Arkansas lawmakers have wrapped up their 2026 fiscal session, locking in how billions of dollars will be spent across the state in the year ahead.

The session, which began April 8, focused primarily on setting the state’s budget. It came to a close after Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the Revenue Stabilization Act, finalizing a $6.7 billion spending plan for Fiscal Year 2027. The budget represents about a 3% increase from last year and will take effect July 1.

From the start of the session to its conclusion, lawmakers spent weeks negotiating how taxpayer dollars would be allocated across agencies, programs, and priorities.

“Because of their work, not only were we able to accomplish some of our top priorities this year, but they’ve set us up for what I think will be a great week next week,” Sanders said.

A significant portion of the budget is dedicated to education. That includes more than $300 million for the state’s Education Freedom Account program, also known as school vouchers, which allows families to use public funds for private education expenses. Lawmakers also set aside additional funding that could expand the program in the future.

Economic development was another major focus. The budget reserves up to $300 million for a potential large-scale project in West Memphis, aimed at bringing jobs and investment to the region.

Lawmakers also approved an increase in the state’s homestead property tax credit, raising it from $600 to $675.

Still, not every proposal made it through. Efforts to limit eligibility for the Education Freedom Account program failed during the session.

“This session sets the financial foundation for the year ahead, but there are more policy debates just around the corner,” Sanders said.

Those debates are expected to begin soon. Lawmakers are planning to return to the Capitol for a special session focused on tax cuts. The governor has proposed reducing the state income tax rate by 0.2 percent, a move that could return more than $180 million to Arkansans.

“We want it to be pretty singularly focused on providing relief to Arkansans, letting them keep more of their hard-earned money,” Sanders said.

If approved, the tax cuts would mark another step in the state’s ongoing effort to lower income taxes, with more decisions expected in the coming days.

Only a very low risk of storms continues in southern Arkansas on Wednesday evening, then shower chances are possible Wednesday evening and overnight in central and southern Arkansas.

A stray shower is possible on Thursday, but most will be dry with mostly cloudy skies and cooler-than-normal temperatures. Highs will reach the upper 60s in central Arkansas on Thursday.

More rain chances move in Friday, but chances are highest for southern Arkansas. A few stray storms are also possible in southern Arkansas on Friday into pre-dawn Saturday.

Conditions are dry this weekend, with temperatures warming throughout the weekend. More rain chances return next week, and the 80s are back by Sunday into Monday.

LITTLE ROCK, AR (KATV) — The University of Central Arkansas School of Nursing is celebrating a major milestone after earning full accreditation for its simulation center, the Nabholz Center for Healthcare Simulation.

The recognition comes from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, marking the first time a collegiate simulation center in Arkansas has achieved the distinction.

“This international accreditation was really one way to showcase what we do here every day,” said Dr. Susan Gatto, Director of the UCA School of Nursing.

The achievement has been a decade in the making. What began as an idea has grown into a 20,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility designed to give nursing students hands-on experience in a realistic but risk-free environment.

“About 10 years ago we had this idea that we wanted to build a simulation center that was state of the art, high quality, that would allow the students to have a safe place to learn,” Gatto said.

Inside the center, students train using high-tech mannequins that can simulate breathing, heart rates, and other medical conditions. Faculty say the environment helps prepare students for real-world healthcare settings beyond the classroom.

“Becoming the first university in the state of Arkansas was a massive undertaking,” said Erin Garrett, Simulation Co-Coordinator and Quality Manager at the UCA School of Nursing.

The accreditation process required extensive documentation, curriculum mapping, and evaluation of the program’s standards and outcomes.

Gatto says the milestone is both professional and personal.

“I am so proud of this. This is like a dream I had back in 2016 and for this to come to fruition is like a dream come true for me,” she said.

While UCA is the first college in Arkansas to earn full accreditation through the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, it is the second simulation center of any kind in the state to receive the honor.