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Education committee advances dozens of budget items but defeats youth grants and veterinary hospital measures
Summary
At its April 1 meeting, the Senate Education Committee approved multiple appropriation and policy items but rejected Senate Bill 362 (youth organization grants) after debate about eligibility language and a House roll-call, and the committee’s division vote on a $5 million veterinary teaching hospital appropriation also failed in the Senate.
The Senate Education Committee met April 1 and advanced a long list of appropriation and administrative items but declined two high-profile measures after division votes.
Senate Bill 362, billed as youth-organization grants and sponsored in the Senate by Senator Hammer, prompted sharp objections that the bill’s eligibility language could effectively steer funds to particular organizations. Representative Collins said she would vote no, arguing “targeting an organization, with these funds…is not the way we should go,” and asked for a division roll-call by chamber. Senator Hammer defended the bill as establishing grant parameters drawn from the LEARNS Act and said organizations only need to comply with existing law to access funds: “Just comply with the existing law…we have taken language that is out of the LEARNS Act,” he said.
After a House roll-call on the do-pass-as-amended motion, the chair announced, “Bill failed,” ending SB362’s immediate prospects in the committee.
The committee also considered and then rejected, by division in the Senate, an appropriation-only request for House Bill 1635 to provide $5 million toward construction of a veterinary teaching hospital at the Little Rock Zoo. Sponsor testimony described a public–private partnership and said the project would support new veterinary programs at Arkansas State University and Lyon College and expected total costs of $8–10 million. Critics questioned whether the expected animal caseload would justify the expense and whether the state would receive sufficient ongoing benefit; after a division roll-call the motion did not pass.
Beyond those high-profile items, the committee adopted both the personnel and special-language subcommittee reports and voted to advance many bills by voice, including Senate Bill 88 (Division of Higher Education), SB37 and SB39 (Commerce-related measures), SB359 (Out-of-School Time Program Grants), SB332 (an Education Department appropriation to evaluate and potentially expand locally successful programs), SB93, SB128, SB130, SB25, and numerous House bills across agencies. Amendments were adopted where noted (for example, Amendment 1 to SB92 creating positions for an office to house a captive insurance program was adopted). Several items were explicitly noted as appropriation-only.
On cemetery aid, Representative Crawford presented House Bill 1577, requesting grants for perpetual-care cemeteries facing infrastructure and maintenance shortfalls; the sponsor said there are 104 perpetual-care cemeteries statewide but did not provide a statewide count of how many are in fiscal distress, noting some local examples of need. Members asked to return that item on Tuesday to gather additional information.
The committee concluded with reminders about next week’s schedule and adjourned until 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Votes at a glance: - SB362 (Youth Organization Grants) — motion to do pass as amended: FAILED after House division roll-call. - HB1635 (Veterinary teaching hospital — $5 million appropriation authority): motion to do pass — DID NOT PASS (Senate division roll-call). - SB88, SB37, SB39, SB359, SB332, SB93, SB128, SB130, SB25 and multiple House bills — motions to do pass or do pass as amended: APPROVED (voice votes where recorded).
What’s next: Items that drew questions (notably the cemetery aid bill HB1577) were set for follow-up and presenters were asked to provide additional details before Tuesday’s meeting.
