Representative French Hill champions vital provisions for Nation's defenders

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. French Hill (AR-02) today released the following statement after the House passed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes important provisions for military bases throughout Arkansas.

“My vote today underscores my steadfast dedication to the courageous men and women of our armed forces both at home in central Arkansas and abroad safeguarding our freedoms. Among the key provisions of this bill are substantial investments in Arkansas’s military infrastructure including funding for more training at Camp Robinson, increased production capacity in Camden for the Iron Dome system, and $73 million for an F-35 Academic Training Center at Ebbing Air National Guard Base - all of which mean creating and sustaining good paying jobs for the hardworking people of Arkansas.”

Further Background:

H.R. 8070 - 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): This bill includes a 4.5% pay increase for service members, counters our foreign adversaries, and supports our military and industrial base readiness.

For military spouses, this legislation makes it easier for them to transfer professional licenses across states and expands Department of Defense programs that provide employment support to spouses.

Additionally, this bill tackles waste by saving $30 billion by cutting inefficient programs and outdated weapons and cuts $4.3 billion in programs that aren’t meeting requirements. 

U.S. News & World Report Names UAMS Arkansas’ ‘Best Hospital for Equitable Access’

By Yavonda Chase

LITTLE ROCK — U.S. News & World Report named the UAMS Medical Center as an inaugural “Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access,” recognizing 53 health care institutions that the magazine said both excel in quality and provide substantial access to care to socioeconomically disadvantaged patients.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) was the only hospital in Arkansas included in the list, which spanned 26 states.

“At UAMS, we are committed to providing the best possible care to all Arkansans,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and chief executive officer of UAMS Health. “It is our privilege to be entrusted with the care of so many, and we are honored to be recognized for our commitment to high quality, equitable care.”

U.S. News & World Report Names UAMS Arkansas’ ‘Best Hospital for Equitable Access’

AEDC director: Income tax dip below four percent ‘sending a message’

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas Economic Development Commission Executive Director Clint O’Neal says the push to lower Arkansas’ top personal income tax rate below four percent as well as drop the corporate income tax rate will open the door for more business to come to the state.

Gov. Sarah Sanders is calling the Arkansas General Assembly into session Monday (June 17) to cut personal income tax rates from 4.4% to 3.9%, corporate tax rates from 4.8% to 4.3%, and to expand the homestead tax credit by another $75 to $500 for homeowners.

Appearing on this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics, O’Neal said the tax cuts expected to be enacted this week in a legislative special session is psychological and tangible.

AEDC director: Income tax dip below four percent ‘sending a message’

Womack votes to strengthen National Security, improve servicemember quality of life

Washington, DC—June 14, 2024…Today, Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) voted to pass the H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. The annual legislation authorizes $895.2 billion for our national security, including resources to enhance military preparedness, improve quality of life for our troops and their families, deter foreign adversaries, and focus the Department of Defense on its core mission.

Congressman Womack said, “Providing for the common defense of our nation is a constitutional imperative, and supporting our troops is our moral and strategic obligation. This year’s NDAA secures Arkansas priorities, improves the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families, and makes it abundantly clear that America will stand by our allies and defend against adversarial aggression both at home and abroad. House passage of the NDAA is a step forward, but we must quickly pass full-year appropriations for the Department of Defense and fund the government to complete the mission.”

Provisions in the bill Womack strongly supports:

• Encourages Department of Defense (DOD) to continue investing in expanding Iron Dome system production capacity in the United States, namely at the Camden, Arkansas facility.

• Authorizes funding for Ebbing Air National Guard Base Academic Training Center in support of the F-35 FMS mission.

• Authorizes a 19.5% pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers, along with a 4.5% pay increase for all other servicemembers.

• Expands access to childcare and employment opportunities for military families.

• Refocuses the DOD on military readiness instead of domestic social policy by gutting DEI programs, prohibiting CRT, and ending affirmative action at service academies.

• Extends the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) and increases a funding authorization for new military technology to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.

• Reaffirms U.S. support to Israel against Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

• Reaffirms U.S. support to the defense of Taiwan against CCP threats.

• Authorizes full funding for the deployment of National Guard troops at the southwest border and increases authorized funding by $20 million for DOD counternarcotics activities.

• Blocks the Biden Administration’s plan to reduce the number of U.S. Special Forces, warfighting aircraft, and defense missiles.

Cosponsored Amendments:

• Hot Springs, AR Army-Navy Hospital: Provides the state of Arkansas three years to request permanent ownership of the former Army-Navy Hospital in Hot Springs, AR, and in the event of this request, would extinguish any reversionary interest in the property by the United States.

