Weekly Updates

The legislature referred three proposed constitutional amendments to Arkansas voters. In next year’s statewide general election in November, voters will decide whether or not the three amendments are written into the state Constitution.

The legislature brought the 2021 regular session to a close with a dramatic midnight meeting to approve a Sovereignty Act, which declares new federal laws invalid if they infringe on the right to bear arms.

Lawmakers completed work on tax cuts and prioritized spending by state agencies.

The legislature has enacted numerous reforms to Arkansas election laws. The Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs reviews all proposed legislation that address elections. So far this session, the committee has received 49 bills specifically affecting polling places, absentee ballots, voter fraud and the handling of elections.

Arkansas became the first state in the nation to prohibit physicians from performing gender transition procedures on minors, either through surgery or hormone therapy.

The legislature has approved a broad reform of the laws governing water providers, a measure that sponsors have been working on for the past four years.

The legislature voted to extend the 2021 session until April 30, and then to recess for an extended period rather than to adjourn.

The Senate has approved legislation to grant to certified nurse practitioners full and independent practice authority. The nurses would need about three years, or 6,240 hours, of practice under a collaborative agreement with a physician in order to earn the right to practice independently.

The Senate passed a new version of the Medicaid expansion program, which is one of the most important bills of this year’s session because of the number of people it benefits and the amount of money that it generates in Arkansas.

Both chambers of the legislature have approved a bill that prohibits abortions, except if necessary to save the mother’s life in a medical emergency.