In the seven publications of the CFC Arkansas Legislative Biennial Scorecard, we have learned much about our state, the legislature, and our governors — especially as it concerns Economic Freedom in Arkansas.
The consistent lesson for the voter is that bills filed, votes made, and bills passed during legislative sessions give us a true measure of the underlying philosophies and principles held by individual legislators as well as governors.
Past Arkansas legislative sessions measure a dismal commitment by Republican officeholders to Economic Freedom. And as observed in this 2025 CFC Scorecard, our elected officials are continuing to move us toward more government dependency and less personal freedom… study this trend with us:
2013: R=Senate-60% and House-51%. Arkansas’ response in 2012 to the policies of Obama (winning only 36% of the vote) was the election of the first majority Republican State House and State Senate since the end of Reconstruction.
- Despite their campaign promises, the 2013 Republican majority passed into law the Democrat Governor Mike Beebe’s coveted Obamacare Medicaid Expansion. Giving insurance companies a 20% first bite of the taxpayers’ dollars and growing Arkansas’ government by 20% in a single year, the legislature indulged their Republican voters by naming this scam the “Private Option.”
Even after a few name changes, Arkansas’ scam version of Medicaid Expansion is alive and well.
- Equal to the Private Option scam, the 2013 General Assembly (GA) passed HJR 1009, sponsored by ex-Republican Sen. Jon Woods (now serving 18 years in prison for political corruption), with only seven total “nays.” Written at a 16-20 grade reading level, the unsuspecting 2014 Arkansas voter approved this deceptive amendment titled “…Elected Officials Ethics, Transparency, and Financial Reform…and Term Limits.” In real life, this amendment more than doubled legislative terms and more than tripled legislative salaries.
2015: R=Senate-69% and House-64%. Hope against hope, in 2014, Arkansans attempted to eliminate Obamacare by voting into office even more Republicans. Asa Hutchinson was the newly elected Republican governor.
- The first bills filed by Asa’s nephew, Sen. Jim Hendren, the Senate’s President Pro Temp, and passed by the Republican legislature accomplished the opposite of their campaign promises. These laws expanded the Private Option and eliminated the capital gains tax cut previously passed by Beebe in the session before—effectively becoming the first of Asa’s tax increases.
- The next big disappointment for fiscal conservatives was the passage of SJR 16, again sponsored by ex-Sen. Jon Woods. In the name of “Economic Development,” this joint resolution removed the five percent (5%) cap on the issuance of state bonds (debt). The amendment allowed all levels of government, and even the Chamber of Commerce, to issue bonds. In 2016, the voters passed Issue 3, advertised as the “Job’s Amendment.”
2017: R=Senate-74% and House-73%. Although, according to BLR, this Regular Session increased taxes more than it cut, the Legislature was successful in playing some defense.
- The first attempt to pass the Internet Sales Tax (SB140) was defeated along with gas hike proposals in HB1726/1727. Also, a FOIA exemption for government attorneys (SB373) was defeated along with a refundable “earned income tax credit” (HB1161).
- This GA passed a joint resolution for tort reform, placing a cap on damages among other things. It was later removed from the ballot by the Arkansas Supreme Court.
- However, like years before, government spending increased greater than the rate of inflation. See our article, Platform Republicans Fought Back During Legislative Session.
2019: R=Senate-74% and House-74%. This GA was obsessed with Tax Reform, with Asa having previously appointed a year-long Tax Task Force to do the job in place of permanent legislative committees. And with several legislators going to prison for political corruption just prior to this session, Sen. Jim Hendren gave lip service to ethics reform, as well.
- This session finally passed the Internet Sales Tax, the biggest tax hike on record for state and local governments. These tax revenues are so large that DFA is unable (or refuses) to account for the totals, so they say, but DFA did report that the revenues were double what was predicted. Among others, the GA also passed tax increases on gasoline and diesel. For a good summary of the 2019 Tax Increasing Session, see Raised Our Taxes But Tithe Back Some, and other 2019 Conduit articles.
2021: R=Senate-80% and House-78%. In the throes of a pandemic and in hope of regaining our freedoms, in 2020, Arkansas voters continued to add to the Republican majorities in the state House and Senate.
- There was much talk this session about restricting the governor’s powers using Executive Orders.
- When referring to “medical freedom” held by individuals, unlike Florida, no such bills became law.
- There was a bill passed that prevented government employers from mandating vaccines for a term. No such bill was passed to extend this vaccine exemption to private employees.
- Thankfully, a bill was passed that prevented nursing homes from isolating a dying patient from their family.
2023: R=Senate-83% and House-82%. After most R’s considered the 2020 Presidential election stolen and dismal policies under President Biden, Arkansas continued to add to its huge Republican Legislative majority.
- With a new governor, Arkansas finally got real School Choice!
- Another attempt at limiting FOIA was made by the governor, but was mostly deflected by the GA.
- During two Special Sessions in 2021 and late 2022, Asa cut tax rates from 5.9% to 4.9% for individuals and corporate rates from 6.2% to 5.3%.
- Even though the new governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, campaigned on eliminating the income tax, she did work during the 2023 GA Regular Session and helped cut rates for individuals and trusts from 4.9% to 4.7% and reduced corporations to 5.1%. (In June 2024, SHS signed measures which reduced the individual tax rate from 4.4% to 3.9%.)
- With most of the pandemic behind us, still, no Medical Freedom bills were passed.
2025: R=Senate-83% and House-81%. After a ten-year run of increasing their numbers each election cycle, in 2024 the Republican majority did not continue to increase but was reduced by one House seat. However, this loss did not appear to have restrained spending but set the stage for more government growth and a greater loss of personal freedoms for Arkansans.
- Economic Development—code word for “picking winners and losers with your tax dollars” ruled the day this Legislative Session.
- Reduction of transparency followed these Economic Development bills, causing the reporting of the actions by those receiving tax dollars under the guise of Economic Development to be greatly reduced.
This 2025 scored 100 bills related to Economic Freedom. Some we supported. And some, we opposed. Review this Scorecard carefully to determine the underlying philosophies and principles of your own elected representatives. YOU CAN AND SHOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR OWN FUTURE. KNOWLEDGE HELPS.
SUMMARY: The record proves Arkansas voters keep voting for one thing but getting another…
…AS OUR ECONOMIC FREEDOM CONTINUES TO SLIP AWAY.
THIS SCORECARD SHOULD BE STUDIED AND USED AS A VITAL TOOL DURING THE 2026 ARKANSAS PRIMARY SEASON!
