HB 1217 establishes Arkansas as a participating state in the Interstate Massage Compact, creating a formal agreement with other states to streamline massage therapy licensing. The bill creates a Compact Commission that can charge annual assessments on member states to cover its operational costs, with fees allocated via a Commission-determined formula. This directly affects massage therapists seeking to practice across state lines in participating jurisdictions and Arkansas' regulatory oversight of the profession. The bill was enacted as Act 267 on March 12, 2025, enabling Arkansas to join the interstate agreement.
SB 296 amends Arkansas law to clarify how county election boards designate additional early voting locations. It requires county boards of election commissioners to unanimously vote to select new early voting sites within the county seat, beyond the standard polling locations established for the previous general election. The bill specifies that these additional sites must operate during the same hours as existing early voting locations (8 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays) for elections. This change directly affects county election boards, which now have a defined process for expanding early voting access within their jurisdictions.
SB 236 amends Arkansas' Insurance Holding Company Regulatory Act to update definitions related to insurer capital and liquidity standards. It formally incorporates the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) "group capital calculation instructions" and "liquidity stress test framework" into state law, requiring insurers to follow these NAIC guidelines. The bill directly affects Arkansas-based insurance companies and the Insurance Commissioner, who must enforce these updated standards. This change aligns state regulations with national NAIC frameworks but does not alter existing investment limits or operational requirements for insurers.
SB 267 repeals the Arkansas Alternative Motor Fuel Development Act and the Alternative Motor Fuel Development Fund. This bill removes the state law that previously governed alternative motor fuel development programs and eliminates the dedicated fund that provided financial support for such initiatives. The repeal directly affects any current or future projects or entities that relied on the fund or the legal framework established by the Act. As a result, Arkansas no longer maintains this specific funding mechanism or regulatory structure for alternative motor fuel development.
HB 1493 appropriates nearly $14 million from Arkansas' Development and Enhancement Fund to support physical improvements at multiple state higher education institutions. The bill directly affects Arkansas Northeastern College, Arkansas State University campuses (Beebe, Mid-South, Mountain Home, Newport, and Three Rivers), and Black River Technical College, as well as Cossatot Community College. Key provisions fund specific projects like roof repairs ($1.35M for Arkansas Northeastern College), campus infrastructure upgrades ($2M for Arkansas State University-Beebe's Owen Center), technology enhancements ($450K for IT at Beebe), and solar energy systems ($1M for Newport's photovoltaic array). These funds address critical maintenance, deferred repairs, and equipment replacement across all listed institutions. The bill focuses on tangible facility improvements rather than policy changes.
SB 272 prohibits pre-filled party affiliation fields on Arkansas voter registration forms, requiring these fields to remain blank for applicants. The bill directly affects voters registering to vote in Arkansas by ensuring they actively choose their party affiliation rather than having it pre-selected. It amends Arkansas Constitution Amendment 51, Section 6, to implement this change in voter registration procedures. The bill became law as Act 278 on March 12, 2025.
SB 294 amends Arkansas election audit laws to require the State Board of Election Commissioners to audit any county that had less than 100% accuracy in a previous election audit. This directly affects county election offices, mandating they undergo an additional audit before the next primary or general election if their prior audit showed accuracy below 100%. The bill adds this requirement to existing procedures, specifying that counties failing the accuracy standard must be selected for audit in the subsequent election cycle. The law, now Act 280, became effective March 12, 2025.
This bill allocates $10.9 million in state funds for Arkansas' Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism's Division of Heritage for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It specifies funding for 105 full-time employees (with defined salary grades and roles) and up to 11 temporary staff to cover salaries, operations, travel, and other administrative expenses. The bill directly affects the Division of Heritage's workforce and budget, enabling its continued operation of heritage programs and services. The bill has been enacted as Act 297.
HB 1544 directs the Office of the Treasurer of State to distribute supplemental funds to counties and municipalities that were previously collected by the state but not yet returned to local governments. This bill allocates existing "state turnback" funds - money the state collected on behalf of local entities but hadn’t yet distributed - to support local budgets. It does not create new funding or change eligibility; it simply ensures timely payment of these existing state-held funds to qualifying local governments. The bill passed in March 2025 and is now Act 299.
HB 1369 establishes a maximum limit on campaign contributions for Arkansas state elections, setting this cap through the Arkansas Ethics Commission rather than the legislature. It directly affects state political candidates, committees, and donors by restricting how much they can contribute to campaigns. The bill amends existing campaign finance laws to implement this commission-set limit and declares an emergency to expedite its implementation. This is a concrete policy change to regulate campaign funding, not a procedural or commemorative measure.
HB 1379 updates who can authorize state employee reimbursements for meals and lodging during official travel. It replaces the previous requirement that only a "State cabinet-level secretary" approve such expenses with a broader list including department directors, chief executive officers, or chief fiscal officers. This change directly affects state employees traveling on official business and their supervisors who process travel expense claims. The bill clarifies that multiple types of state agency officials - not just cabinet secretaries - may now approve these reimbursements. The bill passed in 2025 and became Act 287.
This bill changes how Arkansas collects unpaid court fines, fees, and costs when people miss payments (default). It allows courts to use standard civil collection methods (like wage garnishment) and intercept state income tax refunds for these debts, following specific procedures. It also creates a legal claim on a person's property (real and personal) for unpaid amounts, similar to other civil judgments. These changes directly affect defendants who fail to pay court-ordered financial obligations.
