By Steve Brawner , © 2025 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.
The 2025 Arkansas General Assembly returned from its recess at 10 a.m. May 5 to adjourn “sine die.” Pronounced “sigh-nee die,” that’s Latin for “without a day” planned to return.
Lawmakers had not been in Little Rock since April 16. As is typical, they had planned to return for one day in case they needed to tie up loose ends.
There were very few. Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge banged her gavel and declared the Senate adjourned at 10:18. Speaker of the House Brian Evans, R-Cabot, did the same in the House at 10:26.
The session was noteworthy both for what legislators passed and for the one major piece they left undone.
Lawmakers proposed 2,652 bills, of which Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law 1,026.
Those included Sanders’ centerpiece legislation, the ACCESS Act, her second comprehensive education reform bill following the LEARNS Act of 2023. While LEARNS focused on K-12 education, ACCESS focused on both K-12 and on higher education.
The 123-page law, among its many provisions, allows the Division of Higher Education to include in its funding formula non-degree technical certificates for trades such as truck driving and welding. Another provision increased first-year Academic Challenge scholarship funding from $1,000 to $2,000. Another would ban professors from compelling college students to affirm or adopt a political, philosophical or religious viewpoint.
Other education-related laws included one that will ban student use of personal cell phones and other digital devices in public schools. Lawmakers also added protections for minors who use social media. Expect legal action from big tech companies, who so far have successfully sued to block an Arkansas law passed in 2023 requiring them to verify users’ ages.
That was not the only time lawmakers took on big business. They also passed a law that bans pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from operating retail pharmacies. PBMs are insurance middlemen who pay pharmacies for dispensing drugs. The largest, CVS, will have to close its 23 Arkansas pharmacies unless it successfully challenges the law in court.
Meanwhile, lawmakers passed a law allowing electric utilities to increase rates to help pay for building power plants before the plants are fully capitalized. The measure is designed to speed up the building process.
Other session highlights pertained to budget items and taxes. Lawmakers passed a $6.49 billion fiscal year 2026 general revenue budget, which was an increase of 2.89% over current levels. They also cut the remaining .125% state sales tax on groceries. Local grocery taxes were not affected.
Lawmakers made a number of changes to Arkansas elections. They moved party primary elections in nonpresidential election years from May to March, the month when presidential election year primaries already occur. They also passed numerous laws regulating the citizen initiative process. Lawmakers said they were trying to reduce fraud. Opponents said the laws will make it much harder for citizens to try to pass constitutional amendments, initiated acts and referenda.
Lawmakers also voted to refer three constitutional amendments to voters for the November 2026 election. One would expressly bar noncitizens from voting, which already is illegal under the state’s Constitution. Another would add gun rights protections to those already existing in that document. The third would let the Legislature create economic development districts with tax advantages.
The big thing that didn’t get done was the $750 million appropriation for the prison Sanders plans to build in Franklin County. She and the legislative sponsors could not muster the three-fourths majority needed in the Senate, so it never came up for a vote in the House. In five tries, it never gained more than 21 Senate votes. It needed 27.
Lawmakers voted to build more prison space in 2023. But this year, they balked at the $825 million price estimate, the prison’s proposed location in an undeveloped area, and the local opposition.
The prison is far from dead. It will be a focus when lawmakers return for next year’s fiscal session. Sanders will have had another year to communicate and persuade.
In the meantime, the Department of Corrections can spend for preliminary work $75 million that was already set aside for prison capacity in another location. Sanders has shifted those funds to the Franklin County site.
She and her allies eventually could argue that the state has spent so much money in Franklin County that it should just finish what it started. They might make that argument in the fiscal session.
It will start next April 8 and adjourn sine die about a month later.
Steve Brawner’s column is syndicated to 19 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com.