Several of Arkansas’ professional associations are coming off a very brisk general session last year, underscoring the critical role lobbying plays in the business of bringing member and industry concerns to the attention of lawmakers.
“I would describe the 2025 session as one of our more active sessions,” said Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association. “We had several pieces of legislation that we were proactively advocating for, and we had some pieces of legislation that were introduced where we had to educate lawmakers that we were opposed to.”
Newton pointed to several measures that were most significant for the trucking industry that came out of the session. The first, HB 1204 signed into law as Act 28, limited damages a plaintiff could receive as being on par with actual costs, such as medical care.
The law, called a “major win for small-business owners and for Arkansans” by National Federation of Independent Business State Director Katie Burns, is the state’s latest effort to put brakes on runaway lawsuits across the board. Newton said the ATA was part of a coalition of industries backing the measure, but it hit particularly close to home for Arkansas trucking companies…