Fifteen Good Laws Take Effect Today

Legislation, ,
From Left: Family Council Staff Attorney Stephanie Nichols, Rep. Robin Lundstrum, and First Liberty Attorney Stephanie Taub discuss H.B. 1615 with members of the House Judiciary Committee. H.B. 1615 is now officially Act 677 of 2025.

On Tuesday, fifteen good laws that Family Council supported officially take effect.

The Arkansas Legislature finished passing legislation on April 18 and formally adjourned the 2025 session on May 5. With a few exceptions, most of the new laws passed this year officially take effect 90 days after adjournment.

This year, Family Council was pleased to work with our friends in the Arkansas Legislature and our statewide network of families and churches to support passage of many good laws — including the following fifteen that take effect Tuesday:

  1. Act 677 / H.B. 1615 (Religious Liberty): This good law by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch) ensures that religious organizations and religious individuals are not penalized for living out their deeply held religious convictions. See How Your Representative Voted Here. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  2. Act 400 / S.B. 223 (Religious Liberty): This good law by Sen. Mark Johnson (R — Little Rock) and Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs) affirms public school students’ and teachers’ religious liberties at school. See How Your Senator Voted Here. See How Your Representative Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  3. Act 970 / S.B. 444 (Conscience Protections): This good law by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Lee Johnson (R — Greenwood) strengthens the healthcare workers’ rights of conscience law Arkansas passed in 2021. Among other things, this law adds whistleblower protections for healthcare workers, and it helps protect all medical professionals from having their rights of conscience violated. See How Your Senator Voted Here. See How Your Representative Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  4. Act 387 / H.B. 1610 (Pro-Life): This good law by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Jimmy Hickey (R — Texarkana) clarifies Arkansas’ law that prohibits abortion except to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency. The bill clarifies the definition of “medical emergency,” strengthens legal protections for doctors who treat pregnant women, closes possible loopholes in the current abortion law, and makes it clear that abortion remains illegal in Arkansas except to save the mother’s life. See How Your Representative Voted Here. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  5. Act 485 / H.B. 1551 (Pro-Life): This good law by Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R — Paragould) clarifies that it is a crime to secretly give a pregnant woman abortion-inducing drugs without her knowledge or consent. See How Your Representative Voted Here. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  6. Act 915 / S.B. 450 (Pro-Life): This good law by Sen. Breanne Davis (R — Russellville) and Rep. Kendra Moore (R — Lincoln) makes it possible for public school students to see a recording of a high-definition ultrasound video as part of human fetal growth and development education courses and learn important facts about how unborn children develop in the womb. See How Your Senator Voted Here. See How Your Representative Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  7. Act 973 / S.B. 591 (Pro-Life): This good law by Sen. Clint Penzo (R — Springdale) and Rep. Karilyn Brown (R — Sherwood) prohibits abortions performed due to the unborn baby’s race if Arkansas’ pro-life laws are ever amended or struck down. See How Your Senator Voted Here. See How Your Representative Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  8. Act 859 / H.B. 1142 (Bioethics): This good law by Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs) and Sen. Jim Dotson (R — Bentonville) promotes ethical fertility treatments such as restorative reproductive medicine in Arkansas. The law also protects healthcare providers who have conscientious objections to unethical in vitro fertilization (IVF) and similar procedures. See How Your Representative Voted Here. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  9. Act 154 / H.B. 1222 (Ballot Initiatives): This good law by Rep. David Ray (R — Maumelle) and Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) clarifies Arkansas’ laws concerning initiatives and referenda. The bill says the Arkansas Attorney General cannot approve a measure’s sponsors to begin collecting signatures to place a measure on the ballot if the measure conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or federal law. The bill also prevents sponsors from asking the attorney general to certify conflicting measures. See How Your Representative Voted Here. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  10. Act 453 / H.B. 1574 (Ballot Initiatives): This good law by Rep. DeAnn Vaught (R — Horatio) and Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) requires petition canvassers for ballot measures to be Arkansas residents who actually live in the state. See How Your Representative Voted Here. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  11. Act 271 / H.B. 1452 (Marijuana): This good law by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Tyler Dees (R — Siloam Springs) prohibits marijuana use in public and on Arkansas’ highways. See How Your Representative Voted. See How Your Senator Voted. Read The Bill Here.
  12. Act 934 / S.B. 533 (Drugs): This good law by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) prohibits dangerous drugs like THC made from industrial hemp. See How Your Representative Voted. See How Your Senator Voted. Read The Bill Here.
  13. Act 827 / H.B. 1529 (Pornography): This good law by Rep. Stephen Meeks (R — Greenbrier) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R — Springdale) prohibits people from using artificial intelligence to create and distribute “deepfake” pornographic images depicting another individual without that individual’s consent. See How Your Representative Voted Here. See How Your Senator Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  14. Act 728 / S.B. 547 (Home School): This good law by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R — Jonesboro) and Rep. Stephen Meeks (R — Greenbrier) eliminates the provision in state law that requires home schoolers to live within 25 miles of a private school in order to participate in interscholastic activities at that school. See How Your Senator Voted Here. See How Your Representative Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.
  15. Act 955 / S.B. 486 (Privacy): This good law by Sen. Blake Johnson (R — Corning) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R — Perryville) protects physical privacy and safety of Arkansans in showers, locker rooms, changing rooms, restrooms, and sleeping quarters in government buildings and in state and local jails. The law also applies to changing rooms, restrooms, and sleeping quarters in shelters for victims of domestic violence. See How Your Senator Voted Here. See How Your Representative Voted Here. Read The Bill Here.

