Arkansas lawmakers gather on first day of special session

KUAR | By Josie Lenora, Daniel Breen

The Arkansas Legislature advanced new tax cuts and funding for the Game and Fish Commission on Monday, the first day of a special legislative session. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the session last week, saying “additional tax reductions can be enacted to provide further tax relief during this period of heightened inflation under ‘Bidenomics.’” This comes after the legislature adjourned a fiscal session in May without funding the commission.

Game & Fish Commission Budget

The Arkansas Legislature passed a Game and Fish budget bill through committee after a round of committee hearings on Monday amid ongoing controversy over the director’s salary.

Arkansas lawmakers gather on first day of special session

Josie Lenora/Little Rock Public Radio

The Arkansas House of Representatives gathers on the first day of a special session, Monday.

Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

When the House reconvenes on Monday, members will likely be entering the last week of the 2023 Regular Session. Currently, the General Assembly is expected to adjourn on April 7.

 Before members adjourn, they will be addressing education funding, tax cuts, and amending the Revenue Stabilization Act which prioritizes spending for the next fiscal year. 

On Thursday, the House Education Committee advanced HB1688. This bill amends public school funding. It increases per-pupil funding from the current amount of $7,413 to $7,618 for the 2023-2024 school year. The bill would increase the amount to $7,771 for the 2024-2025 school year. This bill will now go to the full House for a vote. 

Also on Thursday, several legislators and the Governor announced the introduction of a proposed tax cut. SB549 would reduce the state’s top income tax rate from 4.9% to 4.7%. It would also reduce the corporate income tax rate from 5.3% to 5.1%. The reductions would be retroactive to January 1, 2023.SB549 will be before the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee on Monday. 

One of the last items of legislation before House members every session is the Revenue Stabilization Act (RSA). The RSA outlines general revenue spending. Once a proposal for the budget is released, it will be posted at arkansashouse.org. 

Meanwhile, the House passed a number of bills during the 12th week of the session including the following: 

SB248-This bill creates the Arkansas Challenge Plus Scholarship Program. The bill states that a student is eligible to receive an Arkansas Challenge Plus Scholarship if the student receives the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship and demonstrates financial need as determined by FASFA. The Plus Scholarship would be awarded in $1,000 increments per student per academic year. 

HB1503-This bill creates the offense of operating a chop shop and makes the offense a Class C felony. 

HB1468-This bill prohibits requiring employees of public schools and state-supported institutions of higher education to use a person’s preferred pronoun, name, or title without parental consent. 

HB1610-This bill amends the law relating to public meetings under the Freedom of Information Act. It defines a public meeting as one-third or more of the members of a governing body of all municipalities, counties, townships, school districts, boards, bureaus, or commissions of the State of Arkansas. 

SB377-This bill creates a misdemeanor offense concerning initiative petitions if a person knowingly changes a signature on a petition, erases or destroys a signature, pays a person in exchange for not signing a petition, or misrepresents the purpose and effect of the petition. 

HB1617-This bill would require an autopsy in the case of a suspected drug overdose. 

HB1502-This bill creates the offense of sexual solicitation of a minor and classifies the offense as a Class B felony. 

The House will convene on Monday, April 3, at 1:30 p.m. You can watch all committee meetings and House floor proceedings at arkansashouse.org.

Bill to regulate libraries passes Arkansas House

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A bill to regulate libraries passed a final vote in the Arkansas House of Representatives Wednesday.

Senate Bill 81 will create an identical book challenge policy for all libraries which can be appealed up to city and county government entities. The bill would criminalize librarians who furnish books deemed to be obscene.

Rep. Justin Gonzales, R-Okolona, presented the bill. He said the criticisms he had gotten on the bill were based on misunderstandings.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-03-16/bill-to-regulate-libraries-passes-arkansas-house

Sarah Kellogg/KUAR News

Senate Bill 81, a bill to regulate libraries in Arkansas, moved through its final legislative hurdle Wednesday.

Arkansas House approves monument to the unborn, porn ID legislation

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A bill to require Arkansans to show identification before viewing online pornography passed the Arkansas House of Representatives on Tuesday. Rep. Mindy McAlindon, R-Centerton, said the bill will prevent minors from watching explicit material, which she said can have negative effects on children and be addictive.

“Currently it is easier for children to log onto a pornography website than it is to log on to Budwiser.com,” she said. “This bill puts just a little bit of a gateway between our children and adult entertainment.”

Rep. Stephen Meeks, R-Greenbrier, worried the bill was unenforceable since most porn companies are not based in Arkansas. He said requiring people to show legal identification on an untrustworthy website could violate their right to privacy.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-03-15/arkansas-house-approves-monument-to-the-unborn-porn-id-legislation

Arkansas House Of Representatives

Lawmakers Tuesday voted to build a monument at the State Capitol to "unborn children aborted" and require picture identification to view pornography.

Governor’s education bill filed with 25 GOP Senate, 55 GOP House sponsors

by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders’ LEARNS Act was filed late Monday (Feb. 20) with enough sponsors to ensure passage.

The 144-page Senate Bill 294 by Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville, has 24 co-sponsors along with Davis in the 35-member Senate and 55 co-sponsors in the 100-member House of Representatives. All the sponsors are Republicans. You can read the bill here.

It will be considered Wednesday (Feb. 22) in the Senate Education Committee.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/02/governors-education-bill-filed-with-25-gop-senate-55-gop-house-sponsors/

State Representative DeAnn Vaught Update

On Tuesday, The House Education Committee advanced HB1185. This bill states that a student who attended preschool in a non-resident school district for at least one year before kindergarten will not count against that school’s 3% cap of non-residents under the School Choice Act of 2015.

