Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas
2 94th General Assembly A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2023 SENATE BILL 550
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5 By: Senator Irvin
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7 For An Act To Be Entitled
8 AN ACT TO CREATE THE K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION
9 FUNDING LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE; AND FOR OTHER
10 PURPOSES.
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13 Subtitle
14 TO CREATE THE K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOL
15 EDUCATION FUNDING LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE.
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18 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
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20 SECTION 1. TEMPORARY LANGUAGE. DO NOT CODIFY. K-12 Public School
21 Education Funding Legislative Task Force – Creation – Membership – Duties.
22 (a) There is created the K-12 Public School Education Funding
23 Legislative Task Force.
24 (b)(1) The task force shall consist of the following members of the
25 General Assembly:
26 (A) The President Pro Tempore of the Senate or his or her
27 designee who is a member of the Senate;
28 (B) Five (5) members of the Senate appointed by the
29 President Pro Tempore of the Senate;
30 (C) The Senate Majority Leader or his or her designee who
31 is a member of the Senate;
32 (D) The Senate Minority Leader or his or her designee who
33 is a member of the Senate;
34 (E) The Speaker of the House of Representatives or his or
35 her designee who is a member of the House of Representatives;
36 (F) Five (5) members of the House of Representatives
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1 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
2 (G) The House Majority Leader or his or her designee who
3 is a member of the House of Representatives; and
4 (H) The House Minority Leader or his or her designee who
5 is a member of the House of Representatives.
6 (2) If a vacancy occurs on the task force, the vacancy shall be
7 filled by the same process as the original appointment.
8 (3) The members of the task force shall be paid per diem and
9 mileage as authorized by law for attendance at meetings of interim committees
10 of the General Assembly.
11 (c)(1) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall call the
12 first meeting of the task force within thirty (30) days of sine die
13 adjournment of the 2023 Regular Session.
14 (2) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate
15 a member of the task force to serve as chair of the first meeting of the task
16 force.
17 (3) At the first meeting of the task force, the members of the
18 task force shall elect from its membership a chair or co-chairs and other
19 officers as needed for the transaction of its business.
20 (4)(A) The task force shall conduct its meetings in Pulaski
21 County at the State Capitol or another site with teleconferencing
22 capabilities.
23 (B) Meetings of the task force shall be held at least one
24 (1) time every two (2) months but may occur more often at the call of the
25 chair of the task force.
26 (5) The task force shall establish rules and procedures for
27 conducting its business.
28 (6)(A) A majority of the members of the task force shall
29 constitute a quorum for transacting business of the task force.
30 (B) An affirmative vote of a majority of a quorum present
31 shall be required for the passage of a motion or other task force action.
32 (7) The Bureau of Legislative Research shall provide staff for
33 the task force.
34 (d)(1) The purposes of the task force are to:
35 (A) Examine and identify areas of potential reform within
36 the education funding laws of the State of Arkansas by:
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1 (i) Considering the effects of changing education
2 funding from a prior-year average daily membership funding model to a
3 current-year average daily membership funding model;
4 (ii) Studying methodologies for addressing small
5 school inequities caused by per-pupil funding for a model five-hundred-
6 student school district; and
7 (iii) Determining the best methods for funding
8 education based on research of best practices and current spending practices
9 that lead to high levels of student performance; and
10 (B) Recommend legislation to the General Assembly for
11 consideration during the 2025 regular session to address the issues described
12 in subdivision (d)(1)(A) of this section.
13 (2) If the task force determines it is necessary, it may
14 contract with one (1) or more outside consultants to assist the task force
15 with its study.
16 (3)(A) On or before December 1, 2023, the task force shall file
17 with the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
18 President Pro Tempore of the Senate a written preliminary report of the task
19 force’s activities, findings, and recommendations.
20 (B) The task force shall file with the Governor, the
21 Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the
22 Senate a final written report on or before September 1, 2024.
23 (e) The task force shall expire on December 31, 2024.
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