Senate Bill 94 Passes the House Education Committee
Thanks to the support of the Yoga Alliance® community and the diligent efforts of Sen. Uvalde Lindsey and Rep. Charlie Collins, our piece of legislation to protect the rights of yoga teacher training programs to operate in Arkansas without unnecessary intrusion, Senate Bill 94, passed the House Education Committee by a unanimous vote today!
What's next?
The bill will go before the full House for a vote on Thursday, February 5, and if successful, will move to the Governor’s desk for his signature. As long as we keep making our voices our heard, we may see SB 94 become law in just a matter of days!
As the bill moves through the House, please reach out to your local Representative to ask them for their support of this important legislation, and let them know the about the detrimental impact of the State Board of Private Career Education’s (SBPCE) over-reaching regulation. You can find more information about the SBPCE’s attempt to impose burdensome and expensive requirements on many in the yoga community in this article, or visit our Article Archive to read past updates.
We're almost there! Make sure you tell your Representative to support SB 94!
Find your Representative online, then call or send an e-mail with the following message:
Dear ___________________,
I am contacting you today to encourage your support for Senate Bill 94, which would protect the rights of yoga studios to operate in Arkansas without unnecessary intrusion and regulation by the State Board of Private Career Education.
SB 94 would prevent the State Board of Private Career Education from requiring yoga teacher training programs around the state to pay a $2,100 fee and to comply with onerous and unnecessary requirements in order to continue operation.
The Board is only supposed to license “career” schools in Arkansas, but yoga teacher training is not a “career” program. In fact, the vast majority of individuals who attend yoga teacher training do not make a living teaching yoga, but rather, attend class for recreational and avocational reasons – like personal improvement or practicing yoga in a group setting. SB 94 seeks to remedy this overreach by the Board.
Many yoga studios that offer teacher training programs are small businesses with tight budgets. The fees imposed by the Board are hefty, and will force small studios to shut their doors. SB 94 would prevent these dire consequences for Arkansas’ growing yoga community.
There is no legitimate reason for the Board’s actions. For years, yoga teacher training schools have been operating without government intervention. In that time, we are not aware of a single complaint against the state’s yoga teacher training schools. If it’s not broke, why fix it?
Please support Arkansas small business by supporting SB 94.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Help support this effort!
Yoga Alliance has been working hard advocating for the rights of the Arkansas yoga community, but we need your help so our legal team can keep the pressure on in this final stretch. Help us get the job done with a financial contribution. Any donation would be greatly appreciated, and should be made via PayPal.
Thank you for your help in protecting yoga in Arkansas. Without you, our incredible progress would not have been possible.