93rd General Assembly

This week, the 93rd General Assembly concluded its business, and today I’d like to talk about a few of the success stories from the legislative session. First, I appreciate the leadership of Senate Pro Tem Jimmy Hickey of Texarkana and Speaker…

The House is now in an extended recess for the 2021 Regular Session. While we have completed the vast majority of our work for the year, we will return in the fall to address congressional redistricting.   The Governor has indicated…

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has been overridden on a bill that would declare federal firearm laws and regulations that “infringe” on the Second Amendment to be invalid. To the sound of cheers in the Arkansas Senate chambers, senators voted to override…

For years, we have struggled to find enough teachers, nurses, and other licensed professionals to fill jobs in Arkansas, and today I’d like to talk about Act 746, a law that will help overcome that challenge by enlarging the field…

The Arkansas legislature has voted to retain the state’s Medicaid expansion. The Arkansas House of Representatives voted in favor of keeping the program on Tuesday, April 20. The 78-15 vote approved the Medicaidbudget and expansion program. After the Arkansas Senate…

This week, I signed legislation that will increase the median salary of schoolteachers by $2,000 over the next two years. The raise is one way to show teachers we value their work, and this legislation was one of my top…

This week, the House passed several bills which will increase various tax credits and exemptions.  Those bills include the following:  HB1157 would double the income tax deduction for a teacher’s qualified classroom expense from $250 to $500. HB1513 creates an…

Qualified film productions will be able to access increased tax credits and rebates due to a new bill that the Arkansas General Assembly passed on Thursday, April 15. The Arkansas Senate passed House Bill 1743, which will amend the Digital…

By the end of the 13th week of the 2021 Regular Session, more than 600 bills were signed into law. This week, the House voted in favor of a bill temporarily changing the deadline for filing and paying state income…

State Sen. Jim Hendren’s hate crimes bill is heading before a legislative committee on Wednesday. It has been a long path for Hendren’s proposed bill to get to committee. Entitled Senate Bill 3, this legislation was first filed on Nov.…