State Government & Legislation
State History
Arkansas became a territory in 1819 and became a State in 1836. 1836 also represented the first adopted draft of the Arkansas State Constitution, which has been revised and ratified four additional times. The last revision was made in 1874 and can be viewed through this PDF icon.
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LEARNS ACT
Education in Arkansas stands at the cusp of a new frontier. Thanks to recent legislation, parents all across the state will now the majority financial stake in the education of their children. Parents will be able to send their children to the schools of their choice and the tax money associated with that child, will follow them to that school, be it public, private, or even home school. The Act also requires career centered field trips for high school aged students which will give them the opportunity to learn about various trade programs to get an idea of what profession they seek to grow into during their adult lives.
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Implementation and additional resources related to the law, can be found HERE.
Protect Arkansas Act
This parole reform law eliminates any chance of a hard prison sentence from being voided from a short parole. Beginning in 2025, certain felony convictions will require that inmates serve 100% of their court ordered sentence with NO CHANCE of parole. Certain less serious felonies will need to serve at least 85% of their time in prison before becoming eligible for parole. The intention of the law is to dissuade individuals from committing certain crimes, knowing they will receive no leniency as they suffer the maximum consequences for their criminal actions.
Concealed Carry Reform
Act 777 passed, eliminating the legal requirement to obtaining training and procure a concealed carry license in the State of Arkansas. While this service will still be provided by Arkansas State Police, residents will no longer be required to hold special licensing to carry a concealed firearm in places where it is not explicitly prohibited.
Youth Hiring Act 2023
Federal law prohibits the hiring of children for most jobs under the age of 14, many states, Arkansas included require special government issued permits to authorize any minor between the ages of 14 and 16 to work. This law eliminates the requirement for such government permits, enabling parents to have final discretion around the type of work, if any, the would like to see their child participate in.