Session
Legislative Insights 2025: What Arkansas HR Professionals Need to Know
Get the inside scoop on the most impactful laws passed during the Arkansas legislative session. This discussion, moderated by Roby Brock and featuring key legislators, will highlight the most critical changes affecting HR and employment. The second half of the panel is dedicated to a dynamic Q&A session, where you can ask about the practical applications of these laws and how to prepare for their implementation.
Key Objectives
Understand New Legislation: Participants will gain a clear understanding of the key laws and policies passed during the Arkansas legislative session, including their implications for HR practices, employment law compliance, and workforce management. Identify Organizational Impacts: Attendees will learn how these legislative changes directly affect their organizations, including updates on wages, benefits, workplace safety, and workforce development initiatives, enabling them to proactively adapt policies and practices. Engage in Policy Application: Through an interactive Q&A session, participants will have the opportunity to ask legislators specific questions about the new laws, gaining practical insights and strategies for applying these changes within their workplaces
Roby Brock
Host at Talk Business & Politics
Roby Brock is the host of Talk Business & Politics and Capitol View, which air on Sunday mornings statewide. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Talk Business & Politics and the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.
Frances Cavenaugh
House District 30 State Representative and CFO at Cavenaugh Auto Group
Fran Cavenaugh is serving her 5th term in the Arkansas House. She represents District 30 which includes portions of Lawrence, Craighead, and Greene counties. For the 95th General Assembly, Rep. Cavenaugh chairs the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. Rep. Cavenaugh also serves on the House City, County, and Local Affairs Committee, Joint Budget Committee and Arkansas Legislative Council. Rep. Cavenaugh is the Chief Financial Officer for Cavenaugh Auto Group in Walnut Ridge. She has served as President of The Children's Shelter, Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce. She has also served on the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Foundation Board, the Delta Symphony Orchestra Board. She currently serves on Hoxie The First Stand Board. Rep. Cavenaugh was named Woman of the Year in 2012 by the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber has also selected her for the Community Service Award in 2010 and her business was selected Industry of the Year in 2006.
Paul Childress
House District 83 State Representative and Owner at NFP/Thomas Insurance Agency
Rep. Paul Childress is serving his first term in the Arkansas House of Representatives, representing District 83, which includes part of Saline County. For the 95th General Assembly, he serves on the House Public Transportation Committee and the House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs Committee. He Vice-President of Sales for NFP Insurance in Benton and has an extensive background in public service and leadership, having previously served as president of the Benton School Board, chairman of Saline County CASA, chairman of the Saline County Planning Commission, and president of Saline County Kiwanis. Additionally, he spent a decade in law enforcement in Saline County, earning the title of Police Officer of the Year. Awards: Kiwanian of the Year and the Faces of Arkansas CASA Award. Attended the of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Rep. Childress lives in Benton with his wife and three children.
Ashley Hudson
House District 75 State Representative and Counsel at Kutak Rock LLP
Ashley serves in the Arkansas House of Representatives representing District 75 in West Little Rock. In her third term, she was the first woman to be elected to her seat since the district was drawn in 2010. She sits on the Judiciary Committee and the City, County, and Local Affairs Committee. She’s been selected by both the Arkansas Judicial Council and the Pulaski County Bar Association as their Legislator of the Year. Ashley is of counsel in the law firm of Kutak Rock LLP, where she is a member of the firm’s healthcare group. She’s been recognized several times as one of the state’s preeminent healthcare lawyers by both national and state organizations and is active in the Arkansas and Pulaski County Bar Associations. She also sits on both the Pulaski Technical College and University of Arkansas Foundation Boards. Ashley lives in West Little Rock with her husband, Cliff and their 4 children, Luci, Sadie, CJ, and Abby, and one spoiled rotten dog, Miles.
Tara Shepard
House District 79 State Representative and Director of Adult Education at Shorter College
7th generation Arkansan that comes from a family of sharecroppers, steel and factory workers. She was born in a small town of decent, hardworking men and women. My father, a veteran that served in Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan, modeled for me at an early age to not be afraid to standup and fight for the rights of others. The morals and values instill in me are what inspired me to seek public office. To be a voice and tireless advocate for our most vulnerable and marginalized community members. I have a Bachelors from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a Masters from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In addition, I’m an author, education and mental health advocate, auditor for the American Correctional Association, suicide-prevention trainer and youth program consultant with decades of professional experience in the areas of juvenile justice, education, substance abuse and social justice.