachers in the areas of: 33
(A) Mathematics; 34
(B) Science; and 35
(C) English; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(2) Provide nationally recognized professional development for 1
advanced placement and pre -advanced placement accelerated learning teachers 2
that will enhance the knowledge and pedagogical skills of the teachers; and 3
(3) Develop and provide materials and resources for advanced 4
placement and pre-advanced placement accelerated learning teachers. 5
(b) The overall goal of the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive 6
Program accelerated learning is to: 7
(1) Increase the number of students enrolled in Advanced 8
Placement accelerated learning mathematics, science, and English; 9
(2) Increase the number of students who score three (3) or more 10
on Advanced Placement exams; 11
(3) Reduce the participation gaps and performance gaps in 12
Advanced Placement classes between African -American, Hispanic, and Caucasian 13
students; 14
(4) Help public high schools Ensure school districts develop 15
strong and successful Advanced Placement programs accelerated learning for 16
public high schools; 17
(5)(3) Enhance and augment Advanced Placement accelerated 18
learning policies and initiatives in Arkansas; 19
(6)(4) Provide the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive 20
Program accelerated learning in every public high school that elects to 21
participate and strengthen its Advanced Placement program accelerated 22
learning; and 23
(7) (5) Increase the number of students prepared to enter 24
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields in higher education 25
or related training and occupations. 26
27
6-5-1204. Participation in Advanced Placement Training and Incentive 28
Program accelerated learning . 29
(a) An organization that receives grant funding to provide the 30
Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program accelerated learning shall 31
publish a list of program fees on or before June 1 each year. 32
(b) A public high school is eligible to participate in the Advanced 33
Placement Training and Incentive Program accelerated learning . 34
(c)(1) A public high school that chooses to participate in the 35
Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program school's accelerated 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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learning shall pay a participation and the required service fee determined by 1
the organization. 2
(2) A public high school may choose either to participate fully 3
in the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program or to participate on 4
a limited basis, in which case the public high school shall pay a fee for 5
each service the public high school elects to use. 6
7
6-5-1205. Funding for accelerated learning. 8
(a) Contingent upon legislative appropriations and based on criteria 9
established by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, a school 10
that is offering accelerated learning may be awarded a one-time equipment and 11
instructional materials grant for providing an accelerated learning course. 12
(b) Contingent upon legislative appropriation and the availability of 13
funding, the state may pay in full or on a pro rata basis the cost of the 14
accelerated learning test fees. 15
(c) The State Board of Education may promulgate rules to implement 16
this subchapter. 17
18
SECTION 6. Arkansas Code § 6 -13-629(a)(3)-(5), concerning the training 19
and instruction regarding interpretation of audit reports that school board 20
of directors members must receive, is amended to read as follows: 21
(3)(A) The training and instruction required under this section 22
shall include: 23
(i) Topics relevant to school laws and school 24
operations; 25
(ii) The powers, duties, and responsibilities of the 26
members of the a board of directors, including without limitation: 27
(a) Legal requirements, including without 28
limitation: 29
(1) The items listed or required by the 30
Legislative Joint Auditing Committee under § 6 -1-101; and 31
(2) Other financial laws, rules, or 32
federal regulations designated by the Division of Elementary and Secondary 33
Education; 34
(b) Role differentiation; 35
(c) Financial management, including without 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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limitation how to read and interpret an audit report; and 1
(d) Improving student achievement; and 2
(iii) Information regarding school safety and 3
student discipline. 4
(B) The training or instruction on how to read and 5
interpret an audit report required under subdivision (a)(3)(A)(ii)(c) of this 6
section shall be conducted: 7
(i) By a person who: 8
(a) Is licensed to practice accounting by the 9
Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy; 10
(b) Has prior experience in conducting a 11
school district financial audit; 12
(c) Is not an employee of Arkansas Legislative 13
Audit unless the training or instruction is conducted for the boards of 14
directors of multiple school districts; and 15
(d) Is not the person conducting the annual 16
audit or other financial audit of the school district unless the training or 17
instruction is presented in a large group setting sponsored by a statewide or 18
regional organization that is attended by multiple school districts; 19
(ii) Under the consultation or supervision of an 20
individual who qualifies under subdivision (a)(3)(B)(i) of this section as 21
part of a program that is provided: 22
(a) By an institution of higher education 23
located in Arkansas; or 24
(b) From instruction sponsored or approved by 25
the Department of Education; or 26
(c) By an in-service training conducted by or 27
through the Arkansas School Boards Association; and 28
(iii) By electronic means or in person, or both. 29
(4) Hours of training and instruction obtained in excess of the 30
minimum requirements each year may accumulate and be carried forward from 31
year to year. 32
(5) This instruction may be received from an institution of 33
higher education in this state , or from instruction sponsored or approved by 34
the Department of Education, or by an in-service training program conducted 35
by or through the Arkansas School Boards Association department. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
12 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
1
SECTION 7. Arkansas Code § 6 -13-808 is repealed. 2
6-13-808. The Arkansas Traveling Teacher Program. 3
(a) The Arkansas Traveling Teacher Program is hereby established and 4
shall be administered by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education 5
with the assistance of public school districts and education service 6
cooperatives. 7
(b)(1) Pursuant to the provisions of this section, and to the extent 8
sufficient funding is available, the following persons and public school 9
districts may enter into an agreement to provide traveling teacher services 10
for one (1) or more receiving school districts for one (1) or more courses 11
required by the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and 12
School Districts and any Advanced Placement courses required by § 6 -16-1204: 13
(A) A traveling teacher who is appropriately licensed in 14
Arkansas as a teacher and employed on a full -time equivalent basis by a host 15
school district; 16
(B) A host school district that is an Arkansas public 17
school district with a student population of eight thousand (8,000) students 18
or fewer and that desires to provide traveling teacher services to a 19
receiving school district; and 20
(C) A receiving school district that is a public school 21
district other than the host school district and that desires to receive 22
traveling teacher services. 23
(2) The parties shall enter into a written agreement, in the 24
form established by the division, that shall include without limitation the 25
following: 26
(A) That the traveling teacher is to provide professional 27
teaching services to the receiving school district for one (1) or more 28
required courses; 29
(B) The amount of the bonus to be provided to the 30
traveling teacher under subdivision (c)(1)(A) of this section; 31
(C) For each course to be taught under the agreement: 32
(i) A description of the course; 33
(ii) The time and day for teaching each course; and 34
(iii) The exact location where the course will be 35
taught; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(D)(i) Whether the agreement is for a school semester or a 1
school year. 2
(ii) No agreement shall be for a time period longer 3
than a school year or shorter than a school semester; 4
(E)(i) That the receiving school district will reimburse 5
the host school district for the time the traveling teacher is not working in 6
the host school district. 7
(ii) The reimbursement shall be the receiving school 8
district's pro rata share of the traveling teacher's time based on the hourly 9
rate of the traveling teacher's contract with the host school district; 10
(F) That at all times during the period of the agreement, 11
the traveling teacher is an employee of the host school district and is 12
subject to the personnel policies and contractual obligations of the host 13
school district; and 14
(G)(i) That sufficient time will be allowed for the 15
traveling teacher to travel to and from the host school district and the 16
receiving school district. 17
(ii) The division shall not approve an agreement 18
under this section unless the agreement requires the traveling teacher to be 19
physically present in the receiving school district while the traveling 20
teacher is teaching any course specified in the agreement. 21
(3) The agreement shall be reviewed and approved by the division 22
under subsection (f) of this section. 23
(c) To the extent the agreement is approved by the division: 24
(1)(A) Upon completion of the traveling teacher's services 25
provided under the agreement and under the terms of the agreement, the host 26
school district shall pay the traveling teacher, in addition to the amount 27
required by the teacher's annual teacher's contract with the host school 28
district a bonus of either: 29
(i) Two thousand dollars ($2,000) for a semester 30
agreement; or 31
(ii) Four thousand dollars ($4,000) for a full school 32
year agreement. 33
(B) The division shall reimburse the host school district 34
for the amount of bonus paid to the traveling teacher; and 35
(2)(A) The host school district shall reimburse the traveling 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
14 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
teacher for expenses related to travel to and from a receiving school 1
district at the appropriate state rate of reimbursement in existence and 2
approved by the Department of Finance and Administration for the school year 3
in which the traveling teacher's services are provided. 4
(B) The division shall reimburse the host school district 5
for the amount of travel reimbursement paid by the host school district to 6
the traveling teacher. 7
(d) Neither the division nor the State of Arkansas shall be obligated 8
or liable to reimburse any bonus or travel expenses incurred under an 9
agreement for traveling teacher services under this section if the division 10
has not reviewed and approved the entire agreement. 11
(e) The division may, if feasible and if funding is available, 12
establish an online registry of public school teachers willing to enter into 13
an agreement for traveling teacher services under this section with 14
information concerning the teacher's employing school district and any course 15
the teacher is qualified to teach. 16
(f)(1) All proposed agreements among a host school district, a 17
receiving school district, and a traveling teacher shall be submitted to the 18
division by a date certain for review and approval by the division. 19
(2) The division shall review each agreement with all requisite 20
authority to approve or deny the agreement based on the provisions of law, 21
rule, availability of funding, and discretionary determination as to the best 22
use of state resources and funding. 23
(3) The division shall endeavor to consider approval of an 24
agreement to: 25
(A) Place a traveling teacher with a receiving school 26
district to maximize the efficiency of the traveling teacher's service to 27
both the host and receiving school districts; and 28
(B) Minimize the extent and duration of any travel 29
required. 30
(g)(1) The division shall establish any rules and agreement forms 31
necessary for the administration of the Arkansas Traveling Teacher Program. 32
(2) In establishing the rules, the division shall: 33
(A) Prioritize the approval of agreements for traveling 34
teacher services based on subject -area course needs; 35
(B) Establish appropriate travel limitations; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
15 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(C) Develop a method of equitable distribution of 1
traveling teachers among the area's education service cooperatives; and 2
(D) Provide a means by which education service 3
cooperatives may assist in facilitating traveling teachers. 4
(h) No provision of this section is intended or should be interpreted 5
to waive any immunity or defense of the State of Arkansas or its various 6
agencies, boards, or commissions and no person shall be deemed to have any 7
legal entitlement, recourse, or cause of action against the State of Arkansas 8
or its various agencies, boards, or commissions based on the terms, 9
conditions, or provisions of this section. 10
(i) [Repealed.] 11
12
SECTION 8. Arkansas Code § 6-15-202(f)(21), concerning reporting of 13
statutory requirements of accelerated learning by a superintendent, is 14
amended to read as follows: 15
(21) Section 6-16-1201 et seq. and § 6-5-1201 et seq. concerning 16
advanced placement and concurrent enrollment accelerated learning ; 17
18
SECTION 9. Arkansas Code § 6 -15-214 is amended to read as follows: 19
6-15-214. Advanced placement Accelerated learning course counted as 20
core curriculum course taught. 21
(a) The purpose of this section is to assist small, rural public 22
schools in providing students access to the most rigorous courses available 23
if it is the desire of students to take advanced placement accelerated 24
learning courses in the place of regular courses and, in doing so, to meet 25
the requirements of the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public 26
Schools and School Districts. 27
(b)(1) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education acknowledges 28
that the rigor and level of difficulty of advanced placement accelerated 29
learning courses exceed the requirements of regular courses. 30
(2) Such rigor and level of difficulty are validated through the 31
required advanced placement audit and advanced placement examinations All 32
accelerated learning courses shall meet the approved program requirements . 33
(3) The State Board of Education may deny courses that do not 34
meet the approved program requirements. 35
(c) The State Board of Education state board shall consider an 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
16 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
advanced placement accelerated learning course as being taught for one (1) of 1
the required courses under the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public 2
Schools and School Districts if: 3
(1) The public school district has a qualified teacher for the 4
required course; 5
(2) No students enrolled in the required course; 6
(3) An advanced placement accelerated learning course in the 7
same subject area as the required course has students enrolled in the 8
advanced placement accelerated learning course; 9
(4) The public school district teaches all other courses 10
required by the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and 11
School Districts; and 12
(5)(A) The public school district teaches the required course to 13
any student who enrolls in the public school district after the school year 14
begins. 15
(B) The public school district may teach the required 16
course to a new student: 17
(i) In a traditional classroom setting; 18
(ii) Through distance learning with a qualified 19
teacher; or 20
(iii) By modifying the advanced placement accelerated 21
learning course on an individual level to accommodate the new student. 22
(d)(1) The public school district shall notify the division after 23
registration in the spring before the beginning of the new school year and 24
immediately after the school year begins if no students enrolled in the 25
required course and the public school district will seek to meet the 26
Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts 27
using the advanced placement accelerated learning course. 28
(2) Upon receiving the public school district notification and 29
after spring registration, the division shall permit the public school 30
district to meet the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools 31
and School Districts by teaching the advanced placement accelerated learning 32
course in place of the required course. 33
(e) If a new student enrolls in the required course, the public school 34
district shall immediately notify the division. 35
(f) The division shall establish procedures to ensure that no student 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
17 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
is coerced into taking an advanced placement accelerated learning course for 1
the purpose of meeting the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public 2
Schools and School Districts. 3
4
SECTION 10. Arkansas Code § 6 -15-215 is repealed. 5
6-15-215. The Arkansas Smart Core Incentive Funding Program — 6
Definitions. 7
(a) The General Assembly finds that: 8
(1) The skills and knowledge gained through Arkansas's Smart 9
Core curriculum provide the academic foundation required for high school 10
graduates to succeed in their first year of college or in a job that promises 11
a well-paying career track; and 12
(2) School districts should encourage all students who are 13
capable of completing the Smart Core curriculum to do so. 14
(b) As used in this section: 15
(1) “Eligible high school” means each public high school in a 16
school district that meets the criteria to receive incentive funding under 17
subsection (f) of this section and the program rules adopted under this 18
section by the State Board of Education; 19
(2) “Smart Core” means the curriculum established by the 20
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Standards for 21
Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts that is part of 22
Smart Future, a state initiative focused on improving Arkansas public high 23
schools for all students; and 24
(3) “Smart Core graduate” means a student who graduated from an 25
Arkansas public high school after having successfully completed the Smart 26
Core curriculum. 27
(c) The Arkansas Smart Core Incentive Funding Program is established 28
to provide a financial incentive to: 29
(1) Assist with a public high school's efforts to encourage 30
public high school students to complete the Smart Core curriculum; 31
(2) Promote programs that contribute to student success, 32
including without limitation: 33
(A) Tutoring; 34
(B) Quality after-school and summer programs that may 35
include literacy, math, and science specialists in elementary school; and 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
18 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(C) Professional development for mathematics, science, 1
literacy, foreign language, and Advanced Placement instruction; and 2
(3) Provide support to school counselors to improve student 3
services. 4
(d)(1)(A) A school district that receives incentive funding under this 5
section shall provide the incentive funding to each eligible high school in 6
the school district. 7
(B) The eligible high school shall spend the incentive 8
funding only for the purposes identified in subsection (c) of this section. 9
(2) A school district that receives incentive funding under the 10
program shall not use the incentive funding to provide increases to the 11
salary schedule of the school district. 12
(e)(1) Subject to an appropriation and available funding for the 13
program, the division shall pay incentive funding to a school district under 14
this section based on an annual percentage of Smart Core graduates from a 15
public high school in the school district. 16
(2)(A) The division shall make the calculation based on a 17
student record analysis conducted annually by the division beginning with the 18
graduating class of 2010. 19
(B) The division shall exclude from the student record 20
analysis a student with an individualized education program that does not 21
require the student to complete the Smart Core curriculum. 22
(f)(1) By June 30 of each year, the division shall pay to a school 23
district incentive funding under the program as follows: 24
(A) If one hundred percent (100%) of a public high 25
school's graduates in the immediately preceding school year completed the 26
Smart Core curriculum, the school district where the public high school is 27
located shall receive one hundred twenty -five dollars ($125) per Smart Core 28
graduate; 29
(B) If at least ninety -five percent (95%) but less than 30
one hundred percent (100%) of a public high school's graduates in the 31
immediately preceding school year completed the Smart Core curriculum, the 32
school district where the public high school is located shall receive one 33
hundred dollars ($100) per Smart Core graduate; and 34
(C) If at least ninety percent (90%) but less than ninety -35
five percent (95%) of a public high school's graduates in the immediately 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
19 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
preceding school year completed the Smart Core curriculum, the school 1
district where the public high school is located shall receive fifty dollars 2
($50.00) per Smart Core graduate. 3
(2) The division shall not pay incentive funding to a school 4
district for a public high school in which less than ninety percent (90%) of 5
its graduates complete the Smart Core curriculum. 6
(3) If a public high school's graduation rate falls below the 7
average graduation rate for the public high school for the previous three (3) 8
school years, the school district is not eligible to receive the full 9
incentive award under the program for the public high school. 10
(g) Participation in the program is voluntary. 11
(h) This section is effective from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 12
2020. 13
14
SECTION 11. Arkansas Code §§ 6 -15-901 and 6-15-902 are amended to read 15
as follows: 16
6-15-901. Definition. 17
For the purposes of this subchapter, “ advanced placement course 18
accelerated learning ” means a course of instruction that qualifies for 19
college credit and that is approved for credit as a high school course by the 20
State Board of Education an organized method of learning that enables a 21
student to meet individual academic goals and graduation requirements while 22
pursuing higher levels of skill development, including without limitation the 23
following coursework: 24
(1) A College Board pre -Advanced Placement and Advanced 25
Placement course; 26
(2) An International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme course; 27
(3) A Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education 28
course; 29
(4) A concurrent credit course; and 30
(5) A substantively similar course or program approved by the 31
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education . 32
33
6-15-902. Grading scale — Exemptions — Special education classes. 34
(a) The following grading scale shall be used by all public secondary 35
schools in the state for all courses, except Advanced Placement accelerated 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
20 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
learning courses, and approved courses for weighted credit , and courses 1
offered under the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme : 2
(1) A = 90-100; 3
(2) B = 80-89; 4
(3) C = 70-79; 5
(4) D = 60-69; and 6
(5) F = 59 and below. 7
(b)(1) Each letter grade shall be given a numeric value for the 8
purpose of determining grade average. 9
(2) Except for Advanced Placement accelerated learning courses, 10
and approved courses for weighted credit , courses offered under the 11
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, and honors courses , the 12
numeric value for each letter grade shall be: 13
(A) A = 4 points; 14
(B) B = 3 points; 15
(C) C = 2 points; 16
(D) D = 1 point; and 17
(E) F = 0 points. 18
(c)(1) The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules for 19
accelerated learning and approved courses for weighted credit that address 20
the following: 21
(A) Adopt appropriate equivalents for advanced placement 22
and college courses; and 23
(B) Recommend a uniform grading structure for honors 24
courses. 25
(2) Weighted credit shall be allowed for advanced placement 26
courses and courses offered under the International Baccalaureate Diploma 27
Programme if: 28
(A) The student takes the entire Advanced Placement course 29
or the entire course offered in the International Baccalaureate Diploma 30
Programme in a particular subject; 31
(B) The student completes the applicable test offered by 32
the College Board for advanced placement courses at the end of the advanced 33
placement course or the applicable test offered by the International 34
Baccalaureate at the time prescribed by the organization; and 35
(C)(i) A teacher of an advanced placement course meets 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
21 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
Arkansas teacher licensure requirements and: 1
(a) Attends at least one (1) of the following 2
trainings no less than one (1) time every five (5) years: 3
(1) College Board Advanced Placement 4
Summer Institute; 5
(2) College Board-endorsed training; or 6
(3) Other similarly rigorous training 7
approved by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education; or 8
(b) Completes an additional training plan for 9
Advanced Placement within three (3) years of commencing the additional 10
training plan; or 11
(ii) A teacher of a course offered under the 12
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme meets Arkansas teacher 13
licensure requirements and attends the training required by the International 14
Baccalaureate Standards; 15
(B) Grading scales; 16
(C) A numeric value for the purpose of determining grade 17
average; and 18
(D) Weight given to the numeric value as provided in 19
subdivision (b)(2) of this section . 20
(3)(2) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education may 21
shall approve a course for weighted credit if the course: 22
(A) Exceeds the curriculum standards for a nonweighted 23
credit class; or 24
(B) Meets or exceeds the standards of a comparable 25
advanced placement class accelerated learning course; or 26
(C) Is identified by the Division of Elementary and 27
Secondary Education as an honors class . 28
(4)(A)(3)(A) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education 29
in collaboration with the Division of Career and Technical Education may 30
approve a career and technical course within an approved career and technical 31
pathway for weighted credit if the course: 32
(i) Exceeds the curriculum standards for a 33
nonweighted class; and 34
(ii) Leads to an approved industry -recognized 35
certification or concurrent credit . 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
22 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(B) The Division of Career and Technical Education shall: 1
(i) Review new and existing career and technical 2
pathways to determine which courses within the career and technical pathways 3
meet criteria for weighted credit; and 4
(ii) Publish a list of approved career and technical 5
pathways annually by January 1. 6
(C) Criteria used to determine what courses within a 7
career and technical pathway shall receive weighted credit shall include 8
without limitation the consideration of career and technical pathways that: 9
(i) Lead to high-value industry credentials; and 10
(ii) Align to state and local workforce data. 11
(D) Weighted credit awarded under subdivision (c)(4)(A) 12
(c)(3)(A) of this section shall be awarded for each course upon: 13
(i) Completing the relevant career and technical 14
pathway; and 15
(ii) Earning the high -value industry credential 16
aligned with the career and technical pathway. 17
(5)(A) A local school district board of directors may adopt a 18
policy to allow high school students in the public school district to take 19
college courses for weighted credit equal to the numeric grade awarded in 20
Advanced Placement courses, courses offered under the International 21
Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, and honors classes. 22
(B)(i) If a local school district board of directors 23
adopts a policy under subdivision (c)(5)(A) of this section, the school 24
district shall apply to the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education 25
for approval. 26
(ii) An application under subdivision (c)(5)(B)(i) of 27
this section shall be reviewed for approval to assign a numeric grade value, 28
which may include weighted credit, based on the following: 29
(a) A letter from the superintendent of the 30
public school district or principal of the public school describing how the 31
course exceeds expectations for coursework required under the Standards for 32
Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts; and 33
(b) The grade level or levels of public school 34
students who will be enrolled in the course. 35
(d) A public school district may use the grading scale in this section 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
23 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
in the public school district's elementary schools. 1
(e) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education may promulgate 2
rules to implement this section. 3
4
SECTION 12. Arkansas Code § 6 -15-1004(b)(2)(C), concerning the 5
continuing education and professional development requirement under the 6
Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts, 7
is amended to read as follows: 8
(C) For purposes of the requirement for continuing 9
education and professional development under this section, each hour of 10
