The fiscal session in the Arkansas General Assembly continued this week. This was a busy week in which legislators really dug into budget details.
Some highlights:
The Joint Budget Committee directed the legislative staff to draft a reappropriation measure that would bar the Department of Corrections from spending any of the $73.7 million in state funds for construction of a prison in Franklin County. The funds were left over from a previous prison expansion in Calico Rock.
The committee also approved a $1 million appropriations bill for the Department of Corrections for a pilot program designed to detect, identify, and terminate illegal cell phones used by inmates in state prisons. It is estimated that one out of every four inmates have access to an illegal cell phone. Prisoners are using these phones for a wide range of criminal activity.
Over the last several years, Arkansas prison officials have recovered over 6,500 illegal phones from inmates, but not all of them can be found because prisoners hide them in many places. This system will find any phone as soon as it connects with cell service for calls, messaging, or other apps. A similar program in Georgia eliminated 10,000 contraband phones from its prison system. The pilot project will take place at the Cummins and Varner units.
The Senate convened Tuesday afternoon to honor the late Senator Gary Stubblefield with a memorial resolution recognizing his many contributions to the state and to his community.
After serving one term in the Arkansas House, Sen. Stubblefield represented his district in the Senate from 2013 until his passing in September 2025.
Senators also joined together to commission a portrait of Sen. Stubblefield by artist Barry Thomas. The painting will hang in the Senate through the remainder of what would have been his term, after which it will be presented to the Stubblefield family.
Following adjournment, senators lined up to visit with and embrace members of the Stubblefield family, reflecting the deep respect and affection felt throughout the chamber.
On Wednesday, Senator Mark Johnson presented the Senate Memorial Resolution honoring former Senator Luther Boyd “Lu” Hardin, who passed away in August 2025. He was elected to the Arkansas Senate in 1983, where he served for 14 years. After his legislative career, he served on Governor Mike Huckabee’s cabinet as the Director of the State Department of Higher Education. He later served as the President of the University of Central Arkansas. His son Scott Hardin delivered thanks to the chamber.
The legislature’s sessions are open to the public. You can attend in person at the State Capitol complex in the committee rooms or in the public galleries of the Senate and House chambers. You can also watch meetings live and on demand at https://senate.arkansas.gov.
You can read and download PDFs of the bills that have been filed for the session at https://arkleg.state.ar.us/. Click on “Bills” in the menu, where you can search by keyword or filing date.
