During legislative session, many bills have the potential to impact Arkansas with disabilities, their families, and communities. You can follow the progress of these bills here in these policy digest.
Navigate directly to a category:
Accessibility
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB1046 | An Act to Amend the Law Governing State Sales and Use Taxes; To Exempt From Sales and Use Taxes Certain Purchases of a Wheelchair-Accessible Motor Vehicle; To Exempt From Sales and Use Taxes the Purchase of Services to Render a Motor Vehicle Wheelchair-Accessible; and for Other Purposes | Exempts a new or used wheelchair-accessible motor vehicle, and aftermarket wheelchair accommodation services, from sales tax. | Rep. Ray | Referred to Revenue and Taxation Committee | For |
Budget
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB1210 | An Act to Amend the Tax Credit for the Support of a Child with Developmental Disability; To Remove the Requirement for Recertification of a Developmental Disability that is Expected to Continue Indefinitely; And for Other Purposes | Removes the requirement that a person receiving the tax credit for the support of a child with a developmental disability must have a medical recertification of the child’s disability after 5 years if the disability is expected to continue indefinitely. | Rep. Haak | Referred to House Revenue and Taxation | For |
Children & Youth / Juvenile Justice
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Community Living & Supports
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB1218 | An Act Regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; To Authorize the Department of Human Services to Restore or Reimburse for Stolen Benefits in Certain Circumstances; To Create the Client Overpayment Fund; And for Other Purposes | Requires the Department of Human Services to restore or reimburse benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to a recipient whose benefits were stolen due to third-party fraud. | Rep. Cavenaugh | Referred to House Public Health, Welfare and Labor | For |
| HB1267 | An Act to Require a Specific Number of Hours of Dementia Training for Home Caregivers; And for Other Purposes | Requires a home caregiver to have at least four hours of training covering Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. | Rep. Mayberry | Filed | For |
Education
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB1204 | An Act Concerning Private Schools; To Require Private Schools to Administer an Annual Statewide Student Assessment; To Require Private Schools to Admit Each Student Who Applies for Admission and Intends to use State Funding to Cover Costs Associated with Admittance and Attendance at the Private School; And for Other Purposes | Requires private schools to administer an annual statewide student assessment and to admit each student that applies and intends to use state funds to cover the costs of attending private school. | Rep. Wooten | Referred to House Education | For |
| HB1205 | At Act to Require a School that Accepts State Funding of any type to Provide Transportation to Certain Students Enrolled in the School; And for Other Purposes | Requires a public school district, open-enrollment public charter school, and nonpublic school that accepts any state funding to provide transportation to enrolled students living within 35 miles of the school. | Rep. Wooten | Referred to House Education | For |
Employment & Vocational Rehabilitation
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB1245 | An Act to Require a Legislative Study of Financial Matters Related to the Court System; To Require the Consideration of Any Legislative Changes Necessary to Address Issues Identified During the Study of Financial Matters Related to the Court System; And for Other Purposes | Requires the House Committee on Judiciary and the Senate Committee on Judiciary to meet jointly to conduct a study of financial matters related to the court system, specifically the levying of fees and fines. | Rep. Dalby | Referred to House Judiciary | For |
| HB1252 | An Act to Modify the Arkansas Health Care Consumer Act; To Improve Outcomes for Individuals with Limb Loss; To Require Coverage for Prosthetic Devices for Athletics or Recreation and Prosthetic Devices for Showering or Bathing; And for Other Purposes | Expands the list of items a health benefit plan must cover to include a prosthetic device for athletics or recreation and a prosthetic device for showering or bathing. | Rep. L. Johnson | Referred to House Insurance and Commerce | For |
Institutional Care
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Medicaid
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB1009 | An Act to Establish the Nonemergency Transportation Rideshare Expansion Study Workgroup to Study Expanding Rideshare Service Covered by Arkansas Medicaid Program; And for Other Services | Creates a workgroup to study feasibility of requiring the Medicaid program to reimburse for nonemergency ridesharing transportation from a beneficiary’s home to a healthcare facility, subject to a $150 limit per calendar year. | Rep. Pilkington | Referred to Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee | For |
| HB1010 | An Act to Require Medicaid Coverage for Postpartum Mothers for One Year After Giving Birth; And for Other Purposes | Requires the Department of Human Services to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage for one year | Rep. Pilkington | Referred to Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee | For |
| HB1011 | An Act to Require Medicaid Coverage and Reimbursement for Depression Screening for Pregnant Women; and for Other Purposes | Requires the Medicaid Program to reimburse for depression screening of a pregnant woman. | Rep. Pilkington | Referred to Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee | For |
| HB1126 | An Act to Expand the List of Medications for Conditions or Treatments that are not Counted Towards the Prescription Benefit Cap Within the Arkansas Medicaid Program; And for Other Purposes | Expands list of medications that don’t count toward the monthly Medicaid prescription benefit cap to include anti-seizure and psychotropic medications. | Rep. L. Johnson | Referred to House Public Health, Welfare and Labor | For |
| HB1129 | An Act to Require the Arkansas Medicaid Program and Insurance Policies to Reimburse for Behavioral Health Services Provided in Certain Settings; and for Other Purposes | Requires behavioral health services to be reimbursed by Arkansas Medicaid and health benefit plans in certain settings. | Rep. L. Johnson | Referred to House Public Health, Welfare and Labor | For |
| SB74 | An Act to Amend the Authority of a Surrogate Under the Arkansas Healthcare Decisions Act; And for Other Purposes | An amendment to the Arkansas Healthcare Decisions Act which allows a surrogate applying for public health benefits to have access to information regarding the principal’s income, assets, and financial records to the extent required to make an application. | Sen. Boyd | Passed out of Committee to House | For |
Mental Health
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB1035 | An Act to Require Screening for Depression of Birth Mothers at the Time of Birth; To Mandate that Insurance Policies Cover Screening for Depression of Birth Mothers at the Time of Birth; and for Other Purposes | Requires a healthcare insurer providing a health benefit plan to cover depression screening for birth mothers without diminishing or limiting otherwise allowable benefits. | Rep. Pilkington | Referred to Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee | For |
| HB1144 | An Act to Create the Arkansas Family Treatment Specialty Court Act; To Create a Specialty Court Program for Families Involved in a Dependency-Neglect Preceding That Are Affected by Substance Use Disorders or Mental Health Disorders; And for Other Purposes | Creates the Arkansas Family Treatment Specialty Court, which will use a multidisciplinary approach to serve families affected by substance use disorders and mental health disorders who are involved with the child welfare system. | Rep. Dalby | Referred to House Judiciary | For |
| HB1266 | An Act to Authorize Certain Minors to Consent to Outpatient Mental Health Services for Suicide Prevention, Chemical Addiction or Dependency, or Sexual, Physical, or Emotional Abuse; And for Other Purposes | Allows a minor 16 years of age or older to consent to outpatient mental health services for suicide prevention, addiction, or abuse and allows a mental health professional to treat such a minor without parental consent. | Rep. Evans | Filed | For |
Voting Rights
| Bill | Title | Summary | Sponsor | Status | DRA Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|