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Follow along with us as we keep you connected to what's going on in Arkansas' legislature.

Arkansas Legislature opens 95th session to tackle 2,000+ bills, including budget and prison plans

Arkansas Capitol Building in Little Rock, AR
Paul Brady (pabrady63)
/
stock.adobe.com
The Arkansas legislators serving in this session took office following the 2024 elections. Republicans won a 29-6 majority in the Senate and an 81-19 majority in the House.

Arkansas lawmakers are at the Capitol today for the start of the 95th Legislative session. Over the next 88 days, legislators will discuss more than 2,000 bills that have been filed since November.

University of Arkansas Political Science Professor Andrew Dowdle said legislators will also attempt to implement bills passed during the first term of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"Part of that is the Learns Act, where about half of all new state spending is going to private school vouchers," said Dowdle. "There was also an Arkansas Forward report to try to find savings in state government."

He said the report includes measures to slash $300 millions from the state's budget in six years, and a plan to pay state workers more competitive salaries.

One of Sanders' more controversial plans is to build a new 3,000-bed prison in Charleston, in Franklin County. Dowdle said the proposal has received pushback from residents in the area.

"Nobody seems to want a prison in their own neighborhood," said Dowdle. "You usually end up finding more support for prisons in rural areas at times where you end up having higher times of unemployment, and I don't think Charleston would really see itself in that light."

State Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, has filed a draft bill opposing the new prison.

His proposal addresses reducing overcrowding in county jails by investing in new construction, expansions, or renovations in jails with the highest prisoner backlog.

Freda Ross has more than 40 years of experience in radio broadcasting, reporting and journalism. She started her radio career as a part-time board operator at her hometown radio station in Sulphur Springs, Texas, she then served as News Director at KETR Radio station on the campus of Texas A&M University-Commerce. Before coming to Public News Service, Freda served as News Director for WBAP and KLIF Radio Stations in Dallas, TX. She's received many accolades and won numerous awards throughout her career.
A statewide non-profit news service for Arkansas. Based in Little Rock as a bureau of the Public News Service.