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HB 1733

Appropriation; Public Service Commission.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Brent Anderson and 7 co-sponsors

HB 1733 would consolidate ABC programs under DESE, align eligibility, and create standardized grants and rules for early childhood services from birth to five.

Died In Conference
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Bill Summary · HB 1733

Summary — HB 1733 (95th General Assembly, 2025)

Status: Died in Conference (bill file contains multiple substituted versions and amendment activity; see Procedural Notes)

Main purpose / intent

The core Arkansas version of HB 1733 would consolidate and clarify Arkansas’s existing early-childhood grant programs administered by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Its stated goals are to combine the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Program and the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success Program to promote administrative efficiency, align eligibility criteria, and facilitate more efficient use of the roughly 23,000 preschool slots available across the two programs.

Key provisions and changes

  • Legislative findings (do not codify): recognizes preschool as essential, notes there are approximately 23,000 available ABC slots, and declares the intent to combine the two programs to promote efficiency.
  • Consolidation / eligibility alignment:
    • Rewrites §6-45-105 to (a) establish the Arkansas Better Chance Program and (within it) the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success Program, (b) direct DESE to adopt the same criteria and qualifications for participation in both programs, and (c) state that any child from birth through five years who meets at least one DESE-established qualification is eligible to participate.
  • Granting and standards:
    • DESE shall award grants or contracts to appropriate early childhood programs that meet programmatic standards.
    • Standards to be developed by DESE with advice from the Arkansas Early Childhood Commission.
    • HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) is specifically addressed: standards for HIPPY funding are to be developed with the Arkansas HIPPY Advisory Board; a regional technical assistance/training center for HIPPY is to be defined and funded as part of HIPPY program support.
  • Administration and monitoring:
    • DESE may expend up to 2% of available funds to administer and monitor the program(s).
    • DESE may contract with the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education to administer and monitor the program(s).
  • Statutory repeal:
    • §6-45-108 (the earlier statutory criteria for determining need, which contained an explicit income-based eligibility provision — e.g., children age 3–4 in families ≤200% of federal poverty guidelines and other targeting criteria) is repealed in the draft text, shifting definitional/eligibility detail to DESE rulemaking.
  • Rulemaking:
    • Programmatic standards and other implementing rules are to be adopted by the State Board of Education under the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act.

Who would be affected

  • Directly affected: children birth through five, families seeking ABC services, early childhood program providers (including HIPPY sites), DESE, and the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education.
  • Indirectly affected: local school districts (particularly those required to coordinate in certain circumstances), childcare providers, and entities that receive ABC grant funding.

Fiscal impact

  • The Arkansas Department of Education prepared a Fiscal Impact Statement dated 3/12/25 stating: No Fiscal Impact.
  • The bill includes an administrative cap (DESE may expend up to 2% of program funds for administration/monitoring).

Procedural history & status (notable actions)

  • Introduced 01/03/2025 (sponsors: Rep. Joey Carr, Rep. Tosh; Senator Caldwell listed as co-sponsor in versions).
  • Reported and amended in committee; amendments H1 and H2 were adopted during floor action.
  • The bill text in the file shows extensive amendment activity, and the bill was reported engrossed and read/passed in at least one chamber.
  • The provided metadata shows conflicting records (including language indicating the bill was used as a vehicle for an appropriations substitute for a Mississippi Public Service Commission appropriation and even a separate Illinois bill text labeled HB1733). A committee amendment in the file appears to have entirely replaced the original text with an appropriation for the Mississippi Public Service Commission (FY 2026 funding lines and performance targets are shown).
  • Final disposition in the provided data: Died In Conference (conferees were named; conference efforts did not yield an enacted Arkansas-specific ABC reform).

Notes / caveats

  • The bill file contains multiple, inconsistent inserts and substitution text from other states (Mississippi appropriation language and an Illinois estate tax bill) — this appears to be legislative document consolidation or a bill being used as a vehicle for unrelated measures. For purposes of understanding Arkansas policy intent, the summary above focuses on the Arkansas Better Chance Program amendments (DESE authority, eligibility alignment, repeal of §6-45-108).
  • Because the bill died in conference, the statutory changes described were not finally enacted into law in this legislative cycle per the provided status.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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