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Arkansas medical marijuana amendment supporters submit 39K more signatures
Supporters of changes to Arkansas’ medical marijuana industry submitted petitions with 38,933 additional signatures to Secretary of State John Thurston’s office Friday in hopes their proposed measure qualifies for the November ballot. The ballot question committee Arkansans for Patient Access submitted 108,512 signatures July 5. Thurston’s staff verified that 77,000 were from registered voters, totaling […]
Arkansans brace for challenges of new voter registration, driver’s license policies
Two new Arkansas policies approved by lawmakers Friday continue to raise concerns among activists as potentially suppressive measures: one limiting the use of electronic signatures on voter registration forms and one eliminating the gender-neutral “X” marker on driver’s licenses. Earlier this year, the voter advocacy group Get Loud Arkansas created a popular online voter registration […]
Gender-neutral IDs prohibited, electronic voter registration limited in Arkansas
Arkansas lawmakers gave final approval Friday to two rules that have generated opposition and litigation: one limiting the use of electronic signatures on voter registration forms and one eliminating the gender-neutral “X” marker on driver’s licenses. The Arkansas Legislative Council’s Administrative Rules Subcommittee approved both rules Thursday. The driver’s license rule prohibits the use of […]
Arkansas panel OKs $1.25 million to public defenders to forestall layoffs, clear case backlog
Arkansas lawmakers directed $1.25 million Friday to the state Public Defender Commission to support processing a backlog of more than 5,000 cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission would have had to lay off attorneys immediately without the money, executive director Gregg Parrish told a panel of the Arkansas Legislative Council on Monday. The […]
UPDATED: Paperwork errors will keep proposed Arkansas abortion amendment off ballot
This story was updated at 3:05 p.m. and again at 6:09 p.m. on Aug. 22, 2024. A proposed abortion-rights amendment to the Arkansas Constitution will not be on the statewide November ballot, the state Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision Thursday. Supporters of the amendment, which would have created a limited right to abortion, […]
Former owners of troubled Little Rock apartments fail to appear in court, face default judgment
A judge issued a default judgment Wednesday against the former owners of a troubled Little Rock apartment complex after they did not appear in court. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Cara Connors’ order brings the two-year-old case closer to a resolution, Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a news release. “The former owners of Big Country […]
Panel OKs $7 million for Arkansas school districts to lock up students’ phones during class time
Public school districts across Arkansas are expected to be able to lock up students’ cell phones during school hours, with the state Department of Education distributing $7 million to pay for pouches or lockers. The Arkansas Legislative Council will take up the restricted reserve fund request Friday after the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review subcommittee […]
Arkansas public defenders face layoffs without state financial aid, commission director warns
The Arkansas Public Defender Commission expects to lay off more than 30 attorneys if state lawmakers don’t allocate $1.25 million to continue processing a backlog of more than 5,000 cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, executive director Gregg Parrish said Monday. The Arkansas Legislative Council will consider the request Friday after its Performance Evaluation and […]
Medical marijuana study details Arkansans’ use of the drug, raises questions from lawmakers
More than half of Arkansans using medical marijuana in 2021 used the drug as a pain reliever, and a large proportion of patients have used it to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, according to study findings presented to state lawmakers Wednesday. The study, conducted by the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, is the first ever population-based study […]
Rejection of proposed Arkansas abortion amendment threatens other ballot measures, supporters say
Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston’s argument against certifying a proposed constitutional amendment for November’s statewide ballot threatens two other proposed amendments, the ballot question committees supporting both measures said in a Tuesday legal filing. In July, Thurston rejected a proposal that would create a limited constitutional right to abortion, saying his office would not […]
Garland County officials set public hearing to discuss proposed cut to tax funding local library
A proposed cut to the property tax that funds the Garland County Library received enough support to qualify for the November ballot, but whether it will be on the ballot remains to be seen. Opponents of the initiative have been critical of the fact that a supporter notarized his own signature on the petition, which […]
Local, state officials defend Arkansas election integrity, use of voting machines to count ballots
Saline and Garland county officials told Arkansas lawmakers Wednesday that they have full confidence in the way they conduct elections, specifically the use of voting machines instead of hand-counted paper ballots, and decried the right-wing talking point that any elections have been “stolen.” The Joint City, County and Local Affairs Committee continued a discussion started […]