Judiciary

HB 1648 proposed to amend Arkansas law to grant arrest authority to qualified members of municipal fire department bomb squads. This authority would allow them to make arrests for explosives-related incidents or offenses, or when assisting a law enforcement agency. To be eligible, a bomb squad member would need to complete a specific law enforcement officer training course approved by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training. The bill also sought to include these qualified bomb squad members in the definition of "certified law enforcement officer."

HB 1430 aims to update definitions within Arkansas's Domestic Abuse Act of 1991. The bill clarifies "course of control" as a pattern of behavior between family or household members that interferes with a person's free will and personal liberty. It also expands the definition of "disturbing the peace" to include specific actions such as exhibiting course of control, stalking, repeated threats, criminal impersonation, various forms of harassment, destroying personal property, and criminal trespass. These changes directly affect how domestic abuse is legally defined and addressed for individuals within family or household relationships.

House Bill 1765 proposed changes to the classification of domestic battering in the third degree in Arkansas. While generally remaining a Class A misdemeanor, the bill sought to enhance it to a Class D felony under specific conditions. One key change allowed for this felony enhancement if a person had *committed* certain prior domestic violence acts within five years, even if there wasn't a prior conviction for those acts. In such cases, the state could establish the prior act during its case to achieve the enhanced classification.

House Bill 1953 proposes to add a surcharge to telephone and video calls made by inmates in Arkansas. This surcharge would be assessed on calls from both state correctional facilities and county jails. The Department of Corrections would assess a surcharge for state facilities, while county sheriffs would have the option to do so for county jails. The funds collected from these surcharges would be specifically used to offset the costs of security needs associated with inmate communications, such as equipment and operations.

HB 1676 proposes to amend Arkansas law concerning garnishment against the state. This bill would allow judgment creditors to legally seize (garnish) Arkansas state income tax refunds to satisfy debts owed to them by court order. Currently, these state income tax refunds are explicitly exempt from garnishment by judgment creditors. The bill clarifies that this change would not affect the state's existing ability to offset refunds for debts owed to state programs.