Briefs
Arkansas child and family advocacy group names new executive director
Keesa Smith, a former deputy director for the state’s Department of Human Services, is the new executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, the group announced Thursday. Smith will start with the longtime advocacy and public policy organization on Feb. 20, replacing Rich Huddleston, who retired last year after almost two decades at […]
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver GOP response to Biden State of the Union address
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republicans’ address to the nation from Little Rock on Tuesday following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech to Congress. U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Sanders would offer Americans an alternative to Biden and the Democrats’ view of […]
Arkansas bill to create Holocaust Education Week headed to House for a vote
A bill to establish Holocaust Education Week in Arkansas public schools unanimously passed the House Education Committee on Thursday and will go to the House for approval. Senate Bill 68 amends state law that requires Holocaust education to designate the last full week of classes in January as Holocaust Education Week. The bill unanimously passed […]
Senate approves bill requiring pornography sites to verify age
The Arkansas Senate on Wednesday approved legislation to require pornography websites to verify users’ ages. Sen. Tyler Dees (R-Siloam Springs) first introduced the bill in committee Tuesday, saying the purpose of the legislation is to protect minors from harmful material online. Senate Bill 66 defines “material harmful to minors” as material that’s designed to appeal […]
Proposed bill would require age verification on pornography websites
A Senate committee on Tuesday approved a bill to require age verification for online material that’s harmful to minors, such as pornography. Adult-oriented businesses are typically regulated with an age verification process, and that same standard must be applied to online materials, Senate Bill 66 sponsor Sen. Tyler Dees (R-Siloam Springs) told Senate Committee on […]
Arkansas bill restricting school bathroom use heads to House for approval
A bill that would restrict bathroom use in public schools based on students’ gender assigned at birth is headed to the Arkansas House of Representatives for approval after passing the House Education Committee on Tuesday. House Bill 1156 would apply to multiple-occupancy restrooms and locker rooms, as well as rooms for students on overnight trips. […]
Arkansas Supreme Court reverses ruling that struck state law banning mask mandates
The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a lower court’s decision to strike down Arkansas’ prohibition on government mask mandates. Thursday’s order tossed Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox’s 2021 ruling on procedural grounds, and it did not contemplate the merits of the arguments in the case. Fox’s ruling had struck down Act 1002 of […]
Wastewater bill exempts some Arkansas POAs/HOAs from wastewater trust fund
The Arkansas House approved a bill that would exempt communities with 5,000 or more residents from annual contributions to a nonmunicipal sewage treatment fund. HB1015 amends the Arkansas Water and Air Pollution Control Act to create an exemption for property owners’ associations and homeowners’ associations that operate nonmunicipal domestic sewage treatment systems that service a […]
Arkansas schools would observe Holocaust Education Week if bill becomes law
The Senate Education Committee approved a bill on Wednesday to establish Holocaust Education Week in Arkansas public schools. Sponsored by Sen. Jim Dotson (R-Bentonville), SB68 amends state law that requires Holocaust education to designate the last full week of classes in January as Holocaust Education Week. If approved, the State Board of Education would be […]
Arkansas House approves bill to increase vehicle registration deadline from 30 to 60 days
The Arkansas House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to double the amount of time Arkansans have to register new vehicles. House Bill 1150 by Rep. Fran Cavenaugh (R-Walnut Ridge) would increase the period residents have to register newly purchased vehicles from 30 to 60 days. It would also lengthen the deadline for new residents to […]
Committee approves education bills addressing school choice, GED merit
The House Education Committee approved two bills on Tuesday, including one that would allow a student who resides on a tract of land located in two school districts to choose which district they want to attend. Under current law, if the school district line cuts through a home, where the majority of the house sits […]
Arkansas House passes law to expand eligibility for disabled veteran license plates
The Arkansas House voted Monday to expand the pool of disable veterans eligible for special license plates. Without dissent, the House of Representatives passed House Bill 1101 by Rep. Andrew Collins (D-Little Rock). It allows any veteran who has been determined to be at least 10% disabled due to their military service to register for […]