Four takeaways from the fifth week of the Arkansas 95th General Assembly
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – An active time for the Arkansas legislature in the fifth week of the 95th General Assembly.
Several bills reached the governor's desk for signature, where they became law. Other bills failed in the committee process, and multiple constitutional amendments were filed as the legislature reached its deadline for that process. Finally, the legislature and governor acted to repair an ongoing problem in an Arkansas county.
BILLS INTO LAW
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' office announced she signed 23 pieces of legislation on Tuesday. While most of what was signed were operation funding bills for higher education institutions, other signed bills include House Bill 1204, now Act 28, well-sponsored legislation to limit the recovery amount for medical care after an accident.
Alzheimer's Association advocates for financial support for caregivers, treatments at Arkansas capitol
HB1204 reached the governor's desk after clearing the Senate by one vote, barely overcoming bi-partisan opposition.
BILLS FAILING IN COMMITTEE
A bill to remove the mandate to fluoridate water failed to make it out of committee on Wednesday. Senate Bill 2 removed the mandate and removed the Department of Health's ability to regulate fluoride levels. Multiple dentists were on hand to testify against the legislation.
A second bill failing in committee was intended to allow universities to hold Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) raffles to support athletic funding. Testimony against the bill included that from a representative of Pine Bluff's Saracen Casino.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
February 12 was the 31st day of the legislative session, making it the final day to submit proposed legislation to create amendments to the Arkansas Constitution. While amendments have been filed since the session began, the last two days saw many resolutions filed.
GOP lawmaker proposes renaming Greenland 'Red, White, and Blueland'
Resolutions included judicial candidates being able to list their political party on ballots and removing the tax on food. Other filings were legislative control over commissions and changes to property assessments. One of the final resolutions was for a crime victim's bill of rights.
If the resolutions make it through the legislative process, they must be endorsed by voters before becoming part of the constitution.
AID FOR A COUNTY
A budget stand-off has resulted in Jefferson County employees not being paid since Jan. 1. A bill, backed by the governor, moved quickly through the legislature to require any county that does not pass a budget for its new year to continue to operate on the previous year's budget.
Arkansas pharmacy bill heads to governor's desk, pharmacy freedom of choice bill enters legislature
It sailed through its floor votes & committee hearings and was signed into law on Tuesday night. Employee checks were being cut the next day.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lawmakers in France back bill to tackle fast fashion's environmental toll
The legislation targets the curtailment of fast fashion trends and aims to control the surge in market volumes and associated detrimental effects in France. The bill seeks to bolster awareness among consumers in France regarding the ecological consequences of fast fashion, while also promoting options for clothing reuse and repair. The proposal looks to broaden the scope for adjusting eco-contributions based on the ecological footprint of garments. It also includes provisions to ban advertisements from firms and products that are linked with fast fashion practices. A total of 337 senates voted in favour of the bill with only one dissenting vote on 10 June 2025. The bill was proposed by member of parliament Anne-Cecile Violland and several of her colleagues. It was passed by the National Assembly on 14 March last year. The Senate's Committee on Regional Planning and Sustainable Development examined the bill in the same month. The legislation is not yet finalised, as a joint committee of senate and national assembly members is scheduled to convene from September to create a unified version before the law's ultimate ratification. Notification to the European Commission is also required prior to the final endorsement to ensure compliance with EU regulations. Globally, the apparel industry sees over 100 billion pieces of clothing sold each year. France has experienced a significant increase in clothing sales over the past decade, with an additional one billion items pushing the annual total to 3.3 billion products, equating to more than 48 items per person. The textile and fashion sector is a major contributor to environmental concerns, accounting for roughly 10% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions—surpassing