Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) convened a special session on August 4th to possibly amend a law passed earlier this year banning statewide mask mandates (Act 1002). Specifically, the Governor is asking the Legislature to create an exemption that will give public school boards flexibility to issue mask mandates to protect school children who are under 12 years old and are not eligible for a vaccine. Hutchinson reiterated that there will not be a statewide mask mandate. A second item added to the call was for the legislature to affirm the decision made by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Service to end the state’s participation in the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), Pandemic Extended Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) programs that was paying unemployed workers $300 a week to stay home.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.