Rep. Steve Hollowell

Maddy summaryHouse Joint Resolution 1004 (HJR 1004) proposes that the state formally requests the United States Congress to call a Convention of the States. The specific purpose of this convention would be to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This amendment would establish term limits for members of the United States Congress, directly affecting those who serve in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Maddy summaryHB 1423, also known as the "Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding (GUARD) VA Benefits Act," prohibits individuals and entities from receiving compensation for helping veterans with their benefits claims. Specifically, it disallows payment for preparing, presenting, or advising on veterans' benefits matters, unless such compensation is explicitly authorized by federal law (Title 38 U.S.C. § 5904 and 38 C.F.R. § 14.629). The bill also prohibits receiving compensation for referring individuals to these services. Any person receiving authorized compensation must adhere to the same ethical standards as attorneys under Arkansas's Rules of Professional Conduct. Violations of this act are deemed a deceptive trade practice and a Class A misdemeanor.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1066 aims to increase the standard deduction available to taxpayers. This legislative change would directly affect individuals and potentially impact their taxable income. By raising the standard deduction, the bill proposes to reduce the portion of income subject to state taxes for those who choose not to itemize deductions.

Maddy summaryHJR 1015 was a proposed constitutional amendment in Arkansas that aimed to change how judicial candidates appear on the ballot. If approved, it would have required candidates for Supreme Court Justice, Court of Appeals Judge, Circuit Judge, and District Judge to declare their political party affiliation or independent status. This declared affiliation or independent status would then be printed on the ballot for voters to see. The stated purpose of the amendment was to ensure transparency regarding judicial candidates' affiliations. This amendment would have taken effect on January 1, 2027, if passed.

Maddy summaryHB 1065, titled "TO CREATE THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT OF 2025," died in the House Committee on Revenue & Taxation on May 5, 2025, without becoming law. The provided bill text contains no substantive policy language or specific mechanisms; it only includes a list of supporting legislators and procedural details. No concrete policy changes, affected groups, or key provisions are described in the available text. As a bill that stalled in committee with no enacted provisions, it did not implement any inflation-related measures. The title appears to be a placeholder, as no actual inflation reduction policy was outlined in the submitted bill.

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summaryHB 1877 expands criminal offenses related to sexually explicit material depicting a child to include computer-generated images that are indistinguishable from a child. The bill defines "artificial intelligence" and "adversarial testing," which involves evaluating AI systems in a controlled environment. It creates exemptions for law enforcement investigations and for interactive computer services conducting good-faith adversarial testing to prevent AI systems from generating such content. However, these exemptions do not apply if the testing is for personal or exploitative purposes. Additionally, the bill renames the offense of "Possession or use of child sexual abuse material" to "Electronic facilitation of child sexual abuse."

Maddy summaryHB 1685, known as the Grocery Tax Relief Act, exempts groceries from state sales and use taxes. This legislation amends existing state law regarding sales and use taxes levied on food and food ingredients. The bill directly affects consumers by removing the state sales tax typically applied to their grocery purchases.

Maddy summaryHB 1604, now Act 943, amends existing laws regarding contracts made by state agencies in Arkansas. The bill specifically prohibits state agencies from using public funds to purchase promotional items that are manufactured in China. This measure aims to regulate the types of products state agencies can acquire using taxpayer money. These new provisions apply to contracts executed on or after the act's effective date.

Maddy summaryHB 1352 (now Act 937) is a technical amendment to a bill that primarily changes a single word in the legislation - replacing "and" with "or" on page 6, line 31. It does not introduce new policies, alter substantive requirements, or directly affect any specific groups or entities. The bill was passed by the Arkansas Senate with Amendment No. 1 and signed into law on April 21, 2025. As a minor procedural correction, it has no meaningful impact on how the law operates or who it governs.