After voting down the bill during a Wednesday night session, House lawmakers resuscitated and passed a bill Thursday morning that singles out educators as the only public sector employees barred by law from having their dues deducted by paycheck.
Carol Fleming, president of the Arkansas Education Association, told House Education Committee members the confusion and hassle created by this bill could decimate her membership numbers. We suspect that's the whole point.
The state will step up with $35 million to help offset premium increases for teachers, but the public school employee insurance fund is still in the red.
Teachers will pay between $28 and $135 more per month for health insurance under one proposal on the table. Some educators want to tap state general funds and the enormous state surplus instead.
Sen. Joyce Elliott was the second Black graduate of her newly integrated high school. If elected, she’ll be the first Black lawmaker Arkansas sends to Congress.