Arkansas lawmakers concluded business in the 2024 fiscal session Thursday and plan to adjourn sine die May 9. The session lasted a week longer than initially projected, but House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, said he believed it went “relatively smoothly.” The fiscal year 2025 budget, also known as the Revenue Stabilization Act, heads to […] The post SESSION SNAPSHOT: Arkansas lawmakers wrap fiscal session, send budget to governor’s desk appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will publish a final rule Friday that will allow about 100,000 uninsured people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to enroll in state-run or private health insurance plans provided under the Affordable Care Act, administration officials said. The new rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human […] The post Biden administration to issue rule expanding DACA health care access appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

An Arkansas legislative committee on Thursday reviewed and approved an emergency rule that permits electronic signatures on voter registration applications only when they’re completed at certain state agencies.  The Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners last week gave initial approval to the rule, which requires paper registration applications to include a “wet signature,” meaning an applicant […] The post Lawmakers approve voter registration signature rule appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

Arkansas’ Alcoholic Beverage Control Division revoked a Hot Springs medical marijuana dispensary’s license Thursday, the first revocation of its kind in the five years medical cannabis sales have been legal in the state. Dragan Vicentic, owner of Green Springs Medical Marijuana Dispensary, said in an interview that he will appeal ABC’s decision to its board. […] The post Arkansas ABC revokes Hot Springs medical marijuana dispensary’s license appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

About 20% of children insured in Arkansas’ Medicaid program lost access during the state’s “unwinding” period, according to a report released Thursday from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. “Arkansas did move very aggressively, and I think you can see that reflected in their losses,” said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown […] The post 1 in 5 Arkansas children lost Medicaid during ‘unwinding’ process, report finds appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

In response to new Title IX regulations that include protections for LGBTQ+ students, Arkansas’ governor signed an executive order Thursday that instructs public schools to instead follow state law and directs the education department to provide guidance on how to do so. The final rule, which the U.S. Department of Education announced last month, protects […] The post Arkansas governor signs executive order prioritizing state law over new Title IX rule appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

WASHINGTON — Doctors on Thursday urged Congress to pass legislation addressing the disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality throughout the country and to lower barriers that have hindered people of color from becoming medical professionals. During a hearing in the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, a panel of five medical professionals detailed […] The post Doctors plead with Congress to help improve U.S. maternal mortality rates appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

WASHINGTON  — Two Democratic U.S. senators announced Thursday they plan to introduce a piece of legislation that would require large companies to disclose quota practices to workers and prevent those quotas from interfering with a worker’s health. “The Warehouse Worker Protection Act would put an end to the most dangerous quotas that plague warehouses,” Democratic […] The post U.S. Senate Dems Smith, Markey to push warehouse worker safety bill appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden responded Thursday to weeks of protest on college campuses calling for a ceasefire in Gaza with a brief statement that the right to protest should be protected, but “not the right to cause chaos.” “We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or squash dissent,” Biden said from […] The post Biden backs peaceful protest, denounces campus ‘chaos’ over Gaza appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

The Little Rock chapter of activist group Indivisible helped gather more than 1,800 signatures for five Arkansas voter initiatives last month and plans another signing event this weekend.  The ballot initiatives include proposed amendments to the Arkansas Constitution on abortion, education, the public’s right to information and expanded access to medical marijuana. Two other citizen-initiated […] The post Indivisible Arkansas garners 1,800 signatures on ballot initiatives for November election appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

Leading U.S. Senate Democrats reintroduced a bill Wednesday to remove marijuana from the list of federal controlled substances, following the Biden administration’s move a day earlier to significantly ease regulations on the drug. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, […] The post U.S. Senate Dems launch renewed push for full marijuana legalization appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

The Arkansas House of Representatives passed Arkansas PBS’ appropriations bill Wednesday after two failed attempts for the second consecutive fiscal session. Appropriations bills need a three-fourths majority vote to pass each chamber: 76 votes in the House and 27 votes in the Senate. Two years ago, the fiscal year 2023 Arkansas PBS appropriations bill also […] The post Arkansas House passes PBS appropriation after three votes for second consecutive fiscal session appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans Wednesday passed a bill, with heavy support from Democrats, that would define antisemitism for the Department of Education, amid nationwide college campus protests in which students are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The 320-91 vote would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism in Title VI of […] The post U.S. House approves definition of antisemitism as campus protests continue appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

This story was updated at 6:13 p.m. with comments from the governor’s office. Two proposed laws to regulate cryptocurrency mining operations in Arkansas will head to the governor’s desk after passing the House Wednesday with little debate or opposition. Senate Bill 78 would place noise limits on crypto mines, prohibit them from being owned by […] The post Proposed Arkansas crypto mining regulations head to governor’s desk appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

WASHINGTON — Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Group’s CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web. A Russia-linked cybercrime organization dubbed “BlackCat” infiltrated […] The post UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack that’s crippled health care appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

Attorney General Tim Griffin on Wednesday announced he would join with 20 other states in a lawsuit challenging new federal regulations on firearm sales. Griffin, who is co-leading the federal lawsuit with the attorney general from Kansas, said the federal rule is “not even close to legal.” Griffin said the process of how the Department […] The post Arkansas attorney general announces lawsuit challenging gun show loophole rule appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

WASHINGTON — Two U.S. House Republicans, aggrieved by Speaker Mike Johnson’s bipartisanship amid divided government, said Wednesday they plan to force a vote next week on removing him from the leadership office — despite the extremely long odds of success. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie held a press conference just […] The post Marjorie Taylor Greene to force vote next week on ousting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

Editor’s note: This story is the third in a series about a group of people from Wisconsin trying to come up with policies to address abortion and its root causes that could be applied nationwide. Their larger goal is to find common ground on one of the most divisive issues in America.  MADISON, Wis. — […] The post On abortion, advocates and opponents unite on policies to address root causes  appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Internal Revenue Service saw a successful tax filing season, providing high levels of customer service, enforcing collection from the wealthy and launching a free filing option for taxpayers, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told tax writers on Capitol Hill Tuesday. The agency “met or exceeded” goals for the filing season and “successfully” […] The post Yellen touts success of IRS pilot program that allowed direct free filing of tax returns appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.

WASHINGTON —  Former President Donald Trump in his second term would carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants by utilizing local law enforcement, the National Guard and potentially the U.S. military, according to a lengthy interview he conducted with Time magazine. “When we talk military, generally speaking, I talk National Guard,” the presumptive 2024 GOP […] The post Trump says he’d use police, National Guard and possibly the military to expel immigrants appeared first on Arkansas Advocate.