Lawmakers began pre-filing legislation for the 2021 session in November.
Our team has reviewed every bill pre-filed so far.
Here are some good and bad pieces of legislation we are watching.
Good Bill: S.B. 6 Ending Abortion in Arkansas. S.B. 6 by Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Conway) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) would prohibit abortion in Arkansas except in cases when the mother’s life is at risk. If passed, it would give our federal courts the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade and other pro-abortion decisions. Family Council fully supports this good bill.
Bad Bills: S.B. 3 and H.B. 1020 Enacting Hate Crimes Legislation in Arkansas. S.B. 3 and H.B. 1020 by Sen. Jim Hendren (R – Gravette) and Rep. Fred Love (D – Little Rock) would write special, protected classes into Arkansas law by enacting hate crimes legislation. The bills are identical to one another. Family Council has opposed hate crimes legislation for more than 25 years, and we oppose these two bills as well.
