Arkansas Politics & News
Arkansas news and political coverage from The Daily Signal, tracking state legislation, gubernatorial leadership, and the Natural State’s commitment to conservative governance and rural community priorities.
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Arkansas Ends Food Stamps for Junk Food
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The state of Arkansas received approval Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ban the purchase of both soft drinks and candy with food stamps. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has signed a waiver enabling Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to ban unhealthy foods from Arkansas’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the…Jacob Adams -
Arkansas to Appeal Ruling vs. Ban on Chinese Role in Crypto Mining
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be appealing a recent ruling by a federal judge that prevented the state from enforcing an anti-foreign influence law. The legislation prohibits businesses owned by foreign parties like nationals from China from owning crypto mines in Arkansas. “I was proud to be the first governor in the country to…Jacob Adams -
Arkansas to Allow Christian Adoption and Foster Care Groups to Bypass Same-Sex Homes
An Arkansas bill prohibiting state officials from forcing faith-based adoption and foster care organizations from placing children in homes that go against an agency’s religious or moral beliefs was signed into law by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Sanders, former White House press secretary for President Donald Trump, signed Act 509 last Thursday along with…Michael Gryboski -
How Production of a New Missile in Arkansas Enhances National Security
As various conflicts abroad drain America’s weapons stockpiles, Camden, Arkansas, has emerged as the epicenter of a defense manufacturing boom currently reshaping global power dynamics. Arkansas’ role in next-generation missile production doesn’t just boost the economy. It revolutionizes how America defends itself and its allies, as evidenced by the new Precision Strike Missiles rolling out…Joel Highfill -
Georgia, Arkansas Revive Old-School Teaching Method: Poetry Recitation. Here’s Why That’s a Good Thing.
In his rousing keynote address at The Heritage Foundation’s 50th anniversary gala last month, then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson offered an unexpected piece of advice: “Don’t throw away your hard-copy books.” Unlike digitized books, films, and albums that can be canceled, rewritten, or vanished altogether, physical copies are “the enduring repository that cannot be disappeared.”…Rachel Alexander Cambre -
Arkansas Enacts Given Name Act. Here’s What Parents of Schoolchildren There—and Elsewhere—Need to Know.
Arkansas lawmakers delivered a clear message to parents of K-12 students this week: You have the right to know how your child is being treated in school. Lawmakers in New Jersey, California, and hundreds of other school districts across the U.S. operating under policies that do the opposite and allow school officials to hide information…Jonathan Butcher -
Arkansas Governor Signs Bill Banning Biological Males From Using School Girls’ Bathrooms
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, signed a bill Tuesday that bans biological males in public schools from using girls’ bathrooms. House Bill 1156 requires that public school districts or open-enrollment public charter schools rely on the students’ sex as listed on his or her original birth certificate “issued at or near the time…Mary Margaret Olohan -
Arkansas’ Sanders Signs Ambitious Education Reform Agenda of School Choice, Anti-Indoctrination
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday signed into law what she called “the largest overhaul of the state’s education system in Arkansas history.” The “Arkansas LEARNS” initiative is an ambitious reform agenda that expands school choice, modernizes school transportation, restructures teacher compensation to pay more for performance, provides supplemental education for struggling students, and…Jason Bedrick -
Axios Lies for Arkansas School Caught Teaching Critical Race Theory
Ring set aside days of his English III course to walk his students through critical race theory in detailed fashion—and the student, wishing to remain anonymous, was quick enough to hit “record.”Tony Kinnett -
Walton Family Funds LGBT Initiatives, Opposition to Arkansas SAFE Act
Families of four trans-identifying youth and two doctors, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, testified last month against the Arkansas law banning sex-reassignment treatment for minors. Behind the effort to strike down Arkansas’ Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act is the wealthiest family in the nation—heirs of Walmart founder Sam Walton’s fortune. The Walton…Gillian Richards -
‘Every State Needs to Pass a Law’ Like This, Detransitioner Says of Arkansas SAFE Act
Two men and one woman who underwent experimental medical interventions in pursuit of a transgender identity told The Daily Signal that they support Arkansas’ Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act, arguing that it is necessary to protect children from the horrors they themselves experienced. The SAFE Act prohibits anyone from performing controversial transgender medical interventions on…Tyler O’Neil -
Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Abortion Law as ‘Imminent Threat’ to Women
A federal judge has blocked a law that would have banned almost all abortions in Arkansas, calling it an “imminent threat” to women seeking abortions. District Court Judge Kristine Baker issued a preliminary injunction blocking authorities from enforcing the Arkansas Unborn Child Protection Act until she issues a final ruling, The Washington Post reported. The…Mary Margaret Olohan -
Federal Judge Halts Arkansas Ban on Sex-Change Procedures for Minors
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the enforcement of a highly publicized Arkansas law banning sex-change procedures for minors. Arkansas’ Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act, otherwise known as the SAFE Act, prohibits physicians from performing sex-change procedures, such as using puberty blockers or doing “top” and “bottom” surgeries, on minors. U.S. District Judge Jay Moody…Mary Margaret Olohan -
Teaching Critical Race Theory to End in Arkansas Agencies Without Governor’s Signature
Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson allowed legislation to become law without his signature Monday that ends the use of critical race theory education for state agencies. Hutchinson effectively approved SB 627 Monday, “an act to prohibit the propagation of divisive concepts” and “to review state entity training materials.” The legislation bans state agencies from teaching “divisive concepts,”…Mary Margaret Olohan -
Arkansas Looks to Protect Religious Liberty in State Constitution
If you adapted the old advertising slogan for the American company known for its jams, jellies, and preserves, “With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good,” to the American Civil Liberties Union, it might read something like, “If the ACLU labels your action one of the ‘most extreme’ in the nation, it has to…Lathan Watts -
Tucker Carlson Spars With Arkansas Governor on ‘Chemical Castration’ of Minors
Arkansas just did something historic: It’s become the first state in the nation to enact the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act. This much-maligned bill does three things: It protects minors from puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and/or masculinization or feminization surgery (all of which have permanent, life-long effects) until they are adults and can make…Quena González -
Arkansas Law Lets Kids Be Kids
American law, including state law in Arkansas, has a long history of protecting children from themselves and others. The nation’s adults recognize that children are typically incapable of assessing long-term consequences of their actions, weighing risks and benefits, having fully formed identities and understanding of themselves, or even processing information needed to make critical decisions….Autumn Leva -
Arkansas Bill Would Bar Doctors From Transgender Drug, Surgical ‘Experimentation’ on Minors
Just a week after Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed bills protecting women’s sports and medical conscience protections from being forced to bend to progressive gender ideology, he now has the chance to sign yet another pro-science bill that would protect children from harmful surgical and hormonal interventions on their bodies in the name of “gender…Jared Eckert -
China Must Be Held Accountable for COVID-19 Pandemic, Arkansas Attorney General Says
Eighteen state attorneys general have signed onto a letter requesting that Congress investigate China’s role in the coronavirus pandemic. One of the signatories of the letter, Leslie Rutledge, the attorney general of Arkansas, joins The Daily Signal Podcast to discuss why and how China should be held accountable. She also discusses the Supreme Court’s decision last…Rachel del Guidice -
Planned Parenthood Frustrated With Arkansas Abortion Law. Asks Judge to Reconsider Again.
Less than two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a case [that could have lead to an outcome] that would have allowed Planned Parenthood to continue offering medication abortions, the abortion organization asked a federal judge to reconsider the ruling. Planned Parenthood attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker Friday to block Arkansas’…Grace Carr