LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas LEARNS Act passed out of the House Committee on Education Wednesday afternoon after two days of heavy discussion.
The 144-page bill now heads for the full House, and then has to make one more pass through the Senate for an amendment that was introduced by State Rep. Keith Brooks before becoming a law.
"We are constitutionally bound to provide an adequate and equitable education to all Arkansas students," State Rep. Denise Gardner, D-Washington County, said. "This bill sets us up for future lawsuits for failure to do that."
After nearly 10 hours of discussion between legislators and the public earlier in the week, Wednesday marked a much more subdued day at the state capitol. However, legislators were still invested— asking questions up until the vote happened around 3:30 p.m.
"I believe this is a compromise bill," State Rep. Brit McKenzie, R-Benton County, said. "I think that there are things that we can take back to teachers, we can take back to students, we can take back to our parents, we can take back to our administrators; and albeit, it's not the best bill, it is the best bill for our students."
Legislators, families and school districts have been vocal about the impacts the bill will have on education in Arkansas. Brooks said he thinks the bill could be signed on March 8 at the earliest.