Arkansas Politics

State lawmakers will take an extended break following this year's legislative session. When they return in the fall, they'll begin the process of re-drawing the lines of the state's four U.S. Congressional districts. 

Redistricting happens every 10 years, following the U.S. Census. State lawmakers re-draw lines for U.S. House districts, while the state Board of Apportionment, made up of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state, re-draws state House and Senate districts. 

As the U.S. Senate considers a major overhaul of federal election law, five Arkansas Republicans spoke against it Tuesday in Little Rock. The legislation was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 3, with all Republicans voting no.

But passage in the Senate looks less likely because of a 50-50 split between parties and some Democrats, like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, expressing opposition. Arkansas’ two senators said at the press conference they don’t expect it will pass.

The world’s seven largest economies, including the U.S., have agreed to support developing countries battling COVID-19. But U.S. Rep. French Hill, a Republican of Arkansas’ 2nd district, is objecting to Russia, China and Iran being including among the countries sharing about $650 billion.

As a senior Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, Hill questioned Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Tuesday about the plan, with a funding amount that is below the threshold that would require congressional approval.

The Arkansas Senate voted to pass a bill that would require the state to return fines collected due to COVID-19 violations, an action that the bill’s sponsor says sends a message over the lack of legislative involvement with the state’s pandemic response. 

The Arkansas House of Representatives voted Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 24, which establishes a "Stand Your Ground" statute in the state. 

The House voted 72-23, with one representative voting present, to pass the legislation. No Democrat voted for the bill, while three Republicans joined Democrats in voting against it. 

Arkansas State Sen. Jim Hendren has moved his political party affiliation from Republican to Independent and has plans to form a new organization aimed at working in bipartisan fashion, he announced Thursday.

A bill that would ban all abortions in the state with few exceptions will now go to the Arkansas Senate floor after a committee voted to advance it Wednesday.

Under Senate Bill 6, a person is not allowed to perform an abortion under any circumstance unless it is to "save the life or preserve the health of the child, remove a dead unborn child caused by spontaneous abortion or remove an ectopic pregnancy."

An Arkansas House committee declined to advance a bill Tuesday that would have banned the teaching of the 1619 Project in K-12 schools, with some lawmakers citing concerns on governmental overreach.

By a voice vote, the House Education Committee did not pass House Bill 1231, which would have cut funding for public schools, public school districts or open-enrollment charter schools that taught curriculum centered on the 1619 Project.

A bill that would have allowed for the building of either public or open-enrollment schools on land that was initially donated for the purpose of affordable housing for low-income families failed to pass an Arkansas Senate committee on Monday. 

The field for Arkansas governor just got smaller. Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., announced Monday (Feb. 8) he would no longer seek the state’s top executive post and instead will run for Attorney General.

An Arkansas Senate Committee has advanced a bill that would require those seeking an abortion to know about the resources available to them in an attempt to reduce the rate of abortion in the state.

The Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor committee approved House Bill 1195, by a voice vote on Wednesday.

An Arkansas House committee has rejected a bill that would have established a "Stand Your Ground" law in the state.

After over three hours of debating and listening to testimony, the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday rejected Senate Bill 24 by a voice vote. 

As the Arkansas General Assembly finishes its third week, House Speaker Matthew Shepherd says some deadlines have already passed or are approaching which will limit what bills lawmakers can file for consideration.

According to Shepherd, 334 House bills have been filed so far, while the Senate has filed 236. This past Monday was the deadline for filing “scope of practice" bills. February 10 is the deadline for any bills that would propose an amendment to Arkansas’ constitution.

Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, through a video announcement, declared her intent to run to become Arkansas’ next governor.

The nearly eight-minute video, released on Monday, touches on Sanders’ history of serving under President Donald Trump and growing up and living in Arkansas.

Heather Yates, assistant professor of political science at the University of Central Arkansas, says the video provided a "blueprint" on how Sanders will run her campaign.

Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is running to become the 47th Governor of Arkansas.

Sanders, who had the longest tenure as Press Secretary to former President Donald Trump, announced her gubernatorial campaign for the 2022 election Monday through a video announcement.

"Everything we love about America is at stake and with the radical left now in control of Washington, your governor is your last line of defense. In fact, your governor must be on the front line. So today, I announce my candidacy for governor of Arkansas," Sanders said.

As President Joe Biden spent his first full day as commander-in-chief, U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, said the nation is entering a new period with the opportunity for the president to bring people together by working in a bipartisan way.

As week two of the Arkansas General Assembly Session wraps up, the rate of bills being considered will begin to increase, according to House leadership. 

Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, said House members have filed 220 pieces of legislation so far, while the state’s senators have filed 168 bills.

This past week, with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the House only met twice, while the Senate met Tuesday through Thursday.