Sat Feb 22 15:50:00 UTC 2025: **Arkansas Governor Signs Sweeping Legislation Addressing Education, Healthcare, and Retirement**
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (February 20, 2025) – Arkansas Governor [Governor’s Name] today signed into law a package of bills covering a wide range of issues, from education and healthcare to retirement benefits and milk sales.
Key legislation includes:
* **SB142 (Bell to Bell, No Cell Act):** This bill restricts student cell phone use in public schools and updates school discipline policies regarding electronic devices.
* **SB59:** This act ensures free breakfast for all public school students regardless of their eligibility for federally funded meal programs.
* **HB1427 (Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act):** This legislation aims to improve maternal health outcomes in the state.
* **HB1048:** This bill clarifies regulations surrounding the sale of unpasteurized goat, sheep, and cow milk, easing restrictions on incidental sales outside of farms.
Several bills (HB1207-HB1211) addressed technical corrections and clarifications to improve the administration of benefits within the state police and public employees’ retirement systems, as well as the judicial retirement system. Two additional bills (HB1390 and HB1391) focused on reappropriations for the Department of Human Services. Finally, HB1223 allows judicial candidates who are serving appointees to use their title on the ballot.
The Governor’s office emphasized the significance of these measures in improving the lives of Arkansans. Further details on the individual bills are available on the Governor’s official website.
First Piper 