by - May 10, 2015 10:25 am
Legislative leaders are asking members about their availability for a May 26-28 special session, the day after the Memorial Day holiday. The special session would center on a potential economic…
by - May 6, 2015 3:09 pm
Do you remember, not so long ago, when the private option was supposed to be the legislative session’s most controversial issue? That was before anyone had heard of “re-homing” or…
by - April 27, 2015 4:48 pm
Gov. Asa Hutchinson has named members to the Legislative Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force as directed by the Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2015, or Act 895, of the regular…
by - April 13, 2015 3:33 pm
The 90th Generally Assembly has ended, at least the part of it that occurred in the regular session. There’s probably not a more unique feeling in the world. It’s just…
by - April 6, 2015 4:35 pm
The five appointed Task Forces created by Gov. Asa Hutchinson may indeed change Arkansas governance. This Task Force governance procedure is also a bold political and policy venture. It is…
by - April 5, 2015 8:09 pm
Senate President Jonathan Dismang and Speaker of the House Jeremy Gillam said they are satisfied with the outcome of the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that nearly derailed the…
by - April 2, 2015 9:15 pm
The last full day of the 90th General Assembly regular session felt like a relay race at times as lawmakers hurriedly sped a compromise religious freedom solution through committee, to…
by - April 1, 2015 9:42 pm
Legislators from the Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas areas give Gov. Asa Hutchinson high marks on his first legislative session. Most who responded to questions from The City Wire were…
by - March 30, 2015 8:21 pm
A nearly $5.2 billion proposed state budget was unveiled Monday morning as lawmakers and state officials begin the arduous task for negotiations this week. The Joint Budget Committee turned in…
by - March 30, 2015 8:13 pm
Arkansas lawmakers and Gov. Asa Hutchinson are on track – as were their counterparts in Indiana – to go against concerns of large employers and influential businesses like Wal-Mart Stores,…
by - March 30, 2015 7:42 pm
Amendments to a bill that would prevent state actions that “substantially burden a person’s right to exercise of religion” passed the House Judiciary Committee Monday despite a heavy presence of…
by - March 29, 2015 2:07 pm
The likely last week of this year’s regular legislative session starts Monday with lawmakers facing a boatload of issues and negotiations involving the state’s budget and national pressure over a…
by - March 27, 2015 6:58 pm
A bill that supporters say will protect religious freedom and opponents say will allow for discrimination easily passed the Arkansas Senate on Friday (March 27). The 35-member body passed House…
by - March 26, 2015 10:35 pm
With potentially a week to go in Arkansas’ 2015 legislative session, lawmakers stepped up their committee and floor action to push through bills dealing with corrections, executions, drug screening, wine…
by - March 26, 2015 11:59 am
One of the big issues in this year’s Legislative session had to do with “re-homing” of adopted children. It seems that plenty of Arkansas lawmakers decided that practice is a…
by - March 24, 2015 8:55 pm
Lawmakers passed bills on Tuesday dealing with workforce training, capital gains taxes, tax credits for low-income families and criminal justice; meanwhile, several committees approved legislation that could create an even…
by - March 23, 2015 8:16 pm
It was a hodge-podge of activity Monday as legislators started what could likely be the last full week of the 2015 legislative session. A capital gains tax cut bill was…
by - March 20, 2015 4:05 pm
A pair of bills that would seek to end the practice of “rehoming” in the state of Arkansas received overwhelming approval in the State House Friday (March 20), including from…
by - March 18, 2015 7:31 pm
A plan supporting a regional jail approach to the state’s corrections debate will help the state and its residents in many ways, the sponsor of the bill said Wednesday. Also,…
by - March 16, 2015 7:50 pm
A House legislator facing questions in an adoption scandal resigned his committee leadership post Monday afternoon, while several education bills including two on workforce training sailed through the state Senate….
