More Prison Time and Less Taxes Highlight New Arkansas Laws in 2024
Great news Arkansas, your taxes are going down this year and violent criminals will stay behind bars longer. Those are just two of the new laws that went into effect on January 1, 2024.
There are quite a few new laws now that we are into the new year, but these will probably shape our beautiful state more than most, let's take closer a look at two of them.
Longer Prison Sentences:
The Protect Arkansas Act was signed into law by Governor Sanders in April of last year. Among other things, the act redefines some felonies to misdemeanors, but most importantly, the Act lays out what felons will have to look forward to if caught and convicted in Arkansas for the felonies below. Namely, no reduced sentences. Whatever time they are sentenced to serve in prison, that is what they will serve, period.
- Capital murder
- Murder in the first degree
- Kidnapping
- Aggravated robbery
- Rape
- Trafficking of persons
- Engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in visual or print medium
- Pandering or possessing visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child
- Transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct
- Internet stalking of a child
- Sexually grooming a child
- Producing, directing, or promoting a sexual performance by a child
- Computer exploitation of a child
- Causing a catastrophe
- Aggravated residential burglary
- Treason
- Trafficking/Manufacturing Methanphettamin
Lower Taxes:
Residents of Arkansas who work and earn over $24,300 per year will be getting a tax cut starting this year.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders wants to phase out the personal income for the state and this is as good a place to start as any. This cut has reduced personal income tax in Arkansas from 4.9% to 4.7%. Not what you would call a ton of extra cash in your pocket, but a reduction is a reduction. The corporate tax rate will also see a reduction in this plan, from 5.3% down to 5.1%. It will remove about $124,000,000 from the state budget, but Arkansas was working on a $1.6 Billion surplus during the previous fiscal year.
To check out more new laws fro Arkansas this year, click here.
Source Information:
5NewsOnline.com
APNews.com
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