Arkansas General Assembly Legislative Update
April 14, 2024
SUMMARY
The 95th General Assembly is at the tail end of the legislative session with an expected adjournment on Wednesday, April 16. The House and Senate are working to clear the list of bills on their respective calendars and determine which items to agree upon for ballot items to add for the 2026 election. The final necessary action will be approval of the Revenue Stabilization Act (RSA), which allocates spending levels for the state in the coming fiscal year that begins July 1.
The Senate was unable to achieve the needed 27 votes to approve funding for a new state prison, so that item will be postponed until a later date. Governor Sanders could call a special session at some point in the future to reconsider the prison issue, additional tax cuts, or other technical matters that may result from new Acts adopted this session.
A significant measure that provides additional relief to Arkansas farmers was recently approved by the House and Senate is expected to soon be signed into law by Governor Sanders. That measure, SB408, allows for the recently Congressionally approved economic and disaster assistance programs to be excluded from income for state income tax purposes. This relief was a top priority for the Ag Council, and we are pleased to see that the emergency assistance approved in December will not be subject to income tax by the State of Arkansas.
Overall, it appears this session will go down as a good one overall with a few good things being enacted, and nothing bad being enacted. Unfortunately, fiscal constraints did not provide enough room for any significant tax relief measures, including those we were seeking. We will continue to press for the need of such improvements to the tax code in hopes that an opportunity will present in the future. We will also continue to ensure that agriculture maintains its various sales and use tax exemptions and avoids any new tax increases.
Ag Council board of directors will receive a detailed overview and summary of the 95th General Assembly's legislative session at its next meeting May 8, 2025, in Pickens, AR.
BILLS WE ARE MONITORING
Comprehensive List:
April 11, 2025 Ag Council of Arkansas Bill Monitor List
April 14, 2025 Monitored Bills Passed by General Assembly
BILLS IN COMMITTEE
House Committees
Senate Committees
Joint Committees
ARKANSAS CODE RESOURCES
Code of Arkansas
Constitution of State of Arkansas
LEGISLATIVE SESSION INFORMATION
To view schedules, calendars, bill information, and legislator information, visit www.arkleg.state.ar.us.
LEGISLATIVE MEMBER DIRECTORY
Member Directory
District Finder
COMMITTEE DIRECTORY
Senate Committees
House Committees
Joint Committees
LIVE STREAMING FROM THE CAPITOL
House
Senate
Committee Meetings
AG COUNCIL STAFF CONTACT
Andrew Grobmyer, Executive Vice President
Andrew.Grobmyer@agcouncil.net
(501) 454-9643