Arkansas Congressional Bills

in committee · Arkansas · House Jan 7, 2026

HRES 981: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should reduce and maintain the Federal unified budget deficit at or below 3 percent of gross domestic product.

This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that (1) Congress should adopt a fiscal target to reduce the federal budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product or less as soon as possible and no later than the end of FY2030; and (2) after the target is achieved, Congress should continue to pursue further deficit reduction with the goal of achieving a balanced federal budget.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill Huizenga (R) · 20 co-sponsors

in committee · Arkansas · Senate Jan 7, 2026

S 3585: DATA Act of 2026

This bill creates a new category of independent electricity provider called a "consumer-regulated electric utility" (CREU) for systems serving previously unserved electric loads. CREUs operate entirely separate from the main electricity grid (physically "islanded") and are exempt from federal regulations covering rates, reliability standards, interconnection rules, and other oversight by FERC and the Department of Energy. To maintain this exemption, CREUs must never connect to the bulk-power system; if they do, they lose the exemption and become subject to full federal regulation. The bill directly affects new CREUs and their customers who receive service exclusively through these independent systems.

passed · Arkansas · Senate Dec 19, 2025

S 607: Improving Veteran Access to Care Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to create a new project team within 180 days to overhaul how veterans schedule health care appointments. The team must develop a centralized system showing all available appointments across VA facilities and providers, a self-service online platform for veterans to book appointments (including referrals), and a phone-based scheduling option for veterans to book appointments directly. These changes must be completed within one year of the bill's enactment, with progress reports to Congress on costs, challenges, and metrics. The bill directly affects veterans seeking VA health care by aiming to make scheduling more efficient and accessible across all VA services.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Veterans

in committee · Arkansas · House Dec 19, 2025

HR 4837: Written Informed Consent Act

HR 4837, the Written Informed Consent Act, requires the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to update its existing directive on informed consent to include additional medication classes. Specifically, it mandates that written informed consent must be obtained before prescribing antipsychotics, stimulants, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications (anxiolytics), and narcotics (opioids) to veterans. This expansion directly affects veterans receiving these medications through the VA system, ensuring they are informed about specific treatment risks and alternatives. The key mechanism is amending VHA Directive 1005 to broaden its application beyond long-term opioid therapy to cover the newly listed medication types.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Veterans

Gus M. Bilirakis (R) · 33 co-sponsors

in committee · Arkansas · Senate Dec 18, 2025

S 3572: Roadway Safety Modernization Act of 2025

The Roadway Safety Modernization Act of 2025 requires states to integrate proven safety tools like predictive analytics and telematics into highway safety planning and freight programs. It directs state highway agencies to use these technologies to identify high-risk road segments, evaluate crash causes, and improve safety project effectiveness. The bill also mandates the Transportation Department to issue guidance on data privacy, tool validation, and transparency for these safety technologies. This directly affects state transportation departments and freight operators who must adopt these data-driven approaches in their safety planning under federal highway programs.

Topics ✓ Technology ✓ Transportation

in committee · Arkansas · Senate Dec 18, 2025

S 3558: National Guard Protective Zone Act

This bill creates a legal "protective zone" around National Guard members during deployments under federal law. It defines a 15-foot area marked by signs, warnings, or barriers as a zone where entering or staying is prohibited if done to interfere with their duties. Violating this zone carries fines, up to one year in prison, or up to five years if physical contact occurs. The law explicitly states it does not restrict peaceful protests or protected speech happening outside the marked zone.

passed · Arkansas · Senate Dec 18, 2025

S 3436: Caring for Veterans and Strengthening National Security Act

This bill requires the VA to provide telehealth services, mail-order pharmacy benefits, and mandatory beneficiary travel payments to veterans residing in the Freely Associated States (including Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia) within one year of enactment. It mandates quarterly reporting to Congress on implementation progress and associated costs. The law directly affects veterans in these Pacific Island nations by expanding access to critical healthcare and travel support services previously not uniformly guaranteed.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Veterans

passed · Arkansas · House Dec 18, 2025

HR 4776: SPEED Act

The SPEED Act reforms the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to streamline federal environmental reviews for projects. It limits agencies to considering only "proximate" environmental effects directly tied to a specific project (not speculative or distant impacts), sets strict 180-day deadlines for court remands, and restricts judicial review to procedural errors - not environmental outcomes. This primarily affects federal agencies (like the EPA or Corps of Engineers) and project developers (e.g., for infrastructure, energy, or construction projects) by reducing review scope and accelerating approvals. The bill clarifies NEPA is purely procedural, prohibiting courts from substituting their judgment on environmental effects or delaying actions for new scientific data after deadlines.

Topics ✗ Environment ✓ Transportation

in committee · Arkansas · Senate Dec 17, 2025

S 3519: Remote Access Security Act

S 3519, the Remote Access Security Act, amends the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 to regulate remote access to U.S.-controlled items (like dual-use technology) via cloud services from outside the U.S. by "foreign persons of concern" (including governments of specified countries and their entities). It defines prohibited remote access as activities posing national security risks, such as enabling weapons development, offensive cyber operations, or human rights violations through spyware. The bill requires new licensing for remote access, imposes penalties for violations, and mandates annual reports to Congress on implementation, with controls set to expire after 10 years. It directly affects U.S. cloud service providers and foreign entities seeking remote access to controlled items.

Topics ✗ Technology

in committee · Arkansas · Senate Dec 16, 2025

S 3514: Less Than Lethal Act

This bill exempts certain non-lethal projectile devices (like pepper ball guns or rubber bullets) from federal firearms and ammunition taxes. It directly affects manufacturers, producers, and importers of these devices by removing tax obligations under IRS Code sections 4181 and 5845. Key provisions define "less-than-lethal" devices as those not expelling standard firearm ammunition, operating below 500 feet per second, and not convertible to lethal weapons. The Secretary of the Treasury must annually update a public list of qualifying devices and report to Congress on non-qualifying devices that exceed the velocity limit.

in committee · Arkansas · Senate Dec 16, 2025

S 3488: Asylum Reform and Loophole Closure Act

This bill amends key provisions of U.S. immigration law to tighten asylum eligibility requirements. It requires asylum seekers to have attempted to seek protection in transit countries (unless denied protection there), raises the standard for credible fear claims from "significant possibility" to "more likely than not," and adds new grounds for permanent ineligibility (including unlawful entry and visa fraud). It also specifies that families may be detained together for up to 180 days during expedited removal or asylum proceedings. The changes directly affect individuals seeking asylum who entered the U.S. after transiting through other countries or who have immigration violations.

Topics ✗ Immigration

in committee · Arkansas · Senate Dec 16, 2025

S 3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025

Essential Caregivers Act of 2025 This bill prohibits certain health care facilities from limiting the access of essential caregivers to residents of those facilities, including during designated emergency periods. Specifically, the bill generally prohibits Medicare skilled nursing facilities, Medicaid nursing facilities, Medicaid intermediate care facilities, and associated inpatient rehabilitation facilities from restricting the access of essential caregivers to residents of the facilities, including during emergency periods in which visitation rights are otherwise restricted. During emergency periods, facilities may restrict access for an initial period of up to seven days and for one additional maximum seven-day period (if the additional period is approved by the state health department). Facilities may restrict access for a total of 7 days (or 14 days with the approval of the state health department) during an emergency period. Essential caregivers must agree to comply with any safety protocols set by the facility, which may be no more stringent for caregivers compared to those for staff. Caregivers who fail to comply with these requirements may be denied access, subject to an appeals process.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

Arkansas Congressional Bills

Bill results