SB298
To Establish Salary Bases For Nursing Program Faculty.
Last Action (May 1, 2023): Sine Die adjournment
Sponsors
AI-Generated Summary
Senate Bill 298 mandates that Arkansas institutions of higher education and technical programs offering nursing degrees must set faculty base salaries at or above the national 50th percentile as recommended by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The salary benchmark is to be determined based on the specific institution type, faculty education level, and faculty rank. Additionally, the bill allows these institutions to apply for one-time funds under the American Rescue Plan Act, provided the funds are available and the institution is eligible, to cover the initial costs of bringing faculty salaries up to this mandated level.
Potential Impact Analysis
Who Might Benefit?
The primary beneficiaries are faculty members teaching in nursing programs at Arkansas higher education and technical institutions, who would receive guaranteed salary adjustments to meet national benchmarks. The nursing programs themselves may also benefit by potentially attracting and retaining higher-quality faculty through more competitive compensation packages.
Who Might Suffer?
The primary entities negatively impacted are the state-funded higher education institutions and technical programs that will face increased mandatory operating costs to meet these new salary requirements. Taxpayers and the state budget may also be affected if these institutions require additional state funding to sustain these higher salary bases beyond the initial one-time federal funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act.
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