Legislation in Arkansas Would Make Spoofing a Crime

Legislation passing the House last week addressed everything from robocalls to property taxes. While illegal robocalls are frustrating for most, they are also costly and dangerous for far too many Arkansans.

An alarming number of illegal robocalls originate from scammers using automatic telephone dialing systems to send out thousands of phone calls per minute with fictitious or misleading names or telephone numbers displaying on unsuspecting consumers’ telephone caller identification.

SB514 addresses this in a few ways. It makes “spoofing”, or displaying fictitious names or numbers, a crime. It makes robocalling a Class D felony and holds telecommunication providers accountable with the Public Service Commission.

The House also passed legislation providing tax relief to property owners across the state. SB447 increases the homestead credit from $350 to $375. It also diverts $8.2 million from the property tax relief fund to the county voting systems grant fund. It also directs excess funds to the state’s long-term reserve fund.