Senate panel advances NIL, UCC amendment, precious‑metals depository, real‑estate and DHS rate‑study bills

The Senate Insurance & Commerce Committee advanced a package of bills in a session that included individual presentations and brief debate. The committee approved each measure by voice vote.

Student‑athlete revenue sharing (House Bill 1917): State Senator Barr Hester presented HB1917 to allow institutions of higher education to share revenue with student‑athletes consistent with a recent national settlement and an anticipated third‑party clearinghouse that will evaluate private sponsorships for fair‑market value. Shane Broadway (ASU system) and Brad Phelps (ASU general counsel) told senators the bill is permissive and intended to let Arkansas institutions remain competitive; sponsor and university representatives said the statute does not require state funds and leaves implementation details to each institution. The committee approved the bill by voice vote.

Amendment to the Uniform Commercial Code (House Bill 1746): Senator Tyler Deese presented an amendment to a UCC bill to clarify that “money” does not include a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The committee adopted the amendment and then passed the bill as amended.

Precious‑metals depository framework (House Bill 1918): Representative Mindy McAlinden described HB1918 as enabling legislation that would authorize the state to create, in the future, a state‑run precious‑metals depository or to allow a state‑authorized system for stored gold and silver to be used in asset‑backed electronic transactions. Michael Harry from the treasurer’s office said rulemaking would rest with the CFO and that the bill is permissive; senators asked about guardrails, where bullion would be stored, whether FDIC‑style protections would apply and whether out‑of‑state vaults would be permitted. Committee members noted the bill sets up an enabling framework and that specific operational rules would come later; the committee passed the bill by voice vote.

Real‑estate dual agency clarification (House Bill 1853): Representative Mayberry presented a bill that clarifies existing law on dual agency in real‑estate transactions and requires written notice to clients who consent to dual agency; presenters said clients must sign an acknowledgment and have the opportunity to consult counsel. The committee passed the bill by voice vote.

DHS rate study for waiver direct‑service providers (House Bill 1942): Representative Lee Johnson presented HB1942, which requires the Department of Human Services to conduct a rate study for direct‑service providers in the waiver care space and to implement recommended reimbursement adjustments, with phasing permitted if increases exceed 10 percent. EBD and sponsor described this as an agreed‑to measure; the committee passed the bill by voice vote.

Procedure and votes: the committee repeatedly used voice votes; motions and seconds are recorded in the transcript for several items (for example, the NIL bill motion by Senator Johnson, second by Senator Flowers). No recorded roll‑call vote tallies are shown in the committee transcript for these items.