training received by licensed personnel related to teaching an advanced 11
placement class for a subject covered by the College Board and Educational 12
Testing Service accelerated learning course shall be counted as professional 13
development up to a maximum of thirty (30) hours. 14
15
SECTION 13. Arkansas Code § 6 -15-1301(b)(1), concerning the membership 16
of the Safe Schools Committee under the Safe Schools Initiative Act, is 17
amended to read as follows: 18
(b)(1) The Safe Schools Committee shall be composed of the following 19
individuals and stakeholders deemed necessary and appointed by the 20
Commissioner of the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education : 21
(A) One (1) classroom teacher appointed by the Arkansas 22
Education Association; 23
(B) Two (2) school administrators appointed by the 24
Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators; 25
(C) Two (2) school district board members appointed by the 26
Arkansas School Boards Association; 27
(D) A staff member of the division appointed by the 28
Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education; 29
(E) A school safety specialist, employed by an Arkansas 30
school district, appointed by the commissioner; 31
(F) One (1) school counselor appointed by the Arkansas 32
Counseling Association; 33
(G) The Director of the Criminal Justice Institute and of 34
the Arkansas Center for School Safety, or his or her designee; 35
(H) One (1) classroom teacher appointed by the Arkansas 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
24 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
State Teachers Association; 1
(I) The Director of the Division of Emergency Management, 2
or his or her designee; 3
(J) The Executive Director of the Arkansas Public School 4
Resource Center, Inc., or his or her designee; 5
(K) A chief of police or a sheriff appointed by the 6
commissioner; 7
(L) The Executive Director of the Arkansas Rural Ed 8
Association, or his or her designee; 9
(M) The State Fire Marshal, or his or her designee; 10
(N) One (1) school psychologist appointed by the Arkansas 11
School Psychology Association; and 12
(O) One (1) director of an Arkansas education service 13
cooperative appointed by the commissioner . 14
15
SECTION 14. Arkansas Code § 6 -15-1303(d)(3)(A), concerning the 16
provision of training and technical assistance under the Safe Schools 17
Initiative Act, is amended to read as follows: 18
(3)(A) The Arkansas Center for School Safety of the Criminal Justice 19
Institute shall be the state school safety clearinghouse and shall 20
collaborate with the following entities to provide a comprehensive, 21
efficient, and effective resource for education and law enforcement personnel 22
to obtain training and technical assistance to meet the school safety needs 23
of students in this state: 24
(i) The Division of Elementary and Secondary 25
Education; 26
(ii) The Safe Schools Committee established under 27
this subchapter; and 28
(iii) The Arkansas Association of Educational 29
Administrators; 30
(iv) The Arkansas School Boards Association; 31
(v) Education service cooperatives; 32
(vi) The Division of Emergency Management; 33
(vii) The Arkansas Public School Resource Center, 34
Inc.; and 35
(viii) Other key stakeholders . 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
25 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
1
SECTION 15. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 15, Subchapter 21, is 2
amended to add an additional section to read as follows: 3
6-15-2102. Definition. 4
As used in this subchapter, "school" includes a public school within a 5
traditional public school district and an open -enrollment public charter 6
school. 7
8
SECTION 16. Arkansas Code § 6 -15-2108 is amended to read as follows: 9
6-15-2108. School rating system. 10
(a) The school rating system shall be a multiple -measures approach 11
that shall include without limitation: 12
(1) Academic achievement on the annual statewide student 13
assessment; 14
(2) Student growth on the annual statewide student assessment; 15
and 16
(3) School-level graduation rate or rates ; and 17
(4) English-learner progress or growth in acquiring English . 18
(b) The school rating system shall consider without limitation at 19
least one (1) or more of the following indicators: 20
(1) Closing the achievement gap; 21
(2) Academic growth of student subgroups, including without 22
limitation economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial 23
and ethnic groups, English learners, and students with disabilities; 24
(3) The percentage of the grade nine (9) cohort with on -time 25
completion of credit attainment at the end of grade nine (9); 26
(4) Equity in resource allocation; 27
(5) The percentage of students who earn: 28
(A) Advanced placement credit; 29
(B) Concurrent credit; 30
(C) International Baccalaureate credit; or 31
(D) Industry-recognized certification that leads to 32
articulated or concurrent credit at a postsecondary institution; 33
(6) Student access to multiple flexible learning continua, 34
including but not limited to personalized, competency, or mastery learning; 35
(7) Student access to preschool offered by the public school 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
26 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
district; 1
(8) The proportional percentage of qualified educators who hold 2
a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification or have an 3
advanced degree beyond their bachelor's degree; and 4
(9) Public school district and community partnerships. 5
(c)(b) Indicators included or considered as part of the school rating 6
system shall: 7
(1) Allow for meaningful differentiation in school performance; 8
and 9
(2) Be valid, reliable, comparable, and applicable statewide. 10
(d)(c) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall : 11
(1) promulgate Promulgate rules to implement this section ; and 12
(2) Develop a formula to determine a letter grade under § 6 -15-13
2105 for the following without limitation: 14
(A) A public school district; and 15
(B) An education service cooperative . 16
17
SECTION 17. Arkansas Code § 6 -16-140(a), concerning a certificate of 18
attainment awarded to a student completing an approved vocational or 19
technical career pathway or program of study at a public high school, is 20
amended to read as follows: 21
(a) A student who successfully completes an approved vocational or 22
technical career pathway or program of study at a public high school shall be 23
awarded a certificate of attainment that shall be: 24
(1) Aligned in the appropriate career pathway or program of 25
study; and 26
(2) Used for consideration of acceptance and advanced priority 27
placement into an apprenticeship training program. 28
29
SECTION 18. Arkansas Code § 6 -16-148(a)(1), concerning the foundation 30
of certain social studies or history courses offered in grades seven through 31
twelve (7-12), is amended to read as follows: 32
(1) A social studies or history course conditioned upon 33
knowledge of historical events from the colonial period to modern times of 34
United States history for which graduation credit is or may be received, 35
except for advanced placement courses 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
27 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
1
SECTION 19. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 16, Subchapter 8, is 2
repealed. 3
Subchapter 8 — Arkansas Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate 4
Diploma Incentive Program Act of 1995 5
6-16-801. Title. 6
This subchapter shall be known as and may be cited as the “Arkansas 7
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Diploma Incentive Program 8
Act of 1995”. 9
10
6-16-802. Purpose. 11
(a) The purpose of this subchapter is to serve as a legislative 12
charter for the establishment, organization, and administration of a program 13
designed to improve the course offerings available to middle school, junior 14
high school, and high school students throughout the state. 15
(b) The program established under this subchapter will provide 16
advanced educational courses that are easily accessible and that will prepare 17
students for admission to and success in a postsecondary educational 18
environment. 19
(c) A key component in the program is adequately preparing teachers 20
and schools in providing advanced placement courses or courses offered under 21
the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme to their students. 22
23
6-16-803. Definitions. 24
As used in this subchapter: 25
(1) “Advanced placement course” means a high school level 26
preparatory course for a college advanced placement test that incorporates 27
all topics specified by the College Board and Educational Testing Service on 28
its standard syllabus for a given subject area and is approved by the College 29
Board and Educational Testing Service; 30
(2) “College advanced placement test” means the advanced 31
placement test administered by the College Board and Educational Testing 32
Service; 33
(3) “College Board” means the College Board and Educational 34
Testing Service; 35
(4) “International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme” means an 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
28 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
international education program offered by the International Baccalaureate; 1
(5) “Preadvanced placement course” means a middle school, junior 2
high school, or high school level course that specifically prepares students 3
to enroll and participate in an advanced placement course; 4
(6) “Program” means the Arkansas Advanced Placement and 5
International Baccalaureate Diploma Incentive Program; and 6
(7) “State board” means the State Board of Education. 7
8
6-16-804. Established — Subsidies — Rules. 9
(a) The Arkansas Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate 10
Diploma Incentive Program is hereby established, to be administered by the 11
Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. 12
(b) Contingent upon legislative appropriations and based on criteria 13
established by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, schools 14
participating in the program may be awarded a one -time equipment and 15
instructional materials grant for providing an advanced placement course or a 16
course offered under the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. 17
(c) Subject to legislative appropriations, a teacher participating in 18
the advanced placement program, in the International Baccalaureate Diploma 19
Programme, or in the preadvanced placement program may be awarded subsidized 20
teacher training for advanced placement courses at a cost not to exceed six 21
hundred fifty dollars ($650) per teacher. 22
(d)(1) Contingent upon legislative appropriation and the availability 23
of funding, the state may pay in full, or on a pro rata basis as determined 24
under subdivision (d)(2) of this section, the cost of the advanced placement 25
test fee or the equivalent test fee under the International Baccalaureate 26
Diploma Programme, or both. 27
(2) The State Board of Education may create a sliding scale 28
based on family income. 29
(e) The state board is authorized to promulgate rules necessary to 30
implement this subchapter. 31
32
6-16-805. Funding. 33
(a) The awards granted under the provisions of this subchapter for 34
both advanced placement and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme 35
may be funded by donations, grants, or legislative appropriation. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
29 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(b) All donations, grants, and appropriations received shall be 1
accounted for by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. 2
(c) The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education may solicit 3
and receive donations and grants for the purpose of making awards. 4
5
6-16-806. Treatment as advanced placement course. 6
Any high school course offered under the International Baccalaureate 7
Diploma Programme shall be treated the same as an advanced placement course, 8
including for the following purposes: 9
(1) Weighted credit; 10
(2) The Arkansas Advanced Placement and International 11
Baccalaureate Diploma Incentive Program Act of 1995, § 6 -16-801 et seq.; and 12
(3) Reporting requirements. 13
14
SECTION 20. Arkansas Code §§ 6 -16-1202 through 6-16-1204 are amended 15
to read as follows: 16
6-16-1202. Definitions. 17
As used in this subchapter: 18
(1) “Advanced Placement course” means a high school level 19
preparatory course for a college Advanced Placement test that: 20
(A) Incorporates all topics specified by the College Board 21
and Educational Testing Service on its standards syllabus for a given subject 22
area; and 23
(B) Is approved by the College Board and Educational 24
Testing Service; 25
(2) “Endorsed concurrent enrollment course” means a college -26
level course offered by an institution of higher education in this state that 27
upon completion would qualify for academic credit in both the institution of 28
higher education and a public high school that: 29
(A) Is in one (1) of the four (4) core areas of math, 30
English, science, and social studies; 31
(B) Meets the requirements of § 6 -16-1204(b); and 32
(C) Is listed in the Arkansas Course Transfer System of 33
the Division of Higher Education; 34
(3) “Pre-Advanced Placement course” means a middle school, 35
junior high school, or high school level course that specifically prepares 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
30 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
students to enroll and to participate in an advanced placement course; and 1
(4) “Vertical team” means a group of educators from different 2
grade levels in a given discipline who work cooperatively to develop and 3
implement a vertically aligned program aimed at helping students from diverse 4
backgrounds acquire the academic skills necessary for success in the Advanced 5
Placement program and other challenging coursework "Accelerated learning" 6
means an organized method of learning that enables students to meet 7
individual academic goals and graduation requirements while pursuing higher 8
levels of skill development, including without limitation the following 9
coursework: 10
(A) A College Board pre -Advanced Placement and Advanced 11
Placement course; 12
(B) An International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme 13
course; 14
(C) A Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of 15
Education course; 16
(D) A concurrent credit course; and 17
(E) A substantively similar course or program approved by 18
the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education; and 19
(2) "Concurrent credit course" means a college -level course offered by 20
an institution of higher education in this state that upon completion would 21
qualify for academic credit in both the institution of higher education and a 22
public high school. 23
24
6-16-1203. Teacher skills and training. 25
(a)(1) A teacher of an Advanced Placement course must obtain 26
appropriate training. 27
(2) The State Board of Education shall establish clear, 28
specific, and challenging training guidelines that require teachers of 29
College Board advanced placement courses and teachers of pre -Advanced 30
Placement courses to obtain College Board sponsored or endorsed training. 31
(3) The training may include vertical team training. 32
(b)(a) An instructor of an endorsed concurrent enrollment an 33
accelerated learning or concurrent credit course shall have meet the 34
requirements of the: 35
(1) Institution of higher education that is offering the course; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
31 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
or 1
(2) Accrediting organization authorized under § 6 -16-1202: 2
(1)(A) No less than a master's degree that includes at least 3
eighteen (18) hours of completed course work in the subject area of the 4
endorsed concurrent enrollment course . 5
(B)(b)(1) The An instructor's credentials shall be 6
approved by the academic unit or chief academic officer of the institution of 7
higher education offering the endorsed concurrent credit enrollment course; 8
and. 9
(2) The relevant credentials and experience necessary to teach 10
from the syllabus approved by the institution of higher education granting 11
the course credit. 12
13
6-16-1204. Implementation. 14
(a)(1) In order to prepare students for the rigor inherent in Advanced 15
Placement courses, school districts shall offer pre -Advanced Placement 16
courses to prepare students for the demands of Advanced Placement coursework. 17
(2) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall 18
approve all classes designated as pre -Advanced Placement courses. 19
(b) An endorsed A concurrent credit enrollment course must meet the 20
following requirements: 21
(1) The course must be a course offered by an institution of 22
higher education in this state that is: 23
(A) Approved through the institution of higher education's 24
normal process; and 25
(B) Listed in the institution of higher education's 26
catalog; 27
(2) The course content and instruction must meet the same 28
standards and adopt the same learning outcomes as those developed for a 29
course taught on the campus of the institution of higher education, including 30
without limitation: 31
(A) The administration of any departmental exams 32
applicable to the course; and 33
(B) The use of substantially the same book and syllabus as 34
is used at the college level; 35
(3) The course must be taught by an instructor with the 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
32 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
qualifications required under § 6-16-1203(b) § 6-16-1203; 1
(4) The institution of higher education offering the course 2
must: 3
(A) Provide to the course instructor staff development, 4
supervision, and evaluation; and 5
(B)(i) Provide the students enrolled in the course with: 6
(a) Academic guidance counseling; and 7
(b) The opportunity to utilize the on -campus 8
library or other academic resources of the institution of higher education. 9
(ii) Nothing in this This subdivision (b)(4) (a)(4) 10
shall not preclude institutions of higher education from collaborating to 11
meet the requirements of this subdivision (b)(4)(a)(4); 12
(5) To be eligible to enroll in an endorsed a concurrent 13
enrollment credit course, the student must: 14
(A) Be admitted by the institution of higher education as 15
a nondegree or noncertificate -seeking student; and 16
(B) Meet all of the prerequisites for the course in which 17
he or she is enrolled; and 18
(6)(A) Credit for the endorsed concurrent enrollment credit 19
course may only be awarded by the institution of higher education offering 20
the course. 21
(B) Nothing in this This subdivision (b)(6) (a)(6) shall 22
not preclude institutions of higher education from collaborating to provide 23
the course and award course credit. 24
(c)(b) Beginning with the 2008-2009 2025-2026 school year, all public 25
school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools shall offer one 26
(1) College Board Advanced Placement course in each of the four (4) core 27
areas of math, English, science, and social studies for a total of four (4) 28
courses at least four (4) accelerated learning courses that cover the 29
following subject areas: 30
(1) Math; 31
(2) English; 32
(3) Science; and 33
(4) Social studies. 34
(d)(1) The requirement under subsection (c) of this section shall be 35
phased in over a period of four (4) years beginning with the 2005 -2006 school 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
33 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
year. 1
(2) Beginning with the 2008 -2009 school year, all high schools 2
in Arkansas shall offer a minimum of four (4) Advanced Placement courses by 3
adding at least one (1) core course each year to the list of courses 4
available to high school students. 5
(e)(1)(A) A state-supported two-year or four-year institution of 6
higher education may offer a reduced tuition rate for endorsed concurrent 7
enrollment courses offered by the institution of higher education to high 8
school students under this subchapter. 9
(B) The reduction in tuition under subdivision (e)(1)(A) 10
of this section or any tuition paid by the institution of higher education 11
under subdivision (e)(3)(B) of this section shall not be considered an 12
institutional scholarship. 13
(2) The number of students enrolled and the semester credit 14
hours for endorsed concurrent enrollment courses shall be included in the 15
calculation of full-time-equivalent enrollment for the institution of higher 16
education. 17
(3)(A) A national school lunch student, as defined in § 6 -20-18
2303, shall not be required to pay any of the costs up to a maximum of six 19
(6) credit hours of endorsed concurrent enrollment courses that are taught: 20
(i) On the grounds of the public school district in 21
which the student is enrolled; and 22
(ii) By a teacher employed by the public school 23
district in which the student is enrolled. 24
(B) The costs for endorsed concurrent enrollment courses 25
under subdivision (e)(3)(A) of this section shall be paid: 26
(i) By the public school district in which the 27
student is enrolled; 28
(ii) By the institution of higher education offering 29
the course; or 30
(iii) Through a cost -sharing agreement between the 31
public school district and the institution of higher education. 32
(c)(1) Beginning with the 2025 -2026 school year and each year 33
thereafter, the tuition rate for a concurrent credit course offered by a 34
public school district or open -enrollment public charter school in 35
partnership with an institution of higher education shall: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
34 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(A) For every one (1) academic credit hour provided by an 1
institution of higher education, be an agreed amount that is not: 2
(i) More than two and one -half percent (2.5%) of the 3
per-pupil amount established under § 6 -20-2305 that is allotted per student 4
each year; and 5
(ii) Less than one-half percent (0.5%) of the per -6
pupil amount established under § 6 -20-2305 that is allotted per student each 7
year; and 8
(B) Not exceed the standard tuition rate and fee structure 9
of the institution of higher education providing the concurrent credit 10
course. 11
(2)(A) The amount established under subdivision (c)(1)(A) of 12
this section may be satisfied through the following sources: 13
(i) ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program 14
funds; 15
(ii) Funding from the school district where a 16
student is enrolled; 17
(iii) Other consideration agreed to by the public 18
school district or open -enrollment public charter school and institution of 19
higher education; and 20
(iv) Any other available sources as determined by 21
the Division of Higher Education. 22
(B) An institution of higher education shall not receive 23
funding for concurrent credit courses for tuition at secondary vocational 24
centers under § 6-51-301 et seq. if the institution of higher education is 25
already receiving funding designated for vocational center aid. 26
(3) A student or a student’s parent or guardian shall not be 27
responsible for tuition, fees, or materials for participation in a concurrent 28
credit course. 29
30
SECTION 21. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-309 is amended to read as follows: 31
6-17-309. Licensure — Waiver. 32
(a)(1) A class of students shall not be under the instruction of a 33
teacher who is not licensed to teach the grade level or subject matter of the 34
class for more than sixty (60) consecutive school days in the same class 35
during a school year. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
35 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(2)(b) This subsection Subsection (a) of this section shall not 1
apply to: 2
(A)(1) Nondegreed vocational -technical teachers; 3
(B)(2) Individuals approved by the Division of Elementary 4
and Secondary Education to teach the grade level or subject matter of the 5
class in the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education's distance 6
learning program; 7
(C)(3) Individuals teaching concurrent credit courses or 8
advanced placement accelerated learning courses who: 9
(i)(A) Are employed by a postsecondary institution; 10
(ii)(B) Meet the qualification requirements of a 11
postsecondary institution or the Division of Career and Technical Education; 12
and 13
(iii)(C) Are teaching in a course in which credit is 14
offered by an institution of higher education or a technical institute; 15
(D)(4) Licensed teachers teaching in one (1) of the 16
following settings: 17
(i)(A) An alternative learning environment; 18
(ii)(B) A juvenile detention facility; 19
(iii)(C) A residential and day alcohol, drug, and 20
psychiatric facility program; 21
(iv)(D) An emergency youth shelter; 22
(v)(E) A facility of the Division of Youth Services; 23
or 24
(vi)(F) A facility of the Division of Developmental 25
Disabilities Services; 26
(E)(5) Licensed special education teachers who are 27
teaching two (2) or more core academic subjects exclusively to children with 28
disabilities; or 29
(F)(6) Teachers who are working under an Aspiring Teacher 30
permit for a period of time not to exceed one (1) academic year or two (2) 31
consecutive semesters. 32
(b)(1) If this requirement imposes an undue hardship on a school 33
district, the school district may apply to the State Board of Education for a 34
waiver. 35
(2) The state board shall develop rules for granting a waiver. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
36 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(3) Any school district that obtains a waiver shall send written 1
notice of the assignment to the parent or guardian of each student in the 2
classroom no later than the sixtieth school day after the date of the 3
assignment. 4
(4) [Repealed.] 5
6
SECTION 22. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-709(d), concerning the professional 7
development schedule for licensed educators, is amended to read as follows: 8
(d) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall establish 9
the curriculum under this section in collaboration with educational agencies 10
and associations, including without limitation the: relevant stakeholders. 11
(1) Division of Higher Education; 12
(2) Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators; 13
(3) Arkansas Education Association; 14
(4) Arkansas School Boards Association; 15
(5) Arkansas Association for Supervision and Curriculum 16
Development; 17
(6) Arkansas State Teachers Association; and 18
(7) Arkansas Rural Ed Association. 19
20
SECTION 23. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 18, Subchapter 2, is 21
amended to add an additional section to read as follows: 22
6-18-237. Absences for certain purposes unexcused. 23
(a) A public school district or an open -enrollment public charter 24
school shall not grant excused absences for purposes of political protest. 25
(b) A public school district or an open -enrollment public charter 26
school may grant an excused absence for the following purposes with written 27
consent of a parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to 28
the student: 29
(1) Social or public policy advocacy; or 30
(2) Attempts to influence legislation or other governmental 31
policy-making at the local, state, or federal level. 32
(c) This section does not prohibit students from attending curricular 33
or cocurricular activities approved by the public school district or open -34
enrollment public charter school for credit. 35
(d) A public school district or an open -enrollment public charter 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
37 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
school that grants excused or unexcused absences under subsections (a) or (b) 1
of this section shall provide a report by June 30 each year to the Division 2
of Elementary and Secondary Education that contains the following: 3
(1) The number of absences requested under this section; 4
(2) The number of absences granted under this section; and 5
(3) The stated purposes of the absence. 6
7
SECTION 24. Arkansas Code § 6 -18-1104(b), concerning parental 8
notification and permission related to school fundraising programs, is 9
amended to read as follows: 10
(b) A one-page form for parental notification and permission shall be 11
developed by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education in 12
cooperation with school administrators and the Arkansas Parent Teacher 13
Association. 14
15
SECTION 25. Arkansas Code § 6 -18-2004(b)(2)(G)(vi), concerning the 16
direct and indirect services offered as comprehensive student services by a 17
school counselor as part of a contributing member of a decision -making team 18
in advanced placement and gifted and talented programs, is amended to read as 19
follows: 20
(vi) Advanced placement Accelerated learning and 21
gifted and talented programs. 22
23
SECTION 26. Arkansas Code § 6 -18-2004(c), concerning administrative 24
activities performed by a school counselor, is amended to read as follows: 25
(c)(1) Administrative activities performed by a school counselor shall 26
not exceed more than ten percent (10%) of the school counselor's time spent 27
working during student contact days. 28
(2) Administrative activities provided by a school counselor in 29
collaboration with other school personnel include without limitation: 30
(A) Coordinating state assessments, cognitive achievement 31
assessments, advanced placement accelerated learning programs, and English 32
language proficiency testing programs; 33
(B) Developing master schedules; 34
(C) Coordinating of: 35
(i) Teams convened under Section 504 of the 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
38 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Pub. L. No. 93 -112; 1
(ii) Response-to-intervention teams; 2
(iii) English learner programs; 3
(iv) Parental involvement or family engagement 4
programs; 5
(v) Positive behavioral intervention support 6
programs; 7
(vi) Data entry; and 8
(vii) Advanced placement Accelerated learning and 9
gifted and talented programs; and 10
(D) Monitoring students in common areas such as the 11
cafeteria, hallway, playground, and bus lines. 12
13
SECTION 27. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2203(a)(4), concerning the 14
