What happened on Tuesday, 30 March 2021
INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
House Bill 13‑57 would require Arkansas health plans to cover PET scans for patients with a prior cancer history when the physician recommends the test; the committee passed the bill by voice vote after the sponsor said it will "save lives."
INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
House Bill 14‑68 establishes a three‑member independent tax appeals commission drawn from nominations by the Arkansas Bar Association, Arkansas Supreme Court and Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants to review disputes over assessed tax amounts; committee passed the bill by voice vote.
CITY, COUNTY & LOCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The Senate City, County & Local Affairs Committee voted to pass SB 298, a measure spearheaded by Senator Stubblefield that bars state actors from assisting enforcement of federal laws the sponsor argues exceed constitutional powers. Supporters framed the bill as protecting state sovereignty; law-enforcement witnesses warned it could strain federal partnerships.
INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
S.B. 603 would require private payers to allow contract restoration and reasonable payment when ambulatory surgery centers temporarily converted to hospitals under CMS 'Hospital Without Walls' during the COVID emergency; committee passed the bill after provider testimony alleging contract termination by some insurers.
STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The committee passed a bundle of technical and agency bills (including HB1666, HB1444, SB283 concurrence, SB487 and SB488) while failing to advance SB485 (Monday early voting removal) and the 'Election Integrity' takeover bill; several failing votes were later expunged.
AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The committee adopted an amendment and passed a feral‑hog bill, advanced House Bill 1640 to update hemp rules, approved a Department of Agriculture cleanup bill, and passed a bill extending state tax‑credit claim windows to match federal rules.
INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Sen. Raper presented H.B. 15‑69 to prohibit accelerated accumulator programs that keep manufacturer coupon value from counting toward patients’ deductibles; insurance groups opposed and the sponsor withdrew the bill to gather fiscal and legal analysis.
STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Sponsors presented a proposed constitutional amendment to elevate religious-exercise protections to a strict-scrutiny standard; Jerry Cox of Family Council testified that the amendment would provide a durable tool against federal actions he said threaten faith-based organizations.
STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
A proposed statute that would allow the State Board of Election Commissioners to assume temporary control of county election administration in documented emergency circumstances failed after lengthy testimony from local officials warning the measure risks overreach and could impose costs on counties.
AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The Senate Agriculture committee voted to send Senate Bill 566 to the Revenue & Tax Committee after debate over extending the Invest Arkansas 7% tax credit sunset to 2023; DFA told legislators the extension could reduce state sales and use tax revenue by up to $9.8 million across the carryforward period.
CITY, COUNTY & LOCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The City, County & Local Affairs Committee passed several noncontroversial bills (HB 1683 on tobacco escrow payments; SB 592 to modernize beer law; HB 1264 raising architect-threshold) and declined to advance a bill (SB 546) to authorize broad direct shipping of wine to Arkansas consumers after distributors raised enforcement and tax-collection concerns.
INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
House Bill 16‑01 aligns Arkansas with an NAIC change lowering the minimum non‑forfeiture floor for deferred annuities to 0.15%, a move supporters say preserves product availability amid low interest rates; committee approved the bill by voice vote.
STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
A sponsor presented a proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment to declare the right to keep and bear arms a fundamental, unalienable right (including ammunition and accessories) and to require strict scrutiny for any restriction; members debated legal questions about amending Article 2 and potential conflicts with other constitutional provisions.
TRANSPORTATION, TECHNOLOGY & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Walmart seeks to expand its autonomous vehicle pilot program in Bentonville for grocery delivery.
CITY, COUNTY & LOCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The committee passed a related firearms bill as amended that would prohibit state actors from using state resources to enforce certain federal rules against firearms manufactured and retained wholly within Arkansas, while acknowledging federal agencies (ATF) retain enforcement authority.
STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senator Tucker presented SJR 6, a proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment to replace party primaries with a top-two open primary for most state and federal offices, saying it would expand voter participation; committee members raised concerns about party labeling and plurality winners during questioning.
STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senators debated and ultimately rejected SB485, which would have eliminated the Monday-before-election early-voting day; proponents cited administrative burdens and ballot-curing needs, while clerks, county officials and civic groups warned it would remove meaningful access for thousands of voters.
INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
House Bill 15‑73 adds prohibited practices for chiropractic procurers, requires procurer registration with the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners, mandates training and recordkeeping, and passed the committee by voice vote.
TRANSPORTATION, TECHNOLOGY & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senators discuss implications of remote-operated autonomous vehicles on roadway safety and regulations.
TRANSPORTATION, TECHNOLOGY & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Bentonville pilot validates autonomous trucks' safety and efficiency with extensive testing.
STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The Senate State Agencies & Govt'l Affairs Committee passed SB486 to bar people from entering or remaining within 100 feet of a primary exterior polling entrance except for lawful purposes, after election officials described blocking, tables and alleged harassment and civic groups warned it could curtail benign civic help.
TRANSPORTATION, TECHNOLOGY & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Arkansas removes pilot status for Walmart's successful autonomous vehicle program amid safety successes.
TRANSPORTATION, TECHNOLOGY & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senator Hill's bill aims to enhance safety standards and attract new businesses to Arkansas.
TRANSPORTATION, TECHNOLOGY & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
House Bill 1562, which would remove a three-vehicle pilot cap and continue state oversight of an autonomous delivery program, was approved by the Senate Transportation committee in a voice vote after Walmart presented company-reported pilot data showing 4,376 trips, more than 82,000 miles and zero accidents.