Arkansas Bills | MyRepTracker

signed · Arkansas · House Apr 22, 2025

HB 1671: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE GROSS RECEIPTS TAX; AND TO CREATE A GENERAL SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR SALES TO QUALIFIED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.

HB 1671 amends existing law related to the gross receipts tax. The bill creates a new general sales and use tax exemption. This means sales made to qualified nonprofit organizations will no longer be subject to sales and use tax.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes

signed · Arkansas · House Apr 22, 2025

HB 1762: TO REQUIRE REVOCATION OF A PERMIT FOR THE DISPOSAL OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE IN AN AGRICULTURAL OR PASTORAL APPLICATION FOR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS.

House Bill 1762, now Act 1009, updates regulations for entities permitted to apply industrial wastewater residuals onto land. It requires the Division of Environmental Quality to assess the maximum allowable penalty for each violation involving over-application or precipitation-related surface land application. Additionally, the bill directs the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission to begin developing new rules for "no-discharge" land application permits for industrial waste. Current land application permit procedures will remain in effect until these new rules are established.

Topics ✓ Environment

signed · Arkansas · House Apr 22, 2025

HB 1877: CONCERNING CRIMINAL OFFENSES RELATED TO POSSESSION OF SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL THAT DEPICTS A CHILD; AND TO INCLUDE A COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGE THAT IS INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE IMAGE OF A CHILD.

HB 1877 expands criminal offenses related to sexually explicit material depicting a child to include computer-generated images that are indistinguishable from a child. The bill defines "artificial intelligence" and "adversarial testing," which involves evaluating AI systems in a controlled environment. It creates exemptions for law enforcement investigations and for interactive computer services conducting good-faith adversarial testing to prevent AI systems from generating such content. However, these exemptions do not apply if the testing is for personal or exploitative purposes. Additionally, the bill renames the offense of "Possession or use of child sexual abuse material" to "Electronic facilitation of child sexual abuse."

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✗ Technology

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 22, 2025

SB 90: TO REQUIRE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO BE AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT PUBLIC COMMENT AT EACH MEETING OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

Senate Bill 90 (Act 902) requires school district boards of directors to provide an opportunity for public comment at each of their meetings. This opportunity is available to residents of the school district, parents or guardians of enrolled students, and district employees. Each eligible individual is allotted at least three minutes to deliver their comment. If the initial public comment period exceeds 30 minutes, the board has the option to move comments on non-agenda items to a later point in the meeting.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 22, 2025

SB 121: TO AMEND THE AUTOMATIC OCCUPATIONAL LICENSURE FOR OUT-OF-STATE LICENSURE ACT; TO APPLY THE AUTOMATIC OCCUPATIONAL LICENSURE FOR OUT-OF-STATE LICENSURE ACT TO PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS.

Senate Bill 121 amends the existing Automatic Occupational Licensure for Out-of-State Licensure Act. This bill specifically expands the scope of the act to include physician assistants. The change means that physician assistants who hold a valid license in another state will now be eligible for automatic occupational licensure in Arkansas. This aims to simplify the process for out-of-state physician assistants to practice within the state.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 22, 2025

SB 489: TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING THE PLACEMENT OF A MONUMENT ON THE STATE CAPITOL GROUNDS IN RECOGNITION OF THE DESEGREGATION OF THE CHARLESTON AND FAYETTEVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN 1954.

This bill, SB 489, authorizes the placement of a monument on the Arkansas State Capitol grounds. The monument will recognize the desegregation of the Charleston and Fayetteville School Districts in 1954. It also establishes a dedicated fund, the Charleston and Fayetteville Desegregation Memorial Monument Fund, to accept donations for the monument's erection and upkeep, with the Secretary of State overseeing its design and site selection.

signed · Arkansas · House Apr 22, 2025

HB 1685: TO CREATE THE GROCERY TAX RELIEF ACT; TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE SALES AND USE TAXES LEVIED ON FOOD AND FOOD INGREDIENTS, AS AFFIRMED BY REFERRED ACT 19 OF 1958; AND TO EXEMPT GROCERIES FROM STATE SALES AND USE TAXES.

