Senate News

  • Arkansas to Expand Supportive Living Services for Families on CES Waiver Waitlist

    Arkansas officials have announced a new plan aimed at helping families who have been waiting for years for services through the state’s Community and Employment Support (CES) Waiver program. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Department of Human Services Secretary Janet Mann outlined a framework that will allow families on the CES waitlist to receive supportive […]

    18 Sep 2026 Weekly Updates
  • Senator Jonathan Dismang Announces Resignation from Arkansas State Senate

    LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Senator Jonathan Dismang announced today that he will resign from the Arkansas State Senate effective September 15, 2026, concluding nearly two decades of service in the Arkansas General Assembly. Dismang will be taking a position with the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. The organization will release additional information regarding his new role […]

    15 Sep 2026 News Releases
  • Voter Registration Deadline is October 5

    As the United States continues to celebrate its 250th year, Arkansans are preparing for another important election season. The nation’s founders set in motion a system based on the idea that government draws its power from the people. That idea continues today through every ballot cast. With Arkansas’s voter‑registration deadline for the November election approaching […]

    11 Sep 2026 Weekly Updates
  • Arkansas Expands Maternal Health Services

    Arkansas expanded its maternal health services on September 1 when Medicaid began reimbursing doula and lactation consultant care under rules recently approved by the Arkansas Legislative Council. The move follows the council’s Administrative Rules Subcommittee endorsement and completes a process initiated by two laws passed in 2025: the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act and Act […]

    04 Sep 2026 Weekly Updates
  • Nearly $150 Million Awarded in Rural Health Transformation Funds

    LITTLE ROCK – Rural Arkansas faces real challenges when it comes to population trends, health outcomes, access to care, and keeping local clinics and hospitals open. In response, the State of Arkansas created the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program to help build a stronger, more connected rural health system so families can get the care […]

    31 Aug 2026 News Releases
  • Welfare-to-Work Requirement Begins for Certain Medicaid Beneficiaries

    Arkansas has begun the gradual rollout of its new welfare‑to‑work requirement for certain Medicaid beneficiaries, launching a soft start of the program on July 1 before full implementation arrives on January 1, 2027. The policy applies to healthy adults ages nineteen through sixty‑four who are enrolled in the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me program, […]

    28 Aug 2026 Weekly Updates
  • Lawmakers Discuss Issue 3

    The Joint City, County, & Local Affairs Committee met in Hot Springs recently to review and discuss Senate Joint Resolution SJR15, known as Issue 3 on the November ballot. The proposal would amend the Arkansas Constitution to give the General Assembly broad new authority to support economic development across the state. It would allow lawmakers […]

    21 Aug 2026 Weekly Updates
  • Nuclear Power is ‘Feasible and Advisable’ for Arkansas, Report Says

    The Joint Committee on Energy of the Arkansas General Assembly recently reviewed a technical feasibility study on new nuclear generation in Arkansas which concluded that nuclear power is both feasible and advisable for the state’s future energy needs. Directed under Act 707 of 2025, the study cites rapidly rising electricity demand, retiring coal-fired generation, strong […]

    14 Aug 2026 Weekly Updates
  • Lawmakers Consider Arkansas Educational Adequacy Report

    The Arkansas Educational Adequacy Report is a biennial, legislatively mandated study that evaluates public school funding, resource distribution, and whether the state’s K‑12 finance system meets constitutional requirements. The Senate and House Education Committees lead the review, and recent documentation is available on the Arkansas State Legislature’s Adequacy Reports webpage. A major focus of the […]

    07 Aug 2026 Weekly Updates
  • Senators Invited to White House Leadership Conference

    Members of the Arkansas Senate and House of Representatives were recently invited to the White House to meet with key staff from the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for the White House State Leadership Conference. The purpose of the meeting was to offer a forum for state elected leaders to have meaningful dialogue and […]

    31 Jul 2026 Weekly Updates