Rep. Nicole Clowney

Maddy summaryHB 1865, now Act 976, creates enhanced penalties for various offenses committed against children. This legislation directly affects individuals convicted of these specific crimes, aiming to increase protections for children. Key provisions include defining the categories of offenses covered, such as sexual offenses, voyeurism, human trafficking, child exploitation, and computer crimes against minors. It also establishes specific enhanced minimum prison sentences for certain felony classes, including 15 years for a Class A felony, 10 years for a Class B felony, and 5 years for a Class C felony.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 241 amends the Uniform Attendance and Leave Policy Act to provide paid leave for public employees. It allows for up to forty hours of catastrophic leave with pay each calendar year in the event of the death of an immediate family member. The bill broadly defines "immediate family member" to include various relatives, in-laws, and individuals acting as a parent or guardian. It also clarifies "child" to encompass biological, unborn, step, adoptive, and foster children. This leave is available to employees if the administrator of their catastrophic leave program elects to provide it.

Maddy summaryThe provided text is an amendment to Senate Bill 343, not the full bill itself. This amendment modifies the definition of "state-owned vehicles" within the bill. Specifically, it clarifies that vehicles owned by a cabinet-level department of the executive branch and used for law enforcement are not considered "state-owned vehicles" under the bill's provisions. A full summary of SB 343, which also concerns public property and vehicle acquisition, cannot be provided from this amendment text alone.

Maddy summarySB 530 is a procedural bill that added 21 senators and 37 representatives as cosponsors to the original bill. It did not change the tax credit policy itself, as the title references an existing Arkansas Wood Energy Products and Forest Maintenance Income Tax Credit. The bill's purpose was solely to expand the list of legislators supporting the tax credit legislation. The bill was passed and became Act 701 on April 18, 2025. No substantive policy changes to the tax credit were made by this amendment.

Maddy summarySB 527 amends the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me Act of 2021, impacting individuals enrolled in the program and participating health insurers. The bill changes the age for exemption from work requirements to over 59 years and clarifies compliance information for the Arkansas Medicaid Program. It establishes a process for suspending coverage for individuals who do not cooperate with work requirements, allowing them to regain active coverage if they demonstrate an intention to comply. Additionally, the bill reduces the required medical-loss ratio for health insurers in the program from 90% to 85%.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 535 creates a sales and use tax exemption specifically for the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation. This means that these two organizations will not be required to pay sales tax on their purchases of physical goods, digital products, or services. The bill amends existing state code to add this new exemption. This change aims to reduce the tax burden on the museum and its associated foundation.

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 summaryHB 1732 aims to increase the income tax deduction available to teachers. This deduction applies to money teachers spend on their classrooms, often referred to as classroom investment. By increasing the allowed deduction, the bill enables teachers to reduce a larger portion of these out-of-pocket expenses from their taxable income. This change directly affects teachers who incur costs for their classrooms.

Maddy summaryHB 1783 amends Arkansas law concerning the reclassification of a city from first class to second class. The bill changes the population threshold for this reduction, raising it from less than 5,000 inhabitants to less than 7,500 inhabitants, based on the most recent federal decennial census. It also modifies the process, requiring a city council to adopt an ordinance instead of a resolution to request the reclassification. This affects first-class cities whose populations fall below the new 7,500 resident mark, allowing them to be reduced to a city of the second class.

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.