Sen. Josh Bryant

Maddy summarySB 215 aimed to amend how public school districts in Arkansas can donate unneeded real estate. It would have expanded the types of entities, including charter schools, higher education institutions, and local governments, that can receive donated property for purposes like preservation, holding classes, or community programs, explicitly excluding housing. The bill also mandated that consolidated school districts make unneeded property available for donation or low-cost lease after two years. Additionally, it would have updated definitions for public school facilities and required districts to offer unused facilities to local charter schools for lease or purchase before donating them.

Maddy summaryHB 1790 proposed changes to how local governments regulate short-term rentals (like Airbnb properties). The bill aimed to amend existing laws governing these rentals but was amended (Amendment No. 1) before failing to pass. It did not become law, as it died on the House Calendar after failing on third reading on April 8, 2025. The bill directly affected local governments and property owners operating short-term rentals within their jurisdictions. No concrete policy changes were enacted through this legislation.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1626, as amended, aimed to prohibit the sale of certain disposable vapor products. The bill's central provision was to ban the sale of disposable vapor products that originate from a "prohibited foreign party," a term defined by referencing an existing legal statute (§ 18-11-802). This measure would have directly impacted retailers selling vapor products and consumers who purchase them. The bill did not pass and died in committee.

Maddy summaryHouse Joint Resolution 1004 (HJR 1004) proposes that the state formally requests the United States Congress to call a Convention of the States. The specific purpose of this convention would be to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This amendment would establish term limits for members of the United States Congress, directly affecting those who serve in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1408 aimed to allow qualifying patients and their designated caregivers in Arkansas to use specific pre-tax savings accounts for purchasing medical marijuana. The bill would permit the use of a flexible spending account (FSA) or a health savings account (HSA) for these purchases. It defined these accounts according to existing federal guidelines. This change would have provided an additional payment method for individuals authorized to use medical marijuana under the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016.

Maddy summaryHB 1070, titled "TO CREATE THE BALLOT DRAW STANDARDIZATION ACT OF 2025," aimed to establish standardized procedures for drawing ballots in elections. The bill's context does not provide specific policy details about its provisions or who it would directly affect. The bill was introduced with cosponsors added via amendment, passed committee review, but ultimately failed on third reading in the House on March 13, 2025. It died on the House calendar after the legislative session ended on May 5, 2025. No substantive policy changes or mechanisms are described in the provided context.

Maddy summaryHB 1139, known as the "Released Time Education Act," would require public schools and open-enrollment public charter schools in Arkansas to excuse students from school to attend religious moral instruction. Upon request from a parent or guardian, students could be released for these "released time courses," which are taught by an independent entity off school grounds. Students would be excused for a minimum of one hour and a maximum of five hours per week to attend these courses.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1141 proposed creating a new criminal offense in Arkansas related to the use of "deep fakes" in election campaigns, directly affecting individuals involved in political communication and candidates for office. The bill defined a "deep fake" as media deliberately manipulated using artificial intelligence to falsely depict a real person performing an action, with the intent to deceive and injure a candidate. It would have made it unlawful to create or distribute such a deep fake with the intent to injure a candidate during the 90 days before a general election. A clear label identifying the communication as a deep fake would have served as an affirmative defense against prosecution for this offense.

Maddy summaryHB 1041 bans the creation and distribution of deceptive or fraudulent deepfakes (manipulated audio/video) in election-related communications, such as campaign ads or voter outreach. It directly affects political campaigns, candidates, and advertisers who produce or share election content using AI-generated deepfakes meant to mislead voters. The bill prohibits using deepfakes to falsely represent candidates, distort policies, or spread false information during elections. It does not cover non-election content or deepfakes without deceptive intent. The bill was introduced in the 2025 legislative session but died in committee without becoming law.

Maddy summaryHB 1912 aimed to change how real property is assessed for taxation in Arkansas. The bill proposed to reduce the "assessed value" of real property from 20% to 15% of its appraised value. This change would have affected how county assessors determine the assessed value of real property, especially after a transfer of title. If enacted, these provisions would have applied to assessment years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, impacting property owners.