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 Senate Education Committee by a unanimous vote yesterday, and passed the full Senate Chamber, 34-0, today!
Next step? The bill will go to the House Education Committee for consideration, and will then hit the full House floor for a vote. The committee is tentatively scheduled to meet on Tuesday February 3, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 138 of the State Capitol; however, the date and timing for consideration of the Bill may change, so be on the lookout for any alerts we may send to stay current on exactly when the bill will go before the committee.
You reached out, and your Senators listened; now is the time to make your voices heard in the House!
As the bill moves through the chamber, we request that you reach out to your local Representative to ask them to support 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.
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 sent via PayPal.
Thank you for your help in protecting yoga in Arkansas. Without you, our incredible progress would not have been possible.