HB 1402 amends Arkansas' Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act to allocate $500,000 annually from tobacco settlement funds toward a new grant program for school-based health centers. The Arkansas Minority Health Commission must establish and administer this program exclusively for school districts where racial or ethnic minorities are the majority population. The bill requires the Commission to mirror existing state grant program rules and distribute funds through the same framework used by the Department of Education and Department of Health. This policy change directly affects minority-majority school districts seeking to expand health services for students. Note: The bill was withdrawn by its author on February 18, 2025.
HB 1054 would have required Arkansas Medicaid to cover blood pressure monitors for pregnant and postpartum women without cost-sharing. This policy change would directly affect Medicaid recipients in Arkansas who are pregnant or within 12 months postpartum and need blood pressure monitoring. The bill aimed to simplify access to this essential monitoring tool by mandating coverage under the state's Medicaid program. However, the bill was withdrawn by its author on February 18, 2025, and did not become law.
HB 1061 would require Arkansas Medicaid to cover continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) for individuals diagnosed with gestational diabetes, a condition that develops during pregnancy. Currently, Medicaid covers CGMs for some people with diabetes (like type 1) but not gestational diabetes, so this bill would expand eligibility to include this group. To qualify, individuals must have a gestational diabetes diagnosis and maintain regular check-ups with a healthcare provider every six months. This change would directly affect Arkansans with gestational diabetes enrolled in Medicaid, ensuring they have access to this monitoring technology.
HB 1047 would have allowed Arkansas Medicaid to immediately enroll pregnant women applying for coverage while their full applications are processed, improving access to prenatal care. The bill required Medicaid to make "presumptive eligibility" determinations for these applicants and permitted designated health entities to screen and enroll them without delay. However, the bill was withdrawn by its author on February 18, 2025, and is no longer active. This would have directly affected pregnant women seeking Medicaid coverage in Arkansas.
This bill, titled the "Momnibus Act," would improve maternal health care in Arkansas by amending Medicaid law to require separate reimbursement for prenatal, delivery, and postpartum services rather than a single global payment. It would extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one full year, cover depression screening for pregnant women, provide blood pressure monitoring services, reimburse for remote ultrasounds, and include doula and community health worker services. The bill would directly affect pregnant and postpartum women enrolled in Arkansas Medicaid, as well as healthcare providers serving them. It would require the Department of Human Services to seek federal approval through waivers or state plan amendments to implement these changes. The bill was introduced in the 2025 Arkansas legislative session but was withdrawn by the author in February 2025.
HB 1305 would have required Arkansas' State Board of Education to issue teaching licenses to individuals without meeting standard licensing requirements, provided they were approved for hire by a public school district or charter school and met specific experience or education criteria (e.g., a bachelor's degree in the subject, 5+ years of related career experience, or 10+ years of experience). It would have mandated that school districts submit formal requests for licensure and required candidates to pass background checks and have no disqualifying records. Licenses issued under this provision would have expired upon termination of employment with the recommending school district or charter school. This bill was withdrawn by its author on February 18, 2025, and never became law.
HB 1419 would revise Arkansas's workers' compensation insurance plan by requiring the Insurance Commissioner to competitively select the plan's administrator and insurance providers at least every three years, based on cost, service quality, and performance history. The bill allows the commissioner to skip competitive bidding if the current provider has improved service, continuation benefits Arkansas, and coverage for employees working in other states remains adequate. It also mandates an annual report to the legislature detailing the selection process, plan performance, coverage in other states, and compliance with the law.
HB 1053 would have required Arkansas Medicaid to reimburse healthcare providers for remote ultrasound procedures and remote fetal nonstress tests (using FDA-approved digital tools) when performed outside a clinic but meeting standard care. It specified that these services must comply with HIPAA (as of January 1, 2025), use secure data transmission, and follow specific CPT coding (like 5905 for fetal tests). The bill applied to all Medicaid plans (fee-for-service and managed care) and directed the Department of Human Services to seek federal approvals and adopt implementing rules by January 1, 2026. Note: The bill was withdrawn by its author on February 18, 2025, and did not become law.
HB 1380 transfers the responsibility for reviewing planning and technical requirements of state information technology contracts from the Office of Intergovernmental Services to the Division of Information Systems. It directly affects Arkansas state agencies that issue or purchase IT contracts exceeding $100,000 in value, including those under cooperative agreements. The bill changes the pre-contract review process by shifting authority to the Division of Information Systems, ensuring technical and planning compliance before contracts are finalized. This is a procedural adjustment to administrative oversight, not a substantive policy change.
HB 1134 would adopt the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Compact in Arkansas, allowing APRNs (such as nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists) to practice across state lines without obtaining separate licenses in each state. The bill establishes uniform licensure requirements and mutual recognition of APRN licenses among participating states, directly affecting APRNs seeking cross-state practice and healthcare systems hiring them. Key provisions include requiring APRNs to hold a license in their home state (Arkansas), adhering to the home state’s practice laws when treating patients in other states, and creating a coordinated system for sharing licensure and disciplinary information. This would eliminate redundant licensing processes and streamline access to APRN services in participating states.
HB 1421 amends Arkansas law to require agencies hiring law enforcement officers trained by another agency to reimburse training costs, with the reimbursement amount decreasing over time: 100% if hired within 2 months, 80% for 2-6 months, 60% for 6-10 months, 40% for 10-14 months, and 20% for 14-18 months. It expands eligibility to include any law enforcement agency recognized by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training, as well as private communities over 5,000 population that employ certified officers. If an agency fails to reimburse, the Treasurer of State will withhold the amount from the agency’s funds and pay the training agency. This policy affects county, city, town, state, and private law enforcement agencies across Arkansas.
HB 1381 would have limited insurers' right to reimbursement for medical and hospital benefits paid to injury victims to a maximum of $5,000 per case. It would require insurers to seek reimbursement directly from injury settlement proceeds without forcing joint payments to both the victim and insurer. The bill specifically applied to non-workers' compensation injury claims under Arkansas law, excluding workers' compensation cases. The bill was withdrawn by its author on February 12, 2025, and never became law.
