Rep. Howard Beaty

Maddy summaryHB 1049 (now Act 238) amends Arkansas criminal law to establish a new offense for "unlawful squattering." The bill makes it a criminal violation for a person to occupy property without the owner's permission, specifically targeting individuals who enter or remain on property after being asked to leave. This directly affects individuals occupying vacant or abandoned properties without legal right, such as vacant homes or land. The key provision creates a specific criminal charge (likely a misdemeanor) for this conduct, distinct from general trespass laws, and specifies that the offense applies after the owner or their agent has issued a verbal or written demand to vacate.

Maddy summaryHB 1378 modifies Arkansas' State Board of Finance by changing its membership structure, reducing the required quorum for meetings, and eliminating a specific administrative role. The bill adds two new membership positions requiring expertise in commercial banking and securities (with specific licensure and experience requirements) and adjusts the board's composition to include the Insurance Commissioner as a voting member only for health benefit plan votes. It lowers the quorum needed for meetings from seven to six members and repeals the requirement for the board to employ a Chief Compliance Officer. These changes directly affect how the board operates, its decision-making process, and its administrative structure. The bill focuses on procedural and organizational adjustments to the board's governance framework.

Maddy summaryHB 1487 (now Act 212) modifies the membership requirements for the Arkansas Forestry Commission's committee. It specifies that the committee must include at least three registered foresters not on the commission, in addition to existing members designated by the commission chair. This change affects the Arkansas Forestry Commission's internal structure and operations by clarifying committee composition rules for rulemaking, disciplinary matters, and ethical complaints. The bill is procedural and does not alter forest management policies or public programs.

Maddy summarySB 202 lowers the required bonding amount for state highway construction projects from previous standards to at least 25% of the contract price. This change directly affects contractors bidding on projects managed by the Arkansas State Highway Commission. The bill modifies bonding requirements to ensure bonds cover the state's financial exposure, requiring bonds to be "conditioned as the commission may require." The legislation, now Act 217, was signed into law on February 27, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1437 prohibits Level 3 or Level 4 sex offenders from entering water parks, swimming areas, or children's playgrounds within 100 feet of Arkansas State Parks or public parks. It directly affects individuals required to register under Arkansas' Sex Offender Registration Act who have been assessed as Level 3 or 4 offenders. The bill expands prior restrictions by adding swimming areas and playgrounds to the prohibited zones, with violations classified as Class D felonies. This law amends Arkansas Code § 5-14-134 to cover all public parks and state parks, not just local government-owned facilities.

Maddy summarySB 59 requires all public schools to provide one free breakfast daily to every student upon request, without checking if they qualify for federally funded free or reduced-price meals. This policy directly affects all public school students in the state, eliminating eligibility barriers for breakfast access. The bill includes an emergency clause, allowing it to take effect immediately upon enactment. It changes school meal procedures by mandating universal breakfast availability as a standard practice, not tied to existing federal program eligibility. The bill became law as Act 123 on February 24, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1324 changes Arkansas' legal fireworks sales schedule by moving the start date of the summer sales window from June 20 to June 13 each year. The bill directly affects Arkansas residents who purchase or use fireworks, allowing retail sales from June 13-July 10 annually (instead of June 20-July 10) alongside the existing December 10-January 5 holiday window. This amendment modifies Arkansas Code § 20-22-711(a)(1) to adjust the permissible sales period without altering other provisions. The change applies to all retail sales of fireworks defined under state law.

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summaryThis Arkansas bill (SB 133, now Act 50) amends state commercial law to define "central bank digital currency" (CBDC) and clarify its exclusion from key financial terms. It adds a specific definition for CBDC as digital currency issued directly by central banks (like the Federal Reserve) or governments, and explicitly states CBDC is not considered "money" or a "deposit account" under the Uniform Commercial Code. These changes ensure CBDC is treated separately from traditional currency and bank deposits in commercial transactions. The bill directly affects how Arkansas financial institutions and legal systems categorize digital currencies issued by government entities.

Maddy summarySB 15 repeals Arkansas' existing law (§ 15-43-205) that imposed fines ($100-$1,000) or jail time (30 days-6 months) for deer hunters who negligently discharge firearms, endangering others. This bill removes the specific penalties for negligent firearm discharges during deer hunting. It directly affects deer hunters in Arkansas who would have faced these penalties under the repealed law. The bill does not create new rules or penalties - it solely eliminates the previous legal consequence. The repeal became effective when the bill was signed into law as Act 26 on February 12, 2025.