the combined emissions from all international flights and maritime shipping. Facing this intense competition, France's traditional clothing industry is under pressure. In light of climate change commitments, there is a pressing need to revert to sustainable levels of production in the industry. The Textiles Industry Union in France labelled the bill "a first step" and expressed hope for its "rapid adoption," despite it not fully meeting their expectations. Following recommendations from the Committee on Regional Planning and Sustainable Development, the French Senate has refined the definition of fast fashion to legally solidify the framework. The amendments include promoting product repairability and specifying regulations for online marketplaces. The senate also aims to enhance consumer awareness messages by including information about the social impacts of products. To achieve these objectives, the senate has resolved to redirect funding towards recycling operations within France, rather than supporting collection and recycling infrastructure abroad. This move is intended to bolster domestic recycling capabilities. It also seeks to adopt a more balanced strategy that is less punitive regarding fast fashion advertising. This includes banning influencers from promoting fast-fashion items, as they are currently key marketing channels for such brands. Additionally, it mandates concise environmental impact disclosures in advertising content for fast-fashion products. "Lawmakers in France back bill to tackle fast fashion's environmental toll" was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A short history of long ballots in Virginia
Voters in suburban Henrico's Short Pump precinct cast their ballots in 2018. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury) With six candidates on the ballot, the June 17 Democratic contest for lieutenant governor is the second most-crowded statewide primary in modern Virginia history. If history is any guide, a congested primary can generate uncertainty and makes it possible that someone can claim the nomination with considerably less than a majority of votes cast. Here's a quick review of five statewide primaries since 1997 where the nominee won less than 40%. The races are listed in chronological order. Political newcomer Gil Davis made a splash by representing a former Arkansas state employee who filed a sexual harassment claim against then-President Bill Clinton. A week before the primary, state Sen. Ken Stolle released a TV ad attacking Davis, who was shown, drink in hand, talking to a client about her desire to pose naked in Playboy magazine. As it turned out, Stolle should have saved his fire for his Senate colleague, Mark Earley of Chesapeake. The party's ascendent anti-abortion base carried Earley to victory in a four-way race. Davis finished last. Mark Earley 35.8% Jerry Kilgore 24.6% Ken Stolle 20.8% Gilbert Davis 18.8% Source: Virginia Department of Elections Database In the 1997 general election, Republicans rode gubernatorial candidate Jim Gilmore's 'No Car Tax!' slogan to their first-ever trifecta of statewide offices. In the attorney general race, Earley captured 57.5% of the vote to defeat Democrat Bill Dolan. With a quiet second place finish in the GOP primary, Jerry Kilgore of Scott County in far Southwest Virginia put himself in line to become the party's consensus attorney general choice in 2001. Gil Davis never ran for office again, but one of his law associates, Bill Stanley, won a special election to the state Senate in January 2011. In the second year after the millennium, the candidates with the best name ID were two members of the House of Delegates. Alan Diamonstein, at 69, was part of the party's old guard that had just lost its majority in the House of Delegates. Jerrauld Jones was a skilled lawmaker who headed the Legislative Black Caucus. Richmond Mayor Tim Kaine, with his yard signs an unusual green and yellow, was only one year younger than Jones, but presented himself as a new generation of Democratic leadership. Kaine, the son-in-law of former Republican Gov. Linwood Holton, rang up big majorities in the Richmond area. Tim Kaine 39.7% Alan Diamonstein 31.4% Jerrauld Jones 28.9% Source: Virginia Department of Elections Database In the general election, Kaine landed just north of a majority (50.3%) in a three-way race against little-known Republican legislator Jay Katzen (48.1%) and Libertarian Party candidate Gary Reams (1.6%). Many Democrats had expected Charlottesville state Sen. Emily Couric to be their nominee. But Couric — a rising star who was as telegenic as her sister, Katie, the Today Show host — withdrew in July 2020 after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Emily Couric died three weeks before Election Day. It's hard to imagine a statewide Democratic primary where the populous suburbs of