• National Digital Reserve Corps: Creates a National Digital Reserve Corps to help federal agencies address cyber-attacks and critical workforce gaps as needed.

• Expansion of National Guard State Partnership Program: Directs the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, to assess and report on the feasibility and benefits of expanding the National Guard State Partnership Program in the Pacific Islands.

• Assessment of U.S. Coast Guard Involvement in State Partnership Program: Directs the DOD to conduct a study on how to more actively consider and support the U.S. Coast Guard’s involvement in the State Partnership Program in the Pacific.

The FY25 NDAA will now advance to the Senate before a conference committee is established to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions.

UAMS First in Nation to Offer Groundbreaking Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression

By Tim Taylor

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is the first medical facility in the United States to provide an innovative therapeutic treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD).

The SAINT® neuromodulation system, developed by Magnus Medical, Inc., has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with depression who have not achieved improvement in their condition from the use of antidepressant medications. SAINT works by leveraging structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to inform a proprietary algorithm that pinpoints the optimal anatomical target for precise neurostimulation in individuals with major depression.

The treatment is performed on an accelerated, five-day timeline, reducing the patient’s treatment time from weeks to days. In previous clinical trials, treatment with SAINT for MDD resulted in a significant reduction in depressive symptoms at four weeks post-treatment following the five-day treatment protocol. Currently, SAINT can only be provided to patients who are being treated as inpatients.

UAMS First in Nation to Offer Groundbreaking Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression

The SAINT neuromodulation system utilizes transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat major depressive disorder.

Biram named associate director of Southern Risk Management Education Center

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Hunter Biram has been named associate director of the Southern Risk Management Education Center, effective June 15.

LEADAER —Hunter Biram has been named associate director of the Southern Risk Management Education Center. (Division of Agriculture photo)

The new role is in addition to his current duties as assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas and as extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

The Southern Risk Management Education Center, housed within the Division of Agriculture, is one of four centers nationwide whose mission is to educate farmers and ranchers to manage the unique risks of producing food. The center is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The center has served nearly 1 million individual farmers and ranchers in the southern region, empowering them with the skills and tools to effectively manage risk. The southern region encompasses Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“I am excited to have Dr. Biram join our leadership team,” said Ron Rainey, center director and assistant vice president for the Division of Agriculture. “His appointment allows the center to leverage Hunter’s expertise and experience in policy and crop insurance. SRMEC will be able to enhance the depths of our outreach programs.”

Biram brings plenty of experience to the job. He grew up in Floral, Arkansas, working on a diverse family farm operation consisting of a cow-calf herd, broiler chickens, a greenhouse nursery and peach orchard. His applied research and extension program focuses on agricultural production and price risk management using federal crop insurance and commodity programs in the farm bill.

"As associate center director, I plan to raise the profile of and elevate the need for extension risk management education across the Southeast region,” Biram said. “It has become quite clear the need exists for risk management education for producers managing risk with federal crop insurance, especially those who are historically underserved. Additionally, I plan to improve measuring extension scholarship for my colleagues across the region so we can better tell our story as extension specialists to the institutions we serve our states with."

Biram has a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from Arkansas State University; a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from Mississippi State University; and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University.

Biram will work with Rainey and Erica Fields, an associate center director responsible for overseeing the center’s financial operations.

For more information about the Southern Risk Management Education Center, visit http://www.srmec.uada.edu

To learn about Extension programs, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Arkansas House Delegation to McDonough: The politicization of the VA is inappropriate

Washington, D.C. — Congressmen Rick Crawford (AR-01), French Hill (AR-02), Steve Womack (AR-03), and Bruce Westerman (AR-04) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough voicing concern for the encouragement of VA facilities to display Pride flags at the taxpayers’ expense. The letter calls on McDonough to immediately remove any flag other than the American flag, flag of the VA, state flags, and the POW-MIA recognition flag from VA facilities.

Rawpixel Image

In part, the lawmakers wrote:

“The Pride flag is once again flying over the VA facility in Little Rock, and our constituents and veterans across Arkansas have called on us to inquire about why the VA is expressing a clear political leaning. Your continuation of this policy demonstrates the continued disregard for the opinions of veterans you showed last year. The men and women who have served our country deserve to enter a facility that is free from discrimination and political posturing, and we should strive to provide them with an apolitical VA when they seek the care, benefits, and services they have earned.”

Click here for the full letter.

State Board of Education approves new accountability system, guidelines

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

The Arkansas State Board of Education approved new accountability guidelines for private schools getting tax money on Thursday.

The 2023 LEARNS Act signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders allowed public money to be used for private schools. The money comes from a pool of funds called the “education freedom account.”

