Summary

Arkansas HB 1535 (Open States or Arkansas Legislature) amends The Free Textbook Act of 1975 to repeal a prohibition on including the equipment needed to use technology-based materials in the definition of instructional materials, among other changes.

Legislative Analysis

HB 1535 amends and repeals portions of The Free Textbook Act of 1975, which is limited to K-12 instruction. It includes the term “textbooks” in the definition of “instructional materials” and updates the language throughout to be more reflective of the changing nature of instructional materials.

The bill also repeals a section describing types of “instructional materials” that stated that technology-based materials do not include the equipment required to make use of these materials.

Finally, HB 1535 contains new language requiring entities that sell instructional materials in Arkansas not to charge more for those materials than the lowest contracted price in another state, and that such entities must charge rates uniformly to all school districts in the state.

This legislation has a positive impact on digital learning in that it gives school districts more freedom to use their instructional material funding to buy the content and devices they want and need, including electronic equipment. It also modernizes the language of The Free Textbook Act of 1975 to more accurately reflect the instructional material needs of districts and schools.

Legislative History

Detailed Vote History: Legiscan |  Open States

Approved by Governor Mike Beebe on 3/26/2013