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Committee considers expansion of school social‑worker program to include mental‑health counselors; fiscal impact cited
Summary
An amendment to expand an existing school social‑worker program to include mental‑health counselors was adopted, but the full bill shows a significant fiscal impact and committee action on the bill itself was deferred pending fiscal review. Department witnesses said a previously funded pilot existed but later funding lapsed.
The House Education Committee heard an amendment to HB 17‑09 to expand a program that places human‑service staff in schools so the statutory definition includes mental‑health counselors in addition to social workers.
Representative Seal offered an amendment intended to clarify the bill’s purpose and to make clear the Department of Human Services would not be obligated for funding absent separate action. Committee fiscal analysis attached to the amendment estimated a potential cost to deploy social workers and mental‑health counselors across qualifying districts; the Department of Human Services and Department of Education testified about existing programs and capacity.
DHS representatives said the program was previously piloted about 12 years ago using TANF carryover funds and that after initial funding ended the program was not sustained statewide. DHS said it is currently engaged in multiple efforts, including a $10 million grant with the University of Arkansas to build a statewide hub and call center focused on children and family services, Family‑Centered Treatment pilots and other initiatives that serve school‑age children. DHS witnesses and the sponsor said local districts can hire staff already, but the statutory change would broaden the definition and would require funding decisions before a statewide deployment.
The amendment was adopted in committee. Because the broader bill showed a potential fiscal impact — testimony and fiscal estimates in committee cited large statewide cost figures — committee leadership said they would defer a final committee vote on the underlying bill until fiscal sources are clarified and a funding mechanism identified.