Northern Virginia do not play the kingmaker. But that is essentially what happened in June 2001, when Democrats went to the polls to select nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Without a single candidate from Northern Virginia, turnout was driven by candidates from Richmond and Tidewater. In the lieutenant governor's race, twice as many votes were cast in Henrico County (7,528) than in Loudoun and Prince William combined (3,012). Downstate candidates — state Del. Whitt Clement of Danville and state Sen. John Edwards of Roanoke — put up dazzling favorite-son margins in their respective home bases, but the turnout worked to the advantage of Donald McEachin, a state legislator from Henrico who won majorities in core urban cities like Richmond, Hampton and Newport News. Donald McEachin 33.6% John Edwards 29.5% Whitt Clement 26.9% Sylvia Clute 10.0% Source: Virginia Department of Elections Database In the general election, McEachin lost his bid to become the first Black attorney general in Virginia history. McEachin's social justice agenda was ignored by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Warner, who ran a centrist campaign with crossover appeal to gun-loving, NASCAR-crazy rural Virginia. McEachin managed only 39.9% of the vote, falling below Mary Sue Terry's previous record for the all-time worst performance by a Democrat in a statewide general election. From the standpoint of geography and ideology, the four candidates who sought the lieutenant governor nomination in 2005 seemed handpicked to splinter the state's Democratic coalition. Leslie Byrne and Chap Petersen were from Northern Virginia, Viola Baskerville was from Richmond and Philip Puckett was from Southwest Virginia. They ran the gamut from unabashed liberal (Byrne), diligent policy wonk (Baskerville), contrarian (Petersen) and conservative (Puckett). None were slouches; all were legislators who could point to achievements. In the end, party loyalists opted for Byrne, a familiar name who had served in both chambers of the state legislature and one term in the U.S. House, making her the first woman from Virginia to serve in Congress. Leslie Byrne 32.9% Viola Baskerville 26.1% Chap Petersen 21.7% Philip Puckett 19.4% Source: Virginia Department of Elections Database In the general election, Republicans nominated state Sen. Bill Bolling of Hanover County and figured they would make quick work of Byrne, arguably the most left-leaning statewide Democrat nominated since populist Henry Howell in the 1970s. Even though Bolling held a 2-to-1 ratio fundraising advantage, Byrne made it a close race. The final tally was Bolling 50.1%, Byrne 49.3%. This wide-open race with eight candidates — a record number for a statewide primary — narrowed in late April when then-Gov. Ralph Northam endorsed Hala Ayala. She was a little-known state legislator from Prince William County who had been swept into the House of Delegates as part of a massive anti-Trump backlash in 2017. Her story of financial struggle as a woman of color who lacked health care when her first child was born resonated with party faithful still celebrating Medicaid expansion in Virginia. Her multiethnic lineage (a father with Northern African roots who emigrated from El Salvador and a mother who was Irish and Lebanese) offered something for an increasingly diverse Virginia electorate. Hala Ayala 37.6% Sam Rasoul 24.3% Mark Levine 11.2% Andria McClellan 10.6% Sean Perryman 8.1% Xavier Warren 4.1% Elizabeth Guzman* 4.1% *Withdrew from race, but her name appeared on the ballot Source: Virginia Department of Elections Database The general election was a historic one in which Virginia would elect its first female lieutenant governor – and the first woman of color. The GOP nominated Winsome Sears, a native of Jamaica who emigrated as a child to the United States with her family. Sears won 50.7% of the vote as part of a GOP sweep of the three statewide offices. Also of note: Democratic Del. Mark Levine took the risky path of running in two primaries on the same day – one for lieutenant governor and the other to retain the party's nomination for his legislative seat in Alexandria. He lost both.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Florida lawmakers close to finalizing 2025-26 state budget after weeks of deadlock
