Several members gathered at the Capitol this week as subcommittees of the Arkansas Legislative Council (ALC) held meetings. ALC convened on Friday. This week, we would like to update you on the developments from those meetings. The ALC Higher Education Subcommittee heard a presentation from Dr. Ken Warden, the Commissioner of the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE). ADHE is currently working on the implementation of Arkansas Teacher Academy. This program is designed to increase the teacher pipeline by paying for education costs if the prospective teacher agrees to work in critical shortage areas. The scholarship should be available next fall.

Members of ALC reviewed the Arkansas Revenue Report from July 2023, showing a 4.6% increase in revenue from the previous July. The Department of Commerce presented its mid-year progress report to ALC, showing 1,102 new jobs with an average wage of $28.32/hour have been created in the last six months as a direct result of economic development initiatives in the state. ALC approved a recommendation by the Executive Subcommittee to conduct the Arkansas Firearms and Concealed Carry Laws Study. The purpose of the study is to review the existing laws of the State of Arkansas concerning ownership, use, and possession of firearms, as well as the concealed carry laws of the state, in order to ascertain the existing rights and restrictions under the laws and recommend future legislation. The Game & Fish/State Police Subcommittee of ALC will conduct the study. They will begin in October of this year and submit their report to ALC in October of 2024. Arkansas Legislative Council Subcommittees will convene again the week of October 16. You can watch live and recorded meetings at arkansashouse.org