Medicaid-funding bill falls short on 4th try
For the fourth time in the past week, a bill to grant spending authority for Arkansas' Division of Medical Services in the next fiscal year fell short of obtai…
Stories by John Moritz
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Panel OKs bill on rental housing standards
Legislation to enact minimum statewide standards for rental housing was sent by a committee to the House on Monday, even as tenant advocates lamented that the …
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OK of migrants' licenses signed
Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed legislation Monday allowing immigrants with federal work permits to receive occupational and professional licenses in Arkansas.
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$9B in DHS funds fails to clear House for 3rd day
More than $9 billion in state and federal funds for Medicaid and other Department of Human Services programs remained stalled in the House for a third consecut…
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2 gun bills on ignoring U.S. laws get House OK
A pair of bills that would direct law enforcement officers in Arkansas to ignore the enforcement of federal gun laws was sent by the House on Thursday to Gov. …
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STATE CAPITOL NEWS IN BRIEF: House OKs accessibility-panel bill | ‘Arkansas Day’ proposal advances | 2 bills recalled
Legislation setting up a committee to address schools' compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act was recommended to the Arkansas House on Thursday.
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'Class-protection' bill gets Hutchinson's signature
Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a so-called class protection bill Wednesday, which he had come to support after failed efforts to enact hate-crimes legislation intr…
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Gun bills seeking to limit federal regulation advance to House
The House Judiciary Committee advanced a trio of measures Tuesday that would limit the ability of state and local police to work with federal authorities and e…
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No pass for Medicaid funding
A measure appropriating more than $9 billion in state and federal funds for use on Medicaid and other Department of Human Services programs failed to pass an i…
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STATE CAPITOL NEWS IN BRIEF: House OKs prison health bill | Federal search bill advances | Lawmakers approve polling-perimeter measure
House lawmakers voted Tuesday to require the Arkansas Department of Corrections to offer free mammograms to prisoners over the age of 50.
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'Class-protection' bill sent to Hutchinson
The Arkansas House voted Monday to send a "class protection" bill to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, as sponsors overcame discontent in both parties about the bill's lang…
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House panel denies Rutledge's effort to oblige social media
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge's effort to limit the ability of social media companies to police their own platforms fell a single vote shy of advan…
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Ruckus rises over roll-call decision
House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, defended the chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee on Friday after she was criticized for refusing to hold a…
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'Class-protection' bill advances; foes cry foul
A so-called class protection bill being pushed by legislative leaders in lieu of a bill targeting hate crimes was sent to the House floor Thursday, though oppo…
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'Class-protection' bill clears Senate
Legislation that its sponsor has called "a class-protection bill" cleared the Arkansas Senate on Wednesday afternoon, after a competing hate crimes bill failed…
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Bid for overhaul of Medical Board clears committee
A measure to dissolve the state Medical Board's current membership and split new appointments among the governor and leaders of the House and Senate gained tra…
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STATE CAPITOL NEWS IN BRIEF: Bill favored to bar abortion providers | Public-inhalation pot bill advances | Campaign-cash use on child care OK'd
A bill that would prohibit public schools from entering into transactions with abortion providers was recommended to the Arkansas House by a committee's divide…
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Bill calling for death for child rape falters
A bill proposing to make the rape of a child punishable by death in Arkansas was voted down Tuesday in a House committee after concerns were raised about the c…
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Hate-crimes legislation advances to full Senate
A bill touted as an effective solution after years of calls for Arkansas to adopt tougher penalties on hate crimes was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee…
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STATE CAPITOL NEWS IN BRIEF: Union legislation headed to governor | Senators back rise in teacher salaries | Bill to void U.S. gun laws leaves House
The Arkansas Senate on Monday voted to send Gov. Asa Hutchinson legislation that would bar many public employees, including teachers, from participating in col…
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Criminal-eviction bill fails to get panel nod
A bill that would repeal Arkansas' criminal eviction statute -- the only one of its kind in the nation -- failed to receive an endorsement Monday from the Hous…
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Group hits bill on hate crimes
The Family Council, a faith-based advocacy organization and powerful influence at the state Capitol, announced its opposition Friday to Senate Bill 622, which …
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'Class-protection' bill filed in Senate
Legislative leaders on Thursday revived stalled efforts to pass tougher penalties for targeted attacks on certain groups of people, though both of the bill's s…
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STATE CAPITOL BRIEFS: Driverless-vehicle bill gets Senate OK | Telemedicine bill recalled by Senate | Firearms-exemption measure advances
Driverless-vehicle bill gets Senate OK
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Legislative leaders file ‘class-protection bill’
Legislative leaders introduced a new bill Thursday that would ensure longer prison terms for violent crimes where the victim was “purposely selected” because o…
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New transgender-athlete bill moved
Senate lawmakers on Wednesday began advancing another bill to bar transgender athletes from women's sports, just days after Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed controve…
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STATE CAPITOL NEWS IN BRIEF: Virus-liability shield headed to governor | Senate unanimous on scholarship bill | Infrastructure-harm penalties advanced
The Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would shield businesses from certain lawsuits over exposure to the coronavirus.
