In a vote of 51-26, with 9 members voting present, the House passed SJR15. This is a proposed constitutional amendment for the November 2020 ballot addressing term limits for legislators. This amendment would limit state legislators elected after January 1, 2021 to 12 years of consecutive service. Those legislators would not be eligible for subsequent [...]
Legislation passing the House this week addressed everything from robocalls to property taxes. While illegal robocalls are frustrating for most, they are also costly and dangerous for far too many Arkansans. An alarming number of illegal robocalls originate from scammers using automatic telephone dialing systems to send out thousands of phone calls per minute with [...]
On Thursday, the House passed a measure to increase homestead property tax credit. SB447 increases the credit from $350 to $375. It also diverts $8.2 million from the property tax relief fund to the county voting systems grant fund. It also directs excess funds to the state’s long-term reserve fund. The House passed HB1773. This [...]
The House Insurance and Commerce Committee advanced SB514. This bill makes illegal robocalls originating from scammers using automatic telephone dialing systems a Class D felony and requires that a telecommunications service provider is held accountable for certain activities. The House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee advanced HB1778. This bill allows a judge to increases [...]
The House Revenue and Taxation Committee advanced SB561. This bill requires The Assessment Coordination Department to establish mandatory guidelines for county assessors to follow in identifying property that is exempt from property tax. It also requires the Director of the Department of Finance and Administration to report to the Legislative Council and the Governor before [...]
More than 550 bills have made it to the Governor’s desk during this legislative session. We now begin the 11th week of the Regular Session. The House passed more than 50 bills today including the following: HB1634-This bill includes acts committed by a victim of human trafficking under the state’s rape shield law. Arkansas’s rape [...]
The House is now in the final weeks of the 2019 Regular Session. In recent days, the House has passed legislation increasing education funding, legislation increasing sales tax exemptions on used cars, and legislation creating a first of its kind response team to child abductions. With a vote of 91-0, the House passed HB1685. This [...]
In a vote of 87-0, the House passed HB1674. This bill creates a statewide child abduction response team. It states that the following agencies shall collaborate in an effort to rescue abducted or endangered children: · Arkansas Attorney General · Department of Arkansas State Police · Criminal Justice Institute · Arkansas State Game and Fish [...]
With a vote of 91-0, the House passed HB1685. This bill increases the foundation funding for K-12 education from the current $6,713 per student to $6,899 per student for the 2019-2020 school year. The bill increases funding to $7,018 per student the following school year. The House passed HB1684. This bill ensures students receive in-state [...]
On Monday, House members began the 10th week of the Regular Session. With a vote of 87-0 and 4 members voting present, the House passed HB1754. This bill seeks to address the recent overdose related deaths inside state prisons. In 2018, 22 inmates died in the Department of Correction as the result of illicit drugs. [...]