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Legislative Briefs Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 Compiled by Arkansas News Bureau Committee endorses substitute teacher standards A bill to set minimum qualifications for substitute teachers received the recommendation Tuesday of the House Education Committee. House Bill 1032 by Rep. Shirley Walters, R-Greenwood, would require any person serving as a substitute teacher to be a high school graduate or hold an equivalent degree. Walters said many schools in the state have set higher standards for their substitute teachers, but that some schools have allowed persons who never completed high school to serve as substitutes, which she said sets a bad example for students. Under her bill, school districts could apply to the state Board of Education for a waiver if the requirement would impose an undue hardship. The bill goes to the House. Bill to protect school employees from identity theft advances A bill aimed at protecting school employees from identity theft received the endorsement Tuesday of the House Education Committee. Rep. Beverly Pyle, R-Cedarville, presented House Bill 1011, which would require the redaction of school employees' addresses and signatures from contracts published on the Internet. Pyle said she was not aware of any past incidents involving criminal use of the information, but because of the growing problem of identity theft, she believed the measure was a worthwhile step to protect school employees. The bill goes to the House. Resolution encouraging international education gets committee recommendation The House Education Committee on Tuesday endorsed and sent to the House a resolution encouraging the promotion of international education in curricular and extra-curricular life at Arkansas' colleges and universities. House Concurrent Resolution 1004 was presented by Rep. Lindsley Smith, D-Fayetteville, a University of Arkansas professor who travels with UA students to Oxford and Cambridge universities each year for a three-week study program. International education is important to prepare students to meet the challenges of a global society, Smith told the committee. The resolution encourages international education but does not require schools to take any specific action. Legislative Council bill advances A bill to give the Bureau of Legislative Research of the Arkansas Legislative Council one supervising panel made it through the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday. House Bill 1104 by Rep. Chris Thyer, D-Jonesboro, would allow the Legislative Council's executive committee to meet even when the Legislature is in session. Supporters said the authority would allow the council to be the oversight committee for legislative staff year-round. The Legislative Council is a committee that oversees state government affairs when the Legislature is not in session. As the law stands now, the council does not meet while the Legislature is in session, meaning that personnel matters with the bureau have to wait until the session is over, or be subject to decisions by lawmakers who are not on the council. Thyer's bill would allow the council's executive committee to met if the leaders of the House and Senate agree that a meeting is needed. Recall bill pulled Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle, announced he would not pursue his Senate Bill 13 for a recall election option for state elected officials. Instead, Glover said he would pursue legislation to place the issue on the 2008 general election ballot as a constitutional amendment. The state attorney general's office has advised him that a recall provision requires a constitutional amendment, Glover told the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Homeschoolers visit Capitol An estimated 3,000 home-schooled students and their parents or guardians visited the Capitol on Tuesday to get a glimpse at the workings of the state government. It was senior Shea Parazine's first trip to the Capitol. She traveled from near Bald Knob with her parents, Hal and Carla Parazine, to sit in on committee meetings and tour Arkansas' seat of government. "Since she's going to graduate this year, I wanted her to have the opportunity to see how it works," Carla Parazine said. Students came from all over the state and were sponsored by the Education Alliance, Arkansas' largest state-wide home school organization. The Parazines stopped in one committee meeting to check-in on their representative, Rep. Mark Pate, D-Bald Knob, but it was difficult to gauge his performance, Carla Parazine said. "He didn't say anything," she said. |
