Arkansas
Proposed Arkansas legislation would increase taxpayers' standard deduction • Arkansas Advocate
Rep. David Ray, R-Maumelle, filed two tax-related bills Thursday that would increase individual taxpayers’ standard deduction and remove a cap on its annual adjustment.
House Bill 1066 would increase Arkansas’ standard deduction to $4,400 per taxpayer in 2026. The state’s current standard deduction is $2,340, well below the federal standard deduction of $14,600 for individuals or married taxpayers filing separately.
HB 1065, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2025, would eliminate the 3% cap on adjusting the standard deduction in future years. The annual adjustment is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines as the “average change over time in prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of goods and services.”
Instead of using the CPI for All Urban Consumers to calculate the annual adjustment, the bill calls for referring to the CPI for West South Central division of the South Region published by the U.S. Department of Labor, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
Increasing the standard deduction is “a solid move to make” in light of recent inflation and “a really broad-based way to deliver income tax relief to hardworking Arkansas families,” Ray said in an interview Friday.
The federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, passed during President Donald Trump’s first term, included a doubling of the standard deduction, which Ray said was “extremely popular.”
Ray said “one of the biggest lessons” from November’s presidential election, in which Trump won a second term, was that Americans want their elected leaders to reduce the impact of inflation.
“As one state representative out of 100, there’s very little I can do about the wasteful spending we see in Washington D.C. that drives a lot of the inflation, but the one thing I can do is file a bill that makes us adjust our tax brackets to truly account for inflation,” Ray said.
Arkansas governor signs tax, appropriation bills after special legislative session ends
He also said the legislation will have “literally zero cost” if inflation rates are manageable in 2025, and it “would provide some really robust protections for taxpayers for the next time we get a nasty bout of inflation.”
Tax cuts have been a focus for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who signed legislation to lower taxes for Arkansans three times over 15 months.
The Legislature approved more than $100 million in tax cuts in April 2023, reducing the top individual tax rate from 4.9% to 4.7% and the top corporate tax rate from 5.3% to 5.1%. During a special session in September 2023, legislators lowered the top individual and top corporate income tax rates to 4.4% and 4.8%, respectively.
The most recent cuts came during June’s special session during which lawmakers approved a bill to lower the top corporate income tax rate from 4.8% to 4.3% and the top individual income tax rate from 4.4% to 3.9%, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024.
Ray co-sponsored all of those tax-cut bills. In addition to filing HB 1065 and 1066 for the 2025 legislative session that begins on Jan. 13, Ray has also filed HCR1002, a resolution urging the Congress to permanently extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
The law made several changes to the individual income tax, including an expanded tax deduction and child tax credit. The individual income tax changes are set to expire at the end of 2025. If made permanent, the income tax provisions would reduce federal revenue by $115 billion to $165 billion annually, according to the Tax Foundation.
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The Arkansas Storm Team has designated Sunday overnight into Monday as an Alert Day for a line of storms moving through. Damaging wind gusts, flooding, and flash flooding are the main hazards. A tornado or two is also possible.
Flood-prone and low-lying areas should be aware of heavy rainfall overnight, leading to flooding and flash flooding. A Flood Watch is in place until 7 p.m. Monday, June 22, in northwestern and western Arkansas.
It’s strongly encouraged to have ways to receive weather alerts for your location overnight. This means ways that’ll wake you up in the event water is rising quickly or if you have to take shelter.
Download the Arkansas Storm Team app for the latest. The Arkansas Storm Team will also be live from 10:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21, to 4 a.m. Monday, June 22, on our streaming platforms. Coverage will continue at 4 a.m. on our morning newscasts.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — What happens in Arkansas doesn’t always stay in Arkansas.
That was the message Friday night as former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg traveled to Little Rock to endorse Democratic congressional candidate Chris Jones, arguing the race for Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District may be drawing more attention than many political observers realize.
Speaking to supporters at the Dreamland Ballroom, Buttigieg framed the contest as a choice between Washington politics and kitchen-table concerns.
“Now is a chance to really show what it looks like to have a leader who is not focused on doing well by the most powerful and wealthy interests in Washington, but by the kinds of people who actually live here in the second district,” Buttigieg said. “That’s what I’ve seen Chris Jones doing day in, day out.”
For Jones, the focus was clear: affordability.
The Democratic challenger said Arkansans are feeling the strain of rising prices everywhere they turn, from housing and health care to everyday necessities like gasoline and groceries.
“Our campaign is about affordability and accountability for all,” Jones said. “People are concerned about the price of everything from big stuff, housing and health care, to small stuff, gas and grocery.”
Jones also criticized Republican Congressman French Hill, arguing voters are frustrated not only by rising costs but by a political climate that has become increasingly divisive.
“We’ve been told to be divided, and people are saying, look, I’m tired of that, I’m exhausted by that, and they really want to come together as a community and come together in unity,” Jones said.
Buttigieg said conversations he had with voters throughout the day reinforced the campaign’s message.
“I talked to a lot of folks from the Little Rock area today, heard about how they are hurting with the cost of gas, cost of groceries, cost of housing,” he said.
While Arkansas’ 2nd District has long been considered Republican territory, Buttigieg suggested the race could carry significance beyond the state’s borders.
“This is a race that maybe some national commentators are sleeping on that could absolutely be one of the pivotal ones for Congress this year,” he said.
The election remains months away, with voters set to decide the race on Nov. 3. Democrats are betting economic concerns can reshape the political conversation in the district, while Republicans look to hold onto a seat they have controlled for years.
For now, both parties appear to agree on one thing: more eyes may be watching Arkansas than usual.
The Arkansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Saturday, June 20, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 20 drawing
16-20-44-48-50, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 20 drawing
Midday: 3-6-2
Evening: 7-6-6
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 20 drawing
Midday: 8-9-5-3
Evening: 8-0-6-0
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Natural State Jackpot numbers from June 20 drawing
01-16-20-36-39
Check Natural State Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning LOTTO numbers from June 20 drawing
02-14-18-20-23-32, Bonus: 13
Check LOTTO payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 20 drawing
01-10-16-30-31, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Arkansas Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash 3 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- Cash 3 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
- Cash 4 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- Cash 4 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky For Life: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Natural State Jackpot: 8 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- LOTTO: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arkansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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