Sanders and Education Secretary Jacob Oliva have promised accountability measures for these schools since the law was passed. Stacy Smith, Deputy Commissioner of the Education Department's Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, presented the new rules at a meeting on Thursday. Students at private schools getting tax dollars will be required to take standardized testing and meet accreditation standards, but there will be a lot of flexibility for them in both categories.

State Board of Education approves new accountability system, guidelines

Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate

Arkansas Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Stacy Smith (right) at a previous meeting of the board. On Thursday she presented testing and accreditation rules for private schools receiving public money.

Cotton: Protestors who deface statues must face mandatory minimums

Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced the Saving Treasured Artifacts Through Uniform Enforcement (STATUE) Act, legislation that would impose mandatory minimum prison sentences for defacing statues on federal land. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) is co-sponsoring the legislation.

Senator Cotton introduced the legislation after protestors damaged the area surrounding the White House, including painting pro-Hamas and antisemitic slogans on statues in Lafayette Square Park.

“Any protestor who defaces statues of America’s heroes must face the full extent of the law. As Joe Biden seeks to appease the pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party, it’s clear his administration won’t do anything to punish the protestors who defaced the area around the White House recently. The Senate should take up my legislation to punish these pro-Hamas lunatics,” said Senator Cotton.

Text of the legislation may be found here.

The STATUE Act would:

• Impose a minimum sentence of five years imprisonment and a $1,000 fine or a fine equal to the amount of damage to the property, whichever is greater.

• Amend the Veterans’ Memorial Preservation and Recognition Act so that it applies to all monuments or property under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

Boozman awarded for hunger action and modernizing summer meals program

WASHINGTON – The Congressional Hunger Center honored U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) for leading passage of legislation to ensure kids have access to healthy, nutritious meals during the summer with the organization’s prestigious Bill Emerson and Mickey Leland Hunger Leadership Award. 

As ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Boozman worked with Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) to modernize U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) summer meal programs and permanently allow states flexibilities to reach more food-insecure children in need in addition to authorizing a national summer electronic benefit (EBT) program to eligible families. The pair’s measure was included in a funding package signed into law in December 2022.

“The struggle many families have putting food on the table continues beyond the school year. Senator Stabenow and I recognized USDA’s summer meal program was in desperate need of modernization and worked together to make meaningful updates so children have more opportunities to access healthy food during the summer,” Boozman said. “I’m pleased to accept this award and am committed to ensuring that our nutrition programs remain strong and accessible to Americans in their time of need.”

As a member of the Senate Hunger Caucus, Boozman is working to combat the global food security crisis. The senator is championing bipartisan legislation that creates an innovative approach to tackle the growing international challenge by leveraging private sector dollars to improve food systems.

The Congressional Hunger Center is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that works to make domestic and international hunger issues a priority to government officials and educates future leaders on ways to fight against hunger.

The Bill Emerson and Mickey Leland Hunger Leadership Award is named after Congressional leaders who spent their careers fighting hunger and poverty. Honorees are chosen for their significant contributions to combating hunger in the United States and overseas. They exemplify the determination necessary to make hunger and poverty a focal point in the United States and within Congress.

Congressional Hunger Center Executive Director Shannon Maynard and Bryan Dierlam of Archer Daniels Midland Company present Senator Boozman with the Bill Emerson and Mickey Leland Hunger Leadership Award.

Gov. Sanders authorizes three percent pay increases for state employees

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Gov. Sarah Sanders on Friday (June 14) authorized a three percent adjustment for pay increases for state employees, effective June 23, 2024. In a letter to state workers, Sanders also outlined a one percent base salary merit raise for executive branch employees and a three percent base salary merit raise for state workers who have exceeded performance evaluations.

“Arkansas’ state government runs on you, our state employees. As my administration works to provide exceptional services to the people of Arkansas at a lower cost, we are relying on you to deliver. In the past 18 months, you have facilitated bold changes to state government, and I am incredibly appreciative of your work,” Gov. Sanders said. “As recognition for your accomplishments – and as an acknowledgment of our need to recruit and retain talented public servants – I worked with the legislature to make a one-time, 3% increase to all Arkansas executive branch state employee’s pay. I am authorizing that adjustment to go into effect on June 23.”

In noting the merit pay raises, Sanders said they would apply to state workers who have worked in the executive branch for at least a year, and who have worked at their current executive department since January 2, 2024.

