Sen. Ben Gilmore

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 summarySB 537, known as the "Earning Safe Reentry Through Work Act," creates a program for individuals on probation, parole, or post-release supervision. This program allows these supervised offenders to earn sentence credits by maintaining eligible employment. These "work-for-time credits" can be forfeited if the individual commits a new criminal offense or provides fraudulent employment documents, and there is no right to appeal such a decision.

Maddy summaryThe provided text is an amendment to Senate Bill 538, not the full bill itself. This amendment adds Senator J. Dotson as a cosponsor, deletes Section 11 from the bill, and renumbers the remaining sections. The title indicates that the bill aims to amend the Arkansas Procurement Law, but the specific changes or mechanisms of the bill are not detailed in the provided information.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 516 (Act 761) amends Arkansas law regarding how candidates can use judicial titles when filing for nonpartisan judicial offices. Previously, only judges who had been elected to their current position could use their title as a prefix on the ballot. This bill expands that allowance to include individuals appointed to the offices of Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge of the Court of Appeals, circuit judge, or district judge. To qualify, an appointee must have served in that judicial position for at least twelve months.

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 summarySenate Bill 590 establishes a Recidivism Reduction System within the Department of Corrections. This system aims to reduce the rate at which individuals return to prison after release. The bill requires the Department of Corrections to submit a feasibility study to the Legislative Council regarding the implementation of this new system. It directly affects the operations of the Department of Corrections and individuals within its supervision. The bill also includes an emergency clause, allowing it to take effect immediately upon becoming law (Act 769).

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1778 amends the existing law concerning the criminal offense of stalking. The bill expands the definition of stalking to include actions that place a person in fear of sexual acts. It also modifies the legal definition of "course of conduct" as it relates to stalking offenses. These changes adjust the legal framework for prosecuting and defining stalking.

Maddy summaryHB 1779 amends the current laws related to the theft of property. The bill specifically enhances the classification of the offense for stealing a postal package. This enhancement applies if the package has been delivered to a person's residence and is stolen from within the immediate area surrounding the home. It aims to impose stricter penalties for individuals who commit theft of packages from residential properties.

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.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1925 (now Act 846) amends the law concerning absentee ballots. It updates the absentee ballot voter statement to include a clear warning about penalties for providing false information under penalty of perjury. The bill generally requires an absentee voter's sworn statement to be witnessed by at least one individual aged 18 or older, who must provide their name, signature, and mailing address. However, this witness requirement does not apply to voters unable to attend polls due to illness, disability, residency in a long-term care facility, religious observance, or active military service outside the county.