Senate News

  • 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