By Larry Page, Executive Director • Arkansas Faith & Ethics Council
Executive Editor’s Note: See the article from the Apr. 2 issue or our website at baptisttrumpet.com/2025/04/01/afec-developments-at-the-legislature for detailed descriptions of bills previously presented. This week’s article is intended to provide a brief update on each one, if there has been a change, while also providing information on new bills in progress.
The General Assembly is scheduled to complete their work this week. With many bills still in the pipeline and the time to get them all vetted at a premium, there will be a good bit of impatience, and the tendency to get “things out the door” will be a catalyst to move with haste. Hopefully, mistakes will be held to a minimum.
The following are some of the more important measures we are following. I will be as brief as possible, but I will share more details about any of these at your request. (Information is at the end of the article.)
Several bills highlighted previously have been resolved in some manner, so those have been deleted from this update for the sake of brevity. (Note: HB=House Bill; SB=Senate Bill.)
Bills Concerning Drugs / Marijuana / Alcohol
• HB1578, HB1722 and SB455 — These bills all deal with the legalization of the growing, processing and sale of hemp-derived products. These products will have the capacity to cause intoxication and render the user impaired. The solution is simple. The law should prohibit hemp-derived products intended for human consumption. The sponsors of all three of these bills are apparently allowing their bills to go dormant.
• SB533 — This bill simply does not allow for hemp-derived products intended for food or drinks. This bill passed the Senate last week and will be heard this week in the House.
• SB564 — This bill will dramatically increase the percentage of alcohol permitted in beer sold in grocery and convenience stores. If this bill becomes law, the end result will likely be more impaired drivers on our roads and highways. This bill passed the Senate last week and will be heard this week in the House.
• HB1889 — This bill was heard on April 3 in the House Rules Committee. The committee gave it a “do pass” recommendation, and it will now move to be considered in the full House chamber.
• SB523 — This bill would permit private clubs to deliver alcoholic drinks. This bill passed out of the Senate and will be heard this week in the House.
• SB588 — This bill will allow the establishment of winery private clubs. The provisions of the bill will allow the placement of winery private clubs in dry counties which is very problematic since wineries must be in wet counties. Arkansas law mandates that only in wet counties can alcoholic beverages be produced or manufactured. The bill should not be passed with the flaws it contains.
Other Bills of Interest
• HB1610 — This bill is the Arkansas Human Life Protection Act. Currently, abortion is prohibited in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency. “Medical emergency” is defined as a life-threatening condition requiring an abortion to prevent the woman’s death. The bill makes it clear that “medical emergency” means the pregnant woman’s life is in danger due to a physical disorder, illness or injury, including conditions arising from the pregnancy. The bill also sets out that abortion is not an option when there are other ways to save the life of the mother or the child. This good bill was signed by the Governor and is now law, Act 387.
• HB1306 — This bill would provide civil immunity — not criminal immunity — to churches and to their volunteers who “provide safety, security, or protection for a church… as authorized by the church.” The immunity is only available to security personnel who receive mandatory adequate security training from the church. Immunity is not available for acts or omissions due to intentional, reckless, or grossly negligent conduct. This bill is pending and is waiting to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee.
• HB1861 — This bill will legalize online internet gambling in conjunction with any of the three Arkansas casinos. Even though the advent of internet, online and computer gambling is relatively recent, there are already serious warning signs about it. It provides the quickest, fastest and surest way to problem and addictive gambling. That is especially true for young men, who often are not mature enough to exercise healthy self-restraint. This latest means of gambling will prove to be very problematic.
• HB1615 — This bill concerns religious nondiscrimination. It will prohibit government discrimination against religious organizations based upon the religious organizations’ religious identity or conduct. This bill passed in the House and will be heard this week in the Senate.
• SB223 — This bill is intended to enumerate and guarantee several religious rights for students attending public schools. This bill was signed by the Governor and is now a new law, Act 400.
• HB1880 — This bill is intended to amend the Arkansas Human Life Protection Act. It is an extreme measure that would set the clock back on our state’s abortion laws. This bill is still pending in the House Public Health Committee.
Get Involved
Let me encourage you to do a couple of things. First, we would like to hear your thoughts about any of these issues. Contact us at llp@arfaith.org or (501) 837-1688. Secondly, let your state representative or senator know how you feel about any issues that resonate with you and how you would like them to handle your concerns.
To identify your state senator and get contact information for him or her, take the following steps:
• Go to senate.arkansas.gov
• On the Senate’s home page, click on the green box that says Find My Senator.
• On the page it takes you to, type in your address and click on Search.
• Your senator’s name and contact information will appear.
To identify your state representative and get contact information for him or her, take the following steps:
• Go to arkansashouse.org.
• On the house’s home page, click on Find Your Representative.
• On the page it takes you to, type in your address and click on Search.
• Your representative’s name and contact information will appear in a box.
• For an email address, click on “Full profile,” and on the page it takes you to, scroll to the bottom for the email address.
You can call the Senate switchboard at (501) 682-2902 and the House of Representatives at (501) 682-6211 during regular office hours and leave a message for your legislator requesting support or opposition to a bill under deliberation. Please use the bill number when conveying this information or describe the issue sufficiently.
