On Tuesday the House Education Committee passed S.B. 223, the Religious Rights at Public Schools Act of 2025.
This good bill by Sen. Mark Johnson (R — Little Rock) and Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs) affirms public school students’ and teachers’ religious liberties.
The bill identifies and upholds religious freedoms that are already protected by state and federal law — such as the right to pray, discuss religion, or read the Bible during free time at school.
The bill also helps make sure that religious expression is treated equally to other types of speech at school.
This will help prevent schools from squelching anyone’s religious liberties.
When it comes to religious liberty, public schools have been a battleground for more than 60 years. It’s important that we stand up for religious freedom at school. S.B. 223 is a good bill that helps do exactly that.
The bill now goes to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives for consideration.
On Monday evening Family Council President Jerry Cox testified in support of a proposed amendment that would require ballot measures to pass in a majority of Arkansas’ counties in order to become law.
As we have written many times this year, the Arkansas Constitution lets canvassers circulate petitions to place measures on a general election ballot. Its original intent was to give citizens a way to function as a “legislative body.” Unfortunately, powerful special interests have used the initiative process to put flawed, misleading, and deceptive measures on the ballot in Arkansas.
The way Arkansas’ ballot initiative process works right now, voters in a handful of counties can decide the outcome of a ballot measure that impacts every corner of the state, because the Arkansas Constitution only requires ballot measures to receive a simple majority vote in order to pass.
That means special interest groups who back a ballot measure can focus on campaigning for their measure in a handful of populated areas. A ballot measure that is really bad for rural Arkansans might pass if enough voters in the metropolitan areas support it.
H.J.R. 1017 by Rep. David Ray (R — Maumelle) and Sen. John Payton (R — Wilburn) would require ballot measures to pass with a majority vote statewide and in a majority of Arkansas’ counties in order to become law.
This means under H.J.R. 1017, a constitutional amendment, initiated act, or a measure referred by the Arkansas Legislature would need to receive at least 51% of the vote statewide, and it would need to pass in at least 38 of Arkansas’ 75 counties.
H.J.R. 1017 is a good measure that would keep metropolitan areas from running roughshod over rural communities, and it would help ensure ballot measure sponsors actually campaign statewide instead of focusing on Arkansas’ cities.
You can watch Family Council President Jerry Cox’s committee testimony on H.J.R. 1017 below.
On Monday the Arkansas House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a good bill clarifying the definition of “paid canvasser” in the state’s ballot initiative laws.
The Arkansas Constitution lets canvassers circulate petitions to place measures on a general election ballot. Its original intent was to give citizens a way to function as a “legislative body.” Unfortunately, powerful special interests have used the initiative process to put flawed, misleading, and deceptive measures on the ballot in Arkansas.
Last month pro-life leaders testified in committee that canvassers for the 2024 Arkansas Abortion Amendment allegedly violated state law and were paid $500 bonuses for “altercations” with pro-lifers who opposed the abortion amendment.
H.B. 1714 by Rep. Ryan Rose (R — Van Buren) and Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) clarifies the definition of a “paid canvasser” in state law.
Current law says that anyone who receives anything of value in return for soliciting signatures on a petition is a paid canvasser. Paid canvassers are subject to certain laws that do not apply to volunteer canvassers.
H.B. 1714 further clarifies that receiving anything of value includes receiving payment for items like food, lodging, travel, bonuses, fees, gift cards, and other payments associated with obtaining signatures on a petition. This will help bring better clarity to state law.
