LEARNS Act advances to House floor

by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)

Gov. Sarah Sanders’ LEARNS Act passed the House Education Committee Wednesday (March 1) and now heads to the full House for a vote March 2.

Senate Bill 294 by Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville, and Rep. Keith Brooks, R-Little Rock, passed easily on a voice vote after Brooks closed for his bill and then many committee members expressed their reasons for voting for or against it.

Brooks told Talk Business & Politics that he plans to run the bill through the full House of Representatives on Thursday, March 2. Passage seemed a virtual certainty, as 55 of the 100 House members are sponsors.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/03/learns-act-advances-to-house-floor/

House Education chair says omnibus bill needed to ensure all reforms work together

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

House Education Committee chairman Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, said Sunday (Feb. 5) that it is important having an omnibus education reform bill in order to ensure different levels of change connect.

Appearing this week on Capitol View, Evans said Gov. Sarah Sanders’ changes to state education policy will begin with Pre-K, including reading literacy at several K-12 levels, and include career readiness and preparation for post-secondary education.

“…All of those are integral pieces of the process, and so if you break that out into individual bills and one piece or two pieces of those don’t make it through the process, then you’ve actually put a kink in the whole growth process of that student from pre-K to 12,” he said. “I think that’s the impact and the stimulus behind there being one complete bill because it encompasses the whole process and the growth of the child.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/02/house-education-chair-says-omnibus-bill-needed-to-ensure-all-reforms-work-together/