# Arkansas SB246: TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ACCESS ACT; AND TO AMEND VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE AS THEY RELATE TO EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. Arkansas SB246, TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ACCESS ACT; AND TO AMEND VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE AS THEY RELATE TO EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS., is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Jonathan Dismang (Republican), Matthew J. Shepherd (Republican); status enacted, last action 2025-03-18 (Notification that SB246 is now Act 340); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB246-2025 - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas SB246 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ACCESS ACT; AND TO AMEND VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE AS THEY RELATE TO EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. - Status: enacted - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-02-17 - Last action: 2025-03-18, Notification that SB246 is now Act 340 - Sponsors: Jonathan Dismang (Republican), Matthew J. Shepherd (Republican) - Cosponsors: 25 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (105 yes, 23 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 60 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - College cost help for heroes’ dependents: benefit, high. Eligible dependents accepted at Arkansas state-supported or private nonprofit colleges receive help toward their first bachelor’s degree. Armed Forces dependents must apply for federal Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance and show acceptance or proof they cannot qualify. State help cov… - Heroes scholarship opens to eligible dependents: benefit, high. The law creates the Arkansas Heroes Scholarship for eligible dependents of covered public-safety workers, state employees, teachers, and military-related groups. Covered cases include qualifying deaths or permanent and total disabilities, certain disabled veterans, and prisoners of war. Students mu… - More scholarship help for workforce students: benefit, high. The Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship’s annual maximum rises from $800 to $3,000. Eligible students receive no more than their program costs or $3,000 per academic year, whichever is less. Awards can cover expenses included in the certificate program or course of study. - More workforce training choices and funding: benefit, high. Workforce Challenge expands to public and private vocational-technical schools approved by the higher education division. Schools must meet at least one criterion: eligible training-provider listing, veterans’ education-benefit approval, or private career education listing. Students need Arkansas r… - New scholarships for students with disabilities: benefit, high. The law creates the Governor’s Higher Education Transition Scholarship for Arkansas students with disabilities in qualifying state-supported college programs. Awards depend on available funds and cannot exceed $2,500 per qualifying semester or the college’s cost of attendance. Money can cover tuiti… - Bigger Academic Challenge awards for students: benefit, medium. Arkansas Academic Challenge awards rise from $1,000 to $2,000 per academic year for qualifying full-time four-year college recipients. Those recipients must attend an approved institution and have earned fewer than 27 semester credit hours. First-year awards also rise from $1,000 to $2,000 for full… - Children can file missed scholarship claims: benefit, medium. An eligible child can file for an otherwise available education scholarship before turning 21. This applies when the covered employee or heirs missed the filing period for an available death or disability benefit. The child must be an Armed Forces dependent or a dependent of an Arkansas hero with a… - College students gain ideological choice protections: benefit, medium. Covered personnel at state-supported colleges cannot force anyone to affirm or adopt political, religious, philosophical, or other ideological views. The law limits unequal treatment based on race, ethnicity, sex, color, or national origin, subject to federal law. Colleges cannot condition class en… - Direct college offers for Arkansas students: benefit, medium. Direct Admissions begins with the 2026–2027 high-school graduating class, offering a common application portal and outreach. Arkansas residents at participating accredited public or private high schools can receive provisional offers based on grades, assessments, and completed courses. A provisiona… - Families pay nothing for concurrent courses: benefit, medium. Students and parents or guardians cannot be charged tuition, fees, or materials for concurrent-credit courses. Students qualify when the college admits them and they meet course prerequisites; nondegree or noncertificate enrollment is no longer required. These courses must award both public high sc… - In-state scholarships for stationed military families: benefit, medium. Service members stationed in Arkansas under military orders qualify for in-state status for state-funded scholarships. Their dependents receive the same status. This classification does not itself guarantee a scholarship or set an award amount. - More advanced courses and school support: benefit, medium. Beginning in 2025–2026, every public school district and open-enrollment charter must offer at least four accelerated-learning courses. These courses must cover math, English, science, and social studies. The state can pay all or part of accelerated-learning test fees when appropriated money is ava… - Career students earn credit and certificates: benefit, low. Career courses qualify for weighted credit within approved pathways if they exceed regular standards and lead to approved certification or concurrent credit. Students receive that credit after completing the pathway and earning its matching high-value industry credential. The state career education… - Colleges cannot require personal diversity statements: benefit, low. State-supported colleges cannot require statements describing views on race, ethnicity, sex, color, or national origin. The ban covers current and prospective students, teachers, employees, contractors, officers, agents, and administrators. It applies to hiring, evaluation, admission, and promotion… - Formal hearings for private-school student disputes: benefit, low. Students at covered private resident or correspondence schools can submit written complaints without a state-prescribed