Maddy summaryHB 1877 expands criminal offenses related to sexually explicit material depicting a child to include computer-generated images that are indistinguishable from a child. The bill defines "artificial intelligence" and "adversarial testing," which involves evaluating AI systems in a controlled environment. It creates exemptions for law enforcement investigations and for interactive computer services conducting good-faith adversarial testing to prevent AI systems from generating such content. However, these exemptions do not apply if the testing is for personal or exploitative purposes. Additionally, the bill renames the offense of "Possession or use of child sexual abuse material" to "Electronic facilitation of child sexual abuse."
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1983 clarifies and confirms the absolute title of certain property for the Natural State Council of Boy Scouts of America, Inc., which is the successor to the Westark Area Council. The bill addresses historical ambiguities and concerns regarding the precise acreage and existing conditions, restrictive uses, or rights of reverter held by the State of Arkansas from previous land conveyances in 1973 and 1991. It specifically frees the majority of the property from these state-held conditions. However, the bill mandates that certain identified lots and portions of land must continue to be used for Boy Scout programs, Girl Scout activities, other youth recreation, or controlled public use under agreements with state agencies. This ensures clear ownership for the Boy Scouts while preserving specific areas for youth and public benefit.
Maddy summarySB 612 creates new legal actions against social media platforms. It establishes a "private right of action," allowing individuals to sue a social media platform if it causes them harm. The bill also imposes a civil penalty on social media platforms that knowingly and willfully contribute to a minor's suicide or suicide attempt. These provisions apply to platforms accessed by Arkansas users, encompassing aspects like personally identifiable information and premium content.
Maddy summarySenate Bill 352 prohibits antisemitism in public elementary and secondary schools. It also extends this prohibition to state-supported institutions of higher education. The bill establishes a standard for conduct within these educational environments, directly affecting students, faculty, and staff. This legislation aims to prevent and address antisemitic acts or expressions within these institutions.
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 summaryThis bill establishes a new system for property insurance for public schools, state-supported higher education institutions, and other state-owned properties. It creates the State Captive Insurance Program and the Office of Property Risk within the Department of Transformation and Shared Services to manage these combined insurance efforts. The act allows the state to create its own captive insurance company and prohibits the use of public adjusting for these property insurance claims. The goal is to create a more stable and sustainable property insurance system for these state entities by consolidating existing programs and ensuring proper property valuation. (SB 481, Act 779)
Maddy summarySenate 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.
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 summaryHouse Bill 1529 creates a new criminal offense and a civil cause of action related to "deepfake visual material." It makes it illegal to unlawfully create or distribute such material, directly affecting individuals involved in these actions. Additionally, the bill allows individuals who are victims of unlawfully created deepfake visual material to file a lawsuit to seek compensation. This legislation provides both criminal penalties and a civil remedy for the misuse of deepfake technology.
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.