Arkansas attorney general approves FOIA amendment title

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has approved the title of a proposed amendment to enshrine the Freedom of Information Act in the state constitution.

The proposal was put forth by Arkansas Citizens for Transparency (ACT). The group hopes to get a constitutional amendment put on the ballot in November called the “The Arkansas Government Transparency Act.”

The law would enshrine the Freedom of Information Act in the State constitution. This comes after Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders made moves to weaken FOIA last year.

Arkansas attorney general approves FOIA amendment title

Daniel Breen/Little Rock Public Radio

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin on Wednesday approved language of an amendment title to enshrine FOIA in the state constitution.

AG Griffin approves abortion amendment ballot title with changes

Attorney General Tim Griffin approved Tuesday (Jan. 23) a proposed constitutional amendment to provide exceptions for abortions in Arkansas, but he made two changes to the proposal.

The proposed constitutional amendment – known as the Arkansas Abortion Amendment – would prevent the state from restricting access to abortion up to 18 weeks after conception or in the instance of rape or incest, fatal fetal anomaly, or when abortion is needed to protect the pregnant woman’s life or health.

“Having reviewed the text of your proposed constitutional amendment, as well as your proposed popular name and ballot title, my statutory duty at this stage is to substitute and certify the popular name and ballot title indicated below. With regard to your proposed ballot title, I believe the following minor changes are necessary to ensure that the ballot title clearly and accurately sets forth the purpose of your proposed initiated amendment to the Arkansas Constitution,” Griffin said.

You can read Griffin’s opinion letter here.

AG Griffin approves abortion amendment ballot title with changes

Arkansas Attorney General rejects FOIA amendment

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin rejected a group's first attempt to get a constitutional amendment strengthening open records laws on the 2024 ballot.

An organization called Arkansas Citizens for Transparency is trying to get an amendment on the ballot in 2024 which would enshrine the Freedom of Information Act in the state constitution.

Arkansas has some of the strongest FOIA laws in the nation. This year, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders failed to roll back the law. She said its broadness jeopardized her safety and wanted to significantly alter it. The plan received massive bipartisan backlash. Sanders was able to pass a piece of compromise legislation exempting her travel information from FOIA.

Arkansas Attorney General rejects FOIA amendment

John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate

Attorney General Tim Griffin rejected a ballot proposal Monday to enshrine FOIA in the state constitution.

Proposed Arkansas ballot measure would make abortion access a constitutional right

KUAR | By Tess Vrbin / Arkansas Advocate

The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office will decide Tuesday whether a proposed measure to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right will go on the 2024 statewide ballot.

Wikimedia Commons

State government entities would not be allowed to “prohibit, penalize, delay or restrict” Arkansans’ access to abortion up to 18 weeks of pregnancy under the Arkansas Reproductive Healthcare Amendment, which Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office received Nov. 9.

The proposed amendment would also require access to abortion in cases of rape, incest, “in the event of a fatal fetal anomaly” and to protect the life or health of the pregnant individual.

Proposed Arkansas ballot measure would make abortion access a constitutional right

AG Griffin says FOIA law needs to modernize

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Pointing to a need for privacy in sensitive situations, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said Sunday (July 2) the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) needs to change to adapt to modern times.

“One thing I want to mention that really is driving a lot of my interest here was the ransomware issue with Little Rock School District. The Little Rock School District was a victim of a ransomware [attack]. And the way the FOIA law is currently written, they have to discuss their strategy on dealing with ransomware in public. That’s ridiculous,” Griffin said. “That’s like asking the U.S. Army to strategize and plan a battle in public… We’ve got to change that.”

Griffin, who announced last month he was forming a working group of legislators and FOIA stakeholders to advise him privately, appeared on this week’s Capitol View and Talk Business & Politics programs. He said there was a legislative commission report from the year 2000 that contemplated technological changes that would require amending the FOIA law.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/07/ag-griffin-says-foia-law-needs-to-modernize/

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin.

AG Griffin: 5,000 new prison beds needed

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Attorney General Tim Griffin is not a legislator nor is he governor, but he’s on the same page with Gov. Sarah Sanders and legislative leaders and has been instrumental in pushing for criminal justice reforms that include serving longer sentences, provide work and education skills to prisoners, and expanding prison bed capacity.

Griffin said Sunday (Jan. 22) in an interview on Capitol View and Talk Business & Politics he believes that 5,000 prison beds are needed to meet demand.