form. Covered disputes involve broken school agreements or enrollment information misrepresented by admissions representatives. If informal resolution fails, request a hearing thr… - More schools qualify for Governor scholarships: benefit, low. The approved-school definition for Governor’s Scholars scholarships includes state-supported institutions and private colleges or universities. It also includes qualifying out-of-state professional programs not offered in Arkansas through the Arkansas Health Education Grant Program. Institutions mu… - More teaching options for advanced courses: benefit, low. Licensed school personnel can count up to 30 hours of accelerated-course teaching training toward professional development; no payment is provided. Accelerated and concurrent-course instructors must meet provider or authorized accreditor requirements, replacing the specified master’s-degree and 18-… - Schools can excuse student advocacy absences: benefit, low. Public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools can excuse absences for social or public policy advocacy. This includes efforts to influence legislation or government policy at the local, state, or federal level. A parent, legal guardian, or person acting in a parent’s place must… - Students gain another college test option: benefit, low. Arkansas state-supported colleges must accept the Classic Learning Test to the same extent as the ACT and SAT. Students can use it for admissions and eligibility for state-funded aid. This requirement does not cover aid programs funded by the college itself. - Broader support for students’ advanced courses: benefit, low. State grants support organizations advancing approved accelerated learning, including advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge, and concurrent-credit programs. Organizations no longer need National Math and Science Initiative ties or demonstrated Advanced Placement success to qual… - School boards need qualified audit trainers: benefit, low. School board audit-report training must be led or supervised by an Arkansas-licensed accountant experienced in school district audits. Training must come through an Arkansas college or state education department-sponsored or approved instruction; it can be in person or electronic. Legislative Audit… - Schools earn recognition for supporting military families: benefit, low. Arkansas public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools can earn Purple Star School or School District recognition. They must show a significant commitment to serving students and families connected to the U.S. Armed Forces. The state education division can adopt rules for the d… - State reviews course numbering across schools: benefit, low. Beginning in the 2026–2027 academic year, state education divisions must review Arkansas’s common course numbering system. The Division of Higher Education must work with the elementary and secondary education division to recommend additions and changes. They must begin checking alignment with elem… - College protest absences and damage penalties: cost, high. State-supported colleges cannot excuse absences for political protests, policy advocacy, or attempts to influence government decisions. Institutional standards, professional development, and rules cannot authorize walkouts for those activities. Students can still attend institution-approved curricu… - Stricter residency checks for student scholarships: cost, high. Unless another law provides an exception, state scholarship applicants must meet one of two paths for in-state status. One path requires graduation from an Arkansas school within nine months of enrollment. The other requires legal Arkansas residency, six continuous months in Arkansas, and intent to… - Students lose Concurrent Challenge scholarships: cost, high. The law ends the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship Program, including its eligibility, funding, and award rules. Students in grades 10–12 can no longer use it for endorsed concurrent-enrollment courses or certificate programs. This ends that scholarship route, not every form of concurrent-c… - Hero scholarships face family eligibility limits: cost, medium. Arkansas Heroes Scholarships are unavailable when the hero’s wound, injury, or death was self-inflicted. A child is ineligible for a semester or quarter if already 26 on its first day. A spouse loses eligibility upon remarriage. If enrolled when remarriage occurs, the spouse’s benefits continue thr… - State aid caps for college students: cost, medium. Colleges cannot award state aid above the cost of attendance where a student enrolls. Private two-year and four-year colleges also face a comparison limit. Their state aid cannot exceed the cost at a corresponding state-supported two-year or four-year college. - State student aid follows federal costs: cost, medium. Colleges must use the federal cost-of-attendance method for every student receiving state aid, even without federal aid. The calculation uses the amount the college reports to the state through the federal higher education data system. Costs excluded under the federal method stay excluded, subject… - Teacher Academy students can owe tuition: cost, medium. Colleges can charge Teacher Academy scholarship recipients any tuition and fees left after their scholarship and other aid. The law removes the former ban on charging that gap. It also removes permission to use scholarship money left after tuition and fees for academy costs. - Advanced history classes must cover America: cost, low. Social studies and history courses in grades 7–12 that can earn graduation credit must cover required U.S. history knowledge. This covers events from the colonial period to modern times. Advanced Placement courses no longer have an exception from this requirement. - Schools cannot excuse political protest absences: cost, low. Arkansas public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools cannot grant excused absences for political protest. This limits attendance options for students who miss school to take part in a protest. - Schools lose course incentive funding: cost, low. The law ends the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Diploma Incentive Program. Schools lose that program’s equipment and instructional-material grants and subsidized teacher training. The state no longer pays those exam fees through this program, removing that source of help for fam… - Summer workforce scholarship route ends: cost, low. The law ends the Workforce Challenge summer-award route that used money left after regular scholarship distributions. It removes