HB 1685, known as the Grocery Tax Relief Act, exempts groceries from state sales and use taxes. This legislation amends existing state law regarding sales and use taxes levied on food and food ingredients. The bill directly affects consumers by removing the state sales tax typically applied to their grocery purchases.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Arkansas · House Apr 22, 2025

HB 1865: TO CREATE AN ENHANCED PENALTY FOR CERTAIN OFFENSES AGAINST A CHILD.

HB 1865, now Act 976, creates enhanced penalties for various offenses committed against children. This legislation directly affects individuals convicted of these specific crimes, aiming to increase protections for children. Key provisions include defining the categories of offenses covered, such as sexual offenses, voyeurism, human trafficking, child exploitation, and computer crimes against minors. It also establishes specific enhanced minimum prison sentences for certain felony classes, including 15 years for a Class A felony, 10 years for a Class B felony, and 5 years for a Class C felony.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Arkansas · House Apr 22, 2025

HB 1837: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING DISCLOSURE FOR MATTERS REFERRED TO VOTERS; AND TO BAN FOREIGN FUNDING FOR BALLOT MEASURES; TO AMEND PORTIONS OF THE ARKANSAS CODE THAT RESULTED FROM INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1996.

HB 1837 amends Arkansas law concerning matters referred to voters, specifically ballot measures. The bill updates the requirements for financial disclosures related to these measures. It also bans foreign funding for ballot measures in the state. These changes modify portions of the Arkansas Code that originated from Initiated Act 1 of 1996.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 22, 2025

SB 486: CONCERNING SAFETY AND PRIVACY IN CERTAIN ENTITIES; AND CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF MULTI-OCCUPANCY RESTROOMS, CHANGING ROOMS, AND SLEEPING QUARTERS IN CERTAIN ENTITIES BASED ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S SEX.

Senate Bill 486 establishes requirements for designating multi-occupancy restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters in certain entities, including shelters and state and local correctional facilities, based on an individual's sex. The bill includes provisions for assigning transgender or intersex inmates in correctional facilities on a case-by-case basis to ensure their health and safety, referencing federal regulations. It also outlines procedures for individuals to file legal claims with the Arkansas State Claims Commission for damages and to recover attorney's fees if these provisions are violated.

signed · Arkansas · House Apr 22, 2025

HB 1983: TO AMEND ACTS 1973, NO. 167, § 4, CONCERNING THE SALE OF CERTAIN PROPERTY TO THE WESTARK AREA COUNCIL, INC., BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA.

House Bill 1983 clarifies and confirms the absolute title of certain property for the Natural State Council of Boy Scouts of America, Inc., which is the successor to the Westark Area Council. The bill addresses historical ambiguities and concerns regarding the precise acreage and existing conditions, restrictive uses, or rights of reverter held by the State of Arkansas from previous land conveyances in 1973 and 1991. It specifically frees the majority of the property from these state-held conditions. However, the bill mandates that certain identified lots and portions of land must continue to be used for Boy Scout programs, Girl Scout activities, other youth recreation, or controlled public use under agreements with state agencies. This ensures clear ownership for the Boy Scouts while preserving specific areas for youth and public benefit.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 22, 2025

SB 612: TO CREATE A PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION AGAINST A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM THAT CAUSES HARM; AND TO IMPOSE A CIVIL PENALTY ON A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM THAT KNOWINGLY AND WILLFULLY CONTRIBUTES TO A MINOR'S SUICIDE OR SUICIDE ATTEMPT.

SB 612 creates new legal actions against social media platforms. It establishes a "private right of action," allowing individuals to sue a social media platform if it causes them harm. The bill also imposes a civil penalty on social media platforms that knowingly and willfully contribute to a minor's suicide or suicide attempt. These provisions apply to platforms accessed by Arkansas users, encompassing aspects like personally identifiable information and premium content.

Topics ✓ Technology