2023 legislative session
SESSION SNAPSHOT: The Arkansas Legislature takes a break
The Arkansas House and Senate adjourned on Thursday for a week off, and the Spring Break probably comes at a good time. Each legislative session hits a point — meetings go longer and patience grows shorter. This week, there seemed to be an uptick in bills failing on the floor of both the House and […]
Arkansas House committee votes down bill to loosen public meetings law
EDITORS’ NOTE: Advocate Editor Sonny Albarado testified against House Bill 1610 during the March 15, 2023, meeting of the House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs in his capacity as a member of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Coalition. A panel of state representatives rebuffed an attempt on Wednesday to allow members of local […]
Bill to create anti-abortion monument at Arkansas Capitol heads to governor’s desk
A bill to create a “monument to the unborn” on the grounds of the Arkansas Capitol is on Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ desk after it cleared the state Legislature on Tuesday. Senate Bill 307 passed the Senate on March 1 and the House on Tuesday with support solely from Republicans. All legislative Democrats except one […]
Arkansas House committee passes bill to regulate paper ballot counties
A group of state representatives advanced legislation Monday that would require counties that opt to get rid of voting machines to bear the costs of paper ballots. The Arkansas House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs passed Senate Bill 250 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R-Benton) on a split voice vote after several hours of debate […]
SESSION SNAPSHOT: The LEARNS Act becomes Arkansas law
Every public school teacher in Arkansas will now make $50,000. In three years, the Natural State will have a universal voucher program that could shake up the education landscape in unprecedented ways. By 2025, third graders not reading at grade level could be held back. Those are just a few of the many sweeping changes […]
Arkansas governor-backed bill would require social media age verification
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wants the Arkansas Legislature to require platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, to hire third-party vendors to verify users’ ages. A bill introduced with the new Republican governor’s support on Thursday would require social media users to provide digital versions of their drivers’ licenses or state IDs to online companies. Those under […]
What is the Arkansas LEARNS Act?
The LEARNS Act is a 145-page piece of legislation signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Wednesday. The broad bill makes changes to multiple aspects of the state’s education system, including teacher pay, per-student funding, graduation requirements and annual student testing. Here are some details on the major parts of the bill: A voucher […]
Arkansas House committee rejects abortion exemption for fatal prenatal conditions
An Arkansas legislative panel on Tuesday rejected a new exemption to the state’s abortion ban for cases of fetal abnormalities “incompatible with life.” Rep. Nicole Clowney (D-Fayetteville) said her House Bill 1301 would allow physicians to induce labor in rare cases when a fetus has a condition that prevents living beyond a few hours after […]
Arkansas House votes to increase homestead tax credit by $50
The Arkansas House of Representatives on Monday unanimously supported increasing the state’s homestead property tax credit from $375 to $425 a year. The credit reduces a homeowner’s property tax liability on their primary residence. The sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Lanny Fite (R-Benton), said that increasing sales tax collections means the state can afford to […]
SESSION SNAPSHOT: Arkansas LEARNS marches through the Arkansas House
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ first legislative priority took the next big step toward becoming law this week. The sprawling, divisive education bill moved through the Arkansas House of Representatives, passing on the House floor Thursday by a vote of 78-21. There is great passion on both sides of the debate, which has really become about […]
Arkansas bill to remove work permit requirement for children under 16 goes to Sanders’ desk
A proposed Arkansas law that would remove the requirement for children under 16 to prove their age to get a job will head to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ desk for approval. House Bill 1410, or the Youth Hiring Act, would delete the portion of existing law that requires an employment certificate “accessible to the Division […]
SESSION SNAPSHOT: Arkansas LEARNS zooms through the Senate in Week 7
It felt like the Arkansas Legislature’s 2023 legislative session hit full stride this week. It was a whirlwind with the introduction and Senate passage of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ sprawling education bill. There were also long, tense meetings on a range of other bills from paper ballots to solar energy that probably would’ve gotten more […]