Gov. Sanders authorizes three percent pay increases for state employees

Fourth district students appointed to U.S. service academies

HOT SPRINGS – Three students from Arkansas’ Fourth Congressional District have accepted U.S. Service Academy appointments. Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) hosted a send-off for the students and their families at his Hot Springs office. Westerman released the following statement:

“One of the greatest parts of my job is meeting and nominating bright young Arkansans who want to serve our country. It’s an honor to play a role in this process, and I look forward to seeing how they excel in their respective careers. I am confident these young men and women will represent Arkansas well.”

Darian Presley from Lake Hamilton High School will attend the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Ajaiah Harris from White Hall High School will attend the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School.

Rhett Fultz from Clarksville High School will attend the U.S. Air Force Academy

Click here to learn more about the U.S. Service Academy nomination process.

UAMS, ACH Pediatric Mental Health Program Presents School-Based Mental Health Symposium on July 31

By Yavonda Chase

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Mental Health Access for Pediatric Primary Care (ARMAPP) program is presenting the 2024 School-Based Mental Health Symposium from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 31 at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Arkansas Children’s Hospital are partnering to improve access to mental health education and resources in pediatric primary care settings and schools.

The symposium is offered free of charge and is geared for such school personnel as administrators, education paraprofessionals, teachers, counselors, principals, school nurses, special education teachers and intervention specialists.

To register, visit https://redcap.link/ARMAPP24.

UAMS, ACH Pediatric Mental Health Program Presents School-Based Mental Health Symposium on July 31

The Arkansas Mental Health Access for Pediatric Primary Care (ARMAPP) program is presenting the 2024 School-Based Mental Health Symposium from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 31 at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Walmart boss says company ‘can’t get comfortable’ with recent success

by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon speaks to the media Friday (June 7) following the shareholders meeting in Fayetteville.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon challenged the 2.2 million employees around the world to go for the gold like Simone Biles, win championships like NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, or NBA star Michael Jordan. He said focusing on past success is not a ticket to future prosperity.

McMillon made the challenge at the company’s 54th annual shareholders meeting held at the University of Arkansas’ Bud Walton Arena on Friday (June 7). Around 14,000 Walmart employees, shareholders and others attended the event and millions streamed online.

Dylan Beard of North Carolina is a Walmart employee, a recent college graduate, and an Olympic qualifier. Beard joined McMillon on stage. McMillon said Beard’s personal best run in the trials is a great example of reaching full potential.

Walmart boss says company ‘can’t get comfortable’ with recent success

Graveler more of ‘an experience,’ could be big for tourism

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas has 69,000 miles of unpaved roads, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture, and there are also many more miles of unpaved roads that crisscross national forest lands. They may soon turn into an economic engine fueled by bicycle tourism.

Organizers with the Ozark Foundation hope the Arkansas Graveler will become an annual event. The six-day ride stretches 340 miles from the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville to the Arkansas State University campus in Jonesboro.

Scotti Moody, Graveler event director and UCI pro cyclist, recently told Talk Business & Politics that the goal is for about 400 cyclists to participate in the 2024 event set for June 23-28. The route will go through Ozark, Jasper, Marshall, Mountain View and Cave City. It should be a tourism boon to the rural businesses the cyclist will utilize on the ride. Hotels, restaurants, convenience stores, and other businesses will be exposed to many customers that have likely never visited rural Arkansas, she said.

Graveler more of ‘an experience,’ could be big for tourism

Arkansas Water Resources Center broadens focus of annual conference

University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas Water Resources Center will co-host its annual conference July 16-18 to address a broad spectrum of water issues including stormwater, source water protection, groundwater, and stakeholder perceptions and education.

WATER QUALITY — Jacob Major takes stream soil samples in a Beaver Lake watershed tributary. Work such as his will be a part of the next Arkansas Water Resources Center's annual conference. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

The conference will be July 16-18 at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences, 1371 W. Altheimer Drive in Fayetteville.

“The conference has expanded in recent years beyond its traditional research focus and our organizing committee has grown, too,” said Brian Haggard, director of the Arkansas Water Resources Center. “This year, our conference has a new name — the Arkansas Agriculture, Forests, and Water Conference.”

The event was previously called the Arkansas Water Resources Conference. Haggard is also a professor of biological and agricultural engineering with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

The Arkansas Water Resources Center collects, analyzes, and provides water quality data to support municipalities, state agencies and watershed groups as they develop and implement management plans and practices. Located in Fayetteville, the center is part of a national network of water research centers investigating irrigation, wastewater disposal, groundwater, erosion, pollution and ecosystem problems.

The conference organizing committee includes representatives from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Divisions; the Arkansas Drinking Water and Forests Collaborative; the Beaver Watershed Alliance; the Illinois River Watershed Partnership; and the Arkansas Water Resources Center.

