HB 1129 amends the definition of "homestead" to increase the maximum acreage eligible for a property tax exemption for disabled veterans, surviving spouses, and minor dependent children from 80 to 160 acres. This change directly affects qualifying veterans and their families by expanding the land size they can own while still receiving the tax exemption. The key provision modifies the acreage threshold in existing law, allowing more property to qualify under the exemption program. The bill was enacted as Act 407 on March 25, 2025, making this change effective immediately.
HB 1293 increases death benefit payments to designated beneficiaries or survivors of public employees who die while performing their duties. The bill specifically expands coverage to include state highway employees, adding them to the list of eligible workers previously covered (such as police, firefighters, and coroners). This amendment, enacted as Act 414 on March 25, 2025, directly affects families of these public safety workers by raising the financial support they receive. The change modifies existing state law to provide higher compensation for qualifying deaths in the line of duty.
This bill extends spousal retirement benefits to spouses of specific city officials upon their death. It applies to city attorneys in first/second-class cities, deputy city clerks in first-class cities, mayors in second-class cities, and treasurers in first-class cities. Eligible spouses married to the official for at least 10 years can receive half the deceased's retirement benefit (either what they were receiving or what they would have received if they died in office), at the city's discretion. Benefits terminate upon the spouse's remarriage. The policy change directly affects these municipal employee roles and their surviving spouses.
HB 1558 creates two new licenses for property management professionals in Arkansas: a Property Management Broker license and a Property Management Associate license. This bill amends the existing real estate licensing law to establish these specific categories, directly affecting individuals and businesses seeking to manage residential or commercial properties. The law requires applicants to meet defined education, experience, and examination standards for each license type. It does not change existing real estate broker or salesperson licenses but adds these new pathways for property management roles. The bill became law as Act 392 on March 25, 2025.
HB 1367 amends Arkansas' Title Insurance Act to establish new rules for how title agents and title companies access public property records. It directly affects title insurance professionals in Arkansas who routinely review county land records for property transactions. The bill creates standardized procedures requiring title companies to follow specific, documented processes when requesting public records from county offices. This replaces inconsistent past practices with clear, regulated access methods to improve record-keeping accuracy. The law, now effective as Act 346, aims to streamline property record handling without changing title insurance requirements.
HB 1620 requires pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) to pay Arkansas-licensed pharmacies and pharmacists promptly for "clean claims" (claims processed successfully without errors or missing documentation). It directly affects all Arkansas pharmacies and pharmacists who bill PBMs for prescription drugs, ensuring stable cash flow for operations and patient care. Key mechanisms include defining "clean claims" as real-time processed claims with approved payments, setting clear timelines for claim receipt (e.g., electronic claims on transfer date), and prohibiting post-payment audits that delay payments. The law also expands the Pharmacy Audit Bill of Rights to cover Medicaid program audits and clarifies that PBMs cannot use prescription validation requests to withhold payment after a claim is approved.
HB 1517, now Act 347, prohibits earned wage access service providers from making false, misleading, or deceptive statements about their services. It directly affects companies offering early wage access (like employer-sponsored apps or third-party platforms), requiring clear disclosures to workers. The law modifies existing state code (sections 23-52-203 and 23-52-204) to clarify that banking, savings, and credit union entities remain exempt. This policy change ensures transparency for workers using these services while excluding traditional financial institutions from the rules.
SB 240 amends Arkansas' Credit Reporting Disclosure Act to clarify what must be included in a "notice of adverse action" sent to consumers when a creditor denies credit or takes other negative action. The bill requires such notices to include the consumer's Social Security number, but only if the consumer previously provided it to the creditor or the number is already in the consumer report. This change directly affects consumers receiving credit denials and the creditors/reporting agencies that must send these notices. The law ensures notices provide consistent, necessary information without requiring creditors to obtain new SSNs from consumers. (Arkansas Code § 4-93-104(a), effective as Act 343, 2025)
HB 1609 increases penalties for human traffickers who recruit victims from high-risk locations. It mandates a 10-year prison sentence (up from standard penalties) if traffickers target individuals at facilities like youth shelters, correctional facilities, foster homes, childcare institutions, or juvenile detention centers. The bill directly affects traffickers who exploit vulnerable populations in these specific settings. It creates a clear legal mechanism to impose harsher sentences based on the victim’s location at the time of recruitment. The bill became law as Act 366 on March 20, 2025.
SB 276 clarifies that surplus lines insurance (specialty coverage from non-admitted insurers) qualifies as valid proof of financial responsibility for motor vehicle insurance in Arkansas. The bill amends several statutes to explicitly include surplus lines coverage in definitions of acceptable insurance policies and "insurer" under state law. This directly affects vehicle owners needing to prove insurance coverage and insurers offering surplus lines policies, removing ambiguity about their validity for compliance. The key mechanism updates legal definitions to ensure surplus lines coverage meets state requirements for motor vehicle liability insurance, without changing coverage standards.
SB 231 grants select employees of the Arkansas Lottery Office the authority to investigate violations of lottery laws and administrative rules. The bill requires the Lottery Office director to assign these employees as agents and report all such investigations to the Attorney General's office and Arkansas State Police. This change directly affects Lottery Office staff and state law enforcement agencies by establishing a formal process for handling internal regulatory violations. The bill does not create new laws or impact the public, but clarifies investigative procedures within the Lottery Office's existing regulatory framework. It was enacted as Act 342 on March 20, 2025.
HB 1398 requires all public schools to establish and implement a cardiac emergency response plan using nationally recognized medical protocols. This law directly affects every public school in the state by mandating specific, standardized procedures for responding to cardiac emergencies like sudden cardiac arrest. The key provision is the integration of nationally recognized elements (such as AED access, trained personnel, and clear response steps) into each school's emergency plan. The bill became law as Act 352 on March 20, 2025, after passing both legislative chambers.
