News

More than 550 bills have made it to the Governor’s desk during this legislative session.  We now begin the 11th week of the Regular Session.The House passed more than 50 bills today including the following: HB1634-This bill includes acts committed by a victim of human trafficking under the state’s rape shield law. Arkansas’s rape shield […]

The House is now in the final weeks of the 2019 Regular Session. In recent days, the House has passed legislation increasing education funding, legislation increasing sales tax exemptions on used cars, and legislation creating a first of its kind response team to child abductions. With a vote of 91-0, the House passed HB1685. This […]

In a vote of 87-0, the House passed HB1674. This bill creates a statewide child abduction response team.  It states that the following agencies shall collaborate in an effort to rescue abducted or endangered children:•Arkansas Attorney General•Department of Arkansas State Police•Criminal Justice Institute•Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission•Arkansas Sheriffs’ Association•Arkansas Department of Emergency Management•Arkansas Association […]

With a vote of 91-0, the House passed HB1685. This bill increases the foundation funding for K-12 education from the current $6,713 per student to $6,899 per student for the 2019-2020 school year.  The bill increases funding to $7,018 per student in the following school year. The House passed HB1684. This bill ensures students receive […]

On Monday, House members began the 10th week of the Regular Session.With a vote of 87-0 and 4 members voting present, the House passed HB1754. This bill seeks to address the recent overdose-related deaths inside state prisons. In 2018, 22 inmates died in the Department of Correction as the result of illicit drugs.HB1754 states the […]

This week, the House passed legislation which will drastically change the way our communities respond to emergencies, the way we regulate our businesses and the way our government is structured.One of the many bills passed on the House floor in the 9th week of the session was The Arkansas Public Safety Act (HB1564).This bill transforms […]

With a vote of 82-0 and 10 members voting present, the House passed the Transformation and Efficiencies Act of 2019. This bill reduces the number of cabinet-level agencies by nearly 65 percent, from 42 to 15. A cabinet-level secretary will serve as the executive head of each department.  The House passed HB1564. This bill develops […]

The House State Agencies Committee advanced SB445. This bill states that the date of the primary election will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March for years in which the office of President of the United States will appear on the ballot at the general election. The primary would continue […]

The House Judiciary Committee advanced SB197. This bill clarifies that a law enforcement officer may carry open or concealed handgun both while on and off duty.The committee also advanced HB1625 which makes encouraging suicide a Class D felony.The House Education Committee advanced SB407. This bill gives the Department of Higher Education more flexibility when awarding […]

On Monday, the House passed HB1523. This bill states a correctional or detention facility shall not place an inmate who is in labor in restraints unless the facility makes a determination that the inmate presents a substantial flight risk. The House passed HB1689. This bill increases the penalties for passing an authorized vehicle stopped on […]

Arkansas ranks forty-fourth in the nation when it comes to maternal mortality rates.  Maternal mortality is defined as the death of a woman who is pregnant or dies within 42 days after the end of the pregnancy. Arkansas currently has 35 maternal deaths per one hundred thousand 100,000 live births, compared with the national average […]

The House Education Committee advanced HB1409.  This bill provides 40 minutes of recess for elementary school students. Currently, most students are allowed 20 minutes.The committee also advanced HB1647. This bill amends the eligibility requirements for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship to include the applicant’s superscore on the ACT.  “Superscore” means the final composite score that […]