development by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education of the 15
Arkansas Financial Accounting Handbook, is amended to read as follows: 16
(4) The rules shall be developed by the state board in 17
cooperation with the division , and representatives from the Arkansas 18
Association of Educational Administrators, the Arkansas Association of School 19
Business Officials, the Arkansas Education Association, the education service 20
cooperatives, and the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee. 21
22
SECTION 28. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2204(a)(3)(A), concerning required 23
training for public school districts, open -enrollment public charter schools, 24
and education service cooperatives under the Arkansas Educational Financial 25
Accounting and Reporting Act of 2004, is amended to read as follows: 26
(3)(A) The instruction may be provided by an institution of 27
higher education in this state, from instruction sponsored by the division , 28
by an in-service training program conducted by the Arkansas Association of 29
School Business Officials , or from another provider. 30
31
SECTION 29. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2204(b)(2), concerning required Tier 32
II training for public school districts, open -enrollment public charter 33
schools, and education service cooperatives under the Arkansas Educational 34
Financial Accounting and Reporting Act of 2004, is amended to read as 35
follows: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
39 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(2) Tier II training shall be developed by the division in 1
cooperation with representatives from the Arkansas Association of Educational 2
Administrators, the Arkansas Association of School Business Officials, the 3
Arkansas Education Association, the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee , and 4
the education service cooperatives . 5
6
SECTION 30. Arkansas Code § 6 -20-2207(b)(1), concerning the rules 7
governing the uniform budget and accounting system for school districts, 8
education service cooperatives, and open-enrollment public charter schools, 9
is amended to read as follows: 10
(b)(1)(A) The state board shall amend the rules, and the Division of 11
Elementary and Secondary Education shall amend the Arkansas Financial 12
Accounting Handbook provided in subsection (a) of this section as necessary. 13
(B) The amendments, annual revisions, and financial 14
accounting updates to the Arkansas Financial Accounting Handbook shall be 15
developed with representatives from the Arkansas Association of School 16
Business Officials, the education service cooperatives, and other school 17
district officials as designated by the division. 18
19
SECTION 31. Arkansas Code § 6 -21-113(a), concerning the membership of 20
the Advisory Committee on Public School Academic Facilities, is amended to 21
read as follows: 22
(a) To assist the Division of Public School Academic Facilities and 23
Transportation, there is established the Advisory Committee on Public School 24
Academic Facilities to be composed of the following members who must be 25
willing to devote adequate time to the work of the committee and who reflect 26
the demographics of the state: 27
(1) The Director of the Division of Public School Academic 28
Facilities and Transportation or the director's designee, who shall also 29
serve as secretary to the committee; 30
(2) One (1) person who is a licensed building contractor 31
experienced in public school construction selected from a list of no fewer 32
than three (3) names submitted by the Arkansas Chapter of the Associated 33
General Contractors of America ; 34
(3) One (1) person who is a licensed architect experienced in 35
public school design submitted by the Arkansas Chapter, the American 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
40 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
Institute of Architects ; 1
(4) One (1) person who is a licensed or registered mechanical 2
engineer experienced in public school mechanical and plumbing systems design 3
selected from a list of no fewer than three (3) names submitted by the 4
Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers ; 5
(5) One (1) person who is a licensed or registered electrical 6
engineer experienced in public school electrical systems design selected from 7
a list of no fewer than three (3) names submitted by the Arkansas Society of 8
Professional Engineers ; 9
(6) One (1) person who is a licensed or registered civil 10
engineer experienced in public school civil engineering design and 11
construction selected from a list of no fewer than three (3) names submitted 12
by the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers ; 13
(7) Two (2) persons selected by the Commission for Arkansas 14
Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation, one (1) of whom is 15
knowledgeable and holds certification in the field of educational technology 16
applications and strategies; 17
(8) Two (2) persons selected from a list of six (6) names 18
submitted by the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators from its 19
membership; 20
(9) One (1) person selected from a list of three (3) names 21
submitted by the Arkansas Education Association from its membership; 22
(10) Two (2) persons selected from a list of six (6) names 23
submitted by the Arkansas School Boards Association from its membership; 24
(11) Two (2) persons selected from a list of six (6) names 25
submitted by the Arkansas Rural Ed Association from its membership; 26
(12) One (1) person selected from a list of three (3) names 27
submitted by the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, Inc., from its 28
membership; and 29
(13) Three (3) persons, one (1) from each of the professions of 30
construction, architecture, and education, selected by the commission to 31
serve as ex-officio members of the committee based on prior service on the 32
committee; 33
(9) One (1) licensed teacher appointed by the Commissioner of 34
Elementary and Secondary Education; 35
(10) One (1) principal appointed by the commissioner; and 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
41 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(11) One (1) superintendent appointed by the commissioner . 1
2
SECTION 32. Arkansas Code § 6 -21-817(b), concerning the membership of 3
the Public School Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance Committee, is 4
amended to read as follows: 5
(b) The committee shall be composed of six (6) members as follows the 6
following members: 7
(1) One (1) member from the Building Authority Division; 8
(2) One (1) member from the Division of Public School Academic 9
Facilities and Transportation; 10
(3) One (1) member from the State Fire Marshal Office of the 11
Division of Arkansas State Police Office of Fire Protection Services ; 12
(4) One (1) member from the Division of Elementary and Secondary 13
Education; 14
(5) One (1) member from the Arkansas Association of Educational 15
Administrators; and 16
(6) One (1) member from the Arkansas Public School Resource 17
Center, Inc. 18
(5) Other relevant stakeholders deemed necessary by the members 19
designated under subdivisions (b)(1) -(4) of this section. 20
21
SECTION 33. Arkansas Code § 6 -28-112(b), concerning academic course 22
placement under the Arkansas Military Child School Transitions Act of 2021, 23
is amended to read as follows: 24
(b) Academic course placement includes without limitation enrollment 25
in: 26
(1) Honors courses Accelerated learning courses ; and 27
(2) The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme; 28
(3) Advanced Placement courses; and 29
(4) Academic, technical, and career pathway courses. 30
31
SECTION 34. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 28, Subchapter 2, is 32
amended to add an additional section to read as follows: 33
§ 6-28-207. Purple Star Schools. 34
(a) A public school district or an open -enrollment public charter 35
school that shows a significant commitment to serving students and families 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
42 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
connected to the United States Armed Forces may be designated as a Purple 1
Star School or Purple Star School District. 2
(b) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education may promulgate 3
rules to implement this section. 4
5
SECTION 35. Arkansas Code § 6 -41-610(b)(2), concerning the membership 6
of the committee that develops and updates the Arkansas Dyslexia Resource 7
Guide, is amended to read as follows: 8
(2)(A) The committee shall include one (1) representative who 9
has the following members who shall have experience working in the field of 10
dyslexia intervention from the following organizations, and are appointed by 11
the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education: 12
(i)(A) The Arkansas Association of Educational 13
Administrators One (1) public school administrator ; 14
(ii)(B) The Division A representative from the Office of 15
Learning Services of the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education; 16
(iii)(C) The A representative from the Division of Higher 17
Education; 18
(iv)(D) The Arkansas Education Association One (1) public 19
school licensed educator ; 20
(v)(E) The Arkansas School Boards Association One (1) 21
public school district board of directors member ; 22
(vi)(F) The Arkansas School Psychology Association, A 23
school psychologist with at least three (3) years of experience in testing 24
for dyslexia; and 25
(vii)(G) An education service cooperative administrator .; 26
and 27
(B)(H) Three (3) professionals who have worked in a public 28
school who are knowledgeable in and have expertise in dyslexia screening and 29
interventions. 30
31
SECTION 36. Arkansas Code §§ 6 -51-602 and 6-51-603 are amended to read 32
as follows: 33
6-51-602. Definitions. 34
As used in this subchapter , unless the context otherwise requires : 35
(1) “Admissions representative” means a person who executes an 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
43 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
enrollment agreement and who receives compensation for the primary duties of 1
encouraging prospective students to enroll for training in a program of study 2
offered by a school covered under the provisions of this subchapter; 3
(2) “Board” means the State Board of Private Career Education 4
Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board ; 5
(3) “Combination school” means any school in which programs of 6
study are conducted by both distance education and resident training; 7
(4) “Director” means the authorized representative of the State 8
Board of Private Career Education for the purpose of administering the 9
provisions of this subchapter; 10
(5) “Distance education school” means any school in which all 11
programs of study are conducted by distance education; 12
(6) “Extension course site” means a location away from the 13
school where a course or courses are conducted one (1) or more times during 14
the licensure period; 15
(4) "Institution of higher education" means a: 16
(A) State-supported two-year or four-year college or 17
university; or 18
(B) Private, nonprofit two -year or four-year college or 19
university with its primary headquarters located in Arkansas that is eligible 20
to receive Title IV federal student aid funds; 21
(7)(5) “Program of study” means an organized unit of courses or 22
an individual course in which instruction is offered; 23
(8) “Resident school” means any school in which all programs of 24
study are conducted in resident classrooms or held in public meeting 25
facilities; 26
(9)(6) “Satellite school” means a location within the State of 27
school located in Arkansas but away from the school where programs of study 28
are offered on a regular continuing basis by Arkansas schools; 29
(10)(A)(7)(A) “School” means any person, firm, partnership, 30
association, corporation, or other form of business organization seeking to 31
do business or offering in the State of Arkansas an entity that offers: 32
(i) resident Resident or correspondence training that 33
leads to or enhances occupational qualifications .; 34
(B) “School” also means any firm, partnership, 35
association, corporation, or other form of business organization that offers 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
44 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
instruction 1
(ii) Instruction in airframe or power plant 2
mechanics.; 3
(C)(iii) “School” also means any firm, partnership, 4
association, corporation, or other form of business organization that offers 5
training Training as preparation for passing exams that may lead to 6
employment.; or 7
(D)(iv) “School” also means any firm, partnership, 8
association, corporation, or other form of business organization that offers 9
driver Driver education training, excluding those courses taught to motor 10
vehicle violators pursuant to court order. 11
(E)(B) “School” does not include : 12
(i) A program of instruction in yoga or in yoga-13
teacher training; or 14
(ii) An an institution that is subject to the 15
jurisdiction of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board under § 6 -16
61-301 of higher education; and 17
(11)(8) “Student” or “enrollee” means a person who is seeking to 18
enroll, has been enrolled, is sought for enrollment, or is seeking training 19
or instruction in a school as defined in this section. 20
21
6-51-603. Exemptions. 22
The following are exempt from licensure under this subchapter: 23
(1) Private institutions exclusively offering instruction at any 24
or all levels from preschool prekindergarten through twelfth grade twelve 25
(preK-12); 26
(2) Schools established by laws of Arkansas laws, governed by 27
Arkansas boards, and permitted to operate for the sole purpose of providing 28
specific training normally required to qualify persons for occupational 29
licensure by state boards or commissions, which determine education and other 30
standards for licensure and operation of such schools; 31
(3) State colleges and universities coordinated by the Arkansas 32
Higher Education Coordinating Board Institutions of higher education ; 33
(4) Programs of study offered by institutions or individuals for 34
personal improvement, whether avocational or recreational, if designated 35
through media or other sources as not for the purpose of enhancing an 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
45 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
occupational objective; 1
(5) Schools operated solely to provide programs of study in 2
theology, divinity, religious education, and ministerial training; 3
(6) A training program offered or sponsored by an employer for 4
training and preparation of its own employees and for which no tuition fee is 5
charged the employee; 6
(7) A program of study sponsored by a recognized trade, 7
business, or professional organization for instruction of the members of the 8
organization with a closed membership and for which no fee is charged the 9
member; 10
(8) A school or educational institution supported by state or 11
local government taxation; 12
(9) Flight instructors and flight instruction schools licensed 13
under appropriate Federal Aviation Administration regulations and offering 14
only training for a private pilot's license; 15
(10) Schools covered by § 6 -61-301(a)(3) and exempt from § 6 -61-16
101 et seq.; 17
(11) Training offered by other Arkansas state agencies, boards, 18
or commissions; 19
(12)(A) Training offered on military bases where a majority of 20
the students enrolled are active duty personnel or their adult family 21
members, United States Department of Defense civilian employees or their 22
adult family members, members of the United States Armed Forces reserve 23
components, and retirees. 24
(B) These organizations shall remain exempt from the 25
requirement for licensure if required to move off the military installation 26
for a period of not more than ninety (90) days because of a change in 27
security level which would not allow civilian students on the installation. 28
(C) The State Board of Private Career Division of Higher 29
Education shall have the authority to may review any situations that extend 30
past the ninety-day period and determine whether the exemption status should 31
remain for the school; 32
(13) Certified nurse aide or certified nursing assistant 33
training programs: 34
(A) Whose underlying majority ownership has ownership of 35
five (5) or more nursing facilities licensed by the Office of Long -Term Care; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
46 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
and 1
(B) That are under the regulatory oversight of the office; 2
and 3
(14) Schools located outside the state that: 4
(A) Offer education or training outside the state; and 5
(B) Do not participate in distance education. 6
7
SECTION 37. Arkansas Code § 6 -51-605 is amended to read as follows: 8
6-51-605. State Board of Private Career Education Authority of Division 9
of Higher Education. 10
(a)(1)(A) The Governor shall appoint a State Board of Private Career 11
Education of seven (7) members who shall serve for terms of seven (7) years. 12
(B) The Governor shall make appointments or reappointments 13
to the board to provide membership of three (3) persons associated with 14
schools and four (4) persons from the general public. 15
(2) The Commissioner of the Division of Higher Education and the 16
Director of the Division of Career and Technical Education or their designees 17
shall serve as nonvoting, ex officio members of the board. 18
(b)(1) The board may elect the necessary officers, acting by and 19
through the Commissioner of the Division of Higher Education. 20
(2) The Division of Higher Education shall have the sole 21
authority to: 22
(A)(1) Approve all schools offering programs of study 23
leading to or enhancing an occupational objective; 24
(B) Administer and enforce this subchapter; and 25
(C)(2) Issue licenses to schools that have met the 26
standards set forth for the purposes of this subchapter established by the 27
Division of Higher Education, including without limitation programs: 28
(A) Programs of study, adequate; 29
(B) Adequate facilities, financial; 30
(C) Financial stability, qualified; 31
(D) Qualified personnel, and legitimate; and 32
(E) Legitimate operating practices. 33
(c)(b) Upon approval by the Division of Higher Education, any such 34
school may issue certificates or diplomas. 35
(d)(c) The Division of Higher Education shall: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
47 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(1) Formulate the Establish criteria and the standards evolved 1
for the approval of such licensed schools; 2
(2) Provide for adequate investigation of all schools applying 3
for a license; 4
(3) Issue licenses to those applicants meeting the standards 5
fixed established by the Division of Higher Education; and 6
(4) Maintain a list of schools approved under the provisions of 7
this subchapter. 8
(e) The Division of Higher Education shall formulate the standards 9
evolved under this subchapter for the approval of admissions representatives 10
of such licensed schools and issue licenses to those applicants meeting the 11
standards fixed by the Division of Higher Education. 12
(f)(d) In consultation with the board, the The Division of Higher 13
Education shall may promulgate standards and rules to be prescribed for the 14
administration of this subchapter and the management and operation of the 15
schools and admissions representatives, subject to the provisions of 16
implement this subchapter. 17
(g)(e) The Division of Higher Education shall participate in the 18
administer hearings before the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board 19
for provided to schools and admissions representatives in cases of facing 20
revocation or denial of licensure. 21
(h) Official meetings of the board may be called by the Chair of the 22
State Board of Private Career Education as necessary, but meetings shall be 23
held at least four (4) times a year. 24
(i) A majority of favorable votes by the board members at an official 25
meeting is required for adoption of a recommendation. 26
(j) Board members may be reimbursed for expenses in accordance with § 27
25-16-901 and stipends according to § 25 -16-903. 28
(k) The board may adopt and use a seal, which may be used for the 29
authentication of the recommendations of the board. 30
(l)(1)(f)(1) The Division of Higher Education shall annually require 31
background investigations for all partners or shareholders with ten percent 32
(10%) or more ownership interest in a school when the school seeks an 33
original license. 34
(2) The Division of Higher Education may establish a schedule 35
for periodic background checks for partners or shareholders with ten percent 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
48 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(10%) or more ownership interest in a school when seeking renewal of a school 1
license. 2
(m)(1)(g)(1) The partners or shareholders shall apply to the 3
Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State Police for a state 4
and national criminal background check to be conducted by the Federal Bureau 5
of Investigation. 6
(2) The check shall conform to the applicable federal standards 7
and shall include the taking of fingerprints. 8
(3) The applicant shall sign a release of information to the 9
board and shall be responsible to the Division of Arkansas State Police for 10
the payment of any fee associated with the criminal background check. 11
(4) Upon completion of the criminal background check, the 12
Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State Police shall forward 13
to the Division of Higher Education all information obtained concerning the 14
person in the commission of any offense listed in § 6 -51-606(g)(3). 15
(5)(A) The Division of Higher Education may issue a nonrenewable 16
temporary license pending the results of the criminal background check. 17
(B) The temporary license shall be valid for no more than 18
six (6) months. 19
(C) Upon receipt of information from the Identification 20
Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State Police that only one (1) of the 21
partners or shareholders of the school holding the license has been convicted 22
of any offense listed in § 6 -51-606(g)(3), the Division of Higher Education 23
shall revoke the license. 24
(n)(1)(h)(1) The provisions of Licensure revocation under § 6-51-25
606(g) may be waived by the Division of Higher Education upon the request of: 26
(A) An affected applicant for licensure; or 27
(B) The partners or shareholders of a school holding a 28
license subject to revocation. 29
(2) Circumstances for which a waiver may be granted shall 30
include, but not be limited to, without limitation the following: 31
(A) The age at which the crime was committed; 32
(B) The circumstances surrounding the crime; 33
(C) The length of time since the crime; 34
(D) Subsequent work history; 35
(E) Employment references; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
49 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(F) Character references; and 1
(G) Other evidence demonstrating that the applicant does 2
not pose a threat. 3
(o)(1)(i)(1) Any information received by the Division of Higher 4
Education from the Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State 5
Police under this section shall not be available for examination except by: 6
(A) The affected applicant for licensure or his or her 7
authorized representative; or 8
(B) The person whose license is subject to revocation or 9
his or her authorized representative. 10
(2) No record, file, or document shall be removed from the 11
custody of the Division of Arkansas State Police. 12
(p)(j) Any information made available to the affected applicant for 13
licensure or the person whose license is subject to revocation shall be 14
information pertaining to that person only. 15
(q)(k) Rights of privilege and confidentiality established in this 16
section shall not extend to any document created for purposes other than the 17
background check required by this section. 18
(r) In consultation with the board, the Division of Higher Education 19
shall adopt the necessary rules to fully implement the provisions of this 20
section. 21
22
SECTION 38. Arkansas Code § 6 -51-606 is amended to read as follows: 23
6-51-606. School license generally. 24
(a) No persons shall operate, conduct, maintain, or offer to operate 25
in this state Arkansas a school as defined in this subchapter, or solicit the 26
enrollment of students residing in the state Arkansas, unless a license is 27
first secured from the Division of Higher Education issued in accordance with 28
the provisions of this subchapter and the rules promulgated by the division 29
in consultation with the State Board of Private Career Education . 30
(b)(1) Application An application for a license shall be filed in the 31
manner and upon the forms prescribed and furnished by the division for that 32
purpose signed and include all required information as prescribed by the 33
division. 34
(2) The application shall be signed by the applicant and 35
properly verified and shall contain such information as may apply to the type 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
50 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
and kind of school, satellite school, or extension course site for which a 1
license is sought. 2
(c)(1) A license issued shall be restricted to the programs of study 3
specifically indicated in the application for a license. 4
(2) The holder of a license shall present a supplementary 5
application for approval of additional programs of study. 6
(d) The license shall remain the property of the State of Arkansas and 7
shall be returned to the division upon cause. 8
(e) After a license is issued to any school by the division on the 9
basis of its application , it shall be the responsibility of the school to 10
notify the division immediately the division of any changes in the ownership, 11
administration, location, faculty, or programs of study on the forms and in 12
the manner prescribed by the division . 13
(f)(1) In the event of the sale of such school, the license granted to 14
the original owner or operators shall not be transferable to the new 15
ownership or operators , but. 16
(2) An application for a new license must shall be made and 17
approved before the new ownership's taking over operation of the school. 18
(g) The division shall have the power to deny issuing a new or renewal 19
license, to revoke an existing license, or to place a licensee on probation, 20
if in its discretion it determines that: 21
(1) The licensee has violated any of the provisions of this 22
subchapter or any of the rules of the division; 23
(2) The applicant or licensee has knowingly presented to the 24
division incomplete or misleading information relating to licensure; 25
(3) The applicant or licensee has pleaded guilty, entered a plea 26
of nolo contendere, or has been found guilty in a criminal proceeding, 27
regardless of whether or not the adjudication of guilt or sentence is 28
withheld, deferred, or suspended by a court of this state Arkansas, another 29
state, or the United States Government, of: 30
(A) Any felony; or 31
(B) Any act involving moral turpitude, gross immorality, 32
or which is related to the qualifications, functions, and duties of a 33
licensee; 34
(4) The applicant or licensee has intentionally failed or 35
refused to permit the division or its representatives to inspect the school 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
51 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
or classes or has intentionally failed or refused to make available to the 1
division, at any time when requested to do so , full information pertaining to 2
any or all items of information contained in an application for license or 3
pertaining to the operation of the school; 4
(5) The applicant has failed or refused to submit to the 5
division an application for license or renewal in the manner and on the forms 6
prescribed; 7
(6) A licensed admissions representative has failed or refused 8
to display or produce his or her license when requested to do so by 9
prospective students or designated officials of the division; 10
(7) The applicant or licensee has failed to provide or maintain 11
premises, equipment, materials, supplies, or conditions in accordance with 12
minimum standards as established by rules; 13
(8) The licensee has been found by the division or a court of 14
law to have perpetrated fraud or deceit in advertising of the school or 15
programs of study or in presenting to prospective students information 16
relating to the school, programs of study, employment opportunities, or 17
opportunities for enrollment in institutions of higher education; 18
(9) The licensee has in its employ any admissions 19
representatives who have not been licensed but are actively engaged in the 20
practice of attempting to enroll students; 21
(10) The licensee has failed to provide and maintain standards 22
of instruction or qualified administrative, supervisory, or instructional 23
staff as established by rules; 24
(11) The applicant or licensee is unable to provide and maintain 25
financial resources in sufficient amount to equip and maintain the school or 26
classes; 27
(12) The licensee has moved the school into new premises or 28
facilities without first notifying the division; 29
(13) The licensee has offered training or instruction in 30
programs of study which have not been approved and authorized in accordance 31
with rules; 32
(14) A licensed admissions representative has solicited 33
prospective students to enroll in a school which has not been licensed by the 34
division or which is not listed on his or her license; 35
(15) There was a change in the ownership of the school without 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
52 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
proper notification to and approval from the division; 1
(16) The licensee has failed to notify the division or to 2
provide written documentation as to the cause that the license of a school 3
has been suspended or revoked or the school has been placed on probation or a 4
show cause issued in another state or by another regulatory agency; 5
(17) The licensee has failed to notify the division of legal 6
