ARKANSAS FUTURE CAUCUS ANNOUNCES PASSAGE OF 39 BIPARTISAN, FUTURE-FOCUSED BILLS

For Immediate Release        

Contact: Maloreigh Todd, (334) 444-5938

Representative Aaron Pilkington (R) and Representative Jamie Scott (D) serve as Co-Chairs for the Arkansas Future Caucus. 

LITTLE ROCK, AR (June 16, 2023)  — Today, the Arkansas Future Caucus, alongside the Millennial Action Project, announced the passage of 39 bipartisan, future-focused bills and discussed their plans for the next legislative session. Representative Aaron Pilkington (R) and Representative Jamie Scott (D) serve as the Co-Chairs for the bipartisan caucus of Gen Z and Millennial lawmakers. 

Included among the 39 bills passed are: 

• HB1244 (Rep. Brandon Achor) – To amend the law concerning the issuance of and application for a digitized driver’s license.
• HB1349 (Rep. David Ray) – Concerning paid e-sports tournaments.
• HB1576 (Rep. Jamie Scott) – To establish the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act.
• HB1654 (Rep. Aaron Pilkington) – To provide sales and use tax exemptions for data centers; and to provide a sales and use tax exemption for data center equipment, data center costs, certain services provided to a data center, and electricity used by a data center.
• SB90 (Rep. Austin McCollum) – To create the Automatic Occupational Licensure for Out-Of-State Licensure Act.

• SB346 (Sen. Bart Hester) – To promote permanency and to strengthen kinship placements for children in foster care.

“I’m grateful for the collaborative work of the members of the Arkansas Future Caucus,” said Rep. Pilkington. “We have looked at the problems impacting the future of our state and have come together on a cross-partisan basis to address these issues and move Arkansas forward. I’m excited about the work we accomplished this legislative session, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Future Caucus to make Arkansas a state where young people can thrive.”

“Through my work with the Arkansas Future Caucus, I’ve seen time and again that when we get to know each other on a personal level, real progress can be made. During this legislative session, our members have taken this approach to heart and worked together to make a better future for Arkansas,” said Rep Scott. “These 39 bills that have been signed into law are proof that this model of collaboration works, and Arkansas will be better off because of it.” 

As part of a network of 33 Future Caucuses in state legislatures across the country, Rep. Pilkington and Rep. Scott help lead a national effort to build a movement that brings civility to the political discourse and prove that good governance begins with meaningful collaboration. In embodying the spirit of collaboration and working across the aisle, the Arkansas Future Caucus exemplifies the innovative and forward-thinking approach of Millennial and Gen Z lawmakers. 

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The Millennial Action Project (MAP) is the largest nonpartisan organization of millennial elected officials in the U.S., dedicated to activating young leaders to bridge the partisan divide and transform American politics. As a 501(c)(3) organization, MAP has established bipartisan Future Caucuses in 33 state legislatures, launched the first-ever bipartisan caucus for young members of Congress, and engages over 1,600 young legislators across the country to work on future-oriented policy solutions. More info available at:futurecaucus.org.