For Gov. Ron DeSantis, the budget coming together during negotiations among lawmakers is several days late and several million dollars short in key areas. In talks between House and Senate leaders June 9 and June 10, lawmakers agreed to a spending plan that doesn't include a cut in property taxes used for schools, falls shy of what DeSantis wanted for raises for state troopers and leaves out funding for Hope Florida, a conservative alternative to welfare championed by First Lady Casey DeSantis. 'Any attempt to try to shortchange Highway Patrol will not be viewed favorably, certainly (not) by me and I know (not) by the people of Florida,' DeSantis said during a Cabinet meeting June 10. DeSantis called for a 25% raise for all veteran state law enforcement officials and a 20% hike for entry-level officers. The budget deal includes a 10% raise for new hires and 15% increase for veteran officers. The Legislature is already 40 days past its originally May 2 deadline to pass a budget. A stalemate between the chambers over Miami Republican House Speaker Daniel Perez's plan to cut the state sales tax pushed the session into overtime. Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton eventually agreed to a deal to cut taxes but not the overall rate. Under the agreements reached June 10, another proposal pushed by DeSantis hit the cutting room floor, at least for the next year. The K-12 schools budget is poised to get a $945 million increase, but $674.5 million of that is from an increase in property tax revenues. DeSantis wanted to eliminate the state portion of the property tax for homeowners with a homestead exemption and use state money to backfill it. DeSantis, though, has railed against the very concept of property taxes in recent months, arguing homeowners aren't really secure in their ownership if they have to pay taxes to the government each year for their property. He's floated the idea of an expanded property tax exemption, something that would have to go before voters on the November 2026 ballot, but also wanted to use the state portion of the school property tax to provide a $1,000 rebate to some homeowners next year. 'We need to do more. We need people to actually own their property,' DeSantis said. 'It's not something that can be simply done by legislation. It is going to require a ballot initiative and I'm going to be leading the charge to be able to get that done for the people of this state because it's pinching a lot of people.' Lawmakers are also prepared to deny funding for four new positions in DeSantis' office to host a Hope Florida office, which would coordinate efforts of the initiative. But the bill to put that into place failed during the session, amid a House probe into a $10 million payment by a Medicaid vendor to a charity tied to the initiative. That money was then moved to two other nonprofits, which then passed them on to a political committee led by James Uthmeier, who at the time was DeSantis' chief of staff and has since been named Attorney General. The money was used to combat proposed constitutional amendments on last year's ballot that would have legalized recreational marijuana and installed abortion rights. Senate Appropriations chair Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said there could still be more money added for Hope navigators, the state workers who coordinate aid for residents among agencies, charities and businesses with the aim of getting them off government assistance. 'We're having discussions about other opportunities for those programs to do what they need to do,' Hooper told reporters June 10. 'I think in chatting with the governor's office, they're OK with where we are in language right now, but there's still a couple of days left to land this plane.' Before the budget is finalized, each chamber often adds a supplemental funding packet at the end of budget negotiations, offering a last-gasp opportunity for programs that missed out in initial negotiations. It's better known in Capitol circles as the 'sprinkle lists,' a nickname from the idea that lawmakers are "sprinkling" extra money across the state – often to favored districts or causes – after the core budget already has been finalized. These lists, created behind closed doors by House and Senate leadership, have been decried by watchdogs like Florida TaxWatch. At the same time, DeSantis is getting much of what he requested from lawmakers for cancer research. The pending budget is set to provide more than $200 million for cancer research, including a program named after Casey DeSantis, who overcame breast cancer. The House initially resisted a push for a $30 million pot of money dedicated to pediatric cancer research. Another cancer fund, however, the Mary Brogan Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, is set to be eliminated, at least under the latest budget offer. The program, named after the late wife of former Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan, provides screenings for breast and cervical cancer. Mary Brogan died in 1999 from breast cancer. Hooper indicated that program could get another look before the end of budget talks: 'It may be zeroed out on the budget line, but it may be possibly available for some further consideration,' Hooper told reporters June 10. 'I happen to be a big believer in the Mary Brogan program.' Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis loses ground as key state budget items dropped or downsized
