HB 1176 appropriates $4.38 million for Arkansas' Department of Public Safety - Division of Emergency Management for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The bill funds 112 regular staff positions (including directors, emergency planners, and administrative roles) and up to 28 temporary "extra help" employees, covering salaries, operations, and training. It allocates $2.77 million for regular salaries under state operations and $538,725 for federal program salaries. This funding directly supports the division's day-to-day functions, including emergency planning, grants management, and federal grant compliance, without creating new policies or affecting the public.
HB 1772, now Act 529, prohibits Arkansas local governments (counties, cities, etc.) from banning vegetable gardens on residential properties. It defines a "vegetable garden" broadly to include plots growing vegetables, herbs, fruits, or edible plants for personal use or noncommercial sharing. While localities may still regulate specific aspects like water use during droughts, fertilizer, invasive species control, or reasonable garden size/location (e.g., backyard placement), they cannot outright prohibit such gardens. This law directly affects homeowners and renters cultivating edible plants on their property across Arkansas.
HB 1300 amends the Prior Authorization Transparency Act to increase clarity for healthcare providers and patients regarding insurance prior authorization requirements. It requires health insurers to publish aggregated online lists of step therapy rules, service location restrictions, benefit category limits, excluded services, and post-service review requirements - using standardized billing codes. Insurers must also provide healthcare providers 60 days' written notice of any changes to these published policies, down from 90 days. The bill directly affects insurance companies, healthcare providers, and patients navigating coverage approvals for medical services.
HB 1724 changes Arkansas school board election rules to give districts more flexibility. It requires school districts to adopt their own annual election date (replacing a fixed date) and notify county election officials 100 days before candidate filing. The bill also updates how school board boundaries change (due to annexation or membership requirements) and adjusts term expiration dates for elected members. Additionally, it revises runoff election rules and changes filing deadlines and election start times to noon. These changes directly affect all Arkansas public school districts and voters participating in local school board elections.
HB 1927 amends the effective date of specific sections (15 and 20) in another bill (Acts 2025, No. 408) to take effect immediately upon passage, rather than waiting for the usual July 1 start date. This change directly affects the Arkansas Secretary of State's office, ensuring its funding remains uninterrupted for essential services like election administration and business entity registration. The bill declares an emergency to prevent a funding lapse at the end of the current fiscal year, which would disrupt these critical government operations. It is a procedural adjustment focused solely on timing, not new policy.
HB 1102 changes how counties pay for funds retained by the state treasurer. Effective July 1, 2024, each county must pay 25% of the prior year's amount retained by the Treasurer of State for that county (for fiscal year ending June 30, 2024). This bill directly affects counties and municipalities that receive state funds, altering their payment obligation for retained fiscal resources. It modifies a specific payment mechanism under existing state finance procedures, with no new policy provisions.
HB 1444 (now Act 548) is a technical amendment to Arkansas' sales tax exemption rules for data centers. It clarifies that data submitted to the tax commission for exemption eligibility will be used **only** for determining eligibility, not for other purposes. The bill does not change who qualifies for the exemption or alter the exemption itself - only the reporting process. This procedural adjustment was passed by the Senate and signed into law on April 10, 2025.
HB 1272 (now Act 520) requires municipalities to convey abandoned property they've taken ownership of together with the adjacent real estate, rather than selling it separately. This applies when a city vacates land (like roads or public spaces) and the property becomes abandoned. The law prevents isolated vacant parcels from remaining disconnected, ensuring such land is transferred as part of the neighboring property. It directly affects municipalities managing vacant land and adjacent property owners who may purchase or inherit combined parcels. The bill focuses on streamlining property transfers to reduce fragmented ownership.
SB 257 extends the appeal period for healthcare providers who have Medicaid payments denied under Arkansas' Medicaid program. It requires the state to provide comprehensive, clear explanations in written notices when denying payments, moving beyond vague statements. This directly affects hospitals, clinics, and other providers who rely on Medicaid reimbursements. The bill amends existing Medicaid rules to make the appeals process more transparent and timely for these providers. It became law as Act 515 on April 10, 2025.
HB 1707 requires candidates for school district, township, municipal, and county offices to file campaign contribution and expenditure reports electronically with the Arkansas Secretary of State instead of county clerks. The bill mandates that reports be stored electronically for eight years (accessible via the Secretary of State’s website), automatically aggregated to track contributor limits, and then transferred to the Arkansas State Archives. This centralizes reporting for local elections, aiming to increase public transparency by making contribution data searchable and publicly available online. The bill was enacted as Act 524 on April 10, 2025.
HB 1314 creates the Arkansas Medical Audit Bill of Rights Act, directly affecting healthcare providers (excluding pharmacies) facing audits by state or federal agencies. The bill limits audits to either 50 claims or 0.25% of a provider’s annual claims, whichever is greater, and gives providers the choice to conduct audits on-site, electronically, or via the method used in the initial audit. It also clarifies that overpayments must be recouped only if corrected claims are paid on the same date, preventing retroactive penalties for minor billing errors. These changes aim to make audit processes more predictable and less burdensome for healthcare providers.
HB 1618 amends Arkansas law for second-class cities and incorporated towns regarding their municipal attorney selection. It requires elected or appointed municipal attorneys to reside within the city or town, while contracted attorneys do not need to reside there. The bill sets a four-year term for elected or appointed attorneys and allows cities to jointly purchase legal services with other municipalities. This replaces older provisions for first-class cities but directly affects second-class cities and incorporated towns by clarifying their attorney selection process.
