Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1709 Compare Versions

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11 Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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33 State of Arkansas 1
44 95th General Assembly A Bill 2
55 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1709 3
66 4
77 By: Representative Steele 5
88 By: Senator J. Scott 6
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1010 For An Act To Be Entitled 8
1111 AN ACT TO AMEND THE HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS IN THE 9
1212 SCHOOLS PROGRAM; TO INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS 10
1313 IN THE HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM; 11
1414 AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 12
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1717 Subtitle 15
1818 TO AMEND THE HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS IN 16
1919 THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM; AND TO INCLUDE 17
2020 MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS IN THE HUMAN 18
2121 SERVICES WORKERS IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM. 19
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2323 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 21
2424 22
2525 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 20 -76-112 is amended to read as follows: 23
2626 20-76-112. Human Services Workers and Mental Health Counselors in the 24
2727 Schools Program. 25
2828 (a)(1) The Human Services Workers and Mental Health Counselors in the 26
2929 Schools Program is established as a collaborative effort among the Division 27
3030 of Children and Family Services, the Arkansas Workforce Development Board, 28
3131 the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, and local school 29
3232 districts. 30
3333 (2) The Human Services Workers and Mental Health Counselors in 31
3434 the Schools Program is designed to help children and families by: 32
3535 (1)(A) Promoting safety of children and strengthening of 33
3636 families; 34
3737 (2)(B) Supporting the community's capacity to produce children 35
3838 who are healthy, children who are in supportive, nurturing, and healthy 36 HB1709
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4141 families, and children who succeed in school; and 1
4242 (3)(C) Promoting the Division of Children and Family Services' 2
4343 family preservation philosophy and family -centered practice. 3
4444 (b) Upon approval of the board, the Division of Children and Family 4
4545 Services shall enter into contracts with local school districts to provide 5
4646 funding for the maximum number of human services workers and mental health 6
4747 counselors. 7
4848 (c)(1) A human services worker shall have a bachelor's degree or a 8
4949 master's degree in social work or a related field . 9
5050 (2) A mental health counselor shall have a bachelor's degree or 10
5151 a master's degree in the mental health or counseling field. 11
5252 (3) A human services worker or mental health counselor and shall 12
5353 provide the following services according to skills and training: 13
5454 (1)(A) Crisis intervention; 14
5555 (2)(B) School conferences and in -service training; 15
5656 (3)(C) Home visits; 16
5757 (4)(D) Transportation for family and student group counseling; 17
5858 (5)(E) Parent training and activities; 18
5959 (6)(F) Supportive service referrals; 19
6060 (7)(G) Individualized coping and conflict management skills; and 20
6161 (8)(H) Assessment of family and student needs. 21
6262 (d)(1) Funding for human services workers and mental health counselors 22
6363 shall be targeted to schools with eighty percent (80%) or more of their 23
6464 children eligible for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program under the National 24
6565 School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1751 et seq. 25
6666 (2) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education and the 26
6767 Division of Children and Family Services shall develop criteria to prioritize 27
6868 eligibility for the Human Services Workers and Mental Health Counselors in 28
6969 the Schools Program. 29
7070 (e) The Coordinated Health Services Section of the Division of 30
7171 Elementary and Secondary Education shall evaluate the Human Services Workers 31
7272 and Mental Health Counselors in the Schools Program annually in coordination 32
7373 with the Division of Children and Family Services, the board, and the local 33
7474 school districts that hold contracts. 34
7575 (f) A parent or a student has the option to refuse any services 35
7676 recommended under the Human Services Workers and Mental Health Counselors in 36 HB1709
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