by Andrew DeMillo, Arkansas Advocate
May 3, 2026
The ink is barely dry on Arkansas’ latest budget and lawmakers haven’t even convened this week to take up a new round of tax cuts. But the agenda for next year’s legislative session is already getting crowded.
Unresolved fights over prison expansion, the University of Arkansas and data centers await lawmakers when they return to the Capitol a little over eight months from now.
The results of Arkansas’ midterm elections, the national political landscape and many other factors could change what’s on the top of legislators’ minds when they convene.
But it’s already clear these are several key issues and fights to watch in 2027:
Higher ed independence
If one thing was clear from the fiscal session and the preceding months, it’s that Republican lawmakers are more aggressive about dictating how Arkansas’ universities are run.
The University of Arkansas’ flagship campus was at the center of that effort, from efforts that came up over the past three weeks to block money going to athletics to calling for the shutdown of its Middle East Studies Center.
The efforts show GOP lawmakers are less gun shy about meddling in higher education or crossing a line established by the decades-old state constitutional amendment keeping colleges and universities independent.
It’s a continuation of the push that gained nationwide attention when UA Fayetteville withdrew the job offer to its incoming law dean following complaints by top Republicans.
And it’s unlikely to be limited to Fayetteville, as demonstrated by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock announcing it was dropping gender studies after its budget bill struggled in the House.
The prison fight, continued
When Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders put on hold her plan to build a 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County, it didn’t pause the problem that she and lawmakers agree need to be addressed: Arkansas’ overcrowded prisons.
Heading into the session, legislative leaders said there weren’t enough votes to pass the budget bill needed to continue the prison’s construction.
As last week’s story showed, there are other options the state can pursue for easing its prison overcrowding problem. The alternatives include expanding existing facilities, looking at other parts of the state or turning to private prisons.
Each of those options pose their own challenges that could open a new debate in the Legislature next year.
Sanders still insists Franklin County is the best location, so it’s still possible she tries again if she wins reelection.
But it’s hard to see how the political challenges for that site get any better, especially after she was unsuccessful in efforts to oust two Republican opponents of the prison plan in the March primary.
The governor’s influence
A major factor in the prison fight and other debates next year will be just how much influence Sanders has in the 2027 session.
The Republican governor is in a comfortable position for reelection and is already making moves signaling she’s preparing for or at least seriously considering a White House run.
But those ambitions and whatever agenda Sanders has in mind could easily be derailed if lawmakers from her own party are more willing to openly challenge her next year.
True, efforts this year to reject her choice for Corrections Board chairman and to eliminate former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri’s adviser job were unsuccessful. But GOP lawmakers even floating those moves is a major change for a governor who’s seen most of her agenda items pass with little resistance.
What may complicate matters even more is if Republican Sen. Ron Caldwell, who defeated a Sanders-backed challenger in his primary in March, wins his bid to lead the Senate in November.
Caldwell has been more willing to speak out against Sanders on issues like the prison. If Caldwell is able to defeat Republican Sen. Breanne Davis for the post, that may signal just how strong of an anti-Sanders faction the governor has to contend with.
Data centers, AI worries
If other state legislatures and the mood in Arkansas’ communities are any indication, Arkansas should prepare for concerns about data centers to dominate next year’s legislative agenda.
Officials have praised the announcement of data centers in communities like Little Rock and West Memphis as economic boons.
But that may not jibe with the fears of activists and neighborhood leaders about the quantity of water and energy they’ll use up. And it comes as lawmakers in other states are pushing for more restrictions and moratoriums on their construction.
Much of the discussion could be driven by local leaders like Wendell Griffen, the Democratic nominee for Pulaski County judge.
Griffen, an outspoken critic of data centers, has been pushing for more regulation at the county level.
Arkansas lawmakers are likely to grapple with the consequences of artificial intelligence, too. Expect to see a host of bills addressing AI use in multiple areas, from classrooms to political campaigns.
Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew DeMillo for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com.
