Judiciary

Senate Bill 641 allows county sheriffs to elect to house certain inmates committed to the Department of Corrections (DOC) in county jails, rather than immediately transferring them to state facilities. This option applies to eligible inmates who are within 12 months of their earliest potential release date and are not convicted of felonies ineligible for earned release credits. If a sheriff chooses this option, they must obtain the inmate's consent, notify victims and prosecutors, and provide programming, healthcare, and supervised work opportunities. The DOC is responsible for reimbursing counties for housing and medical expenses and providing training and digital programming resources.

SB 144 aims to address the backlog of inmates awaiting transfer to the Division of Correction. The bill allows the Board of Corrections to partner with specific counties to fund, construct, expand, or improve facilities to house these inmates. These partnerships are intended for the eight counties contributing the most inmates to the state system, or their adjoining counties, with local approval. Additionally, the bill mandates the establishment of a diagnostic intake facility for new adult inmates in one of four designated counties: Washington, Benton, Crawford, or Sebastian.

HB 1662, titled "TO PROHIBIT LOBBYING FOR A COVERED FOREIGN ENTITY," aimed to prevent individuals or organizations from lobbying on behalf of certain foreign entities. The provided text is an amendment to the bill, which made minor changes to specific wording and references within the original text. Without the full original bill text, the specific definitions of "covered foreign entity" or the detailed mechanisms and scope of the prohibition are not available.

Senate Bill 630 would change who is responsible for determining punishment in felony and misdemeanor cases in Arkansas. This bill specifies that if a defendant is found guilty by a jury, the court (a judge), rather than the jury, would fix the punishment. It also clarifies that after a guilty plea, the court would be solely responsible for imposing the sentence. These changes would affect individuals charged with non-capital felony or misdemeanor offenses and the state's sentencing procedures.

SB 404 would have required the personal representative of a deceased person's estate to notify the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) when the estate enters probate. This notification would be specifically required if the DFA had previously filed a certificate of indebtedness against the deceased individual. The bill outlined that this notice must include a copy of the petition for probate and the decedent's Social Security number, and specified the correct division within the DFA to receive it. This amendment aimed to ensure the DFA is informed of probate proceedings when it holds a claim against the decedent.