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HB 1990

Suffrage; restore to Derrick Dujmov of Harrison County.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Daryl Porter

The bill would direct a study to evaluate liberal-arts bachelor’s programs at state colleges, including course relevance, costs, enrollment, and job outcomes, for accountability.

Died In Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 1990

Summary — HB 1990

Bill number: HB 1990
Primary sponsor: Rep. McAlindon (cosponsors: R. Burkes, Lundstrum)
Introduced: January 22, 2025
Subject (per bill text): Higher education (study of liberal‑arts baccalaureate degrees)
Status: Did not become law / withdrawn and recommended for interim study (see Procedural notes)

Note on source documents: the materials provided include inconsistent fragments. One fragment titled “Suffrage; restore to Derrick Dujmov” does not match the bill text. The substantive text and fiscal note supplied concern an Arkansas bill that would direct a study of liberal‑arts baccalaureate programs. There is an additional unrelated Illinois fragment (an appropriation of $2) bearing the same bill number; that appears to be from a different jurisdiction and is not part of the Arkansas measure summarized below.

Purpose and intent

The bill directs the General Assembly, working with the Division of Higher Education, to study baccalaureate degrees in liberal arts at state‑supported institutions. The stated aims are to assess whether courses required in liberal‑arts degrees are applicable and necessary, to evaluate the best use of public funds in those degree programs, to count students taking the courses, and to evaluate the impact of these degrees on job placement and earnings.

The bill also expresses legislative intent to ensure public funds are used efficiently and to reinforce the principles of the Arkansas ACCESS Act by promoting fiscal responsibility and accountability in higher education funding.

Key provisions

  • Require the Division of Higher Education (in consultation with the legislature) to conduct a study of baccalaureate liberal‑arts programs at state‑supported institutions that gathers:
    • Information on the applicability and necessity of courses required in those degrees;
    • Data on how courses relate to degree objectives and the Arkansas ACCESS Act goals;
    • The number of students enrolled in the courses;
    • Information on job placement and earnings outcomes for graduates of these programs.
  • The bill is written as a study/oversight measure; it does not itself change degree requirements, appropriate programmatic funds, or mandate program eliminations.

Fiscal impact

  • Arkansas Department of Education fiscal statement: estimated revenue impact $0. The statement indicates the bill only establishes a review and would not directly require additional investment or produce direct savings.

Who would be affected

  • State‑supported colleges and universities in Arkansas (their liberal‑arts baccalaureate programs and the students enrolled in those courses);
  • The Division of Higher Education (responsible for coordinating the study and providing data);
  • Policymakers and the legislature, which could use the study findings to inform future policy or budget decisions.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Introduced January 22, 2025. An amendment focusing the bill on studying liberal‑arts baccalaureate degrees was adopted (documented April 15, 2025).
  • A fiscal impact statement dated April 7, 2025 (Arkansas Department of Education) indicates no direct fiscal effect.
  • Records show the bill received committee consideration, was at times reported favorably, and subsequently the author withdrew the bill (April 16, 2025). Committees recommended the topic for interim study.
  • The bill did not become law.

If you want, I can:
- Extract and list the specific data elements the study would need to collect (for a legislative report template), or
- Draft a short bill amendment that would require a reporting timeline and deliverables (e.g., data fields, due date for the study report).

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

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