2025 Arkansas Solid Waste Association of North America Annual Meeting/Update: Randy Thurman, Government Solutions, LLC - Solid Waste Legislative Update

Randy Thurman undertook a presentation at the August 20, 2025, Arkansas Solid Waste Association of North America (“SWANA”) Annual Meeting/Update in Conway, Arkansas titled:

Solid Waste Legislative Update (“Update”).

Randy is a Partner with Government Solutions, LLC, handling a variety of administrative and legislative matters.

Randy served a 6-year term in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1989-1994 before becoming Executive Director for the Arkansas Environmental Federation which he headed until 2013.

The Update addressed the 95th Arkansas General Assembly which ran from January 13th to May 5th.

Randy initially noted the makeup of the Arkansas House of Representatives which includes:

• Republicans: 81 members
• Democrats: 19 members

The Arkansas State Senate includes:

• Republicans: 29 members
• Democrats: 6 members

As a result, the Republicans are stated to have a Super Majority in both bodies.

Solid waste legislation discussed during the Update included:

• Tires
  • Senate Bill 8 – Payton, which would have transferred funds from the General Reserve Fund to the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment – Division of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”) Used Tire Recycling Fund, which did not pass.
  • Governor’s Letter #36, which provides $5 million to ADEQ’s current waste tire program, which passed.
  • Senate Bill 606 – Davis, which would have eliminated the used tire program, reduce fees, etc., which did not pass.
  • Senate Bill 622 – Davis, which would allow tire retailers to add a tire fee for hauling/disposal of waste tires, which did not pass.
  • Senate Bill 238 – Payton, which would extend tired fees to small tires, retreads, online purchases, and new care tires, which did not pass.
• Electronics
  • Senate Bill 369 – Irvin, which eliminates the Computer & Electronic Recycling Fund, which passed.
  • Senate Bill 185 – Dotson, transfers authority from Department of Finance and Administration to Department of Transformation regarding pricing for the sale of surplus computers/electronic equipment, which passed.
  • Senate Bill 460 – Irvin, eliminates the Marketing Recyclables Program of the Compliance Advisory Panel at ADEQ, which passed.
• Landfills
  • House Bill 1058 – Unger, which would prohibit public employees from giving advance notice to entities of required inspections, which did not pass.
  • House Bill 1410 – Unger, narrows “advance notice” to intent, which passed.
    • Other provisions:
      • Added exemptions for routine scheduling disclosures required by law, public safety notifications, or official communications necessary for the proper administration of inspections.
  • House Bill 1575 – Lundstrum, prohibits a person that is employed or has a direct or indirect interest in an organization that owns, operates, represents, or applies for a solid waste license or permit from serving as a member on PCE Commission, which passed.
  • Senate Bill 265 – Irvin, reduces and modify the membership of the Wastewater Licensing Committee and the Solid Waste Licensing Committee, which passed. 
  • House Bill 1576 – Lundstrum, which would prohibit a solid waste landfill to be placed over a Karst topography, which did not pass.
  • House Bill 1768 – Lundstrum, requires a solid waste landfill contract relating to a host fee to be voted on at a regularly scheduled meeting of a host community in which the landfill is located, which passed.
    • Other provisions:
      • Does NOT limit number of renewals.
      • Host Fee Agreements must have beginning and ending/renewal dates.
      • “Perpetuity” provisions prohibited.
      • “…agreement or contract for a host fee shall be voted on at a regularly scheduled meeting of the host community and signed by either the           mayor of the city or the county judge if a municipality is not the closest governmental unit.”     
  • House Bill 1776 – Lundstrum, which would have required a landfill Certificate of Need to include a city council’s minute order or quorum court’s resolution signed by the mayor or county judge regarding the community’s decision, which did not pass.
• Facilities & Funding
  • Senate Bill 421 – Hester, authorizes up to $500 million of General Obligation Bonds by Arkansas Natural Resources Center for:
    • “WATER, WASTE DISPOSAL, POLLUTION CONTROL, ABATEMENT & PREVENTION, DRAINAGE, IRRIGATION, FLOOD CONTROL, AND WETLANDS AND AQUATIC RESOURCES PROJECTS” with irrigation capped at $165 million, voter approval required; note that  “waste” means a liquid or solid produced as an undesirable byproduct of any activity, which passed.
• Land Use
  • House Bill 1510 – Gonzales, eliminates municipal extraterritorial jurisdiction over unincorporated areas of a county, which passed.
  • Senate Bill 290 – B. Johnson, prohibits moratorium on issuance of permits in watershed and other bodies of water, which passed.
  • Senate Bill 571 -   Petty, prohibits city from enforcing building & zoning regulations on county property, which passed.
  • Senate Bill 505  - Bryant, streamlines process for property owners to change their property's zoning or district designation, which passed.
  • House Bill 1680 – Vaught, forbids prohibited foreign owned companies from renting/owning agricultural property within 10 miles of critical infrastructure, which passed.
  • Senate Bill 290 – B. Johnson prohibits moratorium on issuance of permits in watershed and other bodies of water, which passed.
  • House Bill 1762 – Hall, requires revocation of a permit for the disposal of poultry processing plant waste in an agricultural or pastoral application for a certain number of violations, which passed.
  • House Bill 1198 – J. Moore, which would prohibit wind power devices over 150’ in certain areas to protect waterfowl, which did not pass.
  • Senate Bill 466 – Dismang, which would require a moratorium on wind power devices over 150’ & requires Arkansas Game & Fish Commission study on waterfowl impacts, which did not pass.

A copy of the Update presentation slides can be found here.