Arkansas Legislature Wraps Up 2025 Session With Major Policy Changes
During the 2025 Regular Session, Arkansas lawmakers filed more than 1,600 bills, with 1,026 measures ultimately passing both the House and Senate and being signed into law by the governor.
Among the legislation approved was Act 140 of 2025, known as the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act. The law updates Medicaid regulations to expand access to prenatal care in areas identified as maternal care deserts due to a shortage of obstetricians. The act establishes presumptive eligibility for pregnant women applying for Medicaid, allowing them to receive immediate prenatal care while their applications are processed. Covered services include office and home visits, lab work, physician-ordered tests, blood work, remote monitoring, fetal non-stress tests, glucose monitoring, and blood pressure devices.
Lawmakers also passed Act 387 of 2025, which clarifies what constitutes a medical emergency involving a pregnant woman and her unborn child. Supporters say the law ensures physicians acting in good faith to save a woman’s life would not face prosecution under Arkansas abortion laws if the unborn child unintentionally dies.
Property tax relief was included in Act 330 of 2025, which increases the homestead property tax credit by $100, raising it to $600 per year. The change is expected to save approximately 708,000 homeowners a total of $56 million statewide.
Another tax-related measure, Act 1008 of 2025, exempts food and groceries from the one-eighth cent state sales tax approved by voters in 1996 for conservation efforts. The exemption is expected to reduce state taxes by about $10.9 million annually, though local city and county sales taxes on groceries remain in place.
Lawmakers also approved Act 518 of 2025, which reorganizes juvenile justice statutes to make the juvenile code easier to navigate. The law makes technical changes only and does not alter the substance of juvenile law, but aims to reduce confusion caused by overlapping court jurisdictions.
A complete list of legislation passed during the 2025 session is available on the Arkansas State Legislature website.
The Arkansas Senate and House are scheduled to reconvene on the second Wednesday in April 2026 for a fiscal session focused solely on passing appropriation bills for the fiscal year beginning in July 2026. That session is limited to 30 days, with a possible 15-day extension if approved by both chambers.