Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas Senate Bill SB135 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2		-	Act 399 of the Regular Session
3		-	TNL078 02-19-2025 11:26:42 TNL078
4		-
5		-	State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S2/4/25 S2/11/25 S2/19/25 1
	2	+	TNL078 01/28/2025 7:36:29 AM TNL078
	3	+	State of Arkansas 1
6	4		95th General Assembly A Bill 2
7	5		Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 135 3
8	6		4
9	7		By: Senator J. Boyd 5
10		-	By: ~~Representatives~~ Gramlich~~, Crawford~~ 6
	8	+	By: Representative Gramlich 6
11	9		7
12	10		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
13	11		AN ACT TO AMEND ELECTION REQUIREMENTS IN THE CASE OF 9
14	12		AN UNCHANGED RATE OF AN ANNUAL AD VALOREM PROPERTY 10
15	13		TAX LEVIED BY A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF 11
16	14		DIRECTORS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 12
17	15		13
18	16		14
19	17		Subtitle 15
20	18		TO AMEND ELECTION REQUIREMENTS IN THE 16
21	19		CASE OF AN UNCHANGED RATE OF AN ANNUAL 17
22	20		AD VALOREM PROPERTY TAX LEVIED BY A 18
23	21		PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF 19
24	22		DIRECTORS. 20
25	23		21
26	24		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 22
27	25		23
28	26		SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 14, Subchapter 1, is amended 24
29	27		to add an additional section to read as follows: 25
30	28		6-14-125. Unchanged rate of annual ad valorem property tax — Election 26
31	29		requirements. 27
32		-	(a) If ~~in an odd-numbered year~~ the rate of an annual ad valorem 28
33		-	~~property tax on the assessed~~ value of taxable real, personal, and utility 29
34		-	~~property levied by a public~~ school district board of directors under Arkansas 30
35		-	~~Constitution, Article 14, §~~ 3(c), is unchanged from the previous rate of the 31
36		-	~~annual ad valorem property~~ tax, then, upon request of the public school 32
37		-	~~district board of directors, the~~ county board of election commissioners of 33
38		-	~~the county in which the public~~ school district is situated may: 34
	30	+	(a) If the rate of an annual ad valorem property tax on the assessed 28
	31	+	value of taxable real, personal, and utility property levied by a public 29
	32	+	school district board of directors under Arkansas Constitution, Article 14, § 30
	33	+	3(c), is unchanged from the previous rate of the annual ad valorem property 31
	34	+	tax, then, upon request of the public school district board of directors, the 32
	35	+	county board of election commissioners of the county in which the public 33
	36	+	school district is situated may: 34
39	37		(1) Reduce the number of polling places; 35
40		-	(2) Not open any polling places on election day so that the 36 ~~As Engrossed: S2/4/25 S2/11/25 S2/19/25~~ SB135
	38	+	(2) Not open any polling places on election day so that the 36 SB135
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44		-
	40	+	2 01/28/2025 7:36:29 AM TNL078
45	41		election may be conducted only by absentee ballot and early voting; or 1
46	42		(3)(A) Hold the election: 2
47	43		(i) As part of the election declared to be by 3
48	44		candidate only; or 4
49	45		(ii)(a) Through the selection of a qualified elector 5
50	46		designated by the public school district board of directors to cast a ballot 6
51	47		for the previous, unchanged rate of annual ad valorem property tax at a 7
52	48		designated time and location on election day or during the period of time 8
53	49		that would otherwise be designated for early voting. 9
54	50		(b) A public school district board of 10
55		-	directors shall: 11
56		-	(1) Appoint by resolution a qualified 12
57		-	elector of the school district or appoint the county board of election 13
58		-	commissioners to designate a qualified elector of the school district to cast 14
59		-	a ballot for the public school district's unchanged rate of annual ad valorem 15
60		-	property tax; and 16
61		-	(2) Forward a file-marked copy of the 17
62		-	resolution under subdivision (a)(3)(A)(ii)(b)(1) of this section to the 18
63		-	county clerk and the county election commission of the county in which the 19
64		-	public school district is situated simultaneously when it submits the rate of 20
65		-	tax as required by § 6 -14-111(i). 21
66		-	(c)(1) Upon receipt of a resolution under 22
67		-	subdivision (a)(3)(A)(ii)(b) of this section, a county board of election 23
68		-	commissioners shall notify the public school district board of directors of 24
69		-	the place, date, and time in which the designated qualified elector under 25
70		-	subdivision (a)(3)(A)(ii)(b)(1) of this section shall cast the ballot for the 26
71		-	public school district's unchanged rate of annual ad valorem property tax . 27
72		-	(2) If the designated qualified elector 28
73		-	under subdivision (a)(3)(A)(ii)(b)(1) of this section is not present at the 29
74		-	place, on the date, or at the time designated by a county board of election 30
75		-	commissioners under subdivision (a)(3)(A)(ii)(c)(1) of this section, then the 31
76		-	county board of election commissioners shall designate a qualified elector of 32
77		-	the school district to cast the ballot for the public school district's 33
78		-	unchanged rate of annual ad valorem property tax and notify the 34
79		-	superintendent and board of directors of the public school district for which 35
80		-	the ballot was cast. 36 As Engrossed: S2/4/25 S2/11/25 S2/19/25 SB135
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84		-
85		-	(b) For elections held under subdivision (a)(3) of this section: 1
86		-	(1) In odd-numbered years, the county board of election 2
87		-	commissioners of the county in which the public school district is situated 3
88		-	shall not open any polling places on election date if the unchanged rate of 4
89		-	taxation is the only issue to be voted on ; and 5
90		-	(2) In conjunction with the preferential primary or general 6
91		-	election, the county board of election commissioners shall place the 7
92		-	unchanged rate of the annual ad valorem property tax on the ballot of all 8
93		-	qualified electors of the school district. 9
94		-	10
95		-	/s/J. Boyd 11
96		-	12
97		-	13
98		-	APPROVED: 3/25/25 14
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	51	+	directors shall notify the county clerk and the county election commission of 11
	52	+	the county in which the public school district is situated of the individual 12
	53	+	designated simultaneously when it submits the rate of tax as required by § 6 -13
	54	+	14-111(i). 14
	55	+	(b)(1) For elections held in odd -numbered years, the county board of 15
	56	+	election commissioners of the county in which the public school district is 16
	57	+	situated shall not open any polling places on election date. 17
	58	+	(2) For elections held in conjunction with the preferential 18
	59	+	primary or general election, the county board of election commissioners of 19
	60	+	the county in which a public school district is situated shall not place the 20
	61	+	question for the previous, unchanged rate of annual ad valorem property tax 21
	62	+	on a ballot for a voter other than the individual designated by the public 22
	63	+	school district board of directors under subdivision (a)(3)(A)(ii) of this 23
	64	+	section. 24
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