[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6066756,"mediaKeyId","3155758-e5bffab7e3bdf689ff03efb28ae0de25","parentId",3155758,"title","House committee adopts amendments to Senate Bill 625 tightening rules for Education Freedom Accounts","audioSeconds",2001,"startMs",3021000,"endMs",5022000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3155758-e5bffab7e3bdf689ff03efb28ae0de25&start=3021&end=5022","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3155758-e5bffab7e3bdf689ff03efb28ae0de25/thumbnail_3021000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6066756/Arkansas/House-committee-adopts-amendments-to-Senate-Bill-625-tightening-rules-for-Education-Freedom-Accounts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066756-362cb8d7631242b91a5e039f6787c165/orig.mp4?Expires=1770968023&Signature=V1gpK-KtDZD6WIYsWtE7~SAOtk1yClBrt-O32iU8sWnm1V4qe7n0wqlsvASkS110gsotIEmEoBi9CcozGFJEV5FI4UICPJ6vNHA5wOgE-SA2HsnELnmulwJ5YMWCqQuBF5MM4499DXP-5WZfgnpZQVC7OI7LawuHq2ftVefbP1pCqKxiCx9OnEG5Gg37Usn2giKOASpZvwoHUMWnWygT-oZ4UgV5PBZgOgEbx1It2iIFUr7l-CpeKRr1Pm6vrQE8ZkLAPaLINgkIgPWrutoQRwWB5P16qmIlr5yPyZJjvngXx7mjVLOZ8Jjjc9lkRkAEz~GpAN3ZMKAPNaJRn0C9vQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Arkansas State Legislature","date","2025-04-14T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Keith Brooks, sponsor of Senate Bill 625, told the House Education Committee that the amendment package adopted on the floor clarifies and codifies procedures for Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs), preserves existing funding levels for families and adds guardrails for certain categories of spending.

The measure, presented in committee on the motion to adopt by Representative Brooks and debated over questions from members and public commenters, preserves current per-student funding while adding definitions for allowable courses, expanding the initial application window from Feb. 1–March 31 to Feb. 1–June 1, and creating an appeal process to the State Board when a participating student’s account is closed after an expulsion or similar event.

The bill’s sponsor said the amendment package also clarified that evidence of misuse must be intentional to trigger sanctioning procedures and added explicit language allowing certain nontraditional providers, such as therapeutic programs (Brooks cited “hippotherapy” as an example), to be eligible where appropriate. Brooks described limits on two spending categories that drew sustained committee attention: transportation reimbursements and extracurricular/co‑curricular activities. Under the amended language, the committee was told, districts and families may use up to 25% of the EFA amount per year for transportation reimbursements (Brooks gave a working figure of $1,713 for the coming year as the 25% example) and up to 25% for extracurricular activities.

Committee members asked for detail on how misuse or fraud would be detected and investigated. Courtney Salas Ford of the Department of Education told the panel that the department reviews purchases and works with the vendor that operates the online portal, Class Wallet, to flag purchases for review; she said staff and vendor safeguards are used to detect potentially unusual transactions and investigate whether issues are accidental errors or intentional misuse.

Members also pressed for clarity on definitions for “courses” and whether online offerings would be eligible for EFA funds. The department’s assistant commissioner for school choice (referenced in testimony) said the bill codifies existing department practice and that most online courses already approved under the program remain eligible; parents who have questions about specific vendors or courses are advised to contact department staff or the vendor’s customer service.

Several public commenters addressed the committee during the public-comment period. Homeschool parents who testified said they value the EFA program and expressed concern about both the public rhetoric on misuse and the practical effects of changes made in the middle of a school year. Representative Brooks said the amendments were intended to support long-term sustainability for the program and to clarify existing practices rather than reduce parental choice.

After public comment and brief rebuttals from members, Representative Brooks moved to pass SB 625 as amended; the motion carried on a voice vote. The committee’s passage sends the amended bill forward for further consideration.

