Arkansas Committee OKs Bill To Make It Harder For Citizens To Put Initiatives On The Ballot

Questions have been raised as to whether the bill is constitutional, the report states.

Arkansas School Bathroom Use Bill Will Be Amended, Sent Back To Committee

It was expected to receive a vote from the full Senate, but Sullivan pulled the bill from consideration.

Arkansas Files Federal Lawsuit Against EPA Over Arkansas' Rejected Ozone Plan

During a conference in Wrightsville, Sanders made the announcement.

Arkansas Panel Votes To Ban State Investments With Managers Who Consider ESG Factors

The vote was to divest state holdings from financial services, according to the report.

Crowd Rallies Outside Capitol In Support Of Public Education

“Much has been said about the so-called parent empowerment that Arkansas LEARNS offers, but I've never seen anything to indicate (choices)."

Bill Restricting School Bathroom Use Heads To Arkansas Senate

This applies to multiple-occupancy restrooms and locker rooms, as well as rooms for students on overnight trips.

Panel Dismisses Testing Requirement For Private Schools Receiving Public Funds

A standardized exam mandate would allow parents to compare “apples to apples” when considering their child's academic progress.

Sanders: Arkansas Will Seek Federal OK For New Medicaid Work Requirement

Enrollees in the state's Medicaid expansion program who do not fulfill this requirement would not lose coverage, unlike last time.

Committee Tables Legislation To Increase Funding For Classified Employee Pay

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Greg Leding (D) is the lead sponsor of the bill, which would increase per-student foundation funding.

Bill Requiring Paid Maternity Leave From Employers That Cover Abortion Costs Heads To Senate

According to the Center For American Progress, 11 states have passed paid family leave laws.

Arkansas Bill Allowing Malpractice Suits For Transgender Minors' Health Care Passes Committee

This (would) create civil liability for a doctor who “performs a gender transition procedure on a minor … if the minor is injured."

Renters Of Troubled Little Rock House Will Be Required To Appear In City Court

City code inspectors cited landlord Imran Bohra and his company, Entropy Systems Inc., in June and July, for violations at the house.

Rural Districts Concerned About Voucher Program Accountability, School Closures

“When I was at County Line, I could not get enough of school,” Bryan Pruitt said. “I loved every minute of it.”

Arkansas Governor Creates Group Focused On Work Force Development

Mike Rogers, senior director of Maintenance and Refrigeration for Tyson Foods, will serve as CWO. Rogers has previously taught agriculture.

Arkansas Committee OKs Required Paid Maternity Leave From Employers That Cover Abortion Costs

The bill passed the House Public Health, Welfare, and Labor Committee unanimously Thursday, and will go to the House floor for a vote.

Legislation Threatens To Hamstring Arkansas Rooftop Solar Expansion

Introduced Wednesday by Rep. Lanny Fite, R-Benton, this would end the state's current policy if passed.

Rural Emergency Hospital Proposal Passes Arkansas Senate Unanimously

Rural Arkansas hospitals would be allowed, though not required, to attain “rural emergency hospital” designation, according to the report.

SESSION SNAPSHOT: Legislation Marches On; Also, A Sneak Peek At The Governor's Education Package

Herein are the odds and ends, tidbits, and occasional musings that occurred in the recent legislative session.

Governor Shares Details Of Education Overhaul Proposal

During a conference, Sanders said providing every child with access to a quality education is the “civil rights issue of our day."

Bill To Support Pregnant And Parenting High Schoolers Passes Arkansas House

A prime purpose of this bill is to help teenage parents in Arkansas finish high school, the report states.

Under Proposed Law, Rural Arkansas Hospitals Could Get More Funding For Reducing In-Patient Services

It's an incentive for rural hospitals to specialize in emergency and outpatient care, the report states.

Panel Approves Removing Limit On Transfer Cap For Pre-K Students

Sponsored by Rep. Julie Mayberry (R-Hensley), this house bill seeks to amend the Public School Choice Act of 2015, which presents limits.

Bill To Help Pregnant And Parenting Teenagers Finish High School Advances In Arkansas House

Arkansas has an 87 percent higher teen pregnancy rate than the rest of the United States and one of the lowest high school graduation rates.

Sanders: Long On Attacking President Biden, Short On Specific Alternatives In GOP Response

Biden's myriad accomplishments, such as the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, were called "madness" by the Trump acolyte Sanders.

Rewritten LGBTQ+ Bill Passes Arkansas House, Will Return To Senate

The bill, recently rewritten, was heavily amended, the report states.

Arkansas House Approves Work Requirement For Public Housing Recipients

The requirement would apply to adults between 19 and 64, except those with disabilities and participants in drug-alcohol treatment programs.

Arkansas Medicaid Recipients Petition DHS For Better Care, Accessibility

Allen's brother was 18, uninsured at the time of the accident, and received treatment at the nearest neurotrauma care center.

SESSION SNAPSHOT: Arkansas Legislature Rolls Through Week 4 With Ice And Amendments

Here are some tidbits, highlights, happenings, and odds and ends, as the legislature "rolled through Week 4."

Former Arkansas Legislator Jeremy Hutchinson Sentenced To Nearly Four Years In Federal Prison

Hutchinson, 48, pleaded guilty in three jurisdictions, the report indicates.

Teachers, Students Voice Support For AP African-American Studies Course

Smith said he learned much from his father, “an expert on the Delta” and professor emeritus at Arkansas State University.

“Gutted” Arkansas Bill No Longer Targets Drag Performers Or LGBTQ Community, Activists Say

Activists who have opposed it since it was introduced in January say the heavily amended language no longer targets LGBTQ Arkansans.

Judge Grants Request To Freeze Assets, Name Receiver For Little Rock Apartments

A circuit judge issued a temporary restraining order designed to protect tenants, the report indicates.

UAMS Researchers Test App Designed To Prevent Opioid Use Relapse

It's supported by a $2.8 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, with a research team testing the effectiveness.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Will Deliver GOP Response To Biden State Of The Union Address

President Biden, for his speech, is expected to highlight the accomplishments by Democrats during his term thus far.

Arkansas Bill, Which Would Create Holocaust Education Week, Headed To House For A Vote

If approved, the state Board of Education would be required to notify public schools annually of the dates, according to the report.

Arkansas Child And Family Advocacy Group Names New Executive Director

The new executive director, from the Department of Human Services, is Keesa Smith, the report indicates.

Arkansas Attorney General Seeks Receiver In Case Against Little Rock Housing Complex

Attorney General Griffin sent a request Wednesday for the court to allow his office and Big Country Chateau three days to reach agreement.

State Medical Cannabis Programs Failing To Make Progress, Advocacy Group Finds; Arkansas? A D+ Grade

The organization Americans for Safe Access, a nonprofit, has put out the document to advocates and state policymakers.

Arkansas Senate Approves Bill Requiring Pornography Sites To Verify Age

It defines “material harmful to minors” as material that's designed to appeal, or pander, to “prurient interests,” or, overtly sexual.

In Ark., Higher Education Free Expression Bill Halted In Committee

“The intent of the bill is to allow students to be expressive, and we're seeing a lot of bills now that seek to restrict" -- Sen. Sullivan