News

On Monday, the 93rd General Assembly will convene at the State Capitol to address the budget for Fiscal Year 2023. Fiscal Sessions began after Arkansas voters approved what would become Amendment 86 in 2008. This will be the 7th Fiscal Session held in state history. Governor Asa Hutchinson is expected to address the General Assembly […]

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Arkansans.In 2020, there were 8,621 deaths due to heart disease in our state. Arkansas ranked 4th among all states for the highest heart disease mortality in 2020.In most cases, heart disease is preventable. February is American Heart Month, a time when we can all focus on […]

From July 2020 to July 2021, there were 1,619 reports of newborns born in Arkansas with an illegal substance present in their system. This is a 20% increase from the year before. The House and Senate Committees for Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs reviewed the number of Garrett’s law reports early this […]

Members continued to review agency budget proposals in preparation for the 2022 Fiscal Session.This week, the hearings focused on requests for public safety and for the Department of Human Services. The Governor is requesting a $7.4 million increase in the budget for Arkansas State Police. If approved, this money would be used to help raise […]

The State Capitol Offices and all State Buildings will be closed on Monday, January 17, 2022, for the observed birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A legal holiday by authority of Act 304 of 2001 and amended by Act 561 of 2017. Official State Holiday Bulletin

Pre-fiscal budget hearings began this week with the Governor outlining his balanced budget proposal calling for a 3.3% increase in spending. Members will be reviewing the proposal while we continue to hear requests from state agencies and commissions in the days ahead. As we prepare for the 2022 Fiscal Session, we want to remind you […]

January is known as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. It is a time for us to educate ourselves about human trafficking and learn to spot the signs of trafficking. Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons or modern-day slavery, is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services or […]

The Arkansas General Assembly will convene for the 2022 Fiscal Session on Monday, February 14. Preparations for that session will begin in the next two weeks. Beginning January 11, the Joint Budget Committee will hold a series of meetings designed to begin the process of outlining a budget for the next fiscal year. Budget hearings […]

From reducing income tax to lowering the sales tax on used cars, there are several pieces of tax legislation passed in 2021 that will take effect on January 1, 2022. In the most recent special session, the General Assembly passed Act 1 and Act 2, which are identical pieces of legislation that reduce the top […]

The State Capitol Offices and all State Buildings will be Closed to observe: Christmas Eve Friday, December 24, 2021 (Observed on Thursday, Dec. 23), Christmas Day Saturday, December 25, 2021 (Observed on Friday, Dec. 24), and New Year’s Day Saturday, January 1, 2022 (Observed on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021). Legal holidays by authority of Act […]

From filling out a job application to completing a homework assignment, the vast majority of our day-to-day lives are dependent on internet access. It is no longer a luxury, and now is a critical time for our state to close the digital divide. Arkansas ranks 41st in state broadband access rating according to Broadbandnow.com. The […]

Legislation providing the largest state income tax reduction in state history has now been signed into law. Act 1 and Act 2 are identical pieces of legislation passed by the 93rd General Assembly in the special session held this week.These acts will reduce the top income tax rate for individuals from 5.9% to 4.9% incrementally […]