the related summer application and award provisions. This change does not specify the dollar amount of lost support. - School ratings drop an indicator requirement: cost, low. Arkansas school ratings must include statewide-test achievement, student growth, and school-level graduation rates. The law removes the requirement to consider at least one extra indicator from a specified list, which included English-learner progress. Rating measures must show meaningful differenc… - Schools lose the traveling teacher program: cost, low. The law ends the Arkansas Traveling Teacher Program. Districts can no longer use that program to arrange traveling teacher services for receiving districts. The provision does not establish a replacement service or state a funding amount. - Colleges face diversity and funding limits: cost, low. State-supported colleges cannot collect or report diversity, equity, and inclusion information for accreditation, or follow related accreditation requirements. They also cannot follow accreditation requirements that violate this part of the law. They cannot spend state money or accept federal money… - Schools must pay full program fees: cost, low. A public high school participating in accelerated learning must pay the program provider’s service fee. Schools no longer have the option to participate on a limited basis and pay only for selected services. The provider sets the fee; this provision does not directly charge families. - Free college-credit courses with funding limits: mixed, high. Students and parents do not pay tuition, fees, or materials for concurrent-credit courses offered through public-school partnerships. Beginning in 2025–2026, schools and colleges agree on tuition for each credit hour. The rate must be 0.5% to 2.5% of the annual state per-pupil amount, capped at the… - More flexible Future Grants with limits: mixed, high. The Arkansas Future Grant replaces its five-semester limit with a limit of 75 enrolled course credit hours. Eligibility ends when a student earns an associate degree or fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress. Recipients no longer need monthly mentoring or 10 community-service hours each g… - Shorter grant residency, timed work requirement: mixed, high. Future Grant recipients must remain Arkansas residents for six months, down from three consecutive years. After earning an associate degree or certification, recipients must start Arkansas employment within six months. The higher education division can defer employment when qualifying work is unava… - Teacher Academy scholarships with study limits: mixed, high. Beginning in 2025–2026, eligible colleges must provide annual scholarships to accepted and enrolled Teacher Academy students. Awards cover tuition and fees up to state-set semester maximums, plus the actual cost of one required teaching-license exam. Graduate and community-college support generally… - Backup hero scholarship funding with limits: mixed, medium. Qualifying Heroes Scholarship awards exceeding the Higher Education Grants Fund Account appropriation use remaining net lottery proceeds. The state first reserves enough to maintain the previous year’s Academic Challenge and Workforce Challenge award levels. A recipient’s total financial aid cannot… - College faculty face annual performance reviews: mixed, medium. State-supported colleges must develop faculty review plans with campus faculty, report them by December 1, 2025, and implement them by January 1, 2026. Annual reviews cover all full-time faculty and include peer, student, and administrator assessments. Reviews can lead to remedial training, tenure… - New Academic Challenge scholarship entry paths: mixed, medium. Arkansas public high-school graduates can qualify through an ACT superscore of at least 19 or an equivalent. Another path requires a 3.0 GPA, at least one college-readiness assessment, and a diploma of merit. Applicants using that path must submit proof with their application. Revised routes also c… - New paths and limits for Governor scholarships: mixed, medium. Both Governor’s Scholars programs require legal Arkansas residency, Arkansas high-school graduation, eligibility for full-time enrollment, and intent to attend an approved Arkansas institution. The higher education division sets exemplary-achievement measures using one or more listed academic recor… - Teacher credential grants with academic limits: mixed, medium. The Teacher Opportunity Program allows awards, not just reimbursement, for qualifying added education and dual licensure. For specified added education, awards cannot exceed tuition and fees for six semester credit hours per academic year. Dual licensure must be in a different subject where the tea… - Academic Support scholarships use remaining funds: mixed, low. Academic Support Scholarships use funds left after sufficient allocations for Academic Challenge, Workforce Challenge, and ACCESS to Acceleration scholarships. ACCESS replaces Concurrent Challenge in this funding order. Available support depends on how much money remains after those allocations. - Changed scholarship calculations for college credits: mixed, low. The specified Academic Challenge award no longer must be reduced in proportion to a part-time student’s enrolled credits. The program can still choose to make that adjustment. Applicants also lose the option to exclude credits earned before high-school graduation or an approved equivalency diploma… - Military students get revised placement rules: mixed, low. For students covered by the Arkansas Military Child School Transitions Act of 2021, transfer placement rules list accelerated-learning courses. They also list academic, technical, and career-pathway courses. Honors, International Baccalaureate, and Advanced Placement courses are no longer separatel… - New rules for student aid packages: mixed, low. Colleges must apply federal aid first, unless federal law sets a different order. Next comes Arkansas Academic Challenge, then other state scholarships not separately listed. Arkansas Future Grants, Teacher Academy Scholarships, and National Guard tuition waivers follow; college-funded aid comes la… - Schools gain flexibility in advanced courses: mixed, low. Districts no longer must offer pre-Advanced Placement courses or obtain the former state approval for them. For accreditation, a district can substitute an enrolled accelerated course in the same subject when a required course has no students. It must keep a qualified teacher available, teach all o… - Students face new weighted grading rules: mixed, low. Public secondary schools use the statewide grading