# Arkansas HB1945: TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS OPPORTUNITY PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE ACT; TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE ACT OF 2015; AND TO ALLOW A STUDENT TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER PUBLIC SCHOOL WITHIN HIS OR HER RESIDENT DISTRICT. Arkansas HB1945, TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS OPPORTUNITY PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE ACT; TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE ACT OF 2015; AND TO ALLOW A STUDENT TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER PUBLIC SCHOOL WITHIN HIS OR HER RESIDENT DISTRICT., is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Breanne Davis (Republican), Austin McCollum (Republican); status enacted, last action 2025-04-21 (Notification that HB1945 is now Act 913); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1945-2025 - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas HB1945 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS OPPORTUNITY PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE ACT; TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE ACT OF 2015; AND TO ALLOW A STUDENT TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER PUBLIC SCHOOL WITHIN HIS OR HER RESIDENT DISTRICT. - Status: enacted - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-03-31 - Last action: 2025-04-21, Notification that HB1945 is now Act 913 - Sponsors: Breanne Davis (Republican), Austin McCollum (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (90 yes, 33 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 9 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Clearer transfer rules and student protections: benefit, medium. Each Arkansas district must join school choice and post transfer policies, subject to enforceable court orders addressing past racial segregation. Superintendents must tell local and neighboring families about deadlines, requirements, and how to apply. Admissions cannot consider grades, sports abil… - More public school options for families: benefit, medium. Arkansas students can seek another district or another public school in their home district. They qualify through a Level 5 district, an F-rated school, or a best-interest decision by a parent or guardian. Students age 18 or older can make that decision themselves. Qualifying tuition agreements rem… - More school choices for military families: benefit, medium. Military dependents eligible under Arkansas Code § 6-18-1909(a) can apply to another school inside or outside their home district. Applications must include the qualifying adult's identification card and official orders, assignment notice, or mobilization notice. The process requires state educatio… - Transfer families face attendance and travel duties: cost, low. Students using opportunity school choice must attend throughout the year and follow the receiving school's conduct rules. Parents or guardians must meet the school's family-involvement requirements. Failure to comply ends the choice benefit unless excused for illness or other good cause. Families a… - Sibling transfer priority with space limits: mixed, medium. Districts must set capacity for every school and grade. A nonresident school can lack capacity at the legal student-to-teacher limit or when its grade-level seats are at least 95% filled on the application date. Capacity claims must follow state and federal law. Applicants get priority when a sibli… - Students keep credits but reset transfers: mixed, medium. Receiving schools must accept graduation credits awarded by another district and issue a diploma once their graduation requirements are met. Prior school-choice transfers remain valid, and students generally can stay through high school. Students can return during the year to their home district or… - Transfer deadlines and appeals for families: mixed, medium. Requests generally run from January 1 through May 1 for the next school year, with exceptions for qualifying military families. Districts accept state-approved forms by mail, email, or hand delivery; within-district applications are reviewed in arrival order. Within-district applicants receive writ… - Transfer students gain activity access protections: mixed, medium. Students cannot lose extracurricular access or face discipline solely because they transfer under the Public School Choice Act of 2015. Students enrolled by July 1 before entering grades 7–12 must file the Changing Schools/Athletic Participation form. It goes to the receiving district and Arkansas… - School aid counts students where enrolled: mixed, low. For state aid, a transfer student counts toward the receiving district's average daily enrollment. This applies only to transfers to a nonresident district under the Public School Choice Act of 2015. The law sets no specific aid amount or direct payment to families. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Breanne Davis (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Austin McCollum (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Jim Dotson (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-16 | Senate | Senate Vote - Wednesday, April 16, 2025 10:39:16 AM | pass | 31 | 3 | 1 | | 2025-04-09 | House | House Vote - Wednesday, April 9, 2025 3:34:06 PM | pass | 59 | 30 | 3 | ## Actions (16) - 2025-04-21: Notification that HB1945 is now Act 913 (House) - 2025-04-16: Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office. (House) - 2025-04-16: TO BE ENROLLED (House) - 2025-04-16: Returned from the Senate as passed. (House) - 2025-04-16: Returned to the House as passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-16: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-04-15: Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Received from the House. (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-04-08: Returned by the Committee Do Pass (House) - 2025-04-07: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (House) - 2025-04-07: Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. (House) - 2025-04-07: Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment. (House) - 2025-03-31: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on EDUCATION COMMITTEE- HOUSE (House) - 2025-03-31: Filed (House) ## Bill text - HB1945 - Introduced, 2025-03-31: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1945.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=913.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related bills - HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. (enacted) - HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS. (failed) - HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO SET PENALTIES FOR A VIOLATION OF THE PROHIBITION OF SOLICITATION OF INJURED INDIV… (failed) - SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE USE OF ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS; AND TO REGULATE ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS FACILITIES. (failed) - HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO ALLOW A MUNICIPALITY TO PETITION TO SET ASIDE THE SALE OF PROPERTY TO CERTAIN P… (failed) - HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO REQUIRE THAT A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BE SELECTED A… (failed) ## Sources - [HB1945 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1945.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=913.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related - [HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1265-2025) - [HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1686-2025) - [HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1237-2025) - [SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE US…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB440-2025) - [HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1695-2025) - [HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HR1012-2025) - [Arkansas bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas/bills) - [Arkansas state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1945-2025 (as of 2026-10-16).