2025 Arkansas Legislative Session Kicks Off with Over 200 Bills Introduced
The 2025 Arkansas legislative session has begun with a flurry of activity, as more than 200 bills were introduced by the end of the third day. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders laid out her priorities for the session, focusing on education, healthcare, and public safety.
One of the governor’s key proposals is the Arkansas ACCESS plan, which aims to simplify the application process for students applying to state-supported higher education institutions. The plan would allow students to submit one application and pay a single fee to apply to all four-year universities and two-year colleges in the state.
In addition to education reform, the governor proposed changes to the higher education funding formula and introduced measures to make it easier to fire tenured professors who are accused of indoctrinating students instead of focusing on education. She also called for funding college credits for high school students and increasing scholarships for students pursuing associate degrees or non-degree certificates.
Another major initiative involves using revenue from medical marijuana taxes to fund a summer program that supports families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. The program would help ease the burden on families during the summer months when children are not receiving school meals. The governor also proposed making school breakfasts completely free and introducing the “Good Neighbor Act” to protect businesses from liability when donating food to hunger relief programs.
Other legislative proposals include a ban on cell phones in schools, a bill allowing parents to sue social media companies, and measures to help property owners more easily evict squatters. There will also be discussions on expanding Medicaid for pregnant women and funding for a new prison unit.
The Joint Budget Committee has already begun reviewing the governor’s balanced budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year and a new pay plan for state employees.
