Arkansas Bills

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 364: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES RELATED TO CONTRACTORS.

SB 364 is a procedural amendment that makes a minor technical change to existing contractor law. It replaces the phrase "either at law or in equity" with the identical phrase in a section governing penalties for contractor violations. The bill does not alter actual penalties or create new requirements; it only adjusts legal wording for clarity. This change directly affects how contractor violation cases are processed in court but has no impact on enforcement or penalties. The bill became Act 750 on April 18, 2025, after passing both chambers.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 508: TO AMEND THE FREQUENCY OF PAYMENT OF A STIPEND FOR CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFIT ADVISORY COMMISSION AND THE STATE EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFIT ADVISORY COMMISSION.

Senate Bill 508 amends the frequency of stipend payments for certain appointed members of the Public School Employee Health Benefit Advisory Commission and the State Employee Health Benefit Advisory Commission. The bill specifies that appointed members who are not active employees will receive a stipend of $100 for each meeting they attend. This stipend is paid on a monthly basis, in addition to reimbursement for mileage.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 516: TO ALLOW A PERSON FILING AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE OFFICE OF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OR JUDGE OF THE COURT OF APPEALS WHO IS AN APPOINTEE IN THAT POSITION TO USE THE TITLE OF THAT POSITION AS A PREFIX WHEN FILING AS A CANDIDATE.

Senate Bill 516 (Act 761) amends Arkansas law regarding how candidates can use judicial titles when filing for nonpartisan judicial offices. Previously, only judges who had been elected to their current position could use their title as a prefix on the ballot. This bill expands that allowance to include individuals appointed to the offices of Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge of the Court of Appeals, circuit judge, or district judge. To qualify, an appointee must have served in that judicial position for at least twelve months.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 555: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE OFFENSE OF VIDEO VOYEURISM; TO EXTEND THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR THE OFFENSE OF VIDEO VOYEURISM; AND TO MAKE AN ORDER OF PROTECTION AVAILABLE TO A VICTIM OF VIDEO VOYEURISM.

Senate Bill 555 amends Arkansas law regarding the offense of video voyeurism. The bill extends the statute of limitations, allowing prosecution for video voyeurism within one year after the victim discovers the offense. It clarifies that a romantic relationship with the victim is not a defense against a video voyeurism charge. Additionally, the bill expands the definition of "domestic abuse" to include video voyeurism, enabling victims to seek orders of protection.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 435: TO CREATE THE CRIMINAL OFFENSE OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULT UPON A HEALTHCARE WORKER; AND TO DEFINE "HEALTHCARE WORKER" REGARDING ASSAULT AND BATTERY.

Senate Bill 435 creates a new criminal offense in Arkansas called aggravated assault upon a healthcare worker. The bill broadly defines "healthcare worker" to include various roles, such as physicians, nurses, paramedics, and administrative or support staff, across diverse healthcare settings. This offense occurs when a person purposely causes a healthcare worker, while on duty, to come into contact with bodily fluids like saliva, blood, or urine, demonstrating extreme indifference to the worker's safety and hygiene. Aggravated assault upon a healthcare worker is classified as a Class D felony.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✓ Labor & Employment

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 369: TO REPEAL THE COMPUTER AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT RECYCLING GRANTS; AND TO REPEAL THE COMPUTER AND ELECTRONIC RECYCLING FUND.

Senate Bill 369 repeals the state's computer and electronic equipment recycling grants. It also eliminates the Computer and Electronic Recycling Fund. This means that the financial assistance previously available through these grants for recycling computer and electronic equipment will no longer be provided, and the dedicated state fund supporting these efforts will be dissolved.

Topics ✗ Environment ✗ Technology

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 374: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM.

SB 374 amends existing law regarding the civil service system. Specifically, it changes the requirements for how public examinations for civil service positions are advertised. The bill mandates that notice of these examinations must be published in a local newspaper and posted at the city hall. This advertisement must occur at least ten days before the scheduled examination date, affecting cities with a civil service system and individuals seeking employment within it.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 521: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING REIMBURSEMENT; AND TO EXTEND THE TIME PERIOD AFTER COMPLETION OF TRAINING FOR WHICH REIMBURSEMENT IS REQUIRED.

SB 521, now Act 748, modifies the law regarding reimbursement for law enforcement officer training costs in Arkansas. It extends the period during which one law enforcement agency must reimburse another for an officer's training from 18 months to 24 months after training completion. The bill also revises the reimbursement structure, requiring 100% reimbursement if an officer is hired within 12 months and 50% if hired between 12 and 24 months. These changes directly affect county, city, town, and state law enforcement agencies, as well as private communities that employ certified officers.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 551: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CANVASSING FOR A PETITION FOR A LOCAL OPTION ELECTION.

Senate Bill 551 amends the law regarding canvassing for local option election petitions, directly affecting individuals who sign these petitions and those who collect signatures (canvassers). The bill requires petition signers to read or have the ballot title read to them and mandates canvassers to verify a potential signer's identity using photo identification before collecting a signature. Canvassers must also disclose that petition fraud is a criminal offense and must be at least 18 years old. It expands the actions considered a Class A misdemeanor for individuals involved in petition collection and allows county clerks to reject signatures collected by canvassers who violate these new provisions or other related laws.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 500: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LEVEE DISTRICTS; AND TO ALLOW A LEVEE DISTRICT CREATED BY AN ACT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO ADOPT PROCEDURE CONCERNING THE COLLECTION OF ASSESSMENTS.

SB 500 amends the law regarding levee districts, specifically those created by an act of the General Assembly. It allows these levee districts to request that county collectors handle the collection of their assessments. Upon such a request, county collectors will add these assessments to the county tax records and collect them at the same time and in the same manner as other property taxes. The collected funds are then deposited with the county treasurer, who credits them to a levee district fund and promptly remits them to the levee district's treasurer.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 552: TO CLARIFY THE DEFINITION OF "PRINCIPAL OFFICE" USED UNDER THE ARKANSAS BUSINESS CORPORATION ACT OF 1987 AND THE UNIFORM LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ACT.

Senate Bill 552 clarifies the definition of "principal office" for corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) operating in Arkansas. It specifies that a principal office is primarily the location of a company's principal executive offices, as designated in their annual franchise tax report. If a company does not have such an office, it may designate the address of its registered agent as the principal office. In such cases, the company must also provide the Arkansas Secretary of State with the physical address of a named officer, director, member, or manager.

signed · Arkansas · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 406: TO REQUIRE A COUNTY RECORDER TO VERIFY CERTAIN INFORMATION BEFORE RECORDING A DEED TO REAL ESTATE.

SB 406 requires county recorders to verify identification information before recording a deed to real estate. If a deed is presented in person, the grantor or their representative must show a valid photo identification or driver's license. For deeds submitted by mail, the grantor must include a photocopy of their valid photo identification. This process directly affects individuals and entities transferring property and county recording offices, though certain government entities are exempt from these verification requirements.

Bill results