scale, except for accelerated-learning courses and courses approved for weighted credit. The state must approve weighted credit for courses exceeding regular standards, matching advanced-course standards, or identified as honors classes. Other hono… - Students get residency appeals and duties: mixed, low. Students must seek the correct residency status when they register. Participating state-supported colleges must provide an appeal process for residency decisions used for scholarships. Students who knowingly give false information to establish residency are subject to dismissal. - Teacher Academies gain grade-level flexibility: mixed, low. Eligible colleges retain authority to develop teacher-preparation programs for their Arkansas Teacher Academies. The law removes the rule allowing priority for students in grades 11 and 12. It also removes the rule barring exclusion of students in grades 9 and 10. Colleges gain more discretion over… - Letter grades for districts and cooperatives: mixed, low. The state education division must create a formula for assigning letter grades to public school districts and education service cooperatives. This provision does not specify the measures or scoring method. - School safety coverage and coordination change: mixed, low. The school safety subchapter now includes open-enrollment public charter schools alongside traditional public schools. The state education commissioner chooses Safe Schools Committee members, replacing the membership list previously set by law. The Arkansas Center for School Safety remains the stat… - State rules for weighted student grades: mixed, low. The State Board of Education must set grading rules for accelerated-learning courses and courses approved for weighted credit. The rules cover grade scales, the numbers used to calculate averages, and the extra weight assigned to grades. This provision does not set the final grade values or weights. - Career schools get centralized licensing oversight: mixed, low. The Division of Higher Education alone approves and licenses covered occupational schools, investigates applicants, maintains an approved-school list, and sets course, facility, financial, staffing, and business-practice standards. It administers denial and revocation hearings before the Arkansas H… - Career schools lose some licensing requirements: mixed, low. Admissions representatives at licensed private career schools no longer need the state license covered by this law. School license applications must still be signed and contain information required by the Division of Higher Education. Applications no longer must be verified or follow Division-presc… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Jonathan Dismang (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Matthew J. Shepherd (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Brandon Achor (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Wade Andrews (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Sonia Eubanks Barker (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Howard M. Beaty, Jr. (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Rick Beck (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Keith Brooks (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Frances Cavenaugh (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Cindy Crawford (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Les D. Eaves (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Jon S. Eubanks (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Brian S. Evans (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Zack Gramlich (Republican), House - Cosponsor: RJ Hawk (Republican), House - Cosponsor: John P. Carr (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Karilyn Brown (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Matt Brown (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Mindy McAlindon (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Rick McClure (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Jason Nazarenko (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Ryan A. Rose (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Stephen Meeks (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Randy Torres (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Steve Unger (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Jeff Wardlaw (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Carlton Wing (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-03-17 | House | House Vote - Monday, March 17, 2025 2:55:12 PM | pass | 77 | 17 | | | 2025-03-13 | Senate | Senate Vote - Thursday, March 13, 2025 2:30:51 PM | pass | 28 | 6 | | ## Actions (22) - 2025-03-18: Notification that SB246 is now Act 340 (Senate) - 2025-03-18: DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. (Senate) - 2025-03-18: Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor. (Senate) - 2025-03-17: ORDERED ENROLLED (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Returned from the House as passed. (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Returned to the Senate as passed. (House) - 2025-03-17: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-03-13: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and placed on the CALENDAR. (House) - 2025-03-13: RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE (House) - 2025-03-13: Ordered immediately transmitted to the House. (Senate) - 2025-03-13: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-03-12: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Amendment # 2 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment. (Senate) - 2025-03-10: Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 2 (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Re-referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-06: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed. (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Withdrawn from Committee and placed on 2nd reading for purpose of amendment # 1 (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Rules suspended. (Senate) - 2025-02-17: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE (Senate) - 2025-02-17: Filed (Senate) ## Bill text - SB246 - Introduced, 2025-02-17: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB246.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=340.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 - [SB246 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FSB246.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=340.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-SB246-2025 (as of 2026-10-16).