The 95th General Assembly is rapidly moving to conclusion. Yesterday, leadership gave legislators the proposed Revenue Stabilization Act changes that will dictate how the state's general tax revenue will be distributed next fiscal year. This is always one of the last things they do before they conclude their business and go home. The Joint Budget Committee will likely vote on these allocations Monday. Although those changes do determine how much state funding our public schools will receive, none of this general revenue flows to ATRS.

Two of the bills I mentioned last week have now passed both House and Senate and are on their way to the Governor for signature. They are HB1344, which updates the retirement laws with the new combined name of the Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind; and SB148, which expands ATRS membership to include early childhood education employees working for some private facilities.

Two of the other bills I mentioned are making their way through but still have a few steps to go. HB1352, which restricts our ability to invest in China, passed out of the Senate. The House must now concur in the amendment that the Senate made to the bill. HB1365, which would remove the requirement that ATRS and other boards and commissions have minority members, passed out of the Senate State Agencies Committee and will likely be voted on by the full Senate on Monday.

The one other retirement bill still in process is SB157, which authorizes all of the state's retirement systems to offer a death benefit to members using life insurance. The bill was pulled back to be amended, so there may not be enough time left in the session for it to be voted on by both House and Senate.The Senate will convene again Monday morning, and the House on Monday afternoon. If they stick to their current schedule, the House and Senate will conclude their business and recess on Wednesday the 16th. The Governor then has five days to sign or veto the remaining bills that have passed.

The House and Senate can be called back into session to consider vetoes, correct errors, or finalize votes on constitutional amendments anytime between April 16 and May 5. At noon on May 5, unless they pass another extension, the 95th General Assembly will conclude and be adjourned sine die ("Sine die" is Latin for "without a day"; an adjournment sine die means that the 2025 legislative session is closed and finished).

If you have questions about any of these bills, or any other pending legislation, please reach out to me at the email address or phone number below.

Mark White
ATRS Executive Director
MarkW@artrs.gov
Office: (501) 621-8853
Cell: (501) 541-2057