Legislative Review: A Look at the 2023 Session in Arkansas

May 24, 2023 Last Edit: June 5, 2025

Legislative Review: A Look at the 2023 Session in Arkansas

The 94^th General Assembly Regular Session adjourned Sine Die on May 1, 2023. With a new chief executive at the helm of state government, the Governor made it clear that her goal this Session was to overhaul Arkansas’s education system, re-work the criminal justice system, and implement tax cuts for a majority of Arkansans. All three issues were successfully addressed. Tax Bill Senator Jonathan Dismang (Searcy) introduced SB549 in a press conference with Governor Sanders. Now Act 532 of 2023, the bill provided a tax cut to Arkansans. The bill cut the individual rate to 4.7% (down from 4.9%). The business rate was decreased as well, from 5.3% to 5.1%. The total plan will impact 1.1 million Arkansans and cut $150 million from personal income taxes, as well as $36 million from corporate income taxes. Youth Employment Representative Rebecca Burkes (Springdale) and Senator Clint Penzo (Springdale) introduced HB1410. After the Governor’s signature, Act 195 of 2023repealed the requirement that employers of minorsmust secure an employment certificate from the Department of Labor as well as have their files subject to review by the Department of Education. Pause on Fees for New Businesses Representative Aaron Pilkington (Clarksville) and Senator Clint Penzo (Springdale) introduced HB1669to pause fee collection on new businesses in Arkansas. Despite NFIB members calling on their elected officials to pass this bill, the bill was never taken up in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee.

Topics:

Taxes

State:

Arkansas

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