Sen. Ben Gilmore

Maddy summaryThis bill adds nitrogen gas as an additional method of execution for individuals sentenced to death in Arkansas, alongside the existing lethal injection option. It requires prison officials to notify death row inmates of the chosen execution method (nitrogen gas or lethal injection) at least seven days in advance. The bill also includes confidentiality provisions preventing public disclosure of execution protocols, drug sources, and personnel involved under Arkansas' public records laws. This change applies to all future capital punishment cases in Arkansas, following its passage into law as Act 302.

Maddy summarySB 259 transfers the authority to appoint the Director of the Arkansas Waterways Commission from its current appointing body to the Governor. The bill requires the Governor's appointment to be confirmed by the Arkansas Senate before taking effect. This change directly affects the Governor, the Senate, and the Waterways Commission by altering the appointment process. The bill became law as Act 293 on March 12, 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 142, now Act 122, bans students from possessing or using personal electronic devices (like phones) during the entire school day, directly affecting public school students. The law requires schools to update discipline policies to include specific exemptions: devices issued by the school for educational use, special events (defined by future rules), and devices needed for students with special education plans or concurrent enrollment college courses. It replaces prior rules with these clear exemptions while maintaining the overall "bell to bell" device ban. The bill passed in February 2025 and became law without additional committee action.

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 1223 allows judicial appointees running for election to the Arkansas Supreme Court or Court of Appeals to use their current title (e.g., "Justice" or "Judge") as a prefix on the ballot. It applies only to candidates currently serving in those positions as appointees who have held the role for at least 12 months. The bill amends ballot rules to permit this title prefix in nonpartisan judicial elections, clarifying that it does not apply to other judicial offices like circuit or district judges. This change affects how appointees seeking election to these specific courts appear on ballots.

Maddy summaryHB 1211 clarifies which payments count toward retirement benefits for Arkansas public employees, specifically defining "recurring remuneration" to include certain bonuses, lump-sum payments, and career recognition payments. It sets a 5% cap on the bonus or lump-sum amount considered for the final year's salary calculation and repeals outdated sections about termination requirements (sections 24-4-110 and 24-4-111). The bill directly affects current and former state/local government employees enrolled in the Arkansas Public Employees’ Retirement System by standardizing how compensation is calculated for benefit purposes. These changes ensure consistent administration of retirement benefits without altering eligibility or benefit amounts.

Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies rules for Arkansas judicial retirees' benefit payments. It generally protects retirement payments from being seized by creditors or courts, except in cases of embezzlement/fraud by the retiree or when a court orders payments to cover willful child support violations. It also establishes clear procedures for correcting payment errors: overpayments must be recovered within five years (unless fraud occurred), while underpayments must be paid immediately in a lump sum with future payments adjusted. These changes aim to make benefit administration fairer and more efficient for all judicial retirees.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Arkansas' public retirement system (APERS) to recover overpaid benefits from retirees who owe money to the Arkansas Judicial Retirement System or State Police Retirement System. It amends state law to explicitly include these two retirement systems as entities from which APERS can collect overpayments. The change directly affects retirees who received excess payments and the retirement systems themselves by expanding APERS' existing authority to recover such debts. This is a technical adjustment to streamline benefit recovery, not a new policy or funding change.

Maddy summaryHB 1210 establishes a new funding mechanism for administrative costs of Arkansas' judicial and state police retirement systems. Starting July 1, 2027, the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System (APERS) will receive annual transfers from both the Arkansas Judicial Retirement System and State Police Retirement System funds. The transfer amount is calculated using a 50/50 weighted average of each system's share of total assets and total membership within the combined retirement systems. This replaces previous methods, requiring APERS to submit transfer requests to the Chief Fiscal Officer for approval, with funds moving through state fiscal offices.