House panel advances bill requiring military access to Arkansas schools for recruitment

The House Education Committee on an unspecified date voted to advance House Bill 16‑89, a proposal to require public K‑12 schools and institutions of higher education to provide access to the Arkansas National Guard and other branches of the military for recruiting purposes.

Representative Matthew Shepherd (R‑District 9), the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure builds on prior legislation and seeks to ensure military recruiters have routine access to schools. "You can see in the bill that it provides access to the National Guard and the other branches of the military, and makes certain that we are very clear about we want our schools to provide that access, for purposes of recruitment," Shepherd said.

The measure carried a fiscal note of zero, committee staff said before Shepherd began his presentation.

Brigadier General Michael Henderson of the Arkansas National Guard described the bill as "critically important," saying the Guard provides domestic response capabilities for the state and that recruitment is necessary to sustain those units. "Most importantly is they develop the discipline, skills, leadership and teamwork, to be good citizens and employees," Henderson said.

Committee members asked several operational questions during discussion. Representative Gonzales Worthen asked why the bill references grades 10 through 12 rather than 9 through 12; Shepherd said the language was developed with the governor's office and the Guard and acknowledged it was not a scientific choice but intended to focus on high schools. Henderson added that some students can take the ASVAB and enlist as high school juniors, making grades 11–12 and parts of 10 an important recruiting window.

Shepherd and Henderson said access under the bill would be coordinated with school administrators and would mirror how districts already provide access to college and career recruiters. "We would still coordinate with the administrators for access and, if we're talking about administering the ASVAB, as an example, we would certainly work with them on their calendar at a time which would be least disruptive to the curriculum," Henderson said.

There were no public witnesses signed to testify for or against HB 16‑89, and Representative Shepherd closed in support of the bill. The committee chair announced the motion to "do pass," and the committee declared the bill passed in committee; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally.

Next steps were not recorded in the transcript provided.