actions initiated by or against the school; or 7
(18) The licensee fails to make tuition refunds to the students 8
or their lenders in compliance with current rules. 9
(h) The division shall have the power to revoke a license if in its 10
discretion it determines that: 11
(1) The licensee has failed to cure a deficiency leading to a 12
license probation within the time as may be reasonably prescribed by the 13
division; 14
(2) The licensee while on probation has been found by the 15
division to have incurred an additional infraction of this subchapter; or 16
(3) The licensee has closed a school without first having 17
completed the training of all students currently enrolled or having made 18
tuition refunds to students or their lenders. 19
(i) The division may impose sanctions under § 25 -15-217. 20
(j)(1) Unless directed to do so by court order, the division shall 21
not, for a period of five (5) years following revocation, reinstate the 22
license of a school or allow an owner of any such school to seek licensure of 23
another school. 24
(2) Upon expiration of licensure status, the school must apply 25
for an original license in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter. 26
(k)(1) Upon closure of a school located in Arkansas and licensed under 27
any provision of this subchapter, whether for license revocation or any other 28
cause, all student financial aid records for the previous three (3) years and 29
all student transcripts regardless of age must be delivered to the division. 30
(2) Delivered records shall be arranged in alphabetical order 31
and stored in boxes or in data format at the discretion of the division. 32
(3) The division shall be responsible for the proper security, 33
storage, and maintenance of all such records. 34
35
SECTION 39. Arkansas Code § 6 -51-607(a)(1), concerning the payment of 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
53 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
annual fees by a private resident and correspondence school, is amended to 1
read as follows: 2
(a)(1) Each school licensed under this subchapter shall pay annually a 3
fee to be set by the Division of Higher Education in consultation with the 4
State Board of Private Career Education Arkansas Higher Education 5
Coordinating Board. 6
7
SECTION 40. Arkansas Code § 6-51-609(k), concerning the promulgation 8
of rules related to private resident and correspondence schools, is repealed. 9
(k) In consultation with the State Board of Private Career Education, 10
the Division of Higher Education shall adopt the necessary rules to fully 11
implement the provisions of this section. 12
13
SECTION 41. Arkansas Code § 6 -51-610(a), concerning fees related to 14
private resident and correspondence schools, is amended to read as follows: 15
(a) In consultation with the State Board of Private Career Education 16
Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board , the Division of Higher 17
Education shall set fees for schools and admissions representatives. 18
19
SECTION 42. Arkansas Code § 6 -51-616 is amended to read as follows: 20
6-51-616. Student grievance procedure. 21
(a) Any student may file a written complaint with the Division of 22
Higher Education on the forms prescribed and furnished by the division for 23
that purpose if the student has reason to believe he or she is suffering loss 24
or damage resulting from: 25
(1) The failure of a school to perform agreements made with the 26
student; or 27
(2) An admissions representative's misrepresentations in 28
enrolling the student. 29
(b)(1) All complaints shall be investigated, and attempts shall be 30
made to resolve them informally. 31
(2) If an informal resolution cannot be achieved, the aggrieved 32
party may request a formal hearing to be held before the State Board of 33
Private Career Education Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board . 34
(c) The aggrieved party may not pursue resolution before the board if 35
legal action has been filed. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
54 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(d) The request for a hearing shall be in writing and filed with the 1
director division within one (1) year of completion of, or withdrawal from, 2
the school. 3
(e) The written request for a hearing shall name the parties involved 4
and specific facts giving rise to the dispute. 5
(f) The ruling of the board shall be binding upon the parties. 6
7
SECTION 43. The introductory language of Arkansas Code § 6 -51-617(a), 8
concerning dispute resolution by the State Board of Private Career Education, 9
is amended to read as follows: 10
(a) The State Board of Private Career Education Arkansas Higher 11
Education Coordinating Board shall represent the sole authority to resolve 12
disputes between a student and a school as to grievances relating to: 13
14
SECTION 44. Arkansas Code § 6 -51-621 is repealed. 15
6-51-621. Construction of subchapter. 16
Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to affect the 17
responsibilities of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board as 18
defined in § 6-61-301. 19
20
SECTION 45. Arkansas Code § 6 -51-622(d), concerning rules related to 21
noncommercial driver training instructions, is repealed. 22
(d)(1) In consultation with the State Board of Private Career 23
Education, the Division of Higher Education may promulgate reasonable rules 24
to implement, enforce, and administer this section. 25
(2) The rules of the division shall be issued in accordance with 26
the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act, § 25 -15-201 et seq. 27
28
SECTION 46. Arkansas Code § 6 -53-203(a), concerning powers and duties 29
of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board related to the technical 30
and community college system, is amended to add an additional subdivision to 31
read as follows: 32
(10) Promulgate rules to implement this chapter. 33
34
SECTION 47. Arkansas Code § 6 -60-1504 is amended to read as follows: 35
6-60-1504. Limitations. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
55 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(a) Nothing in this subchapter shall be interpreted as: 1
(1) Giving a member of the campus community the right to disrupt 2
a previously scheduled or otherwise reserved activity; 3
(2) Authorizing a member of the campus community to disregard a 4
policy of the state-supported institution of higher education regarding: 5
(A) Compliance with state and federal laws on 6
discrimination and harassment; or 7
(B) The productive and efficient operation of an 8
instructional or work environment; 9
(3) Preventing a state -supported institution of higher education 10
from prohibiting, limiting, or restricting expression that is not protected 11
under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution or Article 2, § 12
6, of the Arkansas Constitution; or 13
(4) Prohibiting a state -supported institution of higher 14
education from imposing a restriction on the time, place, or manner of 15
expression in or on a campus forum, provided the restriction on the time, 16
place, or manner of expression: 17
(A) Is reasonable; 18
(B) Is justified without reference to the viewpoint of the 19
speaker; 20
(C) Is narrowly tailored to serve a significant state 21
interest; and 22
(D) Leaves open ample alternative channels for 23
communication of the information or message contained in the expression. 24
(b) A state-supported institution of higher education shall not grant 25
excused absences for: 26
(1) Purposes of political protest; 27
(2) Social or public policy advocacy; or 28
(3) Attempts to influence legislation or other governmental 29
policymaking at the local, state, or federal level. 30
(c) Academic standards, teaching standards, education standards, 31
curriculum, teacher professional development, and rules in a state -supported 32
institution of higher education shall not authorize student walkouts for 33
purposes of: 34
(1) Political protest; 35
(2) Social or public policy advocacy; or 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
56 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(3) Attempts to influence legislation or other governmental 1
policymaking at the local, state, or federal level. 2
(d) This section shall not be construed to prohibit students from 3
attending curricular or co -curricular activities approved by the state -4
supported institution of higher education. 5
(e)(1) A student who negligently or intentionally causes damages to 6
the property of a state -supported institution of higher education while 7
engaging in a political protest or public policy advocacy shall be liable to 8
the state-supported institution of higher education for damages caused by the 9
student. 10
(2) A state-supported institution of higher education may seek 11
to recover damages described in subdivision (e)(1) of this section in a court 12
of competent jurisdiction. 13
(3) A student of a state -supported institution of higher 14
education who has been found liable for damages described in subdivision 15
(e)(1) of this section shall be subject to the following penalties until the 16
judgment is fully satisfied: 17
(A) The student shall be ineligible to receive a degree or 18
credential from the state -supported institution of higher education; and 19
(B) The state-supported institution of higher education 20
shall not transfer or otherwise endorse credit issued by the state -supported 21
institution of higher education for the purposes of satisfying degree 22
requirements at any other state -supported institution of higher education. 23
24
SECTION 48. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 60, is amended to add 25
additional subchapters to read as follows: 26
Subchapter 16 — Rejecting Discrimination and Indoctrination in Postsecondary 27
Education 28
29
6-60-1601. Legislative findings. 30
The General Assembly recognizes that: 31
(1) The First Amendment of the United States Constitution 32
robustly protects the right to speak without government interference, but not 33
to compel others to adopt, affirm, or adhere to specific beliefs; 34
(2) The Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution 35
provides that no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
57 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
equal protection of the law; 1
(3) Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 promotes the 2
desegregation of public schools and authorizes the United States Attorney 3
General to file lawsuits to enforce the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 4
1964. It defines "desegregation" as "the assignment of students to public 5
schools and within such schools without regard to their race, color, 6
religion, or national origin," thereby removing government -sanctioned racial 7
discrimination in schools and implementing the United States Supreme Court’s 8
holding in "Brown v. Board of Education" , 347 U.S. 483 (1954), that racial 9
separation is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth 10
Amendment; and 11
(4) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that “No 12
person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national 13
origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be 14
subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal 15
financial assistance". 16
17
6-60-1602. Purpose. 18
(a) It is the intent of the General Assembly that administrators, 19
faculty, and other employees of a state -supported institution of higher 20
education maintain nondiscriminatory policies in accordance with Title IV, 21
Title VI, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 22
(b) This subchapter is enacted to: 23
(1) Prevent discrimination; 24
(2) Promote the intellectual development of students and faculty 25
in Arkansas; and 26
(3) Protect the free exchange of ideas according to the United 27
States Constitution and the Arkansas Constitution. 28
29
6-60-1603. Definitions. 30
As used in this subchapter: 31
(1) “Accreditation” means the status of public recognition that 32
an accrediting agency grants to an educational institution; 33
(2) “Accrediting agency” means a legal entity or part of a legal 34
entity that: 35
(A) Conducts accrediting activities; and 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(B) Makes decisions about the accreditation or pre - 1
accreditation status of educational institutions; 2
(3) “Affirm, adopt, or adhere to” includes communicative speech 3
or act or action, including without limitation: 4
(A) Engaging in symbolic speech; 5
(B) Holding signs; 6
(C) Raising hands; 7
(D) Signing a pledge; or 8
(E) Participating in a parade, “privilege walk”, or 9
racially segregated activity of any sort; 10
(4) “Compel” means: 11
(A) Causing or pressuring an individual to perform an act 12
or action against his or her will; or 13
(B) Retaliating against an individual who declines to 14
perform an act against his or her will; 15
(5) “Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative” or “DEI” 16
means: 17
(A) An office, division, department, or administrative 18
provider of a unit of study at a state -supported institution of higher 19
education with the purpose of: 20
(i) Influencing academic, administrative, hiring, or 21
employment practices at the state -supported institution of higher education; 22
(ii) Promoting: 23
(a) Preferences based upon race, color, sex, 24
ethnicity, or national origin; 25
(b) Differential treatment on the basis of 26
race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin; or 27
(c) Political or social activism to consider 28
race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin as factors in decision -29
making, except where required by federal or state law; or 30
(iii) Any promotion described in subdivision 31
(5)(A)(ii) of this section that conflicts with state and federal 32
antidiscrimination laws; or 33
(B) Any program, activity, applicant statement, or 34
training described in § 6 -60-1604 that promotes an activity described in 35
subdivision (5)(A)(ii) of this section; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(6) “State-supported institution of higher education” means a 1
public postsecondary institution or a department in a public postsecondary 2
institution that: 3
(A) Provides: 4
(i) An eligible program of training to prepare 5
students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation; or 6
(ii) A program leading to a baccalaureate degree or 7
a graduate degree; and 8
(B) Is accredited by a recognized accrediting agency or 9
association and has continuously held the accreditation for the number of 10
years required by the Division of Higher Education; and 11
(7) "Unit of study" means a class, single component, or subject 12
offered by a state-supported institution of higher education for the 13
completion of a degree or that leads to a postsecondary award, including 14
academic credit, or for the purposes of auditing a class. 15
16
6-60-1604. Prohibitions. 17
(a) An officer, agent, administrator, employee, teacher, or contractor 18
of a state-supported institution of higher education shall not compel another 19
officer, agent, administrator, employee, teacher, contractor, or student of 20
the state-supported institution of higher education to personally affirm, 21
adopt, or adhere to ideas or beliefs in violation of Title IV, Title VI, or 22
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including without limitation: 23
(1) That an individual should be adversely or advantageously 24
treated on the basis of his or her race, ethnicity, sex, color, or national 25
origin; and 26
(2) That an individual student of a state-supported institution 27
of higher education or group of students of a state -supported institution of 28
higher education, by virtue of their race, ethnicity, sex, color, or national 29
origin, bear collective guilt or are inherently responsible for actions 30
committed by other members of the same race, ethnicity, sex, color, or 31
national origin. 32
(b) An officer, agent, administrator, employee, teacher, or contractor 33
of a state-supported institution of higher education shall not adversely or 34
advantageously treat students of the state -supported institution of higher 35
education differently on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, color, or 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
60 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
national origin except to the extent otherwise allowed by federal law. 1
(c)(1) An officer, agent, administrator, employee, teacher, or 2
contractor of a state -supported institution of higher education, when acting 3
in the course of his or her official duties, shall not organize, participate 4
in, or carry out any act or communication that would violate subsection (a) 5
of this section. 6
(2) The prohibition under subdivision (c)(1) of this section 7
shall not be construed to prohibit an employee of a state -supported 8
institution of higher education from: 9
(A) Discussing the ideas and history of the concepts 10
described in subsection (a) of this section for legitimate educational, 11
andragogical, or pedagogical purposes consistent with this subchapter; and 12
(B) Using methods of communication not in violation of 13
this subchapter. 14
(d) An officer, agent, administrator, employee, teacher, or contractor 15
of a state-supported institution of higher education may not condition 16
enrollment in or attendance of a class, training, or orientation of the 17
state-supported institution of higher education: 18
(1) On the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, color, or national 19
origin where not required by federal law; or 20
(2) On requiring an individual to personally affirm, adopt, or 21
adhere to a political, philosophical, religious, or other ideological 22
viewpoint. 23
(e) An officer, agent, administrator, employee, teacher, or contractor 24
of a state-supported institution of higher education shall not compel another 25
officer, agent, administrator, employee, teacher, contractor, or student of 26
the state-supported institution of higher education to personally affirm, 27
adopt, or adhere to a political, philosophical, religious, or other 28
ideological viewpoint. 29
(f) A state-supported institution of higher education shall not: 30
(1) Collect and report information related to DEI for 31
institutional accreditation purposes; 32
(2) Comply with any institutional accreditation requirement 33
related to DEI, including without limitation the requirement of a diversity 34
statement from a state -supported institution of higher education or any 35
employee or contractor of a state -supported institution of higher education; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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or 1
(3) Comply with any institutional accreditation requirement of 2
an accrediting agency that would require the state -supported institution of 3
higher education to violate this subchapter. 4
(g)(1) This subchapter does not prohibit officers, agents, 5
administrators, employees, teachers, contractors, or students of a state -6
supported institution of higher education from discussing public policy 7
issues or ideas that individuals may find unwelcome, disagreeable, or 8
offensive. 9
(2) It is the policy of this state that a state -supported 10
institution of higher education educates students of the state -supported 11
institution of higher education on how to think and not what to think. 12
(h)(1) Upon the president or chancellor of a state -supported 13
institution of higher education receiving notice from the Attorney General of 14
a violation of this section, a state -supported institution of higher 15
education that does not immediately make all reasonable efforts to resolve 16
the violation of this section shall demonstrate compliance with all 17
requirements of this section within a reasonable time. 18
(2)(A) A state-supported institution of higher education that 19
fails to demonstrate compliance with all requirements of this section within 20
a reasonable time as required under subdivision (h)(1) of this section shall 21
not be eligible for state funding under the state higher education funding 22
formula. 23
(B) In order to regain eligibility for receipt of state 24
funding, a state-supported institution of higher education shall demonstrate 25
compliance with all requirements of this section for not less than one (1) 26
fiscal year after the fiscal year in which the state -supported institution of 27
higher education became ineligible for receipt of state funding. 28
(i) A state-supported institution of higher education shall not expend 29
any state funds and shall reject any federal funds whose receipt requires the 30
state-supported institution of higher education to violate this subchapter. 31
(j) This subchapter shall not be construed to prevent compliance with 32
any state or federal civil rights laws that do not depend on receipt of state 33
or federal funding. 34
(k) A state-supported institution of higher education shall not 35
require a current or prospective officer, agent, administrator, employee, 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
62 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
teacher, contractor, or student of the state -supported institution of higher 1
education to submit a statement or diversity statement describing his or her 2
views on matters related to race, ethnicity, sex, color, or national origin 3
to be considered for the purposes of hiring, evaluating, admitting, or 4
promoting the officer, agent, administrator, employee, teacher, contractor, 5
or student of the state -supported institution of higher education. 6
(l) This subchapter does not prohibit a state -supported institution of 7
higher education from directing recruitment, advertisement, or promotion 8
efforts to a specific population of prospective or existing students. 9
(m) This subchapter may be enforced by the Attorney General on behalf 10
of the state. 11
12
Subchapter 17 — Arkansas Direct Admissions Program 13
14
6-60-1701 Title. 15
This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Arkansas Direct 16
Admissions Program Act”. 17
18
6-60-1702. Definitions. 19
As used in this subchapter: 20
(1) “Application requirements” means the forms, payments, or 21
activities that are required to be completed by a student to apply to a 22
state-supported institution of higher education as set by each participating 23
institution; 24
(2) “Eligible student” means a student who resides in Arkansas 25
and attends a public or private accredited high school that has agreed to 26
participate in the Arkansas Direct Admissions Program; 27
(3) “Enrollment requirements” means the forms, payments, or 28
activities that are required to be completed by a student to enroll in a 29
state-supported institution of higher education as set by each participating 30
institution; 31
(4) “Participating institution” means a state -supported 32
institution of higher education, community college, or technical college 33
within Arkansas that uses the Arkansas Direct Admissions Program; 34
(5) “Participating public school” means: 35
(A) A public high school within a traditional public 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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school district that is accredited by the State Board of Education; 1
(B) An open-enrollment public charter school organized as 2
a high school that is authorized by the charter authorizing panel; and 3
(C) A private high school that is accredited by: 4
(i) The Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting 5
Association, Inc., or its successor; or 6
(ii) Another accrediting association recognized by 7
the state board; 8
(6) “Provisional admissions criteria” means the minimum academic 9
requirements that a student is required to meet to receive a provisional 10
admissions offer from a participating institution; and 11
(7)(A) “Provisional admissions offer” means a determination that 12
a student meets admissions criteria. 13
(B) "Provisional admissions offer" does not mean 14
acceptance to a participating institution. 15
16
§ 6-60-1703. Arkansas Direct Admissions Program. 17
(a) There is established the Arkansas Direct Admissions Program. 18
(b) The program shall: 19
(1) Begin implementation with the high school graduating class 20
of 2026-2027; 21
(2) Establish: 22
(A) Provisional admissions criteria, including without 23
limitation: 24
(i) Grade point average; 25
(ii) Assessment scores; and 26
(iii) Course completion; 27
(B) Eligibility requirements for participating 28
institutions that include without limitation: 29
(i) Application requirements; and 30
(ii) Enrollment requirements; and 31
(C) Eligibility requirements for participating public 32
schools; 33
(3) Require the collection of student academic information to 34
determine provisional admissions offers; 35
(4) Include a common application portal for eligible students to 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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participate in the program that may include without limitation: 1
(A) Information about participating institutions; 2
(B) Communication of provisional admissions offers to 3
participating students; and 4
(C) Information about available financial aid; and 5
(5) Include a plan to conduct outreach to eligible students to 6
provide the eligible students with information regarding the operation of the 7
program. 8
(c) This section shall not prevent a student who does not qualify for 9
a provisional admissions offer from applying for enrollment in a 10
participating institution through the participating institution's existing 11
admissions process. 12
(d) The Division of Higher Education may promulgate rules to implement 13
this subchapter. 14
15
§ 6-60-1704. Duties of public school districts and open -enrollment 16
public charter schools. 17
(a) A public school district or open -enrollment public charter school 18
may opt to participate in the Arkansas Direct Admissions Program. 19
(b) A participating public school shall provide student data to the 20
Division of Higher Education that includes without limitation: 21
(1) Grade point average; 22
(2) Assessment scores; and 23
(3) Course completion. 24
(c)(1) Each public school district and open -enrollment public charter 25
school shall inform all students about participation in the Arkansas Direct 26
Admissions Program. 27
(2) A public school district or open -enrollment public charter 28
school shall not actively discourage or prohibit an eligible student from 29
participating in the Arkansas Direct Admissions Program. 30
31
SECTION 49. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 61, Subchapter 1, is 32
amended to add an additional section to read as follows: 33
§ 6-61-144. Purple Star Campuses. 34
(a) A state-supported institution of higher education that shows a 35
significant commitment to serving students and families connected to the 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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United States Armed Forces may be designated as a Purple Star Campus. 1
(b) The Division of Higher Education may promulgate rules to implement 2
this section. 3
4
SECTION 50. Arkansas Code § 6 -61-201(a)-(c), concerning membership of 5
the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, are amended to read as 6
follows: 7
(a)(1) The Beginning May 1, 2025, the Arkansas Higher Education 8
Coordinating Board shall consist of twelve (12) seven (7) members appointed 9
by the Governor as follows: 10
(A)(i) Six (6) Four (4) members who shall be: 11
(a) Qualified electors of the State of 12
Arkansas; and 13
(b) Graduates of public two-year or four-year 14
state-supported institutions of higher education within the state. 15
(ii) If an appointee under this subdivision (a)(1)(A) 16
is serving as a member of a board of a two -year or four-year state-supported 17
institution of higher education at the time of appointment to the Arkansas 18
Higher Education Coordinating Board, the appointee shall relinquish his or 19
her membership on the board of the two -year or four-year state-supported 20
institution of higher education; and 21
(B)(i) Six (6) Three (3) members shall be selected from 22
business, industry, education, agriculturally related industry, and medical 23
services and shall not be current members of a board of a public two-year or 24
four-year state-supported institution of higher education. 25
(ii) At least one (1) of the appointees shall have a 26
strong interest in and commitment to economic and workforce development. 27
(iii) At least one (1) of the appointees shall have 28
experience in the knowledge -based technology field. 29
(2) No more than four (4) two (2) members of the Arkansas Higher 30
Education Coordinating Board shall be appointed from any one (1) 31
congressional district as the districts exist at the time of the appointment. 32
(b) Vacancies on the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board 33
shall be filled for the unexpired terms, and the appointments shall be made 34
in the same manner as the positions vacated. 35
(c)(1) The members of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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shall serve staggered terms of six (6) years. 1
(2) The terms of two (2) members shall expire each year. 2
3
SECTION 51. Arkansas Code § 6 -61-202(a), concerning powers and duties 4
of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, is amended to add 5
additional subdivisions to read as follows: 6
(8) Perform all other functions that may now or hereafter be 7
delegated to the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board by law; and 8
(9) Promulgate rules to perform all duties and obligations to 9
implement this subchapter. 10
11
SECTION 52. Arkansas Code § 6 -61-231(b)(1), concerning the purpose of 12
the statewide transfer agreement, is amended to read as follows: 13
(b)(1) The purpose of this section is to eliminate obstacles to 14
transfers of credits among public state-supported institutions of higher 15
education in Arkansas by providing a seamless transfer of academic credits 16
from a completed designated transfer degree program or a completed state 17
minimum core curriculum to a baccalaureate degree program without the loss of 18
earned credits and without the receiving public state-supported institution 19
of higher education requiring additional lower -division general education 20
credits. 21
22
SECTION 53. Arkansas Code § 6 -61-231(c), concerning the statewide 23
