An act TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC OFFICERS 10 AND EMPLOYEES, the official text

Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.

1 State of Arkansas            A Bill
2 95th General Assembly

3 Regular Session, 2025                                           SENATE BILL 579

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5 By: Senator M. McKee

6 By: Representative M. Brown

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8                              For An Act To Be Entitled

9   AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC OFFICERS

10  AND EMPLOYEES; TO PROHIBIT A PUBLIC EMPLOYER FROM

11  DEDUCTING LABOR ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP DUES FROM THE

12  COMPENSATION OF A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE; AND FOR OTHER

13  PURPOSES.

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15

16                             Subtitle

17                       TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC

18                       OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES; AND TO PROHIBIT

19                       A PUBLIC EMPLOYER FROM DEDUCTING LABOR

20                       ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP DUES FROM THE

21                       COMPENSATION OF A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE.

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23 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:

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25  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 21, Chapter 1, Subchapter 1, is amended

26 to add an additional section to read as follows:

27  21-1-107. Deduction of Labor Organization Membership Fees Prohibited --

28 Definitions.

29  (a) As used in this subchapter:

30  (1)(A) "Labor organization" means an organization in which

31 public employees may participate that exists for the purpose of dealing with

32 public employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of pay,

33 hours of employment, or conditions of work.

34                       (B) "Labor organization" includes without limitation a:

35                             (i) Labor union exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C.

36 � 501(c)(5) as it existed on January 1, 2025; or

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1                  (ii) A professional employee association exempt from

2 taxation under 26 U.S.C. � 501(c)(6) as it existed on January 1, 2025;

3            (2) "Public employee" means a person who performs a full-time or

4 part-time service for wages, salary, or other remuneration for a public

5 employer;

6            (3) "Public employer" means:

7                  (A) An agency, department, board, commission, division,

8 office, bureau, council, authority, or other instrumentality of the State of

9 Arkansas, including the offices of the various Arkansas elected

10 constitutional officers and the General Assembly and its agencies, bureaus,

11 and divisions;

12                 (B) A state-supported college, university, technical

13 college, community college, or other institution of higher education or a

14 department, division, or agency of a state institution of higher education;

15                 (C) The Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the

16 Administrative Office of the Courts, circuit courts, district courts, and

17 prosecuting attorneys' offices; and

18                 (D) An office, department, commission, council, agency,

19 board, bureau, committee, corporation, or other instrumentality of a county

20 government or a municipality, a county subordinate service district, a

21 municipally owned utility, or a regional or joint governing body of one (1)

22 or more counties or municipalities; and

23           (4)(A) "Public safety employee" means a public employee who is:

24                 (i) Engaged in official duty with the power to

25 arrest for a criminal violation; or

26                 (ii) Employed for the primary purpose of:

27                                (a) Enforcing the incarceration or supervised

28 release of a criminal offender;

29                                (b) Preventing or suppressing fire;

30                                (c) Providing emergency medical response,

31 treatment, or transportation;

32                                (d) Defending the state; or

33                                (e) Performing other emergency services

34 necessary for the protection of life or property.

35                 (B) "Public safety employee" includes a public employee

36 employed to support or direct the functions of public safety employees.

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1   (b)(1) Except as provided under subdivision (b)(2) of this section, a

2 public employer shall not deduct from the compensation of a public employee a

3 due, fee, or contribution to a labor organization.

4   (2) Subdivision (b)(1) of this section does not apply to a

5 public safety employee.

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