HB1318 Summary

• Adds definitions for "duty status" (including travel, training intervals, and inactive duty training) and "extramarital conduct" (specific sexual acts) to Arkansas military code

• Increases conviction and sentencing vote requirements from two-thirds to three-fourths of court-martial members for general and special courts-martial

• Raises minimum court-martial membership from 5 to 6 members for general courts-martial and from 3 to 4 members for special courts-martial

• Establishes preliminary hearing requirements before general court-martial referral, aligned with federal military justice standards (10 U.S.C. § 832 et seq.)

• Adds new military crimes: retaliation against persons reporting offenses, fraudulent use of credit/debit cards, and prohibited sexual activities by persons in special trust positions (recruiters and training leaders)