transfer agreement developed by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating 24
Board, is amended to add an additional subdivision read as follows: 25
(6)(A) Provides for a reverse transfer agreement for a student 26
seeking an associate degree that transfers to a four -year state-supported 27
institution of higher education before earning an associate degree. 28
(B)(i) Except as provided in subsection (c)(6)(B)(ii), a 29
student shall be awarded an associate degree by the two -year state-supported 30
institution of higher education upon completing the degree requirements at 31
the four-year state-supported institution of higher education if the student 32
earned more than thirty (30) credit hours toward the associate degree at the 33
two-year state-supported institution of higher education. 34
(ii) A student eligible to receive an associate 35
degree under subdivision (c)(6)(B)(i) of this section shall be: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(a) Notified in writing by the state -supported 1
institution of higher education awarding the associate degree that the 2
student is eligible to receive an associate degree; 3
(b) Provided an opportunity to decline the 4
award of the associate degree; 5
(c) Awarded the associate degree if the 6
student takes no action within thirty (30) days of being provided notice 7
under subdivision (c)(6)(B)(ii)(a) of this section; and 8
(d) Awarded the associate degree by the four -9
year state-supported institution of higher education if the student elects to 10
be awarded the associate degree by the four -year state-supported institution 11
of higher education upon completion of the degree requirements. 12
(C)(i) Except as provided in subdivision (c)(6)(B)(ii)(d), 13
a four-year state-supported institution of higher education shall: 14
(a) Identify each student who has completed at 15
least sixty (60) hours of academic credit and met the state core curriculum 16
requirements; and 17
(b) Forward a copy of the student's transcript 18
to the two-year state-supported institution of higher education. 19
(ii) If a student attended more than one (1) two -20
year state-supported institution of higher education, the student's 21
transcript shall be sent to the two -year state-supported institution of 22
higher education that provided the largest number of credit hours. 23
(iii) The two-year state-supported institution of 24
higher education shall notify the four -year state-supported institution of 25
higher education if the associate degree has been conferred. 26
(iv) Upon notification, the four -year state-27
supported institution of higher education is no longer required to forward 28
subsequent transcripts of the student at the completion of each term. 29
30
SECTION 54. Arkansas Code § 6 -61-231(d)(2)(B), concerning the 31
requirement of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board related to 32
the statewide transfer agreement to identify postsecondary career education 33
programs offered by two -year public institutions of higher education is 34
amended to read as follows: 35
(B) Postsecondary career and technical education programs 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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offered by two-year public state-supported institutions of higher education, 1
including those designated as college -credit courses applicable toward a 2
certificate or degree; 3
4
SECTION 55. Arkansas Code § 6 -61-234 is amended to read as follows: 5
6-61-234. Productivity-based funding model. 6
(a)(1)(A) The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall adopt 7
policies developed by the Division of Higher Education may promulgate rules 8
necessary to implement a productivity -based funding model for state -supported 9
institutions of higher education , including without limitation two -year and 10
four-year state-supported institutions of higher education . 11
(B) The board shall adopt separate policies for two -year 12
institutions of higher education and four -year institutions of higher 13
education. 14
(2) The policies rules adopted to implement a productivity -based 15
funding model for state -supported institutions of higher education shall 16
contain measures for effectiveness, affordability, and efficiency that 17
acknowledge the following priorities: 18
(A) Differences in institutional missions; 19
(B) Completion of students' educational goals; 20
(C) Progression toward students' completion of programs of 21
study; 22
(D) Affordability through: 23
(i) On-time completion of programs of study; 24
(ii) Limiting the number of excess credits earned by 25
students; and 26
(iii) Efficient allocation of resources; 27
(E)(i) Beginning in the 2026 -2027 academic year, 28
incorporation of a return on investment metric into the productivity-based 29
funding model. 30
(ii) The return on investment metric under 31
subdivision (a)(2)(E)(i) of this section shall be defined by rule of the 32
Division of Higher Education. 33
(iii) The Division of Higher Education shall ensure 34
that the return on investment metric required under subdivision (a)(2)(E)(i) 35
of this section is aligned with state economic and workforce needs; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(E)(F) Institutional collaboration that encourages the 1
successful transfer of students; 2
(F)(G) Success in serving underrepresented students; and 3
(G)(H) Production of students graduating with credentials 4
in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and high -demand fields that 5
align with statewide and regional workforce needs . 6
(3)(A) The Division of Higher Education may promulgate rules to 7
implement a funding formula to support noncredit programs at a state -8
supported institution of higher education. 9
(B) Funding for a noncredit program may come from the 10
following: 11
(i) General revenues authorized by law; and 12
(ii) Any other funds as provided by law. 13
(C) The Division of Higher Education shall consult with the Governor's 14
Workforce Cabinet during development of the funding formula for the noncredit 15
programs under subdivision (a)(3)(A) of this section. 16
(3)(4) The productivity-based funding model shall not determine 17
the funding needs of special units such as a medical school, a division of 18
agriculture, or system offices. 19
(b) The productivity -based funding model shall be: 20
(1) Used to align institutional funding with statewide 21
priorities for higher education by: 22
(A) Encouraging programs and services focused on student 23
success; and 24
(B) Providing incentives for progress toward statewide 25
goals; and 26
(2) Built around a set of shared principles that: 27
(A) Are embraced by state -supported institutions of higher 28
education; 29
(B) Employ appropriate productivity metrics; and 30
(C) Are aligned with goals and objectives for 31
postsecondary education attainment in this state. 32
(c)(1) The board Division of Higher Education shall use the 33
productivity-based funding model as the mechanism for recommending funding 34
for state-supported institutions of higher education. 35
(2) The board Division of Higher Education shall recommend 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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funding for: 1
(A) State-supported institutions of higher education as a 2
whole; and 3
(B) The allocation of funding to each state -supported 4
institution of higher education. 5
(3) The board Division of Higher Education shall may make 6
separate recommendations for : 7
(A) two-year Two-year state-supported institutions of 8
higher education; and 9
(B) four-year Four-year state-supported institutions of 10
higher education. 11
(d) Funds unallocated to state -supported institutions of higher 12
education due to productivity declines shall be reserved by the division 13
Division of Higher Education to address statewide needs in higher education. 14
(e) The division Division of Higher Education shall review the 15
policies every five (5) years to ensure the productivity -based funding model 16
continues to respond to the needs and priorities of the state. 17
(f) In any fiscal year for which the aggregate general revenue funding 18
forecast to be available for state -supported institutions of higher education 19
is greater than two percent (2%) less than the amount provided for the 20
immediate previous fiscal year, the division shall not further implement the 21
productivity-based funding model until the following fiscal year. 22
23
SECTION 56. Arkansas Code § 6 -61-1010, concerning authority of the 24
Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board under the Technical College and 25
Community College Capital Improvement Act of 1993, is amended to add an 26
additional subsection to read as follows: 27
(f) The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board may promulgate 28
rules to implement this subchapter. 29
30
SECTION 57. Arkansas Code § 6 -61-1402 is amended to read as follows: 31
6-61-1402. Courses included in common course numbering system. 32
(a)(1) The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in 33
collaboration with all state -supported institutions of higher education, 34
shall develop and approve a statewide common course numbering system for 35
lower-division general education courses found within the Arkansas Course 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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Transfer System. 1
(2)(b) A state-supported institution of higher education that is 2
not in full compliance with this subchapter shall not be eligible to accept 3
state aid from the Higher Education Grants Fund Account on behalf of a 4
student. 5
(b)(1) A course designated as an upper -division course level may be 6
offered by any four-year state-supported institution of higher education and 7
shall be characterized by a need for advanced academic preparation and skills 8
that a student would be unlikely to achieve without significant prior 9
coursework. 10
(2) Upper-division courses are not required to be included in 11
the common course numbering system. 12
(c) A course designated as a lower -division course level may be 13
offered by any state-supported institution of higher education. 14
(d) The common course numbering system shall include the thirty -five-15
hour general education core and major program prerequisites that are included 16
in the state minimum core curriculum under § 6 -61-231. 17
18
SECTION 58. Arkansas Code § 6 -61-1403 is amended to read as follows: 19
6-61-1403. Additions or alterations. 20
(a) The Commissioner of the Division of Higher Education shall 21
recommend to the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board any additions 22
or alterations to the common course numbering system. 23
(b) The board, with input from the Presidents Council, shall consider 24
the recommended additions and alterations to the common course numbering 25
system. 26
(c) The board may adopt or refuse to adopt suggested additions or 27
alterations to the common course numbering system. 28
Beginning with the 2026 -2027 academic year, the Division of Higher 29
Education, in collaboration with the Division of Elementary and Secondary 30
Education, shall: 31
(1) Make recommendations for additions and alterations to the 32
common course numbering system; and 33
(2) Review the common course numbering system to begin aligning 34
elementary and secondary courses. 35
36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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SECTION 59. Arkansas Code § 6 -61-1406 is amended to read as follows: 1
6-61-1406. Courses review. 2
(a) The Division of Higher Education , in consultation with the 3
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, shall: 4
(1) Regularly schedule reviews of courses that are listed in the 5
common course numbering system; and 6
(2) Establish review procedures ; and 7
(3) Adopt policies to carry out this section . 8
(b) The Division of Higher Education, in collaboration with the 9
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, may promulgate rules to 10
implement this subchapter. 11
12
SECTION 60. Arkansas Code § 6-63-104 is amended to read as follows: 13
6-63-104. Faculty performance review. 14
(a)(1) The president and chancellor of each state -supported 15
institution of higher education in Arkansas shall work with the campus 16
faculties to develop a framework to review faculty performance, including 17
post-tenure review. 18
(2)(A) The framework should be used to develop processes and 19
procedures at each state-supported institution to ensure a consistently high 20
level of performance of the faculty at Arkansas's publicly supported 21
institutions a state-supported institution of higher education. 22
(B) The effects of the review process of faculty 23
performance should include rewarding productive faculty, redirecting faculty 24
efforts to improve or to increase productivity, and correcting instances of 25
substandard performance. 26
(C) The framework developed by each state-supported 27
institution shall be reported to the House Committee on Education, the Senate 28
Committee on Education, the Joint Interim Oversight Committee on Education 29
Reform, and the Division of Higher Education no later than December 1, 1998 30
2025, and shall be implemented on the respective campuses no later than 31
January 1, 2001 2026. 32
(b)(1) Pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, each state -33
supported institution of higher education in Arkansas shall conduct a 34
rigorous, consistently applied, annual review of the performance of all full -35
time faculty members. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(2) This review shall include assessments by peers, students, 1
and administrators and shall be utilized to ensure a consistently high level 2
of performance and serve in conjunction with other appropriate information as 3
a basis for decisions on promotion, salary increases, and job tenure. The 4
evaluation by students and administrative staff, shall be applicable to all 5
teaching faculty, full -time, part-time, and graduate teaching assistants and 6
shall include an assessment of the fluency in English of the faculty member 7
or graduate teaching assistant. This review shall not be used to demote a 8
tenured faculty member to a nontenured status. 9
(3) The review process may result in the following corrective 10
actions: 11
(A) Remedial training; 12
(B) Removal of tenure status; or 13
(C) Any other action permitted by the state -supported 14
institution of higher education’s review policy. 15
(4)(A) A state-supported institution of higher education may 16
require an immediate for cause review of a faculty member as described in 17
subsection (f) of this section. 18
(B) A tenured faculty member may appeal a state -supported 19
institution of higher education’s performance review decision in accordance 20
with the provisions set by the state -supported institution of higher 21
education in its faculty performance review framework. 22
(C) A state-supported institution of higher education 23
shall provide a tenured faculty member with appropriate due process. 24
(c)(1) Each college and university state-supported institution of 25
higher education shall continually make efforts to identify any English 26
fluency deficiencies of the teaching faculty and shall take reasonable 27
measures to assist deficient faculty members in becoming proficient in 28
English; however, the responsibility of acquiring the level of English 29
proficiency required for the faculty member's teaching, research, or service 30
assignments rests with the faculty member. 31
(2) Each college and university state-supported institution of 32
higher education shall have a process for addressing concerns raised by 33
students concerning language proficiency problems of faculty members. 34
(d)(1) The division A state-supported institution of higher education 35
shall be responsible for monitoring the evaluation performance review process 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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and shall report its findings to the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating 1
Board and to the Legislative Council by August 1 of each year of all faculty 2
members. 3
(2) The state-supported institution of higher education shall 4
report by August 1 each year to its governing board the number of: 5
(A) Tenure track positions; 6
(B) Faculty members with current tenure status; 7
(C) Faculty members that initially received tenure status; 8
(D) Faculty members with tenure status in which tenure was 9
reviewed that year; and 10
(E) Faculty members whose tenure status was: 11
(i) Maintained; 12
(ii) Conditionally maintained; and 13
(iii) Revoked. 14
(3) A copy of the report under subdivision (d)(2) of this 15
section shall be provided to the division and the Legislative Council. 16
(e) Each state-supported institution of higher education shall require 17
full-time faculty members of the college of education and related disciplines 18
to work collaboratively with the accredited public schools in this state, and 19
such faculty involvement shall be included as part of the annual review of 20
the faculty as required by subsection (b) of this section. 21
(f) A state-supported institution of higher education may require an 22
immediate review of a faculty member, including a faculty member with tenure, 23
at any time if the state -supported institution of higher education determines 24
that the faculty member has: 25
(1) Exhibited professional incompetence in the performance of 26
his or her mandatory job duties; 27
(2) Continually or repeatedly failed to perform duties or meet 28
professional responsibilities of the faculty member's position; 29
(3) Failed to successfully complete any post -tenure review 30
professional development program; 31
(4) Violated laws or policies of a university system or a state -32
supported institution of higher education that are substantially related to 33
the performance of the faculty member's duties; 34
(5) Been convicted of a crime affecting the fitness of the 35
faculty member to engage in teaching, research, service, outreach, or 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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administration; 1
(6) Engaged in unprofessional conduct that adversely affects the 2
state-supported institution of higher education or the faculty member's 3
performance of duties or meeting of responsibilities; 4
(7) Falsified the faculty member's academic credentials; or 5
(8) Met any other for cause justification as defined in the 6
state-supported institution of higher education's review policy. 7
(g) This section shall not affect the ability of a state -supported 8
institution of higher education to terminate or take other action against a 9
nontenured or at-will faculty member in accordance with the policies of the 10
state-supported institution of higher education. 11
SECTION 61. Arkansas Code § 6 -80-105 is amended to read as follows: 12
6-80-105. Student financial aid — Scholarship stacking — Definitions. 13
(a) As used in this section: 14
(1) “Cost of attendance” means the recognized cost of attendance 15
of an institution of higher education calculated under rules established by 16
the Division of Higher Education amount reported as the cost of attendance by 17
an institution of higher education to the Division of Higher Education 18
through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System ; 19
(2) “Federal aid” means scholarships or grants awarded to a 20
student as a result of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, 21
excluding the Pell Grant; 22
(3) “Other aid” means a scholarship, grant, waiver, or 23
reimbursement for tuition, fees, books, or other cost of attendance, other 24
than federal aid or state aid, provided to a student from a postsecondary 25
institution or a private source; 26
(4) “State aid” means scholarships or grants awarded to a 27
student from public funds, including without limitation the Arkansas Academic 28
Challenge Scholarship under § 6 -85-201 et seq., the Division of Higher 29
Education division's scholarship and grant programs, state general revenues, 30
tuition, and local tax revenue; and 31
(5)(A) “Student aid package” means federal aid, state aid, and 32
other aid a student receives for postsecondary education expenses. 33
(B) “Student aid package” does not include federal aid, 34
state aid, or other aid received by a student who is: 35
(i) An active member of the United States Armed 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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Forces; 1
(ii) An active member of the National Guard; 2
(iii) A member of the reserve components of the 3
armed forces; or 4
(iv) The spouse of a person under subdivision 5
(a)(5)(B)(i), subdivision (a)(5)(B)(ii), or subdivision (a)(5)(B)(iii) of 6
this section. 7
(b)(1) The federal cost of attendance method shall be used for all 8
students receiving state aid, regardless of whether a student is receiving 9
federal aid. 10
(2)(A) Costs that would not be included in the federal cost of 11
attendance shall not be included in the package for a student who receives 12
state aid. 13
(B) Exceptions to the normal federal cost of attendance 14
allowances as set forth in federal regulations may be included in the cost of 15
attendance calculations. 16
(C) Institutional work study is not included in cost of 17
attendance unless the institutional work study is need -based. 18
(3) A postsecondary institution shall not award state aid in a 19
student aid package in excess of the cost of attendance at the institution 20
where the student enrolls. 21
(2) For the purpose of stacking scholarships in a student's 22
student aid package, the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship under § 6 -23
85-201 et seq. shall be reduced or returned first. 24
(4) A two-year private postsecondary institution of higher 25
education shall not award state aid in a student aid package at a cost 26
greater than any two -year state-supported institution of higher education. 27
(5) A four-year private postsecondary institution of higher 28
education shall not award state aid in a student aid package at a cost 29
greater than any four -year state-supported institution of higher education. 30
(6) An institution of higher education shall award aid in the 31
following order: 32
(A) The Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship; 33
(B) Any other state scholarship program, excluding the 34
Arkansas Future Grant Program, Arkansas Teacher Academy Scholarship Program, 35
and Arkansas National Guard Tuition Waiver Program; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(C) The Arkansas Future Grant Program, Arkansas Teacher 1
Academy Scholarship Program, or Arkansas National Guard Tuition Waiver 2
Program; and 3
(D) Institutional aid. 4
(c) A postsecondary institution shall report to the division , no later 5
than September 30 of each year, the total amount of federal aid, state aid, 6
and other aid a student receives if the student receives an award from a 7
division scholarship or grant program, including the Arkansas Academic 8
Challenge Scholarship under § 6 -85-201 et seq. 9
(d)(1) When a student receives a student aid package that includes 10
state aid and the student aid package exceeds the cost of attendance, the 11
postsecondary institution shall repay state aid in the amount exceeding the 12
cost of attendance, starting with state aid received under the Arkansas 13
Academic Challenge Scholarship under § 6 -85-201 et seq utilizing the stacking 14
order under subdivision (b)(6) of this section . 15
(2) The division shall credit the excess state aid funds to the 16
appropriate division fund or trust account. 17
(e) A student awarded state aid shall disclose all state aid, federal 18
aid, and other aid to: 19
(1) The division if the division awards state aid to the 20
student; and 21
(2) A postsecondary institution that awards state aid or other 22
aid to the student. 23
(f) Except as otherwise provided by federal law, federal aid will be 24
applied before state aid governed by this section. 25
26
SECTION 62. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 80, Subchapter 1, is 27
amended to add an additional section to read as follows: 28
6-80-110. Utilization of the Classic Learning Test. 29
(a) A state-supported institution of higher education shall accept the 30
Classic Learning Test (CLT) examination to the same extent the state -31
supported institution of higher education accepts the ACT test and the SAT 32
test. 33
(b)(1) Subsection (a) of this section shall apply to admissions 34
criteria and eligibility criteria for state -funded financial assistance 35
programs. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(2) Subsection (a) of this section does not apply to 1
institutional assistance programs. 2
3
SECTION 63. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 80, is amended to add an 4
additional subchapter to read as follows: 5
Subchapter 2 — Residency Classification for State-funded Scholarships at 6
State-Supported Institutions of Higher Education 7
8
6-80-201. Title. 9
This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Residency 10
Classification for State-funded Scholarships at State-Supported Institutions 11
of Higher Education”. 12
13
6-80-202. Residency classification for state -funded scholarships 14
administered by Division of Higher Education. 15
(a)(1) In making decisions about the residency classification or 16
reclassification of a student for state-funded scholarship purposes, unless 17
otherwise specified by statute, a student shall be classified as an in -state 18
resident for state-funded scholarship purposes only if the student: 19
(A) Will graduate or has graduated from an Arkansas public 20
school, private school, or home school within nine (9) months of enrolling in 21
the state-supported institution of higher education; or 22
(B) Established legal residency in Arkansas by: 23
(i) Meeting the requirements of rules promulgated by the 24
Division of Higher Education; and 25
(ii) Being physically present in Arkansas for at least six 26
(6) continuous months with the intent to remain in Arkansas. 27
(2) Mere physical presence in Arkansas is not sufficient to 28
establish residency or demonstrate future intent under subdivision (a)(1)(B) 29
of this section. 30
(3) A student who claims in -state residency for purposes of 31
state-funded scholarship eligibility but receives Free Application for 32
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) verification that he or she is not an in -state 33
resident shall have his or her state-funded scholarship amount reduced or 34
rescinded to reflect the change in residency status. 35
(b) A member of the United States Armed Forces who is stationed in 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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Arkansas under military orders, along with his or her dependents, is entitled 1
to classification as an in -state resident for state-funded scholarship 2
purposes. 3
4
6-80-203. Duties and responsibilities of students. 5
(a)(1) It is the responsibility of each student, at the time of 6
registration, to seek the proper residency classification for state-funded 7
scholarship purposes. 8
(2) A participating state -supported institution of higher 9
education shall have a process for a student to appeal a residency 10
classification for state -funded scholarship purposes. 11
(b)(1) A student who knowingly gives false information to establish 12
residency classification for state -funded scholarship purposes shall be 13
subject to dismissal by the state -supported institution of higher education. 14
(2) An initial classification as an out -of-state student shall 15
not limit the right of a student to be reclassified later as a resident of 16
Arkansas for state-funded scholarship purposes provided that the student can 17
establish proof of legal residence in Arkansas. 18
19
SECTION 64. Arkansas Code § 6 -81-604(6), concerning the grade point 20
average required for grant recipients under the Teacher Opportunity Program, 21
is amended to read as follows: 22
(6) Grant recipients shall maintain a cumulative grade point 23
average in their college work of no less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or maintain 24
an appropriate equivalent as determined by the Division of Higher Education. 25
26
SECTION 65. Arkansas Code § 6 -81-605 is amended to read as follows: 27
6-81-605. Grants — Priority. 28
(a)(1) The first priority for the award of funds under the Teacher 29
Opportunity Program is the award of reimbursements for additional education 30
in: 31
(A) Science, technology, engineering, or mathematics 32
fields; 33
(B) Computer science; 34
(C) Literacy or reading; 35
(D) Prekindergarten education; or 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(E) Special education. 1
(2) If funds are available after all awards are made under 2
subdivision (a)(1) of this section, then additional reimbursements awards may 3
be made in accordance with the following: 4
(A)(i) A teacher may receive an award if seeking dual 5
licensure in an additional subject area different from the subject area in 6
which the teacher is currently teaching, if he or she does not have a current 7
license for the additional subject area. 8
(ii) The amount of the award and the number of 9
recipients selected by the Division of Higher Education is contingent on the 10
appropriation and availability of funding for that purpose; 11
(B)(i) A student may receive reimbursements up to but not 12
in excess of the cost of his or her student fees, books, and instructional 13
supplies at the public institution of higher education in this state 14
assessing the highest rate of student fees an award that shall not exceed the 15
cost of tuition and fees required to complete six (6) semester credit hours 16
per academic year. 17
(ii) For purposes of award disbursement under 18
subdivision (a)(2)(B)(i) of this section, an academic year begins in the fall 19
semester and runs through the summer semester ; 20
(B) The reimbursements made to one (1) student within one 21
(1) fiscal year may not exceed the costs associated with six (6) semester 22
credit hours or the equivalent of six (6) semester credit hours; and 23
(C) All other requirements established by the Division of 24
Higher Education are met. 25
(b)(1) The Division of Higher Education shall determine priorities for 26
