Sen. Ben Gilmore

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1519 aimed to allow the Secretary of the Department of Commerce to participate in the hiring and contracting of employees. This authority would extend to the State Insurance Department, State Bank Department, and State Securities Department. The bill's intent was to establish "shared services" to streamline administrative functions like human resources and procurement across these entities. The goal was to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and foster collaboration by pooling resources.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1970 aims to amend Arkansas law concerning the prepayment of sales tax. It directly affects retailers registered to collect gross receipts tax within the state. The bill increases the average monthly net sales threshold for retailers required to prepay sales tax from $200,000 to $500,000. This change means that only retailers with average net sales exceeding $500,000 per month will be obligated to make electronic prepayment of sales tax, using one of the existing payment options.

Maddy summaryHB 1934 proposed to create the Arkansas Forward Engagement Committee working group. This temporary group, composed of various state agency secretaries and legislative members, would be tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of state government spending and regulations. Its purpose would be to identify inefficiencies, opportunities to optimize resources, and regulations that are unnecessary or burdensome. The working group would also accept public submissions on waste and inefficiencies, incorporating them into a final report of findings and recommendations to legislative leadership by July 1, 2026. The group was scheduled to be abolished by January 1, 2027, with a potential extension by the Governor.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1328 proposed to extend the maximum participation period for active Arkansas State Police Officers in two specific retirement savings programs. It aimed to increase the duration of participation in both the Arkansas State Police Officers Deferred Option Plan (Tier One) and the Arkansas State Police Officers' Tier Two Deferred Retirement Option Plan. If enacted, officers in these plans would have been able to participate for a maximum of ten years, up from the current seven years.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1472 proposed creating new sales and use tax exemptions for specific purchases related to the agriculture and timber industries in Arkansas. The bill aimed to exempt the sales tax on parts purchased to repair agricultural equipment and machinery used directly in commercial production. It also sought to exempt sales tax on parts used to repair timber equipment and machinery involved in commercial timber production, harvesting, or processing. Furthermore, the bill included an exemption for both parts and services purchased to repair a grain bin.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1871 amends Arkansas law regarding defendants who repeatedly violate the terms of their probation or suspended sentence. The bill mandates that if a defendant has their probation or suspended sentence revoked at least three times, a subsequent violation would require the court to sentence them to incarceration. This period of confinement must be at least equal to the original term of imprisonment for the offense. This change directly affects defendants with multiple probation or suspended sentence violations by limiting judicial discretion in those specific cases.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1500 proposed to repeal Arkansas's "throwback rule" for income tax apportionment, impacting how multistate businesses calculate their taxable income in the state. Currently, if a business ships tangible goods from Arkansas to another state where it is not subject to income tax, those sales are "thrown back" and treated as Arkansas sales for tax purposes. The bill aimed to gradually phase out this rule by progressively reducing the percentage of such sales considered within Arkansas, starting in 2025. By tax year 2030, these sales would be entirely sourced outside Arkansas, meaning they would not be subject to Arkansas income tax. The stated intent was to enhance economic competitiveness and encourage investment and job creation by multistate enterprises.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 568 amends laws concerning taxes on lithium extraction and development, including establishing a sales and use tax exemption for lithium resource development. It also modifies the distribution of severance taxes, specifically detailing how funds collected from salt water are allocated. The bill creates a tiered system where portions of these salt water severance taxes are directed to state general revenues. A significant share is also allocated to county road funds, distributed based on where the tax was generated. This impacts companies involved in lithium development and the funding available for state and local government services.

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 450 (SB 450) requires the Arkansas Department of Education to incorporate a discussion of human fetal growth and development into its academic standards. This provision will be implemented during the regular academic standards revision cycle, affecting the curriculum taught to public school students. The bill specifies that this discussion must include a high-quality, computer-generated rendering or animation. This visual aid will depict the process of fertilization and every stage of human development inside the uterus, noting significant markers in cell growth and organ development during each week of pregnancy until birth.