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Arkansas Lawmakers Counting Votes On Teacher Insurance

Arkansas legislative leaders are counting votes to see if there's enough support for a package of bills that could be considered in a special session aimed at preventing teacher insurance rate hikes that are expected to hit thousands of teachers next year.

The chairmen of the House and Senate Education committees said Monday they hope to let Gov. Mike Beebe know by Tuesday whether there's enough support to pass the measures.

Beebe has said he won't call a special session unless there's consensus on the proposals.

The bills call for using $43 million from the state surplus this year and diverting state money in subsequent years to lower the premium increases to 10 percent. It also includes long-term changes to the teacher insurance program.