awarding reimbursements awards if there are more applicants than funds 27
available. 28
(2) Priorities shall be determined in coordination with the 29
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education and shall be based on the 30
needs of the state. 31
32
SECTION 66. Arkansas Code § 6 -81-607(3), concerning the definition of 33
"student" under the Teacher Opportunity Program, is amended to add an 34
additional subdivision to read as follows: 35
(F) Any other subject matter as determined by the 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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division. 1
2
SECTION 67. Arkansas Code §§ 6 -81-608 and 6-81-609 are repealed. 3
6-81-608. Dual Licensure Incentive Program. 4
(a) There is created the Dual Licensure Incentive Program to encourage 5
classroom teachers currently employed by school districts in the state to 6
return to college to obtain licensure in one (1) or more additional subject 7
areas. 8
(b) The program shall be administered by the Division of Higher 9
Education. 10
(c)(1) A classroom teacher returning to college as a student may 11
receive a reimbursement not to exceed the cost of student fees, books, and 12
instructional supplies. 13
(2) The student fee reimbursement amount shall be based on the 14
student fees of the state -supported institution of higher education that 15
assesses the highest rate of student fees in this state. 16
(d) The reimbursement made to a classroom teacher returning to college 17
as a student in one (1) fiscal year may not exceed the cost associated with 18
six (6) semester credit hours or the equivalent of six (6) semester credit 19
hours. 20
21
6-81-609. Dual licensure funding. 22
(a)(1)(A) A classroom teacher employed by a school district in the 23
state may receive a reimbursement from the Dual Licensure Incentive Program 24
if the classroom teacher returns to an approved institution of higher 25
education to obtain licensure in an additional subject area: 26
(i) Declared to be a shortage area by the Division 27
of Elementary and Secondary Education; 28
(ii) That the classroom teacher is currently teaching 29
but for which he or she does not have a licensure; or 30
(iii) And grade level in which the school district 31
has requested a waiver under § 6 -17-309. 32
(B)(i) A reimbursement from the Dual Licensure Incentive 33
Program shall include funding for the cost of tuition, books, and fees not to 34
exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000) each college year. 35
(ii) The amount of the reimbursement and the number 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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of reimbursement recipients selected by the Division of Higher Education is 1
contingent on the appropriation and availability of funding for such a 2
purpose. 3
(2) To be eligible for a reimbursement under the Dual Licensure 4
Incentive Program, the person shall be: 5
(A) Employed as a classroom teacher for no less than three 6
(3) years of teaching immediately preceding the application; and 7
(B) Accepted for enrollment in a classroom teacher 8
education program that will lead to a licensure to teach in a subject area 9
that: 10
(i) Is different from the classroom teacher's 11
current area of licensure; and 12
(ii) Either: 13
(a) Has been identified as a subject area with 14
a shortage of classroom teachers as declared by the Division of Elementary 15
and Secondary Education; or 16
(b) Is in the grade level and subject matter 17
area for which the school district has requested a waiver under § 6 -17-309. 18
(b)(1) The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall 19
promulgate rules as necessary to implement the Dual Licensure Incentive 20
Program. 21
(2) The number of classroom teacher participants each year shall 22
be determined by the amount of funding available for the Dual Licensure 23
Incentive Program and the limitations set under this section. 24
25
SECTION 68. Arkansas Code § 6 -82-108(e), concerning funding of the 26
Academic Support Scholarship with certain remaining funds, is amended to read 27
as follows: 28
(e) A scholarship under this section shall be funded with any funds 29
remaining after the division allocates sufficient funding to award Arkansas 30
Academic Challenge Scholarships under § 6 -85-201 et seq., Arkansas Workforce 31
Challenge Scholarships under § 6 -85-301 et seq., and Arkansas Concurrent 32
Challenge Scholarships under § 6 -85-401 et seq ACCESS to Acceleration 33
Scholarships under § 6 -85-701 et seq. 34
35
SECTION 69. Arkansas Code § 6 -82-302 is amended to read as follows: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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6-82-302. Definitions. 1
As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise requires: 2
(1) “Academic ability” means the intellectual standing of a 3
student. In determining superior academic ability, the Division of Higher 4
Education shall examine the student's high school records, competitive 5
examination scores, and demonstrated leadership capabilities; 6
(2) “Approved institution” means a public state-supported 7
institution of higher education or private college or university: 8
(A) Which is dedicated to educational purposes, located in 9
Arkansas, or located out of state and educating Arkansas residents in 10
dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, podiatry, chiropractic, or 11
osteopathy under agreement with the Southern Regional Education Board, 12
accredited by an accrediting agency certified and recognized by the United 13
States Department of Education or the Division of Agency Evaluation and 14
Institutional Accreditation, or a school giving satisfactory assurance that 15
it has the potential for accreditation and is making progress which, if 16
continued, will result in its achieving accreditation professional programs 17
not offered in the state under the Arkansas Health Education Grant Program ; 18
(B) Which does not discriminate in the admission of 19
students on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; and 20
(C) Which subscribes to the principle of academic freedom; 21
(3) “Competitive examination” means a standardized examination 22
measuring achievement which is administered annually on a specified date and 23
at a specified location and which is announced publicly; 24
(4) “Eligible student” means a legal resident of the State of 25
Arkansas as defined by the Division of Higher Education who: 26
(A) Is eligible for admission as a full -time student; 27
(B) Declares an intent to matriculate in an approved 28
institution in Arkansas; and 29
(C) Graduates from: 30
(i) A a high school in this state , for Arkansas 31
Governor's Scholars; or 32
(ii) A high school, for Arkansas Governor's 33
Distinguished Scholars ; 34
(5) "Exemplary academic achievement" means a student that 35
achieves exemplary performance, as determined by the division, based on one 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(1) or more of the following: 1
(A) SAT, CLT, or ACT; 2
(B) High school grade point average; 3
(C) High school rank upon graduation; 4
(D) Associate degree upon graduation from high school; and 5
(E) Being a recipient of a diploma of distinction; 6
(5)(A)(6)(A) “Extraordinary academic ability” means: 7
(i) Achievement of a superscore, as defined by § 6 -8
85-204, of 32 or above on the ACT or a score of 1410 or above on the SAT; and 9
(ii) Either: 10
(a) For students graduating from high school 11
after December 31, 2001, A student graduating from high school with an 12
achievement of a high school grade point average of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 13
scale; or 14
(b) Selection as a finalist in either the 15
National Merit Scholarship competition, the National Hispanic Recognition 16
Program, or the National Achievement Scholarship competition conducted by the 17
National Merit Scholarship Corporation . 18
(B) For students graduating after December 31, 2001, the 19
The ACT superscores and SAT scores shall be earned by December 31 February 28 20
prior to the application deadline in order for the scores to be considered by 21
the Division of Higher Education division for a scholarship award; 22
(6)(7) “Full-time student” means a legal resident of Arkansas 23
who is in attendance at an approved private or public institution and who is 24
enrolled in at least twelve (12) credit hours the first semester and fifteen 25
(15) hours thereafter, or other reasonable academic equivalent as defined by 26
the Division of Higher Education division; 27
(7)(8) “Scholarship” means an award to an eligible student for 28
matriculation in an approved institution in the State of Arkansas; and 29
(8)(9) “Undergraduate student” means an individual who is 30
enrolled in a postsecondary educational program which leads to or is directly 31
creditable toward the individual's first baccalaureate degree. 32
33
SECTION 70. Arkansas Code § 6 -82-306, concerning eligibility under the 34
Arkansas Governor's Scholars Program, is amended to add additional 35
subsections to read as follows: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(e) An Arkansas Governor’s Scholar shall be chosen based on a student 1
who: 2
(1) Graduates with a diploma of distinction based on criteria 3
determined by the State Board of Education; or 4
(2) Earns an associate degree upon completing the summer term 5
immediately following graduation from high school. 6
(f) An Arkansas Governor's Scholar shall be chosen based on a student 7
exhibiting the highest exemplary academic achievement if: 8
(1) There are no recipients of the Arkansas Governor's 9
Distinguished Scholarship; or 10
(2) An Arkansas Governor's Scholar under subsection (e) of this 11
section is not chosen in any given Arkansas county. 12
13
SECTION 71. Arkansas Code § 6 -82-310, concerning the use of funds 14
under the Arkansas Governor's Scholars Program, is amended to add an 15
additional subsection to read as follows: 16
(c) In the event the number of students who qualify for a scholarship 17
under this subchapter during an academic year exceeds the amount of funds 18
appropriated to the Higher Education Grants Fund Account for purposes of 19
funding students who qualify for a scholarship under this subchapter during 20
the given academic year, the excess awards that qualify for distribution 21
under this subchapter shall be funded with any net proceeds from the state 22
lottery remaining after the Division of Higher Education allocates sufficient 23
funding to award the following scholarships at levels equivalent to the 24
awards made in the previous academic year: 25
(1) Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, § 6 -85-201 et seq.; and 26
(2) Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship, § 6 -85-301 et seq. 27
28
SECTION 72. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 82, Subchapter 5, is 29
repealed. 30
Subchapter 5 — Children of Law Enforcement Officers, Etc. 31
32
6-82-501. Definitions. 33
As used in this subchapter: 34
(1) “Child” or “children” means any natural child, adopted 35
child, or stepchild who is eligible under § 6 -82-504; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(2) “Division of Community Correction employee” means any 1
employee of the Division of Community Correction who suffers fatal injuries 2
or wounds or becomes permanently and totally disabled as a result of injuries 3
or wounds that occurred through contact with parolees, probationers, or 4
center residents; 5
(3)(A) “Emergency medical services personnel” means an 6
individual licensed by the Department of Health at any level established by 7
the rules adopted by the State Board of Health under the Emergency Medical 8
Services Act, § 20-13-201 et seq., and authorized to perform those services 9
set forth in the rules. 10
(B) This shall include without limitation an emergency 11
medical technician, advanced emergency medical technician, paramedic, 12
emergency medical services instructor, or emergency medical services 13
instructor trainer; 14
(4) “Firefighter” means any firefighter employed on a full -time 15
or volunteer duty status while actually engaged in the performance of his or 16
her duties; 17
(5) “Law enforcement officer” means a: 18
(A) Constable, which includes all duly elected constables 19
of any beat of any county within the state while actually engaged in the 20
performance of their duties concerning the criminal laws of the county and 21
state; 22
(B) Game warden, which includes all appointed game wardens 23
employed by the State of Arkansas on a full -time duty status while actually 24
engaged in their duties concerning the game laws of this state; 25
(C) Municipal and college or university police officer, 26
which includes all law enforcement officers of any municipality, college, or 27
university who are regular duty personnel on full -time status and does not 28
include auxiliary officers or those serving on a temporary or part -time 29
status; 30
(D) Sheriff or deputy sheriff, which includes all law 31
enforcement officers of full -time status on a regular basis serving the 32
sheriff's department of any county but does not include deputy sheriffs who 33
are engaged in administrative or civil duty or deputy sheriffs serving in a 34
temporary capacity or part -time basis; and 35
(E) State highway patrolman, which includes any law 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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enforcement officer, regardless of department or bureau, of the Division of 1
Arkansas State Police; 2
(6) “State correction employee” means any employee of the 3
Division of Correction or the Arkansas Correctional School District who 4
becomes subject to injury through contact with inmates or parolees of the 5
Division of Correction; 6
(7) “State forestry employee” means an employee of the Arkansas 7
Forestry Commission who is actively engaged in his or her duties of fighting 8
forest fires; 9
(8) “State highway employee” means any employee of the Arkansas 10
Department of Transportation who actively engages in highway maintenance, 11
construction, or traffic operations on the roadways and bridges of the state 12
highway system while the roadways and bridges are open for use by the 13
traveling public; 14
(9) “State parks employee” means any employee of the Department 15
of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism who is a commissioned law enforcement officer 16
or emergency response employee while actively engaged in the performance of 17
his or her duties; and 18
(10) “Teacher” means any person employed by a public school for 19
the purpose of giving instruction and whose employment requires state 20
certification. 21
22
6-82-502. Rules. 23
The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board is directed and 24
empowered to promulgate rules as necessary to administer benefits awarded 25
under this subchapter by the Arkansas State Claims Commission. 26
27
6-82-503. Entitlement. 28
(a) If any Arkansas law enforcement officer, full -time or volunteer 29
firefighter, emergency medical technician, state highway employee, state 30
correction employee, Division of Community Correction employee, state parks 31
employee, teacher, or state forestry employee suffers fatal injuries or 32
wounds or becomes permanently and totally disabled as a result of injuries or 33
wounds that occurred in the performance of a hazardous duty within the scope 34
of his or her employment or that occurred en route to or returning from a 35
location where a hazardous situation existed, his or her children and spouse 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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shall be entitled to a total of eight (8) semesters, or the equivalent 1
thereof, of scholarship awards without cost, exclusive of books, food, school 2
supplies, materials, and dues or fees for extracurricular activities, at any 3
state-supported college, university, or technical institute of his or her 4
choice within this state. Up to four (4) semesters, or the equivalent 5
thereof, may be taken at a technical institute. 6
(b) Scholarship benefits shall not accrue under this subchapter to any 7
person if the wounds or injuries suffered by any law enforcement officer, 8
firefighter, emergency medical technician, state highway employee, state 9
correction employee, Division of Community Correction employee, state parks 10
employee, teacher, or state forestry employee are self -inflicted or if the 11
death is self-induced. 12
(c) Unless § 6-82-504(e) is applicable, the Arkansas State Claims 13
Commission shall award any scholarship benefit provided by this subchapter at 14
the same time that any death benefit or total and permanent disability 15
benefit is awarded by the commission under the provisions of § 21 -5-701 et 16
seq. 17
18
6-82-504. Awards to children. 19
(a) In order for a natural child to be eligible to receive a 20
scholarship benefit: 21
(1) The child must have been born prior to the date of the death 22
or total and permanent disability of the law enforcement officer, 23
firefighter, emergency medical technician, state highway employee, state 24
correction employee, Division of Community Correction employee, state parks 25
employee, teacher, or state forestry employee; or 26
(2) The law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical 27
technician, state highway employee, state correction employee, Division of 28
Community Correction employee, state parks employee, teacher, or state 29
forestry employee or the spouse of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, 30
emergency medical technician, state highway employee, state correction 31
employee, Division of Community Correction employee, state parks employee, 32
teacher, or state forestry employee must have been pregnant with the child at 33
the time of the death or total and permanent disability of the law 34
enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, state highway 35
employee, state correction employee, Division of Community Correction 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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employee, state parks employee, teacher, or state forestry employee. 1
(b) In order for an adopted child to be eligible to receive a 2
scholarship benefit: 3
(1) The child must have been adopted prior to the date of the 4
death or total and permanent disability of the law enforcement officer, 5
firefighter, emergency medical technician, state highway employee, state 6
correction employee, Division of Community Correction employee, state parks 7
employee, teacher, or state forestry employee; or 8
(2) The child's adoption process must have begun prior to the 9
date of the death or total and permanent disability of the law enforcement 10
officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, state highway employee, 11
state correction employee, Division of Community Correction employee, state 12
parks employee, teacher, or state forestry employee. 13
(c) In order for a stepchild under nineteen (19) years of age to be 14
eligible to receive a scholarship benefit: 15
(1) The stepchild must have been listed as a dependent on the 16
federal and state income tax returns of the law enforcement officer, 17
firefighter, emergency medical technician, state highway employee, state 18
correction employee, Division of Community Correction employee, state parks 19
employee, teacher, or state forestry employee in each of the five (5) income 20
years immediately prior to the date of the death or total and permanent 21
disability of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical 22
technician, state highway employee, state correction employee, Division of 23
Community Correction employee, state parks employee, teacher, or state 24
forestry employee; and 25
(2) The stepchild must have received more than one -half (½) of 26
his or her financial support from the law enforcement officer, firefighter, 27
emergency medical technician, state highway employee, state correction 28
employee, Division of Community Correction employee, state parks employee, 29
teacher, or state forestry employee in each of the five (5) income years 30
immediately prior to the date of the death or total and permanent disability 31
of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, 32
state highway employee, state correction employee, Division of Community 33
Correction employee, state parks employee, teacher, or state forestry 34
employee. 35
(d) In order for a stepchild nineteen (19) years of age or older to be 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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eligible to receive a scholarship benefit: 1
(1) The stepchild must have been listed as a dependent on the 2
federal and state income tax returns of the law enforcement officer, 3
firefighter, emergency medical technician, state highway employee, state 4
correction employee, Division of Community Correction employee, state parks 5
employee, teacher, or state forestry employee in each of five (5) income 6
years during the eight (8) years immediately prior to the date of the death 7
or total and permanent disability of the law enforcement officer, 8
firefighter, emergency medical technician, state highway employee, state 9
correction employee, Division of Community Correction employee, teacher, 10
state parks employee, or state forestry employee; and 11
(2) The stepchild must have received more than one -half (½) of 12
his or her financial support from the law enforcement officer, firefighter, 13
emergency medical technician, state highway employee, state correction 14
employee, Division of Community Correction employee, state parks employee, 15
teacher, or state forestry employee in each of five (5) income years during 16
the eight (8) years immediately prior to the date of the death or total and 17
permanent disability of the law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency 18
medical technician, state highway employee, state correction employee, 19
Division of Community Correction employee, state parks employee, teacher, or 20
state forestry employee. 21
(e) If the covered public employee or his or her heirs did not file 22
for the available death or disability benefit, but were otherwise eligible to 23
receive, within the time frame provided in § 21 -5-703, then the covered 24
public employee's child or children who would have otherwise been eligible to 25
receive the provided educational scholarship benefit under this section may 26
individually file prior to their twenty -first birthdays a claim to receive 27
the provided educational scholarship benefit. 28
29
6-82-505. Limits for scholarship. 30
(a) No child will be entitled to receive benefits under this 31
subchapter during any semester or quarter when the child has reached twenty -32
three (23) years of age on or before the first day of the semester or 33
quarter. 34
(b) No spouse will be eligible for the education benefit if he or she 35
remarries. The benefit will cease at the end of the semester at which the 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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spouse is currently enrolled at the time of the marriage. 1
2
6-82-506. Written application for benefits. 3
Any person claiming benefits awarded by the Arkansas State Claims 4
Commission under the provisions of this subchapter shall make written 5
application with the Division of Higher Education on forms provided by the 6
division. 7
8
6-82-507. Renewal of scholarship. 9
To retain eligibility for a scholarship benefit under this subchapter, 10
a recipient shall: 11
(1) Maintain a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 12
scholastic grading scale; and 13
(2) Meet any other continuing eligibility criteria established 14
by the Division of Higher Education. 15
16
SECTION 73. Arkansas Code § 6 -82-601(i)(3), concerning funding by 17
certain scholarships related to tuition waivers for dependents of certain 18
veterans, is amended to read as follows: 19
(3) Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship, § 6 -85-401 et seq 20
ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship, § 6 -85-701 et seq. 21
SECTION 74. Arkansas Code § 6-82-1802(c), concerning continuing 22
eligibility under the Arkansas Future Grant Program, is amended to read as 23
follows: 24
(c) A student may continue to be eligible until the student has: 25
(1) Received the grant for five (5) academic semesters a maximum 26
of seventy-five (75) course credit hours in which the student is enrolled ; 27
(2) Obtained an associate degree; or 28
(3) Failed to maintain satisfactory academic progress, as 29
determined by the approved institution of higher education in which the 30
student is enrolled; or 31
(4) Failed to complete the mentoring or community service 32
requirements under § 6 -82-1804. 33
34
SECTION 75. Arkansas Code § 6 -82-1803(a)(1), concerning distribution 35
of the Arkansas Future Grant Program, is amended to read as follows: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(a)(1) An Arkansas Future Grant shall be in: 1
(A) Distributed in accordance with the Division of Higher 2
Education's stacking policy under § 6 -80-105; and 3
(B) In an amount equal to the tuition, fees, and other 4
charges incurred by a student who meets the requirements under § 6 -82-1802 to 5
attend an approved institution of higher education less the amount the 6
student receives in: 7
(A) State-supported student financial assistance; 8
(B) Federal student financial assistance; and 9
(C) Private scholarships . 10
11
SECTION 76. Arkansas Code § 6 -82-1804(a), concerning the written 12
agreement requirements for a recipient of an Arkansas Future Grant, is 13
amended to read as follows: 14
(a)(1) A student who receives an Arkansas Future Grant shall enter 15
into a written agreement with the Division of Higher Education to : 16
(1)(A) Receive monthly mentoring from a mentor from an 17
organization determined by the Division of Higher Education. 18
(B) A mentor under subdivision (a)(1)(A) of this section 19
shall: 20
(i) Receive annual mentoring training: 21
(a) Developed by the Division of Higher 22
Education; and 23
(b) Provided by a local volunteer group 24
approved by the Division of Higher Education; and 25
(ii) Certify to the Division of Higher Education 26
that at least one (1) time each semester the mentor has provided mentoring 27
services by telephone, email, or in person to each student he or she is 28
mentoring; 29
(2)(A) Complete at least ten (10) hours of community service 30
each semester the student receives a grant. 31
(B)(i) A student may select a community service project 32
that meets requirements developed by the Division of Higher Education. 33
(ii) An approved institution of higher education may 34
provide community services opportunities designed to benefit the approved 35
institution of higher education community or the broader local community. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(C) A student shall certify his or her community service 1
to the approved institution of higher education by the last regular day of 2
the semester the student received the grant; and 3
(3)(A) Reside reside in this state for three (3) consecutive 4
years six (6) months and be employed beginning within six (6) months after 5
receiving an associate degree or a certification. 6
(B)(2) The Division of Higher Education may defer the 7
requirement under subdivision (a)(3)(A) subdivision (a)(1) of this section 8
if: 9
(i)(A) The Division of Higher Education, in 10
consultation with the Division of Workforce Services, determines that there 11
was no employment position available that would reasonably enable the student 12
to meet this requirement; or 13
(ii)(B) Special circumstances as determined by the 14
Division of Higher Education exist. 15
(C)(3) After the period of deferral, the student shall 16
begin or resume working in this state or become subject to repayment under 17
subsection (b) of this section. 18
19
SECTION 77. Arkansas Code § 6 -82-2205(b), concerning the requirements 20
for an eligible postsecondary institution under the Arkansas Teacher Academy 21
Scholarship Program, is amended to read as follows: 22
(b) An eligible postsecondary institution may : 23
(1) Develop develop a portfolio of teacher preparation programs 24
to offer as part of its Arkansas Teacher Academy ; 25
(2)(A) Give priority to students in grades eleven (11) and 26
twelve (12). 27
(B) However, an eligible postsecondary institution shall 28
not exclude students in grades nine (9) and ten (10) from its Arkansas 29
Teacher Academy; and 30
(3)(A) Use scholarship funds that exceed the cost of tuition and 31
fees at the eligible postsecondary institution to support its Arkansas 32
Teacher Academy costs. 33
(B) However, if a scholarship awarded to an academy 34
attendee under this subchapter does not cover the eligible postsecondary 35
institution's tuition and fees after an academy attendee receives all other 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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financial gifts, financial aid, and grants, the eligible postsecondary 1
institution shall not charge an academy attendee awarded a scholarship under 2
this subchapter the remaining difference . 3
4
SECTION 78. Arkansas Code § 6 -82-2206(a), concerning scholarships 5
under the Arkansas Teacher Academy Scholarship Program, is amended to read as 6
follows: 7
(a)(1) An Effective beginning the 2025 -2026 academic year, an eligible 8
postsecondary institution shall provide to each academy attendee who is 9
accepted and enrolled in its Arkansas Teacher Academy program an annual 10
scholarship, not to exceed the maximum award as determined by the Division of 11
Higher Education each eligible semester, up to the actual cost of the: 12
(A) Eligible postsecondary institution's tuition and fees 13
for a maximum of: 14
(i) Two (2) academic years , or four (4) academic 15
semesters, not to exceed sixty (60) academic hours, or completion of the 16
program for an academy attendee who is a graduate student enrolled in the 17
Arkansas Teacher Academy at the eligible postsecondary institution; 18
(ii) Four (4) academic years , or eight (8) academic 19
semesters, not to exceed one hundred twenty (120) academic hours, or 20
completion of the program for an undergraduate student enrolled in the 21
Arkansas Teacher Academy at the eligible postsecondary institution; and 22
(iii)(a) Two (2) academic years , or four (4) 23
academic semesters, not to exceed sixty (60) academic hours, or completion of 24