“We need a minimum three [3,000] in my view,” Griffin said. “The truth is, we’ve been building prisons, we’ve been building them for years as a matter of practice in a practical matter because we have been quietly pushing our violent felons into – they don’t have room in state prison – we’ve been pushing them into county jails. Which has basically made county jails useless. For the purpose of putting misdemeanors, DUIs, etc. So we have basically made misdemeanor justice irrelevant.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/01/ag-griffin-5000-new-prison-beds-needed/

AG Alert: Con Artists Guilty of Jury Scam

LITTLE ROCK— Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is warning Arkansans to be wary of con artists attempting to convince unsuspecting consumers that they have missed jury duty and are facing law enforcement action. The scammers often call consumers under the guise of representing a law enforcement agency or court official, claiming that the individual faces a fine or imprisonment for missing jury duty. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge encourages all Arkansans to verify the legitimacy of their jury summons by contacting their county’s circuit clerk directly.

“Intimidation and impersonation are common practices for con artists,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “These criminals are becoming more brazen by offering consumers a badge number and spoofing their phone number to make the call look like it is coming from the courthouse or local law enforcement agency. Scams may sound legitimate, but before providing any personal information to the person on the other end of the phone, consumers should confirm the accuracy of the information with their local court.”

Attorney General Rutledge released the following tips for consumers who are contacted by these scammers:

• Contact your local circuit clerk to determine whether you truly are expected to report for jury duty.

• Contact local law enforcement and provide the name and badge number you received to verify the officer’s information and confirm that you were contacted by that officer.

• Court officials will not ask for your personal information such as social security number, address, credit card number or any other personal or financial information. Verifying any information over the phone could lead to other scams or identity theft.

• Court officials will never ask individuals to pay fines with gift cards or bitcoin. If an individual asks you to transfer currency into bitcoin, it is probably a scam. Hang up the phone.

If you fall victim to one of these phone scams, file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office. For more tips to avoid being scammed and other consumer-related issues, visit ArkansasAG.gov or call the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office at 800-482-8982.

The Attorney General’s office also makes presentations on scams to organizations and groups. To schedule a scam prevention presentation email speaker@arkansasag.gov or visit ArkansasAG.gov.

RUTLEDGE HOSTS 3RD ANNUAL ELDER ABUSE CONFERENCE

LITTLE ROCK—Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge hosted today the 3rd annual statewide Elder Abuse Conference at The Church at Rock Creek in Little Rock. More than 150 attendees heard from the experts about issues faced by loved ones and the providers who assist seniors and adults with developmental disabilities. 

“Too many times our seniors have experienced despicable abuse,” said Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “It is my office’s responsibility to protect the state’s elderly and disabled population from abuse, neglect and financial exploitation–a duty I do not take lightly.”

The conference covered a broad range of topics including elder maltreatment, senior financial abuse, prescription drug abuse by caregivers and tools for the prevention of elder abuse. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge who keynoted the Summit, launched the event and training in 2020 after the Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) continued to experience record numbers of complaints, arrests and convictions. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, MFCUs nationwide recovered over $1.7 billion in payments illegally claimed by providers in 2021.

Medicaid fraud occurs when Medicaid providers use the Medicaid program to obtain money to which they are not entitled. To report Medicaid fraud, abuse or neglect in nursing homes or Social Security disability fraud, call the Attorney General’s Medicaid fraud hotline at (866) 810-0016 or submit a complaint online.

Additional trainings offered by the Attorney General’s Office may be located on the website.

RUTLEDGE JOINS COALITION SUPPORTING RELIGIOUS LIBERTY OF NAVY SEALS

LITTLE ROCK– Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge joined 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in support of the religious liberty of Navy SEALs seeking exemptions from the Biden Administration’s pursuit of universal COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

“The men and women of our armed forces have sworn to fight for our constitutional freedoms, including our religious freedoms. Now it is time we fight for theirs,” said Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “The Biden Administration’s attempts to discount the religious beliefs of our servicemen contradict everything we stand for as Americans.”

The Biden Administration is urging the courts to defer to the executive branch regarding the vaccine mandate, even if it overrides constitutional, fundamental religious freedoms. The coalition argues that states have successfully balanced freedoms and sensitive state interests during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that Americans should be skeptical of the Biden Administration’s claims of broad legal authority.

The case has previously reached the Supreme Court of the United States. On an emergency motion, the Biden Administration asked the Court to partially stay an injunction against the vaccine mandate for the SEALs. The Supreme Court only allowed the requirements to remain if the mandates affected assignments, deployments or operational decisions. The case now continues in the Fifth Circuit.

The brief is led by Mississippi and signed on to by Attorneys General of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming in U.S. Navy SEALs 1-26 v. Biden, which can be found here.