Arkansas Family Council
Gallagher’s Messaging Helped Voters Say No
He was the consultant who oversaw messaging against marijuana legalization for the Family Council and its allies. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Snuffed Out: How The Recreational Marijuana Amendment Failed
An “unusual alliance” across the political spectrum and doubts about business details helped doom the legalization attempt, campaign veterans and observers say. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Arkansas Lawmakers Advance Scaled-Back Hate Crimes Bill
An Arkansas Senate panel advanced a drastically scaled-back hate crimes bill that doesn't include specific references to race, sexual orientation or gender identity. read more >
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The Costs of a Hateful Image
Senate Bill 3, commonly known as the “hate crimes bill,” boils down to a crucial chance to burnish Arkansas’ image and remove a hurdle to recruiting companies and workers, government officials and business leaders say. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Fults Aims to Put Recreational Cannabis on 2020 Ballot
Cannabis advocate Melissa Fults says her nonprofit will file two ballot petitions with the Arkansas secretary of state on Wednesday, including one that would legalize recreational use of cannabis. read more >
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Arkansas Cities Seek to Create ‘Entertainment Districts’
A number of Arkansas cities — including El Dorado, Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Texarkana — are either considering or are taking steps toward creating “entertainment districts” that would allow the open carry of alcohol. read more >
by Jan Cottingham -
Arkansas Lawmakers Eye More Abortion Restrictions Next Year
Arkansas' predominantly Republican Legislature is preparing to take up new abortion restrictions when lawmakers convene next month, even as the state's past efforts to restrict the procedure remain caught up in legal fights. read more >
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Cherokee, Quapaw Tribes Betting on Casino Amendment
Two Native American tribes triumphed last week when the Arkansas secretary of state’s office said enough signatures had been gathered to put a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot and let voters decide on legalizing casino gambling. read more >
by Mark Friedman -
Arkansas Casino Legalization Proposal Approved for Ballot
A proposal to legalize casinos in Arkansas has been approved for the November ballot. read more >
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Family Council Opposition Stuns ‘Tort Reform’ Advocates
So-called tort reform has been an easy sell in states controlled by Republicans, and backers of a lawsuit-limiting proposal on the ballot in Arkansas this fall expected little trouble winning passage until they ran into a surprising obstacle from a reliable conservative ally. read more >
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Political Opponents Seeking Fairness in Initiative Process
David Couch is a self-proclaimed liberal lawyer and Jerry Cox is the head of the conservative Family Council in Little Rock. They rarely agree on anything, but they do agree on citizen-led ballot proposals. read more >
by Marty Cook -
The Pros and Cons of Arkansas Tort Reform
With less than five months before the November vote on capping attorney’s fees and damages, groups for and against tort reform in Arkansas are making their case with money. read more >
by Mark Friedman -
Key Legal Test Approaches for Arkansas LGBT Measure
The Arkansas Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday on whether the city or the state should prevail in a disagreement over banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. read more >
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Lottery Scholarship Has Evolved Since Halter’s First Proposal
It was late 2005 or early 2006, Bill Halter recalled, and he had decided to run for lieutenant governor. His vision was to rally Arkansans to a cause: a lottery to provide money for college scholarships. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
As Arkansas Lottery’s Luster Fades, Numbers Signal Challenges
In the years since the first tickets were sold in 2009, the lottery has lost much of its glossy newness, leaving hard numbers to do the talking. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Leslie Rutledge: Unclear Whether JPs Must Officiate Gay Weddings
It's unclear whether courts would require a justice of the peace to officiate over a same-sex wedding, even though clerks are required to issue licenses to gay couples, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said Wednesday. read more >
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Cities Keep Anti-Discrimination Measures Despite New Law
Most Arkansas municipalities that have adopted broader anti-discrimination protections for gays and lesbians say they'll keep enforcing the measures despite a new law taking effect this week intended to prohibit such ordinances. read more >
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Arkansas Abortions Drop Since 2010, but Increase in 2014
The number of abortions performed in Arkansas increased in 2014 for the first time in almost a decade because of Tennessee and Mississippi residents coming to Arkansas for abortions, state numbers showed. read more >
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Update: Asa Hutchinson Signs Revised Religious Objections Bill
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has signed a revised version of a religious objections bill that supporters say addresses concerns that the original proposal sanctioned discrimination against gays and lesbians. read more >
by Associated Press -
Arkansas Legislators Eye More Abortion Restrictions
Nearly two years after approving a pair of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, Republicans in Arkansas' Legislature are weighing additional measures to make it more difficult for women to get the procedure. read more >
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