the program for a community college student enrolled in the Arkansas Teacher 25
Academy at the eligible postsecondary institution. 26
(b) A student who qualifies under subdivision 27
(a)(1)(A)(iii)(a) of this section shall receive continued eligibility for two 28
(2) additional academic years or four (4) additional academic semesters at a 29
postsecondary institution that is an undergraduate institution; and 30
(B) Obtainment of a teaching license issued by the State 31
Board of Education, including without limitation the actual cost of one (1) 32
exam required for obtaining a teaching license issued by the state board. 33
(2) A scholarship distributed to an academy attendee under 34
subdivision (a)(1) of this section shall be distributed only after all other 35
financial gifts, financial aid, and grants have been received by an academy 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
95 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
attendee enrolled in an Arkansas Teacher Academy at an eligible postsecondary 1
institution in accordance with the division's scholarship stacking policy 2
under § 6-80-105. 3
(3) In compliance with the division's scholarship stacking 4
policy, a student's total financial aid package, which can include multiple 5
scholarships, shall not exceed the recognized cost of attendance at a state -6
supported institution of higher education. 7
8
SECTION 79. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 82 is amended to add 9
additional subchapters to read as follows: 10
Subchapter 25 — Arkansas Heroes Scholarship Act 11
12
6-82-2501. Title. 13
This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Arkansas Heroes 14
Scholarship Act". 15
16
6-82-2502. Purpose. 17
The purpose of this subchapter is to create a scholarship to be known 18
as the "Arkansas Heroes Scholarship" that honors the heroic efforts of the 19
individuals who served as Arkansas's heroes and their families. 20
21
6-82-2503. Definitions. 22
(a) As used in this subchapter: 23
(1) “Arkansas hero” means: 24
(A) One (1) of the following who suffers a fatal injury or 25
wound or becomes permanently and totally disabled as a result of injuries or 26
wounds that occurred in the performance of a hazardous duty within the scope 27
of his or her employment or that occurred en route to or returning from a 28
location where a hazardous situation existed: 29
(i) A law enforcement officer; 30
(ii) A firefighter; 31
(iii) An emergency medical technician; 32
(iv) A state highway employee; 33
(v) A state correction employee; 34
(vi) A Division of Community Correction employee; 35
(vii) A state parks employee; or 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(viii) A state forestry employee; 1
(B) A disabled veteran; 2
(C) A prisoner of war; 3
(D) A recipient of a Medal of Honor or Purple Heart; 4
(E) A person declared to be missing in action or killed in 5
action; 6
(F) A person killed on ordnance delivery; 7
(G) A teacher who suffers a fatal injury or wound or 8
becomes permanently and totally disabled as a result of injuries or wounds 9
that occurred due to an act of violence at a public school or open -enrollment 10
charter school in this state; 11
(2) “Child” means a natural child, an adopted child, or a 12
stepchild who is eligible to receive a scholarship under this subchapter; 13
(3) “Disabled veteran” means a person who has been awarded 14
either: 15
(A) United States Armed Forces disability retirement 16
benefits; or 17
(B) Special monthly compensation by the United States 18
Department of Veterans Affairs for service -connected, one hundred percent 19
(100%) total and permanent disability; 20
(4) “Division of Community Correction employee” means an 21
employee of the Division of Community Correction who suffers a fatal injury 22
or wound or becomes permanently and totally disabled because of an injury or 23
wound that occurred through contact with a parolee, probationer, or center 24
resident; 25
(5)(A) “Emergency medical services personnel” means an 26
individual licensed by the Department of Health at any level established by 27
the rules adopted by the State Board of Health under the Emergency Medical 28
Services Act, § 20-13-201 et seq., and authorized to perform the services 29
under the rules. 30
(B) "Emergency medical services personnel" includes 31
without limitation: 32
(i) An emergency medical technician; 33
(ii) An advanced emergency medical technician; 34
(iii) A paramedic; 35
(iv) An emergency medical services instructor; and 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(v) An emergency medical services instructor 1
trainer; 2
(6) “Firefighter” means a firefighter employed on a full -time or 3
volunteer status while actually engaged in the performance of his or her 4
duties; 5
(7) “Law enforcement officer” means a: 6
(A) Constable, including without limitation all elected 7
constables of any beat of any county within the state while actually engaged 8
in the performance of his or her duties concerning the criminal laws of the 9
county and state; 10
(B) Game warden, including without limitation all 11
appointed game wardens employed by the state on a full -time status while 12
actually engaged in his or her duties concerning the game laws of this state; 13
(C)(i) Municipal and a state -supported institution of 14
higher education police officer, including without limitation all law 15
enforcement officers of any municipality or state -supported institution of 16
higher education who are regular duty personnel on full -time status. 17
(ii) Municipal and a state -supported institution of 18
higher education police officer does not include auxiliary officers or those 19
serving on a temporary or part -time status; 20
(D)(i) Sheriff or deputy sheriff, including without 21
limitation all law enforcement officers on full -time status on a regular 22
basis serving the sheriff's department of any county. 23
(ii) Sheriff or deputy sheriff does not include a 24
deputy sheriff who is: 25
(a) Engaged in administrative or civil duty; 26
or 27
(b) Serving in a temporary capacity or part -28
time status; 29
(E) State highway patrolman, including without limitation 30
any law enforcement officer, regardless of department or bureau, of the 31
Division of Arkansas State Police; and 32
(F) Any other person employed by the State of Arkansas or 33
a political subdivision of the State of Arkansas as an appointed law 34
enforcement officer who is responsible for the prevention and detection of 35
crime and the enforcement of the criminal, traffic, or highway laws of this 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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state; 1
(8) “Ordnance delivery” means the piloting of or flying in an 2
experimental or test aircraft while determining its fitness or ability to 3
perform its military function or mission; 4
(9)(A) “Prisoner of war”, “person missing in action”, “person 5
killed in action”, and “person killed on ordnance delivery” mean a person 6
who: 7
(i) Was a legal resident of the State of Arkansas at 8
the time that person entered the service of the United States Armed Forces or 9
whose official residence is within the State of Arkansas; and 10
(ii) Who, while serving in the United States Armed 11
Forces, has been declared to be a prisoner of war, a person missing in 12
action, a person killed in action as established by the United States 13
Secretary of Defense after January 1, 1960, or a person killed on ordnance 14
delivery. 15
(B) “Prisoner of war”, “person missing in action”, “person 16
killed in action”, and “person killed on ordnance delivery” apply whether or 17
not capture or death occurred during a declared war or as a result of hostile 18
action. 19
(C) A death as a result of injuries received while serving 20
in the United States Armed Forces or Arkansas National Guard is only covered 21
by this subdivision (a)(9) if the death occurred while on active duty or 22
state active duty; 23
(10) “State correction employee” means an employee of the 24
Division of Correction or the Arkansas Correctional School District who 25
becomes subject to injury through contact with an inmate or parolee of the 26
Division of Correction; 27
(11) “State forestry employee” means an employee of the Arkansas 28
Forestry Commission who is actively engaged in his or her duties of fighting 29
forest fires; 30
(12) “State highway employee” means an employee of the Arkansas 31
Department of Transportation who actively engages in highway maintenance, 32
construction, or traffic operations on the roadways and bridges of the state 33
highway system while the roadways and bridges are open for use by the 34
traveling public; 35
(13) “State parks employee” means an employee of the Department 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism who is a commissioned law enforcement officer 1
or emergency response employee while actively engaged in the performance of 2
his or her duties; 3
(14) “Teacher” means a person employed by a public school 4
district for the purpose of providing direct instruction to students and 5
whose employment requires state certification; and 6
(15) “United States Armed Forces dependent” means a spouse, a 7
child born to or conceived by, an adopted child, a child under legal 8
guardianship, or a stepchild of a: 9
(A) Disabled veteran; 10
(B) Prisoner of war; or 11
(C) Person declared to be: 12
(i) Missing in action; 13
(ii) Killed in action; or 14
(iii) Killed on ordnance delivery. 15
16
6-82-2504. Rules. 17
The Division of Higher Education may promulgate rules to implement this 18
subchapter. 19
20
6-82-2505. Eligibility for Arkansas Heroes Scholarship. 21
(a) Eligibility for the Arkansas Heroes Scholarship requires one (1) 22
of the following: 23
(1) The student has been a legal Arkansas resident for at least 24
one (1) year before submitting a scholarship application; 25
(2) The student was born before the date of the death or 26
disability of the Arkansas hero; or 27
(3) The Arkansas hero or the spouse of the Arkansas hero was 28
pregnant with the student at the time of the death or disability of the 29
Arkansas hero. 30
(b) In order for an adopted child to be eligible to receive a 31
scholarship benefit: 32
(1) The adopted child is required to have been adopted before 33
the date of the death or disability of the Arkansas hero; or 34
(2) The adopted child's adoption process is required to have 35
begun before the date of the death or disability of the Arkansas hero. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(c) In order for a stepchild under nineteen (19) years of age to be 1
eligible to receive a scholarship benefit, the stepchild under nineteen (19) 2
years of age shall have: 3
(1) Been listed as a dependent on the federal and state income 4
tax returns of the Arkansas hero in each of the five (5) income years 5
immediately before the date of the death or disability of the Arkansas hero; 6
and 7
(2) Received more than one -half (1/2) of his or her financial 8
support from the Arkansas hero in each of the five (5) income years 9
immediately before the date of the death or disability of the Arkansas hero. 10
(d) In order for a stepchild who is nineteen (19) years of age or 11
older to be eligible to receive a scholarship benefit, the stepchild who is 12
nineteen (19) years or older shall have: 13
(1) Been listed as a dependent on the federal and state income 14
tax returns of the Arkansas hero in at least five (5) of the eight (8) income 15
years immediately before the date of the death or disability of the Arkansas 16
hero; and 17
(2) Received more than one -half (1/2) of his or her financial 18
support from the Arkansas hero in at least five (5) of the eight (8) income 19
years immediately before the date of the death or disability of the Arkansas 20
hero. 21
(e) If a covered public employee, as defined in § 21 -5-701, or his or 22
her heirs did not file for the available death or disability benefit but were 23
otherwise eligible to receive the death or disability benefit within the time 24
frame provided in § 21 -5-703, then the covered public employee's child or 25
children who would have otherwise been eligible to receive the provided 26
educational scholarship benefit under this section may individually file 27
before his or her twenty -first birthday a claim to receive the provided 28
educational scholarship benefit if: 29
(1) The student is considered a United States Armed Forces 30
dependent as provided in § 6 -82-2503; or 31
(2) The student is a dependent of an Arkansas hero who suffered 32
fatal injuries or wounds or becomes disabled as a result of injuries or 33
wounds that occurred in the performance of a hazardous duty within the scope 34
of his or her employment or that occurred en route to or returning from a 35
location where a hazardous situation existed. 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(f) Scholarship benefits may not accrue under this subchapter to a 1
person if the wound or injury suffered by an Arkansas hero is self -inflicted 2
or if the death of an Arkansas hero is self -inflicted. 3
(g) Unless subsection (e) of this section is applicable, the Arkansas 4
State Claims Commission shall award any scholarship benefit provided by this 5
subchapter at the same time that any death benefit or disability benefit is 6
awarded by the commission under the provisions of § 21 -5-701 et seq. 7
8
6-82-2506. Eligibility restrictions. 9
(a) A child shall not be entitled to receive benefits under this 10
subchapter during any semester or quarter when the child has reached twenty -11
six (26) years of age on or before the first day of the semester or quarter. 12
(b)(1) A spouse shall not be eligible to receive benefits under this 13
subchapter if he or she remarries. 14
(2) The benefits under this subchapter shall cease at the end of 15
the semester in which the spouse is currently enrolled at the time of the 16
marriage. 17
18
6-82-2507. Applications. 19
(a) An eligible student shall apply to the Division of Higher 20
Education for benefits under this subchapter. 21
(b) A United States Armed Forces dependent shall: 22
(1) Apply for the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational 23
Assistance program, 38 U.S.C. § 3500 et seq., as it existed on January 1, 24
2025, with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; and 25
(2) Provide the division with proof of: 26
(A) Acceptance into the Survivors’ and Dependents’ 27
Educational Assistance program; or 28
(B) Noneligibility for the Survivors’ and Dependents’ 29
Educational Assistance program following application. 30
(c) Except as provided under subsection (d) of this section, a 31
dependent of an Arkansas hero, upon his or her being accepted for enrollment 32
into any private, nonprofit institution of higher education in the State of 33
Arkansas or a state-supported institution of higher education in the State of 34
Arkansas, may obtain his or her first bachelor's degree for so long as he or 35
she is eligible with state assistance for tuition, fees, or other charges as 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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provided under this subsection. 1
(d)(1) The state assistance under this subchapter is limited to the 2
tuition, fees, or other charges that exceed the amount of monetary benefits 3
the dependent is eligible to receive from the Survivors' and Dependents' 4
Educational Assistance program during the months included in each semester in 5
which the dependent is enrolled. 6
(2) If the dependent is not eligible for monetary benefits from 7
the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance program but is eligible 8
for the benefits under this subchapter, the dependent may obtain a bachelor's 9
degree free of tuition, fees, or other charges from a private, nonprofit 10
institution of higher education in this state or a state -supported 11
institution of higher education in this state. 12
(3) However, the state assistance awarded to a dependent 13
attending a private, nonprofit institution of higher education in this state 14
shall not exceed the maximum amount of state assistance awarded to dependents 15
attending a state-supported institution of higher education in this state. 16
(e) Once a person qualifies as a dependent under this subchapter, 17
there shall be no situation such as the return of the parent or the reported 18
death of the parent that will remove the dependent from the provisions or 19
benefits of this subchapter. 20
(f) An eligible recipient shall receive a scholarship for one (1) 21
academic year, renewable for up to three (3) additional academic years if the 22
recipient meets continuing eligibility criteria established by the division. 23
(g) In compliance with the division's scholarship stacking policy, a 24
student's total financial aid package, which can include multiple 25
scholarships, shall not exceed the recognized cost of attendance at a state -26
supported institution of higher education. 27
(h) In the event the number of students who qualify for a scholarship 28
under this subchapter during an academic year exceeds the amount of funds 29
appropriated to the Higher Education Grants Fund Account for purposes of 30
funding students who qualify for scholarship under this subchapter during the 31
given academic year, the excess awards that qualify for distribution under 32
this subchapter shall be funded with any net proceeds from the state lottery 33
remaining after the division allocates sufficient funding to award the 34
following scholarships at levels equivalent to the awards made in the 35
previous academic year: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(1) Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, § 6 -85-201 et seq.; 1
and 2
(2) Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship, § 6 -85-301 et seq. 3
4
6-82-2508. Scholarship funding and continued eligibility. 5
(a) The state assistance under this subchapter is limited to the 6
tuition, fees, and other expenses required for the first bachelor’s degree 7
earned by the dependent. 8
(b)(1) An eligible dependent shall be entitled to a total of eight (8) 9
semesters, or the equivalent thereof, of scholarship awards without cost, 10
exclusive of books, food, school supplies, materials, and dues or fees for 11
extracurricular activities, at any state -supported institution of higher 12
education or technical institute of his or her choice within this state. 13
(2) The eligible dependent may take up to four (4) semesters, or 14
the equivalent thereof, at a technical institute. 15
(c) To retain eligibility for a scholarship benefit under this 16
subchapter, a recipient shall: 17
(1) Maintain a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 18
scholastic grading scale; and 19
(2) Meet any other continuing eligibility criteria established 20
by the Division of Higher Education. 21
(d) If a recipient fails to meet eligibility criteria, he or she may 22
apply for state assistance under this subchapter a maximum of one (1) 23
additional time once eligibility is reestablished. 24
25
Subchapter 26 — Governor's Higher Education Transition Scholarship Program 26
27
6-82-2601. Title. 28
This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Governor's 29
Higher Education Transition Scholarship Program". 30
31
6-82-2602. Definitions. 32
As used in this subchapter: 33
(1) "Eligible student" means an Arkansas student with a 34
disability admitted to a qualifying program at a state-supported institution 35
of higher education; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(2) "Inclusive Higher Education Accreditation Council" means the 1
independent, nonprofit accreditation agency for postsecondary programs for 2
students with an intellectual disability; and 3
(3) "Qualifying program" means a postsecondary education program 4
for a student with an intellectual disability that is accredited by the 5
Inclusive Higher Education Accreditation Council. 6
7
6-82-2603. Creation — Eligibility. 8
(a) There is established the Governor's Higher Education Transition 9
Scholarship Program within the Division of Higher Education. 10
(b) An eligible student who receives a Governor's Higher Education 11
Transition Scholarship shall maintain eligibility for up to eight (8) 12
continuous semesters or until credentialing is obtained, whichever occurs 13
first. 14
15
6-82-2604. Scholarship awards. 16
(a) Scholarship awards under this subchapter are contingent upon 17
availability of funds. 18
(b)(1) Scholarship awards shall not exceed the institutional cost of 19
attendance. 20
(2) The maximum award amount per qualifying semester that a 21
student may receive is two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500). 22
(3) A scholarship award may be applied to tuition, mandatory 23
fees, programmatic fees, room and board, supplies, and extended support 24
services. 25
26
6-82-2605. Rules. 27
The Division of Higher Education may promulgate rules to govern 28
administration of the Governor's Higher Education Transition Scholarship 29
Program, including without limitation application forms and deadlines. 30
31
SECTION 80. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-207 is amended to read as follows: 32
6-85-207. Additional eligibility requirements for traditional students. 33
In addition to the basic eligibility requirements of § 6 -85-206, an 34
applicant is eligible as a traditional student if the applicant either: 35
(1)(A) Graduated from an Arkansas public high school and has a 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
105 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
minimum superscore of nineteen (19) on the ACT or the equivalent score on an 1
ACT equivalent; or 2
(B) Upon graduation from high school: 3
(i) Achieved a minimum grade point average of 3.0 4
during high school; 5
(ii) Completed at least one (1) college readiness 6
assessment; and 7
(iii)(a) Achieved a diploma of merit as defined in 8
rules promulgated by the State Board of Education. 9
(b) Proof of attainment of the diploma of 10
merit under subdivision (1)(B)(iii)(a) of this section shall be submitted 11
with the student's scholarship application; or 12
(2)(A) Has a disability identified under the Individuals with 13
Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq., as it existed on July 14
1, 2009, and graduated from an Arkansas public high school, and either: meets 15
the requirements defined in subdivision (1) of this section. 16
(A) Had a minimum composite score of nineteen (19) on the 17
ACT or the equivalent score on an ACT equivalent; or 18
(B) Scored proficient or higher on all state -mandated end-19
of-course assessments, including without limitation end -of-course assessments 20
on: 21
(i) Algebra I; 22
(ii) Geometry; 23
(iii) Biology; and 24
(iv) Literacy; 25
(3) Achieved a minimum superscore of nineteen (19) on the ACT or 26
the equivalent score on an ACT equivalent and: 27
(B) A student shall also meet one (1) of the following 28
eligibility requirements: 29
(A) Graduated (i) Graduate from a private high school, an 30
out-of-state high school, or a home school high school; or 31
(B)(ii) In the year in which the student would have been a 32
junior or senior in high school, completed the requirements for high school 33
graduation and obtained a high school equivalency diploma approved by the 34
Adult Education Section instead of receiving a diploma; or 35
(4)(iii) Meets one (1) of the following criteria: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(A)(a) Was enrolled at an institution of higher education 1
in the immediately preceding academic year as a full -time, first-time 2
freshman; 3
(B)(b) Did not receive a scholarship under this subchapter 4
as a full-time, first-time freshman; 5
(C)(c) Successfully completed with the equivalent of a 6
minimum letter grade of “D” at least twenty -seven (27) semester hours of 7
courses as a full-time, first-time freshman; and or 8
(D)(d) Achieved a postsecondary grade point average of at 9
least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale as a full -time, first-time freshman. 10
11
SECTION 81. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-212(d)(1)(A), concerning scholarship 12
award amounts under the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program, is 13
amended to read as follows: 14
(d)(1)(A) Subject to the availability of net revenue, the scholarship 15
award amount under this subchapter for an academic year for a full -time 16
recipient enrolled in a four -year approved institution of higher education 17
is: 18
(i) One Two thousand dollars ($1,000) ($2,000) for a 19
recipient who has earned less than twenty -seven (27) semester credit hours; 20
(ii) Four thousand dollars ($4,000) for a recipient 21
who has earned at least twenty -seven (27) semester credit hours but less than 22
fifty-seven (57) semester credit hours; 23
(iii) Four thousand dollars ($4,000) for a recipient 24
who has earned at least fifty -seven (57) semester credit hours but less than 25
eighty-seven (87) semester credit hours; and 26
(iv)(a) Five thousand dollars ($5,000) for a 27
recipient who has earned at least eighty -seven (87) semester credit hours but 28
no more than one hundred twenty (120) semester credit hours unless the 29
recipient is enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program that requires more 30
than one hundred twenty (120) semester credit hours, but not more than one 31
hundred thirty (130) semester credit hours, as provided under § 6 -61-232, 32
then up to the number of credit hours required to complete the baccalaureate 33
program. 34
(b) A recipient shall receive no more than one 35
(1) year of the scholarship provided under subdivision (d)(1)(A)(iv)(a) of 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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this section unless the recipient is enrolled in a baccalaureate degree 1
program that requires more than one hundred twenty (120) semester credit 2
hours as provided under § 6 -61-232. 3
(c)(1) A recipient who is eligible to receive 4
the scholarship under subdivision (d)(1)(A)(iv)(a) of this section may 5
receive the scholarship while enrolled in a semester as a part -time student. 6
(2) The scholarship amount for the 7
semester in which a recipient is enrolled as a part -time student under 8
subdivision (d)(1)(A)(iv)(c)(1) of this section shall may be prorated by the 9
number of credit hours in which the recipient is enrolled. 10
11
SECTION 82. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-212(d)(1)(C), concerning the 12
authorization for an applicant to elect for earned semester credit hours to 13
be only those earned after graduating from high school or obtaining a high 14
school equivalency diploma, is repealed. 15
(C)(i) An applicant may elect for the earned semester 16
credit hours under subdivision (d)(1)(A) of this section to be only those 17
semester credit hours earned after graduating from high school or obtaining a 18
high school equivalency diploma approved by the Adult Education Section. 19
(ii) If an applicant makes the election under 20
subdivision (d)(1)(C)(i) of this section, any semester credit hours earned 21
through concurrent credit or any other method before graduating high school 22
or obtaining a high school equivalency diploma approved by the Adult 23
Education Section shall not be counted as earned semester credit hours for 24
the purposes of determining a recipient's scholarship award amount under 25
subdivision (d)(1)(A) of this section. 26
27
SECTION 83. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-212(d)(3), concerning scholarship 28
award amounts for certain institutions of higher education under the Arkansas 29
Challenge Scholarship Program, is amended to read as follows: 30
(3) Subject to the availability of net revenue, the scholarship 31
award for an academic year for a full -time student enrolled in one (1) of the 32
following institutions of higher education is one two thousand dollars 33
($1,000) ($2,000) for the first year and three thousand dollars ($3,000) for 34
the second year: 35
(A) A two-year approved institution of higher education; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(B) A branch campus of a four -year approved institution of 1
higher education; or 2
(C) An approved school of nursing. 3
4
SECTION 84. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-302 is amended to read as follows: 5
6-85-302. Definitions. 6
As used in this subchapter: 7
(1) "Academic year" means a measure of the academic work to be 8
accomplished by a student through the fall, spring, and summer semesters, or 9
the equivalent of the fall, spring, and summer semesters, in that order; 10
(2) “Approved institution of higher education” means an 11
institution of higher education approved by the Division of Higher Education 12
to participate in the Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship Program and 13
that is: 14
(A) A state-supported two-year or four-year college or 15
university institution of higher education ; or 16
(B) A private, nonprofit two -year or four-year college or 17
university with its primary headquarters located in Arkansas that is eligible 18
to receive Title IV federal student aid funds; or 19
(C) A public or private vocational -technical school that 20
is: 21
(i) Included on the Workforce Innovation and 22
Opportunity Act eligible training provider list; 23
(ii) Qualified to receive approval for veterans' 24
education benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; or 25
(iii) Included on the State Board of Private Career 26
Education list; and 27
(2)(A)(3)(A) “Certificate program” means a program that is 28
offered or made available to a student by an approved institution of higher 29
education that leads to the obtainment of a certification or license, 30
including without limitation a program operated or sponsored by a third 31
party. 32
(B) "Certificate program" is determined by the division 33
and includes without limitation the following: 34
(i) Advanced manufacturing; 35
(ii) Health care; 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
109 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(iii) Information technology; 1
(iv) Construction trades; or 2
(v) Logistics and distribution. 3
(C) The credit hours or contact hours awarded for a 4
certificate program may include credit hours or contact hours that are not 5
creditable toward an associate or a baccalaureate degree. 6
7
SECTION 85. Arkansas Code § 6-85-304(a), concerning student 8
eligibility under the Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship Program, is 9
