Sen. Jim Petty

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1448 aims to amend Arkansas law concerning municipal planning areas and land acquisition. It sets a one-year deadline for public boards to decide whether to acquire private land designated for future public use or release it from reservation. If the public board fails to act within this timeframe, the land is released, and the property owner must receive reasonable compensation for any diminished value during the delay. Additionally, the bill requires municipal planning commissions to provide direct mail notice to affected property owners and school districts when proposing new plans, ordinances, or regulations.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1702 proposed to expand sales and use tax exemptions for certain machinery and equipment used in manufacturing processes in Arkansas. It specifically aimed to add machinery and equipment used for "closed-loop recycling" to the list of items exempt from these taxes. This exemption would apply to equipment that mechanically reclaims and converts materials generated directly from a manufacturer's own process, reintroducing them into the original production cycle. The bill defined a "closed-loop circular process" as one where reclaimed post-use materials become a recognized component of the finished product.

Maddy summaryHJR 1015 was a proposed constitutional amendment in Arkansas that aimed to change how judicial candidates appear on the ballot. If approved, it would have required candidates for Supreme Court Justice, Court of Appeals Judge, Circuit Judge, and District Judge to declare their political party affiliation or independent status. This declared affiliation or independent status would then be printed on the ballot for voters to see. The stated purpose of the amendment was to ensure transparency regarding judicial candidates' affiliations. This amendment would have taken effect on January 1, 2027, if passed.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1698 aims to amend state income tax law concerning employer contributions for an employee's membership in a healthcare sharing ministry or other medical cost-sharing program. The bill clarifies that these employer contributions are treated as an exclusion from an employee's taxable income, meaning employees do not pay state income tax on these specific employer-provided benefits. It also defines a "medical cost-sharing program" as a healthcare funding arrangement where members contribute money to help cover each other's medical expenses.

Maddy summaryHB 1907 sought to update how businesses and individuals calculate the income tax deduction for depreciation and the expensing of property in Arkansas. The bill proposed adopting the federal income tax law concerning depreciation (26 U.S.C. §§ 167 and 168) as it was in effect on January 1, 2025. This change would have applied to property purchased in tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, for the purpose of computing Arkansas income tax liability.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1804 proposed to amend Arkansas law concerning the state's sales tax, also known as the gross receipts tax. The bill aimed to provide a new sales tax exemption for "utility vegetation line management services." This exemption would apply to services like trimming or removing trees and brush, clearing easements, disposing of wood waste, and applying chemicals within utility substations, easements, or rights-of-way. This change would directly affect businesses providing these services by exempting their gross receipts from the sales tax.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 571 amends existing law regarding municipal building and zoning regulations. This bill prohibits a municipality from enforcing its building and zoning regulations on county property. This prohibition specifically applies to county property that is used for a public purpose and is located within the corporate limits of that municipality. This means local governments at the county level would not be subject to a municipality's building and zoning rules for public-purpose properties within that municipality's boundaries.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1762, now Act 1009, updates regulations for entities permitted to apply industrial wastewater residuals onto land. It requires the Division of Environmental Quality to assess the maximum allowable penalty for each violation involving over-application or precipitation-related surface land application. Additionally, the bill directs the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission to begin developing new rules for "no-discharge" land application permits for industrial waste. Current land application permit procedures will remain in effect until these new rules are established.

Maddy summaryHJR 1018, titled "THE CITIZENS ONLY VOTING AMENDMENT," is a joint resolution that successfully passed both legislative chambers and was approved by the Governor. Based on its title, this bill proposes an amendment aimed at restricting voting eligibility to citizens only. However, the provided bill text primarily consists of an amendment adding various representatives and senators as cosponsors to the resolution, and does not detail the specific language, mechanisms, or provisions of the proposed "Citizens Only Voting Amendment" itself.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 577 requires the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) to notify local governments about the upcoming expiration of certain local sales and use taxes. This bill directly affects the DFA and local entities such as county quorum courts and city governing bodies that levy these taxes. The DFA must provide notice at least 120 days before a tax expires. This notification will include the tax's current expiration date and the specific requirements for extending it, covering various local sales and use taxes, including those for capital improvements, community colleges, and economic development projects.