Arkansas’ Annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is This Weekend

Taxes

Arkansas’ annual back-to-school sales tax holiday is this weekend, August 2-3.

In 2011 the Arkansas Legislature created a back-to-school sales tax holiday. During the first weekend in August, the state doesn’t collect sales taxes on school supplies, clothing sold for less than $100 apiece, instructional material, and electronic devices commonly used by students.

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration provides a full list of items exempt from sales tax here as well as answers to commonly asked questions.

Family Council supported legislation creating the state sales tax holiday in 2011, because it’s like giving families a 6% – 7% discount on their back-to-school shopping. It helps everyone — including home schoolers.

Over the years, there have been discussions at the capitol about eliminating the annual tax holiday, but 14 years running, it seems to be helping families in Arkansas.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Planned Parenthood Closes Facilities in Some States Amid Federal Defunding

Abortion, , , ,
Above: Planned Parenthood’s abortion facility in Southeast Kansas has been shown to market abortion to women in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas.

Abortion giant Planned Parenthood has announced it is closing some of its facilities in California, Texas, and other states, citing the federal government’s recent decision to defund the organization.

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortionist and a major seller of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones used in gender transitions.

Its regional affiliates operate facilities around the country — including one in Little Rock and another in Rogers. Fortunately, neither of its Arkansas locations perform abortions, because state law generally prohibits abortion except to save the life of the mother.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states are not required to fund abortionists, and the Arkansas Legislature and the governor have both blocked Planned Parenthood and its affiliates from receiving public tax dollars.

However, while Planned Parenthood appears to be closing some of its facilities around the country due to a drop in funding, the organization is hiring at its Little Rock location. Reports also show Planned Parenthood may be spending millions of dollars to help women cross state lines for abortion. And news outlets have highlighted how pro-abortion states are protecting abortionists who ship abortion drugs across the country. These are serious concerns.

With all of that said, it’s important to note that public opinion polling shows Arkansans oppose abortion, and there is evidence that children are alive right now because Arkansas has prohibited abortion. That is something to celebrate.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Ballot Battles: Lawsuit Targets Arkansas Election Safeguards

Elections,

On Thursday, two liberal groups filed a motion in court asking U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks to block anti-fraud safeguards the Arkansas Legislature has enacted regarding the ballot initiative process.

The groups For AR Kids and Protect AR Rights filed the motion challenging the following laws:

  • Act 218 of 2025 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) requiring canvassers to inform people that petition fraud is a crime before obtaining their signatures on a petition. 
  • Act 240 of 2025 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) requiring canvassers to verify a person’s identity via photo ID before obtaining the person’s signature to help prevent people from fraudulently signing someone else’s name.
  • Act 602 of 2025 by Rep. Ryan Rose (R — Van Buren) and Sen. Mark Johnson (R — Little Rock) requiring ballot initiative titles to be written at or below an eighth-grade reading level. A ballot title is supposed to accurately summarize a measure so voters can decide if they support or oppose it.

The groups are also opposing an anti-fraud law that requires paid canvassers to be registered with the state and a law requiring petition signatures to be collected from two-thirds of Arkansas’ counties in order for a measure to be placed on the ballot.

The lawsuit claims these laws make it too difficult to place constitutional amendments and initiated acts on the ballot.

We have said time and again that the Arkansas Constitution is for sale — and it’s cheap.

 The ballot initiative process that lets canvassers circulate petitions to place measures on a general election ballot has become the opposite of what it was intended to be. 

Instead of giving citizens a way to function as a “legislative body,” special interests have hired people to circulate petitions to place misleading, deceptive, and poorly written measures on the ballot in Arkansas.

Earlier this year, Arkansans testified before lawmakers about petition canvassers allegedly trying to provoke altercations and encouraging people to sign petitions multiple times.

Arkansas’ lawmakers have enacted good measures to safeguard the ballot initiative process. Now those safeguards are being challenged.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office is defending these good laws. We believe our federal courts ultimately will uphold them as constitutional.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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