Over the course of two and a half days, the 2024 conference will cover relevant topics for stakeholders statewide, and highlights presentations covering northwest and central Arkansas, as well as the east Arkansas Delta.

Conference session themes include:

• Water myths and disinformation

• Science behind the water stories

• State, program, and watershed updates

• Source water protection

• “Know the Flow” and educational/outreach opportunities

• Conservation efforts, floodplains and forests

• Groundwater, a USGS special session

• Stakeholder perceptions of groundwater risks and their value

A detailed agenda will be released prior to the conference at the Arkansas Water Resources Center website.

The early registration price of $100 includes the popular conference T-shirt. The registration price goes up to $200 after July 1, and conference T-shirts will have to be purchased separately if supplies are available.

Discounted registration of $50 is available to students and county extension agents through the support of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and to landowners through support from the Arkansas Farm Bureau and Arkansas Discovery Farms.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Prosecutor: ‘insufficient proof of criminal conduct’ in governor’s lectern controversy

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Pulaski County Prosecutor Will Jones declared Friday (June 7) that he would not prosecute any charges related to a legislative audit of Gov. Sarah Sanders’ purchase of a $19,000 lectern and carry case.

Citing “insufficient proof of criminal conduct,” Jones said his review of the referral from the Arkansas Legislative Audit (ALA) released in April showed no proof of criminal violations of Arkansas law.

“[W]e find that there is insufficient proof of criminal conduct contained in ALA Report SP050123, A Special Report-Arkansas Governor’s Office- Review of Selected Transactions and Procurements or any of the supporting documents. Arkansas Rules of Professional Conduct state that a prosecutor in a criminal case shall ‘refrain from prosecuting a charge that the prosecutor knows is not supported by probable cause.’ Therefore, no further action will be taken,” Jones said in a letter released to the media.

Prosecutor: ‘insufficient proof of criminal conduct’ in governor’s lectern controversy

UAMS Implements Statewide Initiative to Prevent Unintended Pregnancies

By Linda Satter

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is implementing a statewide initiative to help decrease unintended or closely spaced pregnancies.

The Arkansas Immediate Postpartum Long-acting Reversible Contraceptive (LRAC) Initiative is a UAMS-led effort to provide training and support for administrators, clinical providers and billing personnel at delivering hospitals across Arkansas so they can begin offering long-acting reversible contraceptives in the immediate postpartum period and obtain reimbursement.

Intrauterine devices and birth-control implants are highly effective in preventing pregnancy, without element of user error and last for three to eight years depending on device. They can also easily be removed at any time if a woman wants to become pregnant.

UAMS Implements Statewide Initiative to Prevent Unintended Pregnancies

Publication of abortion amendment canvasser list is intimidation, ballot question committee says

KUAR | By Tess Vrbin / Arkansas Advocate

From the Arkansas Advocate:

Supporters of a proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment that would allow a limited right to abortion denounced a conservative advocacy group’s publication of a list of paid canvassers, calling the move an intimidation tactic.

The right-wing Family Council posted Thursday on its website a list of 79 people that the Arkansans for Limited Government ballot question committee is paying to collect signatures from across the state. The committee needs 90,704 signatures from registered voters by July 5 for the proposed amendment to appear on the November ballot.

The Family Council obtained the list of paid canvassers and their home cities via an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request, according to the post. Ballot question committees do not have to submit lists of unpaid or volunteer canvassers to the state.

Publication of abortion amendment canvasser list is intimidation, ballot question committee says

Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate

Supporters of a proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment that would create a limited right to abortion seek signatures at the intersection of 9th and State streets in Little Rock on Thursday, May 30, 2024. Little Rock police arrived during the collection efforts and parked outside the event venue The Hall.

Lawsuit challenges Arkansas voter registration rules

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A local group is suing over a rule regarding how voter registrations are done in the state.

Get Loud Arkansas created a website allowing people to register to vote online. In April, an Arkansas legislative committee moved to prevent this process from being used, saying applications now need to have a “wet signature.” This means voter applications must be filled out in person and only at certain state agencies. The rule change was approved by the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners a week later.

GLA is suing along with plaintiffs Nickki Pastor and Trinity “Blake” Loper, both 18-year-olds whose voter registrations were rejected since they filled out their paperwork online. The suit is against the commissioner of the State Board of Elections, Secretary of State John Thurston and several county clerks. Get Loud Arkansas says the rule violates the rights of minority voters in a state with consistently low voter turnout.

Lawsuit challenges Arkansas voter registration rules

Sonny Albarado/Arkansas Advocate

Get Loud Arkansas hosted a rally outside the state Capitol on April 23, 2024 following the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners’ decision to limit the use of electronic signatures on voter registration applications.