AR HB1591

Increases Professional Licensure Standards Board membership from 16 to 20 members, adding representation for educators employed under licensure waivers and rural school administrators recommended by the Arkansas Rural Education Association

Expands the definition of "educator" to include individuals employed under waivers from licensure as teachers of record or administrators, subjecting them to the same ethics code, procedures, and enforcement mechanisms as licensed educators

Modifies board duties to develop an annual reporting and review system for educator preparation program quality instead of conducting audits, including data on graduate employment outcomes, survey results, and student learning outcomes

Increases maximum monetary fees and fines for licensing violations from $100 to $500 per fee or fine, with revenue directed to Professional Licensure Standards Board operations

Establishes an ethics subcommittee with equal representation of teachers and administrators, and requires school hiring officers to check a state website for ethics complaints involving sexual abuse before hiring applicants