TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING CRIMINAL OFFENSES; AND TO CRIMINALIZE UNLAWFUL SQUATTING.

HB 1049 (now Act 238) amends Arkansas criminal law to establish a new offense for "unlawful squattering." The bill makes it a criminal violation for a person to occupy property without the owner's permission, specifically targeting individuals who enter or remain on property after being asked to leave. This directly affects individuals occupying vacant or abandoned properties without legal right, such as vacant homes or land. The key provision creates a specific criminal charge (likely a misdemeanor) for this conduct, distinct from general trespass laws, and specifies that the offense applies after the owner or their agent has issued a verbal or written demand to vacate.