Rep. Stephen Meeks

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1197 aimed to prevent public schools in Arkansas from holding outdoor extracurricular activities when an excessive heat warning is declared by the National Weather Service. This bill would affect students participating in a wide range of activities, including athletics, fine arts programs, and special interest clubs. It specifically prohibits schools from scheduling, hosting, or requiring such outdoor events during these hazardous heat conditions. However, the proposed restrictions would not apply if the activity takes place in water or within a climate-controlled indoor facility.

Maddy summaryHouse Resolution 1012 proposed to amend the rules of the Arkansas House of Representatives by creating a "designated survivor" position. This bill would have required the Speaker of the House to appoint a House member, with high seniority, to serve in this role. The designated survivor would assume the Speaker's duties if both the Speaker and a majority of House members became unable to serve due to an emergency, especially during joint legislative meetings. On the day of such meetings, the appointed survivor would be required to be physically absent from the State Capitol building, located at least five miles away, to ensure continuity of leadership.

Maddy summaryHJR 1011 proposes a constitutional amendment to alter how the Arkansas General Assembly considers non-budget bills during its fiscal sessions. Currently, all bills not related to state spending require a two-thirds vote from both legislative houses to be considered in a fiscal session. This amendment would allow non-spending bills to be considered without such a special vote if they are filed within a 14-day period surrounding the start of the fiscal session. However, any non-spending bill filed outside this specific window would still require approval by two-thirds of the members in each house for consideration. If adopted by voters, these changes would become effective in 2027.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1069 proposes that Arkansas observe standard time year-round, thereby eliminating the practice of daylight saving time. The bill includes a provision requiring the Secretary of State to monitor federal law concerning time observation. If the United States government amends federal law to permanently mandate daylight saving time for states, Arkansas would then observe daylight saving time year-round. The state would revert to year-round standard time if any such federal requirement were later repealed.

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 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."

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 1659 proposed to amend Arkansas's Uniform Commercial Code to clarify the priority among security interests and entitlement holders regarding financial assets held by securities intermediaries. The bill specified that if a securities intermediary lacks sufficient assets, the claims of entitlement holders (investors) generally have priority over those of the intermediary's creditors with a security interest. However, a creditor's claim would gain priority if that creditor had "control" over the financial asset. It also included a provision for certain disputes arising from contracts on or after January 1, 2026, to be litigated in Arkansas.

Maddy summaryHB 1660 aimed to amend the Horizontal Property Act to regulate certain property owners associations (POAs) in Arkansas. It defined POAs as incorporated nonprofits with at least 1,000 members whose lot owners are automatically members and pay for shared services, including those traditionally provided by local governments like road or water maintenance. The bill mandated that all financial records of a POA be available for examination by co-owners. Additionally, it allowed for POAs that provide local government-like services to be subject to review by Arkansas Legislative Audit, pending approval from the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee.

Maddy summaryHJR 1008 proposes a constitutional amendment to change how personal and real property are taxed in Arkansas. It would authorize the General Assembly to reduce or eliminate personal property taxes and create exemptions. The amendment would also repeal the current requirement that personal and real property be taxed at an equal rate. Additionally, it modifies existing constitutional provisions for local library taxes (Amendments 30 and 38) to allow these taxes to be levied on real property, personal property, or both.