Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1506 3
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By: Representative Andrews 5
By: Senator M. McKee 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC OFFICERS 9
AND EMPLOYEES; TO PROHIBIT A PUBLIC EMPLOYER FROM 10
DEDUCTING LABOR ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP DUES FROM THE 11
COMPENSATION OF A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE; AND FOR OTHER 12
PURPOSES. 13
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Subtitle 16
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC 17
OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES; AND TO PROHIBIT 18
A PUBLIC EMPLOYER FROM DEDUCTING LABOR 19
ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP DUES FROM THE 20
COMPENSATION OF A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE. 21
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 23
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 21, Chapter 1, Subchapter 1, is amended 25
to add an additional section to read as follows: 26
21-1-107. Deduction of Labor Organization Membership Fees Prohibited — 27
Definitions. 28
(a) As used in this subchapter: 29
(1)(A) "Labor organization" means an organization in which 30
public employees may participate that exists for the purpose of dealing with 31
public employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, 32
hours of employment, or conditions of work. 33
(B) "Labor organization" includes without limitation a: 34
(i) Labor union exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. 35
§ 501(c)(5) as it existed on January 1, 2025; or 36 HB1506
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(ii) A professional employee association exempt from 1
taxation under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(6) as it existed on January 1, 2025; 2
(2) "Public employee" means a person who performs a full -time or 3
part-time service for wages, salary, or other remuneration for a public 4
employer; 5
(3) "Public employer" means: 6
(A) An agency, department, board, commission, division, 7
office, bureau, council, authority, or other instrumentality of the State of 8
Arkansas, including the offices of the various Arkansas elected 9
constitutional officers and the General Assembly and its agencies, bureaus, 10
and divisions; 11
(B) A state-supported college, university, technical 12
college, community college, or other institution of higher education or a 13
department, division, or agency of a state institution of higher education; 14
(C) The Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the 15
Administrative Office of the Courts, circuit courts, district courts, and 16
prosecuting attorneys' offices; and 17
(D) An office, department, commission, council, agency, 18
board, bureau, committee, corporation, or other instrumentality of a county 19
government or a municipality, a county subordinate service district, a 20
municipally owned utility, or a regional or joint governing body of one (1) 21
or more counties or municipalities; and 22
(4)(A) "Public safety employee" means a public employee who is: 23
(i) Engaged in official duty with the power to 24
arrest for a criminal violation; or 25
(ii) Employed for the primary purpose of: 26
(a) Enforcing the incarceration or supervised 27
release of a criminal offender; 28
(b) Preventing or suppressing fire; 29
(c) Providing emergency medical response, 30
treatment, or transportation; 31
(d) Defending the state; or 32
(e) Performing other emergency services 33
necessary for the protection of life or property. 34
(B) "Public safety employee" includes a public employee 35
employed to support or direct the functions of public safety employees. 36 HB1506
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(b)(1) Except as provided under subdivision (b)(2) of this section, a 1
public employer shall not deduct from the compensation of a public employee a 2
due, fee, or contribution to a labor organization. 3
(2) Subdivision (b)(1) of this section does not apply to a 4
public safety employee. 5
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