Arkansas Bills

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 138: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING WAR REENACTMENTS AT SCHOOLS; AND TO PERMIT AN UNLOADED FIREARM OR REPLICA OF A FIREARM AT CERTAIN WAR REENACTMENTS AT SCHOOLS.

SB 138 expands the types of historical war reenactments permitted on school property in Arkansas. It allows "war reenactors" to carry unloaded firearms or replicas of historical weapons on school grounds for educational purposes. This applies to reenactments of the Revolutionary War, Civil War, French and Indian War, Mexican-American War, and War of 1812. Such activities are only permitted with advance approval from a school official, and any firearm used must be unloaded.

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 6: TO CREATE THE CRIMINAL OFFENSE OF VACCINE HARM.

Senate Bill 6 proposes to create a new criminal offense in Arkansas titled "vaccine harm." While the specific definitions and mechanisms of this offense are not detailed in the provided text, the bill also appears to establish a related fund. An amendment to the bill modifies how this fund is managed, stating that the fund "shall be used" rather than specifying it would be used by the Attorney General.

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 282: AMENDING THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS; AND TO ALLOW VOTERS TO ELECT "FOR" OR "AGAINST" WATER FLUORIDATION.

Senate Bill 282 proposed to amend Arkansas law regarding public water systems. It would have allowed customers of public water systems serving 5,000 or more people to hold an election to determine whether their water should be fluoridated. An election could be initiated by a petition signed by at least five percent of voters in each affected county or by a majority vote of a county's quorum court. If a majority of voters in a majority of the counties supplied by the system voted to prohibit fluoridation, the water system would have been required to cease fluoridating the water within 30 days.

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 157: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING BENEFITS UNDER THE STATE PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT SYSTEMS.

Based on the provided text, SB 157 aimed to amend the law regarding benefits under the Arkansas Public Employees' State Public Employee Retirement Systems. The specific details of how it would alter these benefits are not available in the provided amendment, which only makes a minor change to the bill's wording and a single word from "shall" to "may" in an unspecified provision. The bill ultimately died in the House Committee.

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 168: TO ESTABLISH A STATE EXAMINATION FOR LICENSURE OF MASSAGE THERAPISTS.

Senate Bill 168 aimed to establish a state examination for the licensure of massage therapists, to be offered by the Department of Health. This examination would serve as an additional, optional pathway for unlicensed graduates of approved massage therapy schools or students in apprenticeship programs in the state, rather than replacing national examinations. The bill specified that the state examination would not be computer adaptive. It also allowed the Department to require massage therapy instructors to submit examination questions derived from textbooks they currently use for instruction.

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 395: TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL INTEREST; AND AMENDING A PORTION OF ARKANSAS LAW RESULTING FROM INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1988.

SB 395 aimed to modify Arkansas law concerning statements of financial interest filed by public servants and candidates. The bill would have updated requirements for disclosing sources of gross income and investments, including specific thresholds for reporting amounts over $1,000 and $12,500, and defining what constitutes an "investment or holding." It also sought to create a new Class A misdemeanor offense for anyone who purposely uses information from these financial statements to commit a crime against the filer, their family, or their business. Additionally, the bill clarified that these changes would not restrict the Arkansas Ethics Commission's investigative powers.

died · Arkansas · House May 5, 2025

HB 1242: TO AMEND THE MECHANISM BY WHICH SCHOOL NURSES ARE COMPENSATED.

HB 1242 aims to modify the process by which school nurses receive their compensation. The provided text indicates the bill's intent but does not detail the specific mechanisms or provisions for how this compensation will be amended.

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 145: TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING THE ALLOCATION OF FUNDS RESULTING FROM LITIGATION INVOLVING THE USE OF FUNDS FROM THE GENERAL IMPROVEMENT FUND OR ITS SUCCESSOR FUND OR FUND ACCOUNTS.

SB 145 amends Arkansas law concerning the allocation of funds obtained from certain lawsuits. Currently, the Attorney General typically distributes settlement funds, but this bill creates an exception for litigation involving the General Improvement Fund or its successor accounts. Under this bill, funds from such lawsuits would be deposited into the State Treasury. These funds would then be specifically directed to the Division of Arkansas State Police for crime reduction and prevention programs, and to assist the Division of Community Correction with probation, parole, and post-release supervision services.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Criminal Justice

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 635: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; AND TO AUTHORIZE BOTTLE LOCKERS IN CERTAIN RESTAURANTS.

Senate Bill 635 proposes to amend laws concerning alcoholic beverages by authorizing "bottle lockers" in certain restaurants. It defines a bottle locker as a storage system, such as an individual cabinet, within a restaurant where the restaurant stores alcoholic beverages purchased by a guest for later consumption, for which the guest pays a storage fee. This bill would allow restaurants located in a wet territory that hold an on-premises consumption permit to offer guests the option of using these bottle lockers.

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 225: TO REQUIRE THE ARKANSAS MEDICAID PROGRAM TO PROVIDE A CATEGORY FOR BENEFICIARIES WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE.

SB 225 aimed to require the Arkansas Medicaid Program to create a new category of coverage specifically for beneficiaries diagnosed with sickle cell disease. This new category would have provided dedicated treatment for individuals with this condition. The bill also mandated that the Department of Human Services apply for any necessary federal waivers or Medicaid state plan amendments to implement this change. Its purpose was to establish a distinct pathway within Medicaid for sickle cell disease patients in Arkansas.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 360: AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME PROGRAM GRANTS APPROPRIATION APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR.

Senate Bill 360 appropriates $1.7 million to the Department of Education for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. This funding is designated for a grant program supporting comprehensive out-of-school time programs for school-aged children in Arkansas. The grants will fund programs offering evidence-based academic enhancement activities, which must include at least two of five areas such as STEM or career exposure. Eligible applicants are qualified non-profit organizations that have operated for over five years, maintain fiscal accountability, and demonstrate a sustainability model. These programs must also operate for a minimum of 12 hours weekly during the school year and adhere to rigorous safety standards.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

died · Arkansas · Senate May 5, 2025

SJR 9: A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PERMITTING THE STATE OF ARKANSAS TO BE SUED AS A DEFENDANT IN STATE COURT TO ENFORCE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OR AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY LAW.

SJR 9 proposes a constitutional amendment in Arkansas to change Article 5, Section 20 of the state's constitution. If approved by voters, this amendment would permit the State of Arkansas to be sued as a defendant in state court. This change would allow individuals to bring lawsuits against the state to enforce constitutional rights or as otherwise provided by law.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill results