Rep. Ryan Rose

Maddy summarySenate Bill 263 (now Act 330) increases the amount of the homestead property tax credit available to Arkansas homeowners. This policy change directly benefits qualifying homeowners who own and occupy their primary residence, reducing their annual property tax bill. The bill amends the existing tax credit structure to provide a higher dollar amount for eligible taxpayers. It became law after passing the Arkansas legislature and being delivered to the Governor on March 13, 2025. The change represents a concrete adjustment to tax relief for qualified homeowners without altering eligibility requirements.

Maddy summarySB 246, the Arkansas Access Act, prohibits Arkansas public schools from granting excused absences for political protests. It allows excused absences for student participation in social or public policy advocacy or efforts to influence legislation, but only with written consent from a parent, guardian, or legal custodian. Schools must annually report to the state education division the number of such absences requested, granted, and the stated purpose of each absence. The bill directly affects public school districts and charter schools in Arkansas, along with students and their families.

Maddy summaryHB 1460 is a procedural bill that amended the sponsorship list for a bill concerning appointments to boards, commissions, and councils. It deleted Representative L. Johnson as the sole sponsor and added Representatives Rose and L. Johnson as cosponsors, along with Senator J. Dotson as a sponsor. The bill itself does not change any appointment rules or policy provisions - its sole purpose was updating who is listed as sponsoring the legislation. This procedural amendment was passed and became Act 324 on March 18, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1607 creates a dedicated Office of Outdoor Recreation within Arkansas' Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism. This office will manage the existing FUN Parks Grants Program, establish application rules and selection criteria for grant funding, and oversee accountability for how funds are used by recipients. The bill directly affects the state department and local entities receiving outdoor recreation grants, streamlining administration under a single office rather than existing structures. It does not create new funding but reorganizes how current grant programs are managed.

Maddy summaryHB 1512, now Act 341, prohibits Arkansas public schools and charter schools from granting excused absences for "political protest." It allows excused absences for student "social or public policy advocacy" or "influencing legislation" only with parental consent. Schools must annually report the number of such absences and their purposes to the education division. The law directly affects public school students, parents, and school administrators by changing absence policies for non-academic activities.

Maddy summaryHB 1608 requires Arkansas State Archives approval before destroying handwritten documents over 50 years old held by state or county governments. It modifies existing records laws to mandate this review for both state records (Section 1) and county records transferred to permanent media (Section 2). The bill specifically targets handwritten historical documents, not all records or non-handwritten materials. This change ensures potentially significant historical documents receive archival review before disposal, without altering rules for younger or non-handwritten records.

Maddy summaryHB 1319, which was withdrawn by its author on March 17, 2025, would have created a state sales tax exemption for disabled veterans, their unremarried spouses, and surviving spouses of disabled veterans in Arkansas. The bill would have allowed these individuals to exclude up to $5,000 annually in sales tax on tangible personal property and certain digital products purchased at physical stores within the state. To claim the exemption, veterans would have needed an identification card from the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs, while surviving spouses would have required certification from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The exemption would not apply to local sales taxes or the compensating use tax.

Maddy summaryHB 1309 requires health insurers in Arkansas to cover screening mammograms and breast ultrasounds without any copayments or deductibles, regardless of whether services are provided on separate dates or multiple times on the same day. It also ensures that diagnostic breast cancer exams (including MRIs) have cost-sharing requirements no worse than those for screening exams. This bill directly affects insured Arkansans seeking breast cancer screenings by eliminating out-of-pocket costs for these specific preventive services. The law amends existing coverage requirements to clarify and strengthen access to early detection services under health benefit plans.

Maddy summarySB 291 extends the deadline for filing election complaint filings with Arkansas' State Board of Election Commissioners. It allows complaints about election violations (including voter registration, absentee ballots, or ballot tabulation) to be submitted up to 49 days after an election, instead of the previous 30-day window. The bill also sets a 182-day timeline for the Board to complete investigations and mandates that complaint records become publicly available 30 days after the Board's final decision. This directly affects voters, candidates, and election monitors who file or respond to election-related complaints.

Maddy summarySB 308 removes outdated references to write-in candidates from state law. It does not change how write-in voting works or affect voters who choose write-in candidates. The bill is a technical correction to modernize statutory language, not a substantive policy change. This bill passed on March 11, 2025, and became law as Act 284.