Daniel Breen

1 week ago | ualrpublicradio.org | Daniel Breen

State lawmakers have voted to remove the entire Arkansas State Library Board. Members of the Arkansas House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 640 in a meeting Tuesday. The bill fires all seven members of the board, directing Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to appoint their replacements. Conservative lawmakers and activists have called on the board to do more to protect library-goers from “sexually explicit” materials, though librarians say no such materials exist in libraries.

1 week ago | ualrpublicradio.org | Daniel Breen

All public schools in Arkansas will be required to display a copy of the Ten Commandments under a new state law. Senate Bill 433, now Act 573, requires a Ten Commandments display in all state and local government buildings, including in every public school and college classroom. The bill became law on Monday, five days after it received final legislative approval. Speaking in a committee meeting earlier this month, the bill’s sponsor, Rep.

2 weeks ago | ualrpublicradio.org | Daniel Breen

A bill to abolish the Arkansas State Library and the State Library Board has failed in a legislative committee. Members of the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs committee rejected Senate Bill 536 after roughly two hours of debate Wednesday evening. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, criticized library board members for a perceived lack of accountability. “Can you imagine a board member who’s never faced criticism y’all face every day?

2 weeks ago | kuaf.com | Daniel Breen

This story is from our partner Little Rock Public Radio. Members of the Arkansas Senate on Tuesday rejected a $750 million appropriation bill for a new prison for the fifth time. The funding would go toward a new 3,000-bed state prison set for construction in the Franklin County city of Charleston in western Arkansas. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders first announced the state’s purchase of 815 acres for the new prison in October, leading to widespread criticism from local residents and officials. Sen.

3 weeks ago | kuaf.com | Daniel Breen

This story is from our partner Little Rock Public Radio. Arkansas Lawmakers have advanced another bill changing the state’s direct democracy process. Members of a Senate committee on Thursday advanced House Bill 1713, which requires all titles of citizen-led ballot initiatives and constitutional amendments to be written at or below an eighth-grade reading level. The bill’s Senate co-sponsor, Sen. Mark Johnson, R-Little Rock, said it’s an effort to make the process more accessible to voters.