State of Arkansas Offering $2M to Help Moms in Need

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The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Pregnancy Help Organizations Grant Program.

In April, Gov. Sanders signed Act 1006 budgeting $2 million in funding for grants to pregnancy help organizations.

Under Act 1006, grant money can go to pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies, and other charitable organizations that provide material support to women with unplanned pregnancies.

The State of Arkansas also can award funding to charities that promote infant and maternal wellness and reduce infant and maternal mortality by:

  • Providing nutritional information and/or nutritional counseling;
  • Providing prenatal vitamins;
  • Providing a list of prenatal medical care options;
  • Providing social, emotional, and/or material support; or
  • Providing referrals for WIC and community-based nutritional services, including food banks, food pantries, and food distribution centers.

The measure makes it clear that grant money will not go to abortionists or their affiliates.

Since 2022 Family Council has worked with the Arkansas Legislature and the governor to secure funding every year for pregnancy resource centers. These state-funded grants have helped support dozens of charities that assist women and children in Arkansas.

The grants are optional. It’s entirely up to pregnancy resource centers whether they want to apply for the money. Over the past three years, the funding has made a tremendous difference in communities across our state.

Since the 2022 Dobbs decision reversing Roe v. Wade, lawmakers around the country have ramped up state funding for pregnancy help organizations. It’s good to pass laws protecting women and unborn children from abortion, but it’s important to take steps to support women with unplanned pregnancies. Arkansas’ grant program does exactly that.

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

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Arkansas A.G. Makes it Clear: If You’re Selling Drugs Made From Hemp, You’re Breaking the Law

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Last week Arkansas’ Deputy Attorney General Alexandra Benton testified before the House Rules Committee about a federal court ruling that effectively lets the state enforce its laws against dangerous drugs made from hemp.

In 2018, Congress passed the federal Farm Bill legalizing cannabis plants low in THC for use in textiles like hemp rope or cloth. THC is the main psychoactive substance in marijuana, and health experts warn the drug poses serious risks.

Instead of using hemp for textiles, manufacturers have found ways to extract and refine the small amount of THC in the plants. By doing this on a commercial scale, they can produce a lot of THC to infuse into drinks, candies, e-cigarettes, and other products.

As a result, state and federal policymakers have pushed back against these dangerous drugs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that federal law prohibits hemp-derived THC in food products, and states like Massachusetts, South Dakota, and California have prohibited THC made from hemp.

In 2023, Arkansas passed Act 629 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) to prohibit THC made from industrial hemp. Family Council supported that good law, and the legislature passed it. Unfortunately, Act 629 spent nearly two years tied up in court, but in June the Eighth Circuit issued a decision letting the state enforce this good law.

During her committee testimony last week, Deputy Attorney General Benton highlighted important facts the federal court found regarding Act 629:

  • Act 629 prohibiting drugs made from hemp does not violate the federal Farm Bill.
  • Act 629 is written very clearly. The law is not vague.
  • Just because states may legalize hemp does not mean that states are required to legalize it.

Deputy Attorney General Benton told lawmakers, “We have — and continue to be — on solid ground on this issue.” She noted that since 2023, the A.G.’s office has been vocal about the dangers posed by drugs made from hemp.

She also said point-blank that anyone selling drugs made from hemp is violating state law.

THC has been linked to everything from heart disease and cancer to stroke, mental illness, and birth defects.

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission recently tested 51 samples of industrial hemp flowers as part of the commission’s “Operation Clean Leaf” initiative. All 51 samples contained more THC than federal law allows, and authorities said the vast majority of hemp products were sold without proper age verification. Some were even tainted with dangerous pesticides.

Public health data across America has shown drugs like the ones made from hemp have sent kids to the emergency room and prompted parents to call poison control centers.

We appreciate Arkansas’ lawmakers and Attorney General’s office working tirelessly to protect Arkansans from these dangerous drugs. The drugs may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

You can watch the Deputy Attorney General’s entire testimony here.

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

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