amended to read as follows: 10
(a) A student is eligible to receive an Arkansas Workforce Challenge 11
Scholarship for an academic year if the student applies to the Division of 12
Higher Education an approved institution of higher education by a date 13
determined by the Division of Higher Education preceding the academic year 14
and: 15
(1) Is an a legal Arkansas resident or, if the student is less 16
than twenty-one (21) years of age, either the student or one (1) parent of 17
the student is an a legal Arkansas resident; 18
(2) Meets either of the following requirements: 19
(A) Graduated from a: 20
(i) Public high school in Arkansas or another state; 21
(ii) Private high school in Arkansas or another 22
state; or 23
(iii) Home school under § 6 -15-501 et seq. or 24
recognized by another state; or 25
(B) Received a high school equivalency diploma approved by 26
the Adult Education Section or another state; 27
(3) Is not receiving a scholarship under the Arkansas Academic 28
Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-201 et seq.; and 29
(4) Is accepted for admission in a program of study at an 30
approved institution of higher education that leads to an associate degree or 31
a certificate program in one (1) of the following high-demand fields: 32
described in § 6-85-302. 33
(A) Industry; 34
(B) Health care; and 35
(C) Information technology; and 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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(5)(A) Whose program of study or certificate program will result 1
in the student's being qualified to work in an occupation identified by the 2
Division of Workforce Services under subdivision (a)(5)(B)(i) of this 3
section. 4
(B)(i) The Division of Workforce Services shall provide 5
annually to the Division of Higher Education by March 1 a list that 6
identifies the five (5) most in -demand occupations in this state in each 7
high-demand field under subdivision (a)(4) of this section that require the 8
completion of a program of study that leads to an associate degree or a 9
certificate program. 10
(ii) The Division of Workforce Services shall publish 11
on its website the list under subdivision (a)(5)(B)(i) of this section and 12
data supporting the list. 13
14
SECTION 86. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-305 is amended to read as follows: 15
6-85-305. Distribution — Award amounts. 16
(a)(1) If funds are available, the Division of Higher Education shall 17
distribute Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarships to all students who meet 18
the requirements under § 6-85-304 6-85-302(2). 19
(2) Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall be allocated 20
for students eligible under § 6 -85-302(2)(C). 21
(b)(1) The division shall distribute scholarships from the funds 22
available in an equal amount to every student eligible to receive a 23
scholarship under this subchapter. 24
(2) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the 25
The maximum scholarship award a student may receive in an academic year shall 26
be the lesser of: program costs or three thousand dollars ($3,000). 27
(A) Eight hundred dollars ($800); or 28
(B)(i) The cost of the certificate program or program of 29
study. 30
(ii) The cost of a certificate program or program of 31
study shall include: 32
(a) Tuition, fees, or other charges; 33
(b) Textbooks or other course materials; and 34
(c) Equipment needed for a course. 35
(3)(2) The scholarship awards may be used for expenses included 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
111 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
in the cost of the certificate program or program of study. 1
(4)(3) A scholarship under this section shall be only for the 2
academic year for which it is awarded. 3
(4)(A) The division shall collaborate with the Office of Skills 4
Development to establish the criteria to be used to determine the eligibility 5
of students under § 6 -85-302(1)(C), which shall be included in rules 6
promulgated by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board. 7
(B) The office shall: 8
(i) Use the criteria established under subdivision 9
(b)(4)(A) of this section to determine the eligibility of students under § 6 -10
85-302(1)(C); and 11
(ii) Provide the necessary information regarding 12
eligible students to the division to enable the division to distribute 13
scholarship awards on behalf of an eligible student directly to the approved 14
institution of higher education. 15
(c)(1) If the division has funds remaining after making the 16
distributions under subsection (b) of this section, the division shall 17
distribute scholarships to students for the summer term of the academic year. 18
(2) If funds are available under subdivision (c)(1) of this 19
section, a student shall apply for a scholarship for a summer term by a date 20
determined by the division preceding the summer term. 21
(3)(A) The division shall distribute scholarships for a summer 22
term in the same manner as under subsection (b) of this section. 23
(B) Scholarships for a summer term may be used in the same 24
manner as under subsection (b) of this section. 25
(4) A student who received a scholarship under subsection (b) of 26
this section may also receive a scholarship for a summer term. 27
(d)(c) The division shall disburse all scholarship awards on behalf of 28
an eligible student directly to the approved institution of higher education. 29
30
SECTION 87. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 85, Subchapter 3, is 31
amended to add an additional section to read as follows: 32
6-85-308. Reporting requirements. 33
(a) An approved institution of higher education accepting funds under 34
this subchapter shall submit an annual report to the Division of Higher 35
Education that includes without limitation the following: 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
112 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(1) Individual student program completer information as defined 1
by the division; and 2
(2) Student information required to be provided to the division 3
under § 6-85-216. 4
(b) An approved institution of higher education accepting funds under 5
this subchapter shall submit an annual report to the Office of Skills 6
Development that includes without limitation the following: 7
(1) Individual student program completer information as defined 8
by the division; and 9
(2) Student information required to be provided to the division 10
under § 6-85-216. 11
12
SECTION 88. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 85, Subchapter 4 is 13
repealed. 14
Subchapter 4 — Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship Program 15
16
6-85-401. Creation. 17
There is created the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship Program. 18
19
6-85-402. Definitions. 20
As used in this subchapter: 21
(1) “Approved institution of higher education” means an 22
institution of higher education that: 23
(A) Is approved by the Division of Higher Education to 24
participate in the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship Program; 25
(B) Offers at least a fifty -percent discount on the 26
tuition and mandatory fees of an endorsed concurrent enrollment course or 27
certificate program to a student who is enrolled in an endorsed concurrent 28
enrollment course or certificate program, unless other opportunities are 29
provided that lower the tuition and mandatory fees below fifty percent (50%); 30
and 31
(C) Is a: 32
(i) State-supported two-year or four-year college or 33
university; or 34
(ii) Private, nonprofit two -year or four-year college 35
or university that has its primary headquarters located in Arkansas and that 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
113 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
is eligible to receive Title IV federal student aid funds; 1
(2)(A) “Certificate program” means a program that is offered or 2
made available to a student by an approved institution of higher education 3
that leads to the obtainment of a certification or license. 4
(B) “Certificate program” does not include a program that 5
is operated or sponsored by a third party; 6
(3)(A) “Endorsed concurrent enrollment course” means the same as 7
defined in § 6-16-1202. 8
(B) “Endorsed concurrent enrollment course” does not 9
include a program that is operated or sponsored by a third party; and 10
(4) “Student” means a person in grade ten (10), grade eleven 11
(11), or grade twelve (12) who is enrolled at a: 12
(A) Public high school in Arkansas; 13
(B) Private high school in Arkansas; or 14
(C) Home school, as defined in § 6 -15-501. 15
16
6-85-403. Eligibility. 17
(a) A student is eligible to receive an Arkansas Concurrent Challenge 18
Scholarship under this subchapter for an academic semester or academic year 19
during which the student is enrolled in an endorsed concurrent enrollment 20
course or certificate program if the student: 21
(1) Is an Arkansas resident or, if the student is less than 22
twenty-one (21) years of age, either the student or one (1) parent of the 23
student is an Arkansas resident; and 24
(2)(A) Submits a student success plan as described under § 6 -15-25
2911(b). 26
(B) The student success plan required under subdivision 27
(a)(2)(A) of this section for a student who is enrolled in an endorsed 28
concurrent enrollment course or certificate program shall: 29
(i) Be prepared in consultation with: 30
(a) School personnel, the student, and the 31
student's parent or legal guardian; or 32
(b) A college advisor; and 33
(ii) Include: 34
(a) An endorsed concurrent enrollment course 35
or certificate program that is relevant to the student's success plan; and 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
114 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(b) Measures that ensure the successful 1
completion of the endorsed concurrent enrollment course or certificate 2
program in which the student is enrolled. 3
(b)(1) A student successfully completes an endorsed concurrent 4
enrollment course or a course taken towards the completion of a certificate 5
program under this subchapter if he or she completes the course or program 6
and receives a minimum grade point average of 2.5. 7
(2)(A) A student who fails to successfully complete an endorsed 8
concurrent enrollment course or a course taken towards the completion of a 9
certificate program under this subchapter shall: 10
(i) Retain eligibility for a scholarship under this 11
subchapter; and 12
(ii) Enroll in no more than one (1) endorsed 13
concurrent enrollment course or course required for the completion of a 14
certificate program for the first semester following the semester in which 15
the student failed to successfully complete an endorsed concurrent enrollment 16
course or course taken towards the completion of a certificate program. 17
(B) However, if a student fails an endorsed concurrent 18
enrollment course or a course taken towards the completion of a certificate 19
program under this subchapter a second time, the student shall be ineligible 20
to reapply for a scholarship under this subchapter. 21
(c) A student whose enrollment in a vocational center is reimbursable 22
under § 6-51-305 is not eligible for a scholarship under this subchapter. 23
24
6-85-404. Funding. 25
(a) For an academic year, Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarships 26
under this subchapter shall be funded with any funds remaining after the 27
Division of Higher Education allocates sufficient funding to award Arkansas 28
Workforce Challenge Scholarships under § 6 -85-301 et seq., at a level 29
equivalent to the awards made in the previous academic year. 30
(b)(1) A scholarship under this subchapter shall not be awarded for an 31
academic year if: 32
(A) Less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars 33
($250,000) is available under subsection (a) of this section; or 34
(B) The division received a loan from the Scholarship 35
Shortfall Reserve Trust Account under § 23 -115-802 for the Arkansas Academic 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
115 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-201 et seq., for the previous academic 1
year. 2
(2) Any funds under subsection (a) of this section that are not 3
disbursed for scholarships under this subchapter shall be carried over to the 4
next academic year to be used for scholarships under this subchapter. 5
6
6-85-405. Distribution — Award amounts. 7
(a) If funds are available, the Division of Higher Education shall 8
award Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarships to all students who meet the 9
requirements under this subchapter. 10
(b)(1) The division shall distribute scholarships from the funds 11
available in an equal amount to every approved institution of higher 12
education that has enrolled a student eligible to receive a scholarship under 13
this subchapter. 14
(2) The maximum scholarship award a student may receive in an 15
academic year shall be the lesser of: 16
(A)(i) Five hundred dollars ($500). 17
(ii) A scholarship awarded to a student who is 18
eligible under § 6-85-403 shall be awarded in the amount of one hundred 19
twenty-five dollars ($125) for each endorsed concurrent enrollment credit 20
course or certificate program in which the eligible student is enrolled, up 21
to two (2) endorsed concurrent enrollment credit courses or certificate 22
programs per semester; or 23
(B) The tuition and mandatory fees of the endorsed 24
concurrent credit course or certificate program. 25
(3) A scholarship granted under this section may be awarded in 26
addition to any funds received for the enrollment in an endorsed concurrent 27
enrollment course under § 6 -16-1204(e)(3). 28
(4) Unless a student's high school or community -based program 29
provides financial assistance for the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for 30
an endorsed concurrent enrollment course or certificate program, the 31
remaining cost of tuition and mandatory fees for an endorsed concurrent 32
enrollment course or certificate program is the responsibility of the 33
eligible student who is enrolled in the endorsed concurrent enrollment course 34
or certificate program. 35
36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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6-85-406. Rules. 1
The Division of Higher Education shall promulgate rules to implement 2
this subchapter. 3
4
SECTION 89. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-502(b)(5), concerning the amount of 5
net proceeds to fund scholarships under the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge 6
Scholarship Program used for the lottery fiscal impact statement, is amended 7
to read as follows: 8
(5) The amount of net proceeds that was necessary to fund scholarships 9
under the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-401 10
ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-701 et seq., during each 11
of the last four (4) years immediately preceding the year in which the 12
proposed bill is being considered, listed separately; 13
14
SECTION 90. Arkansas Code § 6 -85-502(b)(7)(C), concerning the 15
comparison of the year with the highest amount of net proceeds necessary to 16
fund scholarships under the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship 17
Program, is amended to read as follows: 18
(C) The year with the highest amount of net proceeds 19
necessary to fund scholarships under the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge 20
Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-401 ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program, § 21
6-85-701 et seq., as determined under subdivision (b)(5) of this section; and 22
23
SECTION 91. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 85, is amended to add an 24
additional subchapter to read as follows: 25
Subchapter — 7 ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program 26
27
6-85-701 Creation. 28
There is created the ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program. 29
30
6-85-702. Definitions. 31
As used in this subchapter: 32
(1) “Approved institution of higher education” means an 33
institution of higher education that: 34
(A) Is approved by the Division of Higher Education to 35
participate in the ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program; and 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
117 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
(B) Is a: 1
(i) State-supported two-year or four-year 2
institution of higher education; or 3
(ii) Private, nonprofit two -year or four-year 4
institution of higher education that has its primary headquarters located in 5
Arkansas and is eligible to receive Title IV federal student aid funds; 6
(2)(A) “Certificate program” means a program that is offered or 7
made available to a student by an approved institution of higher education 8
that leads to the obtainment of a certification or license. 9
(B) “Certificate program” does not include a program that 10
is operated or sponsored by a third party; 11
(3)(A) “Concurrent credit course” means a course as defined in 12
§ 6-16-1202. 13
(B) “Concurrent credit course” does not include a program 14
that is operated or sponsored by a third party; and 15
(4) “Eligible student” means a student enrolled in grade ten 16
(10), grade eleven (11), or grade twelve (12) at a public high school in 17
Arkansas. 18
19
6-85-703. Eligibility. 20
(a) A student is eligible to be awarded a scholarship under this 21
subchapter for an academic semester or academic year during which the student 22
is enrolled in a concurrent credit course if the student is eligible to 23
enroll in the concurrent credit course under § 6 -16-1204(a)(5). 24
(b) Scholarship funds shall not be used for courses at a vocational 25
center that are reimbursable under § 6 -51-305. 26
(c) A student is not eligible for a scholarship under this subchapter 27
if the student is enrolled in a concurrent credit course that may be funded 28
under § 6-18-2506. 29
30
6-85-704. Funding. 31
(a) For an academic year, the following shall be used to fund 32
scholarships under this subchapter: 33
(1) Excess funding returned to the Office of the Arkansas 34
Lottery under § 6-85-212(d)(2)(B)(i) from the previous academic year; and 35
(2) Net proceeds remaining from the previous academic year after 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
118 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
the office transfers the funds requested by the Division of Higher Education 1
under § 23-115-801(c)(2). 2
(b)(1) A scholarship under this subchapter shall not be awarded for an 3
academic year if: 4
(A) Less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars 5
($250,000) is available under subsection (a) of this section; or 6
(B) The division received a loan from the Scholarship 7
Shortfall Reserve Trust Account under § 23 -115-802 for the Arkansas Academic 8
Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-201 et seq., for the previous academic 9
year. 10
(2) Any funds under subsection (a) of this section that are not 11
disbursed for scholarships under this subchapter shall be carried over to the 12
next academic year to be used for scholarships under this subchapter. 13
14
6-85-705. Distribution — Award Amounts. 15
(a) If funds are available, the Division of Higher Education shall 16
award an ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship to all eligible students who meet 17
the requirements under this subchapter. 18
(b)(1) The division shall distribute scholarships from the funds 19
available in an equal amount to every approved institution of higher 20
education that has enrolled a student eligible to receive a scholarship under 21
this subchapter. 22
(2) A scholarship awarded to a student who is eligible under § 23
6-85-703 shall be awarded in the amount of sixty -five dollars ($65) per 24
concurrent credit course hour in which the eligible student is enrolled, for 25
a maximum of fifteen (15) concurrent credit course hours per semester. 26
(3) The maximum scholarship amount a student may be awarded in 27
an academic year, including summer semesters, shall not exceed two thousand 28
dollars ($2,000). 29
(c)(1) A state-supported two-year or four-year institution of higher 30
education may offer a reduced tuition rate for concurrent credit courses 31
offered by the state -supported institution of higher education to eligible 32
students under this subchapter. 33
(2) The reduction in tuition under subdivision (c)(1) of this 34
section shall not be considered an institutional scholarship. 35
36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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6-85-706. Rules. 1
The Division of Higher Education may promulgate rules to implement this 2
subchapter. 3
4
SECTION 92. Arkansas Code § 20 -7-133(b)(2), concerning members 5
appointed by the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education to the 6
Child Health Advisory Committee, is amended to read as follows: 7
(2) The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education shall 8
appoint: 9
(A) One (1) member to represent the Division of Elementary 10
and Secondary Education; 11
(B) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas School 12
Nutrition Association Child Nutrition Unit ; 13
(C) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas School Nurses 14
Association public school nurse; 15
(D) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas Association 16
of Educational Administrators public school administrator ; 17
(E) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas PTA of a 18
public school district parent -teacher association; 19
(F) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas School Boards 20
Association of a public school district board of directors ; 21
(G) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas Association 22
of School Business Officials public school district finance employee ; and 23
(H) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas Association 24
for Supervision and Curriculum Development Two (2) public school licensed 25
educators; and 26
(I) One (1) member who is a classroom teacher . 27
28
SECTION 93. Arkansas Code § 21 -5-703(c), concerning the award of 29
scholarship benefits by the Arkansas State Claims Commssion during the claims 30
process for death benefits of public employees, is amended to read as 31
follows: 32
(c) Unless § 6-82-504(e) § 6-82-2505(e) is applicable, the commission 33
shall award any scholarship benefit provided by the provisions of § 6-82-501 34
et seq. the Arkansas Heroes Scholarship Act, § 6 -82-2501 et seq., at the same 35
time any death benefit or total and permanent disability benefit is awarded 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
120 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
under this subchapter. 1
2
SECTION 94. Arkansas Code § 21 -5-705(a)(3)(B)(i), concerning the 3
maximum death benefit paid to a designated beneficiary or survivor of certain 4
public employees killed in the line of duty, is amended to read as follows: 5
(i) A maximum of one hundred fifty thousand dollars 6
($150,000) per individual death, including educational benefits provided in § 7
6-82-501 et seq. the Arkansas Heroes Scholarship Act, § 6 -82-2501 et seq.; 8
and 9
10
SECTION 95. The introductory language of Arkansas Code § 23 -115-11
801(b)(1)(B)(i), concerning the establishment of the Lottery Scholarship 12
Trust Account by the Office of the Arkansas Lottery, is amended to read as 13
follows: 14
(B)(i) The office shall establish the Lottery Scholarship 15
Trust Account as required under subdivision (b)(1)(A) of this section to fund 16
the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-201 et seq., the 17
Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-301 et seq., the 18
Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-401 ACCESS to 19
Acceleration Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-701 et seq., and any other 20
scholarship funded with net proceeds from the state lottery in a financial 21
institution into which the office shall transfer: 22
23
SECTION 96. Arkansas Code § 23 -115-801(b)(1)(B)(ii) and (iii), 24
concerning funding of the Lottery Scholarship Trust Account by the Office of 25
the Arkansas Lottery, are amended to read as follows: 26
(ii) The funds transferred by the office into the 27
Lottery Scholarship Trust Account for the Arkansas Academic Challenge 28
Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-201 et seq., the Arkansas Workforce Challenge 29
Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-301 et seq., the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge 30
Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-401 ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program, § 31
6-85-701 et seq., and any other scholarship funded with net proceeds from the 32
state lottery as established under subdivision (b)(1)(B)(i) of this section 33
shall be used for: 34
(a) Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarships; 35
(b) Any management fees charged by the 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
121 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
financial institution to manage the trust account for scholarship award 1
supplements; 2
(c) Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarships 3
ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarships ; 4
(d) Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarships; 5
and 6
(e) Any other scholarship funded with net 7
proceeds from the state lottery. 8
(iii) Annually, the office shall transfer to the 9
division the funds from the previous academic year, if any, that were 10
transferred by the office into the Lottery Scholarship Trust Account 11
established under subdivision (b)(1)(B)(i) of this section for distribution 12
of Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarships, Arkansas Workforce Challenge 13
Scholarships, Arkansas Concurrent Challenge ACCESS to Acceleration 14
Scholarships, and any other scholarship funded with net proceeds from the 15
state lottery. 16
17
SECTION 97. Arkansas Code § 23 -115-801(c)(1)(C), concerning the 18
scholarship programs that the Commissioner of the Division of Higher 19
Education is required to certify funding for, is amended to read as follows: 20
(C) The Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship Program, 21
§ 6-85-401 et seq.; ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-701 et 22
seq.; and 23
24
SECTION 98. Arkansas Code § 23 -115-801(c)(2)(D)(ii)(a), concerning the 25
distribution to recipients if funds remain after award of all scholarships 26
under the Arkansas Academic Challenge Program, is amended to read as follows: 27
(ii)(a) If available funds remain after the award of 28
all scholarships under the Arkansas Academic Challenge Program, § 6 -85-201 et 29
seq., then the available funds shall be distributed to recipients of 30
scholarships under the Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -31
85-301 et seq., and the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship Program, § 32
6-85-401 ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-701 et seq., on a 33
pro rata basis as determined by the division. 34
35
SECTION 99. Arkansas Code § 23 -115-802(c)(2) and (3), concerning the 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
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process of using the Scholarship Shortfall Reserve Trust Account if net 1
proceeds are insufficient to meet scholarship funding, are amended to read as 2
follows: 3
(2) Except as provided in subdivision (c)(3)(B) of this section, 4
the Scholarship Shortfall Reserve Trust Account shall not be drawn upon to 5
fund Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarships under the Arkansas Workforce 6
Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-301 et seq., Arkansas Concurrent 7
Challenge Scholarships under the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship 8
Program, § 6-85-401 ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-701 et 9
seq., or any other scholarship funded with net proceeds from the state 10
lottery. 11
(3)(A) Determining the maximum amount of loans from the 12
Scholarship Shortfall Reserve Trust Account to the Arkansas Academic 13
Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-201 et seq., the Arkansas Workforce 14
Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-301 et seq., or the Arkansas Concurrent 15
Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-401 ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship 16
Program, § 6-85-701 et seq., is the prerogative of the General Assembly. This 17
is usually accomplished by the General Assembly's delineating such funding 18
allocations for the various scholarship programs, with the approval of the 19
Administrative Rules Subcommittee of the Legislative Council and through 20
oversight as required by law by the Lottery Oversight Subcommittee of the 21
Legislative Council. Further, the General Assembly determines that the 22
Division of Higher Education may operate more efficiently with some 23
flexibility, therefore it is both necessary and appropriate that the General 24
Assembly maintain oversight by requiring prior approval of the Legislative 25
Council or the Joint Budget Committee as provided by this section. 26
(B) If the division determines it is necessary to borrow 27
from the Scholarship Shortfall Reserve Trust Account to fund scholarships 28
under the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-201 et 29
seq., the Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-301 et 30
seq., or the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-401 et 31
seq., ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program, § 6 -85-701 et seq., the 32
division shall first obtain review and approval from the Legislative Council 33
or, if the General Assembly is in session, the Joint Budget Committee. 34
35
SECTION 100. DO NOT CODIFY. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE. If any provision of 36 As Engrossed: H3/6/25 H3/12/25 HB1512
123 03-12-2025 10:50:08 CRH113
this act or the application of this act to any person or circumstance is held 1
invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of 2
this act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or 3
application, and to this end, the provisions of this act are declared 4
severable. 5
6
7
/s/M. Shepherd 8
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APPROVED: 3/18/25 11
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