Sen. Clint Penzo

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 75 formally honors Sylvia Ann Hindsman Cornwell for her 45 years of exemplary and dedicated service to the Arkansas Senate and the State of Arkansas. It recognizes her significant contributions, such as modernizing Senate records and serving as the first female Secretary of the Senate.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 23 recognizes February 15-22, 2025, as National FFA Week in Arkansas. This resolution commends the National FFA Organization and its Arkansas Division for their work in agricultural education and youth leadership.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 306 would have required the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) to apply for a federal waiver to expand home- and community-based services for the state's aging and elderly Medicaid population. The bill aimed to provide an alternative to skilled nursing facility care, allowing eligible individuals to receive support in their homes or communities. A key provision mandated that the average cost for these home- and community-based services must not exceed the average cost of institutional care, ensuring cost neutrality. This initiative sought to broaden care options for Arkansans needing services due to aging or elderly needs.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 282 proposed to amend Arkansas law regarding public water systems. It would have allowed customers of public water systems serving 5,000 or more people to hold an election to determine whether their water should be fluoridated. An election could be initiated by a petition signed by at least five percent of voters in each affected county or by a majority vote of a county's quorum court. If a majority of voters in a majority of the counties supplied by the system voted to prohibit fluoridation, the water system would have been required to cease fluoridating the water within 30 days.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 635 proposes to amend laws concerning alcoholic beverages by authorizing "bottle lockers" in certain restaurants. It defines a bottle locker as a storage system, such as an individual cabinet, within a restaurant where the restaurant stores alcoholic beverages purchased by a guest for later consumption, for which the guest pays a storage fee. This bill would allow restaurants located in a wet territory that hold an on-premises consumption permit to offer guests the option of using these bottle lockers.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 47 proposes changes to Arkansas's financial statutes by amending both the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) and the Arkansas Banking Code of 1997. The bill introduces a definition for "Central Bank Digital Currency" (CBDC) within the UCC and modifies other UCC definitions related to "money" and "deposit account." A key provision clarifies that under the Arkansas Banking Code, "deposit" and "deposit account" will explicitly not include central bank digital currency or investment property. This legislation aims to update the legal framework for classifying certain digital assets and traditional bank accounts for financial institutions in Arkansas.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1534 proposes to increase the existing homestead property tax credit. This bill directly affects homeowners by reducing the amount of property taxes they owe on their primary residence. The key mechanism is an adjustment to the credit amount, providing a larger tax reduction for eligible households.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 262 sought to allow a licensed medical professional who owns a medical corporation to maintain that ownership even if their medical license becomes inactive or they retire. This would be permitted provided that all medical services continue to be delivered by currently licensed individuals. Additionally, the owner's license must have been in good standing, free from disciplinary action, suspension, or revocation, at the time it became inactive or was voluntarily surrendered.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 7 (SB 7) proposed to expand the individuals authorized to request sales and use tax reports from the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA). Currently, only chief executive officers of counties, cities, or towns can request these reports. This bill would allow members of the General Assembly to also request a report, no more than quarterly, listing businesses remitting sales and use taxes for a governmental entity they identify. The DFA would be required to provide the requested information within 30 calendar days.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 110 proposes to allow Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs) or Certified Nursing Assistants who provide in-home services to beneficiaries in the Arkansas Medicaid Program to perform additional care and duties. This authorization is contingent on the CNA being appropriately trained for the specific skill and the beneficiary or their representative consenting to the care. The bill specifies that these provisions do not apply to CNAs working in inpatient settings or skilled nursing facilities. To implement these changes, the Department of Human Services would be required to seek any necessary federal waivers or Medicaid state plan amendments.