KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate

The Arkansas General Assembly on Wednesday approved legislation to increase the state’s general revenue budget to $6.49 billion for fiscal year 2026, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year.

As is typical, state lawmakers approved the Revenue Stabilization Act on the final day of the legislative session through two identical bills — Senate Bill 637 and House Bill 2003.

The RSA is nearly identical to the budget Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders proposed in November. The largest portion of the $182.5 million increase to the state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is an additional $90 million for the state’s Educational Freedom Account program.

Arkansas lawmakers approve $182.5 million state budget increase