Sen. Josh Bryant

Maddy summarySenate Bill 494 amends the Arkansas Tobacco Products Tax Act of 1977 to revise the permitting process for businesses involved in tobacco, vapor, alternative nicotine, and e-liquid products. The bill aims to reduce the total number and types of permits issued by Arkansas Tobacco Control. It consolidates several existing permits into a more streamlined structure. The legislation also establishes the annual privilege fees associated with these revised permits for manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers in the state.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 429, now Act 665, enhances protections for victims of human trafficking in Arkansas. It allows victims of human trafficking to petition for the sealing of prostitution convictions that occurred as a result of their trafficking, regardless of whether they were a minor or an adult at the time of the offense. The bill also mandates that courts issue a no-contact order for defendants charged with offenses under the Human Trafficking Act of 2013. Additionally, it updates state code definitions to include human trafficking offenses in the scope of "victim" and "offense against a victim who is a minor."

Maddy summarySenate Bill 492, now Act 699, amends the laws concerning the relocation of utility facilities and the acquisition of real property by the State Highway Commission. The bill clarifies that "utility" includes cable and broadband services, but excludes interstate railways. It establishes civil penalties of $500 per business day for non-municipal utility systems that fail to comply with relocation requirements or agreements after receiving notice. However, penalties are not assessed if a utility meets the final relocation completion date, or if delays are caused by extraordinary events, improper excavation, or good-faith efforts to acquire right-of-way.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 427 enhances penalties for existing promoting prostitution offenses across the first, second, and third degrees. The bill reclassifies these offenses, increasing their severity, and creates a new offense specifically for promoting prostitution at a business. It also introduces mandatory fines, ranging from $2,500 to $10,000, for individuals convicted of paying for sexual activity. These fine payments are directed to the Safe Harbor Fund for Sexually Exploited Children and the Human Trafficking Victim Support Fund.

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 summarySenate Bill 535 creates a sales and use tax exemption specifically for the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation. This means that these two organizations will not be required to pay sales tax on their purchases of physical goods, digital products, or services. The bill amends existing state code to add this new exemption. This change aims to reduce the tax burden on the museum and its associated foundation.

Maddy summarySB 627, now Act 746, aims to assist the administration of the Code Enforcement section within the Department of Labor and Licensing. This legislation specifically focuses on enhancing the enforcement of state safety laws related to electricians, HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration) professionals, elevators, and boilers. The provided text, which is an amendment adding cosponsors, does not detail the specific mechanisms or provisions of how the bill achieves this administrative assistance.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1730, now Act 830, amends the law concerning the issuance and transfer of wholesale permits for alcoholic beverages. This bill allows for the issuance of new general wholesaler permits starting July 1, 2026, lifting a previous restriction that prohibited their issuance after September 1, 2013. It also permits the issuance of new minimum wholesaler permits from the act's effective date. Existing permits can still be renewed and transferred according to current law.

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 summaryHB 1764, as amended, modifies the law concerning violations of orders of protection. It expands the definition of what constitutes a violation to include domestic abuse orders of protection issued by other states or foreign jurisdictions. This change means that a violation of an equivalent order from outside the state will be treated similarly to a violation of an in-state order. The bill directly affects individuals subject to such protective orders and those they are intended to protect, aiming to ensure broader recognition and enforcement across different jurisdictions.