BioSenator Kim Hammer of Benton was elected to the state Senate in 2018, after
serving in the House of Representatives for eight years. He represents Senate
District 16, which includes parts of Saline County and southwestern Pulaski
County.
Senator Hammer is chair of the Senate Efficiency Committee. He is a member of
the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, the Senate State Agencies and
Governmental Affairs Committee, the Joint Retirement and Social Security
Committee, the Joint Budget Committee, the Arkansas Legislative Council and
Legislative Joint Auditing Committee. He is a member of the Legislative Facilities
Committee.
During the 94th General Assembly, Senator Hammer sponsored legislation to
enhance medical coverage for pediatric disorders, to streamline reimbursements
for mental health treatment and to protect the integrity of elections. Senator
Hammer also sponsored legislation to create a monument to the unborn on the
state capitol grounds.
In 2021, Senator Hammer sponsored legislation that provided the legislature
more input in policy-making during public health emergencies. He was the lead
sponsor for Act 403 of 2021 to empower the legislature to terminate executive
orders for a statewide public health emergency.
He co-sponsored a series of election bills, to prevent electioneering within 100
feet of voting sites and to empower the legislature to investigate voting
irregularities.
In previous legislative sessions he co-sponsored bills affecting nurses, training of
chiropractors, licensure of physical therapists, the prescribing of painkillers and
controlled substances, emergency medical treatment, assisted living and
palliative care, hospice care, the care and treatment of people with
developmental disabilities and Medicaid reimbursements.
He was the Senate sponsor of Act 878 of 2019 and Act 430 of 2021 to provide
for insurance coverage for treatment of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric
disorders associated with streptococcal infections, also known as PANDAS, and
pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, referred to as PANS. Senator
Hammer chaired the PANS/PANDA Advisory Council.
Senator Hammer's legislative priorities include streamlining the process for
registering motor vehicles and renewing drivers' licenses. His list of
accomplishments include measures on municipal aid and modernization of
workforce services.
In past sessions, Senator Hammer sponsored legislation to make it easier for
nurses to get funds to pay for their doctoral degree, to make foster children
eligible for state scholarships and to strengthen the Arkansas Whistle-Blower Act.
Senator Hammer has sponsored bills helping rural fire departments and the state
Forestry Commission. He also sponsored bills to create a program for educating
parents about shaken baby syndrome. His legislation amended provisions of
Arkansas law on the visitation rights of grandparents.
In 2019 Senator Hammer was the Assistant Pro Tempore for the Second District
Senator Hammer was a member of the House of Representatives from 2011
through 2018.
Senator Hammer chaired the committee to organize Saline Memorial Hospice
and served as both a volunteer and full-time chaplain from opening day to 2018.
He and his wife, Karen, have two sons and a daughter. He is pastor of the Saline
Missionary Baptist Church in Tull and has been in the ministry since 1978.
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