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Bills advance to block U.S. gun laws in state
Senate lawmakers advanced two bills Tuesday that together would block local law enforcement in Arkansas from enforcing nearly all federal gun laws and regulati…
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Medicaid measure approved by House; bill would replace work requirement
House lawmakers approved a retooling of the state's private-option Medicaid expansion program on Tuesday, sending the bill to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is expec…
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Panel OKs extension of state's virus emergency
Arkansas' yearlong public health emergency was extended by another 60 days on Monday, after lawmakers defeated an attempt by several Republicans to end the eme…
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Governor gets health-emergency extension; will let mask mandate expire Wednesday, he says
Gov. Asa Hutchinson received a 60-day extension to his public health emergency declaration Monday, after lawmakers defeated an attempt by several Republicans t…
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Governor's support of bill raises questions
Before a House vote last week on legislation to strip a public commission of its oversight of local teams that respond to child-abuse cases, Gov. Asa Hutchinso…
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Governor's support of bill raises questions
Before a House vote last week on legislation to strip a public commission of its oversight of local teams that respond to child-abuse cases, Gov. Asa Hutchinso…
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Medicaid bill moved to House; sponsors optimistic after committee vote backs measure
A retooling of Arkansas' private-option Medicaid expansion program was sent by a committee to the House floor Tuesday, setting the legislation up for a potenti…
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STATE CAPITOL BRIEFS: Committee rejects train-length limits | School-restraints prohibition favored | Voucher-program measure advances
The House Public Transportation Committee on Tuesday rejected a bill that would cap the length of trains in Arkansas at 8,500 feet and that was opposed by trai…
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Private option bill heads to state House
LITTLE ROCK -- A retooling of Arkansas' private-option Medicaid expansion program was sent by a committee to the House floor Tuesday, setting the legislation u…
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House OKs bill to bar collective bargaining
The Arkansas House voted Monday to bar many public employees, including teachers, from participating in collective bargaining through a union.
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Bill on repeat offenders in Arkansas advances
Legislation aimed at cracking down on repeat offenders armed with guns by denying them opportunities for parole was advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee …
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Assembly envisions staying till April 30
Legislative leaders said this week that they will seek to extend the legislative session until late April before taking a lengthy summer recess and returning l…
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House opening prayer riles some; former pastor thanks lawmakers for passing abortion bill
A retired pastor invited to the House on Thursday to lead all 100 members in an opening prayer used the opportunity to thank lawmakers for passing legislation …
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House to consider rules establishing housing standards
Legislation that would establish statewide housing standards for renters was sent to the House floor Wednesday, marking the first time in several years of atte…
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Bid to bar some negotiations with unions goes to state House
Legislation that would bar state agencies, colleges and public schools from negotiating with unions was sent to the House on Tuesday, setting the bill up for a…
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Arkansas House favors bill on powers in emergency
The House voted Monday to curb the governor's emergency powers, sending legislation to Gov. Asa Hutchinson that would require lawmakers to review executive ord…
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New-mother limits on solitary lockups clears House panel
Legislation that would limit the use of solitary confinement on pregnant women and new mothers in prison or jail was advanced by the House Judiciary Committee …
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Governor signs abortion ban
Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed Senate Bill 6 on Tuesday, enacting a near-total ban on abortions in Arkansas and prompting immediate promises of a legal challenge b…
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Arkansas governor to sign near-total abortion ban into law
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday that he will sign Senate Bill 6, a near-total ban on abortions that would allow the procedure only to protect the life or…
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Birth-control access bill gets OK in House
The Arkansas House of Representatives approved legislation Monday that would allow pharmacists to dispense birth-control pills without a prescription, reviving…
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Stand-ground bill now law
Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed controversial stand-your-ground self-defense legislation into law Wednesday, after the measure passed with overwhelming majorities i…
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Governor signs stand-ground bill into law
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday signed into law a measure easing the state's restrictions on the use of deadly force in self-defense.
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Abortion ban set for full House, final vote
Lawmakers on the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee advanced a near-total ban on abortions Tuesday, setting the legislation up for a potential fi…
