---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH A NEW ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS; AND TO REMOVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS FROM SCHOOL RATINGS FOR CERTAIN SCHOOL YEARS."
description: "TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH A NEW ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS; AND TO REMOVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS FROM SCHOOL RATINGS FOR CERTAIN SCHOOL YEARS."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 1598"
citation: "Arkansas HB 1598 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Brooks", "J. English"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 16
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-02-26T16:29:06+00:00"
last_action: "2025-04-08T16:44:08+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/21e69a42-9f7e-471f-b7a4-c4e2cbfc9375"
source_url: "https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument/?path=%2fSessionInformation%2LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "c85d1a212d8fbe922305470e02e7fa7ebe71200b5c832f42c2a8e0f71a14b88c"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ar"]
---

# Arkansas HB 1598 (2025) — TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH A NEW ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS; AND TO REMOVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS FROM SCHOOL RATINGS FOR CERTAIN SCHOOL YEARS.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Act 474** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=474.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1598-H1.pdf)
3. **HB 1598** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2025/2025R/Bills/HB1598.pdf)

## Sponsors

- Brooks — primary (person)
- J. English — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-02-26T16:29:06+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2025-02-26T23:33:41+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on EDUCATION COMMITTEE- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-13T18:43:52+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-17T13:45:26+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2025-03-17T13:45:29+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2025-03-17T17:59:57+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2025-03-18T19:48:39+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-18T22:07:39+00:00** Received from the House.
- **2025-03-18T22:07:47+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-31T18:48:18+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-01T21:49:38+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-01T21:49:44+00:00** Returned to the House as passed.
- **2025-04-01T22:50:34+00:00** Returned from the Senate as passed.
- **2025-04-01T22:50:36+00:00** TO BE ENROLLED
- **2025-04-02T15:32:15+00:00** Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office.
- **2025-04-08T16:44:08+00:00** Notification that HB1598 is now Act 474 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/21e69a42-9f7e-471f-b7a4-c4e2cbfc9375`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).