Ending: The committee’s action keeps the EFA funding structure in place while adding administrative definitions, a narrow appeal path for account closures and categorical caps that proponents say provide fiscal guardrails. The vote clears the measure from the House Education Committee; subsequent action will determine whether the measure becomes law and how the Department of Education implements the newly codified procedures.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Education Committee - Apr 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Keith Brooks, sponsor of Senate Bill 625, told the House Education Committee that the amendment package adopted on the floor clarifies and codifies procedures for Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs), preserves existing funding levels for families and adds guardrails for certain categories of spending.","taxTitle","EDUCATION COMMITTEE- HOUSE, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas","taxId",20617,"location","Arkansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":46,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6066751,"Votes at a glance: House Education committee concurrences and passage of school‑choice measure",4602,420000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3155758-e5bffab7e3bdf689ff03efb28ae0de25&start=420&end=5022","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3155758-e5bffab7e3bdf689ff03efb28ae0de25/thumbnail_420000.jpg","/articles/6066751/Arkansas/Votes-at-a-glance-House-Education-committee-concurrences-and-passage-of-schoolchoice-measure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066751-bb79d2db56bb9e73b37253f4ecb9a17c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770968023&Signature=LIrproygi~HNjn7V-m-oePLT9P-KNiOzYVvc2~GaU2raU1MJw3fvLfI0F8d1HH2M6kPEF0sw4FTcwWblQfw--ji8bqTiKowa8B89CBkphAuMgjo73vNxAntL~UOV-TnwnEU1RfEcGcjnVbohrteAWdoUMmAufPcG8DO0DsKLuK09GxE6QgJ71CasZXuaAnPpaiDJxRUXgxdETuQwihhvSpMJ7apJiYPbk8S0-C4WOde1ieb-2Q0wxXjnwIQa303PZ5rm4tXHEEg4OLNfI843sKartiIZQSSdu5VTtKAOSs9NrXpaiZ37HvQPFoaCkC4D7pdXPuOUMEJJFC3j~z-AvQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Education Committee recorded a series of procedural concurrences and one substantive committee passage during the meeting.

Concurrences: Committee members voted by voice to concur in Senate amendments to four House bills. The transcript records the following concurrences with no roll-call tallies recorded:
- House Bill 18‑10 — committee concurred in the senate amendment requiring board members to be subject to Senate confirmation (motion to concur adopted by voice vote). Representative Joey Carr presented the bill for the record.
- House Bill 18‑12 — committee concurred in two senate amendments: one removing a company‑specific “ready test” reference (amendment 1) and one changing graduation-rate reporting to include a five‑year graduation rate (amendment 2); committee adopted and concurred by voice votes.
- House Bill 14‑84 — committee concurred in senate language that increased allowable credits and included committee- and senate-requested clarifying amendments (adopted by voice vote).
- House Bill 16‑42 — committee concurred in amendment substituting a five‑year graduation rate consistent with the modifications made for HB 18‑12 (adopted by voice vote).

Passage: Senate Bill 625 — after presentation and amendments from Representative Keith Brooks and questions from committee members, the committee adopted the sponsor’s amendment package and then voted to pass SB 625 as amended on a voice vote. The committee chair announced the bill as passed out of committee.

Notes: In all instances above the transcript shows voice votes (“All in favor, say aye”) and no roll‑call tallies or individual recorded votes were provided. Where additional information on bill text or amendment language was not read aloud, the transcript records those items as “not specified” in committee remarks.

Ending: The committee’s actions cleared the listed measures or amendments from House Education and advanced SB 625 as amended for later legislative steps.","The committee concurred in Senate amendments on four House bills and passed Senate Bill 625 as amended; most actions were taken by voice vote with no roll-call tallies recorded in the transcript.","actionData","errors"]

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House committee adopts amendments to Senate Bill 625 tightening rules for Education Freedom Accounts

Votes at a glance: House Education committee concurrences and passage of school‑choice measure