Rep. Kendon Underwood

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1681 establishes the Water and Sewer Treatment Facilities Grant Program. This program provides grants to local entities to help fund improvements and upgrades to their water and sewer treatment infrastructure. The grants will be supported by revenues authorized by law. The program is set to expire five years after its effective date, and the administering commission is required to report annually on the status of all awarded grants.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1679 amends the Revised Arkansas Anatomical Gift Act. It allows certain individuals to revoke or modify an anatomical gift after the donor's death, specifically following the irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions. The bill also requires organ procurement organizations to submit certain reports. This legislation affects individuals who have made anatomical gift decisions and the organizations responsible for facilitating these gifts.

Maddy summaryHB 1764, as amended, modifies the law concerning violations of orders of protection. It expands the definition of what constitutes a violation to include domestic abuse orders of protection issued by other states or foreign jurisdictions. This change means that a violation of an equivalent order from outside the state will be treated similarly to a violation of an in-state order. The bill directly affects individuals subject to such protective orders and those they are intended to protect, aiming to ensure broader recognition and enforcement across different jurisdictions.

Maddy summaryThis bill, HB 1833, amends the law concerning admissions at the University of Arkansas College of Medicine. The provided text, Amendment No. 1, modifies specific conditions related to the number of qualified applicants. It specifies that certain admission provisions apply only if fewer than twenty-five applicants from a congressional district, or fewer than twenty-five Arkansas residents, meet published admissions standards and accept an offer. This directly affects prospective medical students and the College of Medicine's admissions process by setting thresholds for geographic and residency-based considerations.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1678 aims to amend the Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act by increasing criminal penalties and clarifying civil penalties. An amendment to the bill expands who can pursue civil action for violations to include any state resident who receives a shipment of abortion-inducing drugs for illegal purposes. It also specifies that civil damages will not be awarded if the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff's criminal conduct. Additionally, the amendment establishes that a violation is considered a deceptive and unconscionable act, and allows courts to award attorney's fees to defendants if a plaintiff's suit is found to be frivolous and brought in bad faith.

Maddy summaryHB 1763 amends Arkansas's Human Trafficking Act of 2013. It creates a new criminal offense for the "unlawful use of a communication device during the commission of a human trafficking offense." This applies to individuals who knowingly use any communication device, such as phones or mail, to commit or facilitate a human trafficking felony. Each instance of using a communication device in this manner constitutes a separate offense, which is classified as a Class C felony.

Maddy summaryHB 1751 requires individuals applying for benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to engage in job search activities. This obligation is specifically mandated for the period while their application for TANF assistance is being processed. The bill integrates job-seeking efforts into the application phase for those seeking these welfare benefits.

Maddy summaryHB 1582, now Act 708, sets forth actions individuals must take and are encouraged to take to be eligible for benefits under the Division of Workforce Services Law. It directly affects individuals applying for or receiving these benefits. A key provision requires claimants to report five work search contacts weekly as part of their benefit certification process. The bill also encourages individuals to apply for jobs listed on the state-maintained job board and clarifies how job search activities should be reported.

Maddy summaryHB 1543, now Act 631, establishes the "Workforce Experience Opportunities Act of 2025" as a procedural measure to create a framework for workforce development programs. The bill itself does not detail specific policy provisions or mechanisms in the provided text; it was enacted through standard legislative amendments and passage. As a procedural bill naming the act, it does not directly affect specific groups or include concrete policy changes in the context given. The summary is limited to its procedural status as a newly enacted law.

Maddy summaryHB 1713, now Act 602, requires ballot titles for citizen-initiated measures to be written at or below a specific grade-level reading standard. This law directly affects voters and initiative proponents by mandating that ballot titles use simple, accessible language to improve public understanding. The key mechanism sets a standardized readability threshold (using a "Grade Level formula" per the amended bill) for all such titles. The bill was passed quickly with an emergency declaration and is now law, aiming to make ballot measures clearer for all voters.