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Committee advances repeal of $15 concealed‑carry late fee, sponsor says offset bill will replace revenue
Summary
The committee voted 5–3 to advance a measure to repeal a $15 late fee on concealed‑carry renewals; Arkansas State Police provided historical revenue figures and sponsors said a companion bill increasing a driving‑record fee will offset the loss.
A senator introduced a bill to repeal the $15 late fee assessed when a concealed‑carry renewal is processed after expiration. The sponsor argued the fee penalizes people who already risk being unlicensed: "...that penalty is imposed when the person carrying is already penalizing themselves by not having a license," the sponsor said.
Mary Claire McLaren of the Arkansas State Police told the committee the late fee is collected as special revenue alongside regular concealed‑carry fees and outlined renewal timing and penalties: if an application expires and renewal is not processed, the license is expired and an applicant who is 6 months or more past expiration must reapply as a new applicant and complete initial training. McLaren provided a historical collections figure dating back to 2008, stating total collections over ten years of about $519,255 with year‑to‑year variance.
Senator Garner said a separate bill — increasing the fee for driving‑record requests by roughly $1.50 — would generate roughly $1.8 million and make up the shortfall for Arkansas State Police funding, noting the plan was filed recently and would proceed through the Transportation committee.
The committee called the roll and advanced the repeal by a 5–3 vote.