You can learn more about those new laws by downloading our 2025 General Assembly Report here.

You can also read our May edition of the Arkansas Citizen for a brief recap of the session’s highlights.

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

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Arkansas A.G. Urges Congress to Help Enforce Pro-Life Laws

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On Tuesday, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin held a press conference announcing his office is leading a letter to congress urging the federal government to help states enforce their pro-life laws.

Since 2022, Arkansas has generally prohibited abortion except to save the life of the mother, and state law prohibits abortion drugs from being delivered or distributed in the state. However, news outlets have highlighted how pro-abortion states are protecting abortionists who ship abortion drugs across the country. Attorney General Griffin says entities in these states are deliberately targeting women in Arkansas and elsewhere.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Arkansas Attorney General Griffin said his office is leading a letter along with 15 other state attorneys general asking congress to address these pro-abortion “shield laws.” During his remarks, A.G. Griffin said, “States should be respectful of other states’ laws.” The A.G. says his office believes there is precedent giving congress the authority to act on this issue.

The A.G.’s office is also issuing four cease-and-desist letters to companies responsible for marketing abortion pills to Arkansans.

The cease-and-desist letters are similar to orders the A.G.’s office sent to abortion centers in New York last year.

All of this is good news. Abortion drugs take the life of an unborn child. They also carry significant health risks for women — including risks of sepsis and death.

Delivering abortion drugs into Arkansas violates state law and it puts women and unborn children at risk.

Abortion drugs simply should not be for sale in America — and abortionists certainly should not be free to target Arkansans with them.

Family Council appreciates Attorney General Griffin’s willingness to take a firm, pro-life stand and help lead the way on this important issue.

You Can Read the A.G.’s letter to Congress Here.

You Can Click Here to Read The A.G.’s Cease-and-Desist Letters to Possibility Labs of San Francisco; Mayday Medicines Inc. of New York; Dreamscape International of Singapore; and Cloudflare of San Francisco.

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

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Key Takeaways From 8th Circuit Decision Letting Arkansas Prohibit Hemp

Marijuana, , ,

Last week a three-judge panel from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision effectively letting Arkansas restrict dangerous drugs made from industrial hemp.

In 2018, Congress passed the federal Farm Bill to let farmers grow 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 growing hemp for textiles, manufacturers have found ways to extract and refine the little bit of THC in the plants. Doing this on a commercial scale means they can produce a lot of THC to infuse into drinks, candies, e-cigarettes, and other products.

In response, many state and federal policymakers have pushed back against these dangerous drugs.

For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that federal law prohibits hemp-derived THC in food products.

Massachusetts, South Dakota, California, and many other states have successfully prohibited food, drinks, and other products that contain 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 voted to pass it.

However, members of the hemp industry filed a lawsuit against Act 629, and the law has been tied up in federal court — that is, until last week.

The court ruled that the federal Farm Bill does not force Arkansas to legalize drugs made from hemp, noting:

The text of the 2018 Farm Bill shows only that Congress wanted to facilitate state legalization of hemp, if a state wants to. Congress allows states to legalize hemp by removing the biggest hurdle—federal criminalization. . . . Instead, just because states may legalize hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill does not mean they must.

The ruling overturned a lower court decision that blocked Act 629 — which means Arkansas will be able to enforce this good law.

In a statement, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin called the decision “a win for common sense and the rule of law.” We could not agree more.

Family Council fully supported Act 629 in 2023. For the past two years, we have said that Act 629 is a good law and that our federal courts ultimately would let the state enforce it. Last week’s victory at the Eighth Circuit was exactly the decision we have expected.

We appreciate Arkansas’s lawmakers passing Act 629, and we appreciate Attorney General Tim Griffin’s commitment to defending this good law in court.

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

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