News from the South - Arkansas News Feed

Arkansas lawmakers send higher education bill to governor’s desk

Published

4 months ago

March 18, 2025

Staff Editor

arkansasadvocate.com – Antoinette Grajeda – 2025-03-18 00:05:00

Arkansas lawmakers send higher education bill to governor’s desk

by Antoinette Grajeda, Arkansas Advocate
March 18, 2025

Legislation that would overhaul the state’s higher education system awaits the governor’s signature following the approval of identical bills by the Arkansas Legislature on Monday.

Arkansas ACCESS, a legislative priority for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, would make changes to the state’s funding model, scholarships, course credits and the admissions process, among other things.

Rep. Brian Evans (Arkansas Secretary of State)

After Republicans Sen. Jonathan Dismang of Searcy and Rep. Matthew Shepherd of El Dorado filed Senate Bill 246 and House Bill 1512 last month, the legislation continued to be “a work-in-progress” for weeks, House Speaker Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, told the Advocate Monday.

“We had a lot of input from stakeholders, both from higher ed to the public, and feel like the end result is a very good compromise piece of legislation,” Evans said. “It looks like the support in both the House and the Senate has been very strong. There’s even been some bipartisan support on that, so we appreciated that understanding.”

Speaking from the House floor Thursday, Rep. Lincoln Barnett, D-Hughes, said even though he appreciated parts of Arkansas ACCESS, the legislation should have been run separately instead of a large 123-page bill, which allows lawmakers “to sneak in the bad along with the good.”

Rep. Lincoln Barnett, D-Forrest City (Arkansas Secretary of State)

Arkansas ACCESS reduces the size and membership of a variety of boards and councils, and Barnett said he was particularly concerned about the removal of “critical stakeholders” from a council designed to close the achievement gap.

“This bill aims to erase and ignore continued realities of existing disparities when it comes to the field of education,” Barnett said. “…I am strongly opposed to this bill for the manner in which it was run. The process has been rushed. Input from others was sought on the back end rather than on the front end, and voices of our youth, our educators and key stakeholders have been ignored or at best, half-listened to.”

Several students voiced their displeasure during last week’s Joint Education Committee meeting over a prohibition on granting excused absences to public high school and college students who participate in political protests or attempts to influence legislation or other governmental policymaking.

As someone who visited the Legislature as a teenager, Evans said he understood the importance of involving youth in the process of the General Assembly. The implications of the bills’ original language “was an unintended consequence,” he said.

“I think there were some House members that felt like that may need to have been amended in order so that we could encourage and let it be a part of a field trip, let it be a part of coming and seeing the process of how legislation moves, special events, special interest topics…it would have just been an error in not allowing that, so I think it was good to get those discussions,” Evans said.

Higher education bill receives initial approval from Arkansas lawmakers

The committee did adopt an amendment presented by the bill’s sponsors that would allow high school students to be granted an excused absence for engaging in governmental policymaking with parental consent. School districts would also be required to submit an annual report to the state education department on the absences.

The amendment left the original prohibition intact for college students, who also could be found liable for property damage that occurs during a protest. Under the legislation, students would not receive their degree or credential, or have their credits transferred to another Arkansas school until they pay for the damaged property.

Additional provisions of the legislation include a focus on “accelerated learning” that will expand high school students’ access to courses beyond the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. The legislation also has provisions aimed at supporting participation in concurrent credit courses that allow high school students to take courses for college credit.

As part of an effort to streamline participation in higher education, Arkansas ACCESS proposes creating a universal college application, a common-course numbering system among state institutions and a program that would establish provisional admission to students who meet basic standards.

Both the Arkansas House and Senate approved Arkansas ACCESS Monday without discussion.

Reporter Tess Vrbin contributed to this report.

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Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com.

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Trump administration ends protected status for Honduras, Nicaragua

Published

11 hours ago

July 7, 2025

Staff Editor

arkansasadvocate.com – Ariana Figueroa – 2025-07-07 16:25:00

by Ariana Figueroa, Arkansas Advocate
July 7, 2025

WASHINGTON — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ended temporary protections Monday for nationals from Nicaragua and Honduras, opening up roughly 76,000 people to deportations by early September.

The move is the latest effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to wind down legal statuses, such as Temporary Protected Status, amid an immigration crackdown and pledge to carry out mass deportations.

So far, the Trump administration has moved to end legal statuses, including work authorizations and deportation protections, for more than half a million immigrants.

TPS has been used since the 1990s and is granted to nationals from countries deemed too dangerous to return to due to violence, natural disasters or other unstable conditions.

Roughly 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans had temporary protections since 1999 following Hurricane Mitch, a Category 5 storm that destroyed parts of Central America and killed more than 10,000 people.

“Temporary Protected Status was never meant to last a quarter of a century,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

Noem determined that conditions in Nicaragua and Honduras had improved and TPS for the two countries is no longer needed, DHS said.

In late June, Noem traveled to Honduras, where she met with President Xiomara Castro de Zelaya regarding the repatriation of Hondurans from the U.S.

“It is clear that the Government of Honduras has taken all of the necessary steps to overcome the impacts of Hurricane Mitch, almost 27 years ago,” Noem said Monday. “Honduran citizens can safely return home, and DHS is here to help facilitate their voluntary return.”

Noem has also ended TPS for nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Nepal and Venezuela.

The post Trump administration ends protected status for Honduras, Nicaragua appeared first on arkansasadvocate.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

This content reflects a Center-Right perspective primarily through its framing of immigration policy decisions under the Trump administration and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The article emphasizes the administration’s efforts to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections, describing these moves as part of a broader immigration crackdown and mass deportation pledge. The language is largely factual but includes terms like “immigration crackdown” that can carry a critical tone. However, the piece also includes official statements justifying the policy changes, suggesting a measured presentation without strong editorializing. Overall, it leans slightly toward a conservative viewpoint aligned with stricter immigration enforcement.

News from the South - Arkansas News Feed

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July 7, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – THV11 – 2025-07-07 07:18:14

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News from the South - Arkansas News Feed

Arkansas and Oklahoma teams deploy to aid Texas floods

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1 day ago

July 6, 2025

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www.youtube.com – 40/29 News – 2025-07-06 21:22:11

SUMMARY: Response teams from Arkansas and Oklahoma are mobilizing to assist with historic floods in Central Texas. Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, specializing in cleanup and debris removal, already has members assessing damage and will deploy chainsaw-equipped crews to aid recovery once conditions improve, likely by midweek. CEO Lance Nutt warns that too many uncoordinated helpers can hinder efforts. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt deployed two swift water rescue teams with boats and equipment, emphasizing the state’s commitment to aid. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed prayers for those affected. Sheep Dog plans to finalize deployment details by midweek to support first responders and clear debris.