The House Education Committee also advanced HB1161. This bill creates the Support for Pregnant and Parenting Students Act. It allows pregnant and parenting students to have an additional 10 days of excused absence for a parenting mother and father after the birth of their child.

The House Public Health, Welfare, and Labor Committee advanced HB1197. This bill would disqualify a claimant from collecting unemployment compensation benefits for any week that the claimant fails to respond to an offer of employment or fails to appear for a previously scheduled job interview.

The full House passed several bills addressing teacher retirement including HB1200. HB1200 provides for members who served in the armed forces for a period in which a military draft was in effect to receive up to 5 years of free service credit before retirement regardless of their current status.

The last day to file proposed constitutional amendments is Wednesday, February 8. Constitutional amendments are filed at House Joint Resolutions or Senate Joint Resolutions. You can review the proposals filed at arkansashouse.org.

The House will reconvene on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

On Tuesday, the House passed HB1150, HB1123, and HB1098.

HB1150 would extend the time period authorized for the registration of a motor vehicle from 30 days to 60 days from the purchase date or from the time an individual becomes a resident of Arkansas.

HB1123 (this bill was brought to me by a constituent from Dist 87) would allow an individual who voluntarily seeks mental health treatment in a mental health institution or facility to petition the court for a license to carry a concealed handgun two years after treatment. 

HB1098 would allow volunteer fire departments to operate a newborn safety device under the Safe Haven Act. The bill states the department is required to be staffed 24 hours a day to qualify. The Safe Haven Act allows a parent to anonymously relinquish custody of an infant. HB1098 would also allow a parent to leave a newborn child with a medical provider staff member after delivery of the newborn.

Rules package approved by Arkansas House of Representatives

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

The Arkansas House of Representatives passed a rules package on Thursday. Speaker Matthew Shepherd told reporters afterward, that the early days of the 94th General Assembly have been “fun and enjoyable.”

The 41-minute meeting consisted mostly of preliminary matters. The main item on the agenda was the passage of a rule bill drafted by House Speaker Mathew Shepherd, R-El Dorado. Shepherd said he worked closely with the parliamentarian in drafting the package, which contained a few small changes from the one used in the 93rd General Assembly.

Perhaps the most substantial change governs how bills are scheduled in committee. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers were required to ask a chair to schedule their bills in committee. Now, the legislature is reverting to the original system where proposed bills are put straight on a committee’s agenda without the chair first having to schedule it.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-01-12/rules-package-approved-by-arkansas-house-of-representatives

Josie Lenora/KUAR News

House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, talks about the recently passed rule package with reporters Thursday.

Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

On Monday of last week, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees met jointly with the Charitable, Penal, and Correctional Institutions subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council.

Members reviewed reports from the Department of Corrections concerning the current prison population and recidivism rates. Currently, the recidivism rate for the entire department is 46.1%. That breaks down to 47.8% for the Division of Correction and 37.5% for the Division of Community Correction.

In Arkansas, recidivism is defined as either an arrest, conviction, or re-incarceration within a 3 year time period from an individual’s release from a correctional facility.

Arkansas’ definition of recidivism makes it difficult to compare to other states, but Corrections Secretary Solomon Graves told members Arkansas’ recidivism rate is “unacceptably high.”

Secretary Graves told members they will be reviewing current programs to evaluate their effectiveness. He added that this is an issue that government cannot solve alone. It will take a collaborative effort from advocacy groups and faith-based organizations.
To bring attention to the issue, the Governor has proclaimed the week of April 26 as Reentry Awareness Week.

The proclamation states that at least 90% of state prison inmates will be released at some point in their sentence. It goes on to say that because high recidivism increases the cost of corrections and puts Arkansas citizens at greater risk of becoming victims of crime, it is imperative that offenders returning to the community have the programs, services, and support they need to become productive citizens of the state.

Committee members were also presented with information showing that roughly two-fifths of individuals entering prison do not have a high school degree or GED. Research presented also showed that incarcerated people who participate in postsecondary education in prison are 48% less likely to recidivate than those who do not.

The inmate population for the Division of Correction is currently 15,089. There are 1,528 inmates in county jails waiting to be transferred.

In the most recent Fiscal Session, the General Assembly increased county jail reimbursements by $6.4 million. The General Assembly also approved the transfer of $150 million for various one-time funding projects including prison construction.

In the months ahead, the members will continue to consult with the Department of Corrections regarding the inmate population, recidivism, and ways we can improve on this crucial issue.

Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

The House will begin the 3rd week of the 2022 Fiscal Session on Monday. The second week was an abbreviated one due to the federal holiday and winter weather across the state.

In addition to several appropriation bills, the House also passed the following pieces of legislation this week:

SB87-This bill establishes coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of morbid obesity under the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program.

SB86-This bill establishes a funding mechanism to ensure the solvency of the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program by directing the Employee Benefits Division to aim for a reserve balance of 14% of expenses.

SB85-This bill clarifies the definition of “eligible inactive retiree” to participate in the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program.

SB88-This bill modifies the state contribution to the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program.

This completes our work on a package of bills we elected to take up during this Fiscal Session to ensure the health insurance plan for state and public school employees and retirees remains financially stable without reducing benefits.

On Tuesday, the House approved an amendment to HB1034, an appropriation for the Department of Corrections. The amendment adds $4.5 million to be used for employees’ overtime pay.

The House also approved an amendment to HB1067, an appropriation for the Division of Career and Technical Education. The amendment adds approximately $1.4 million for vocational training.

The Joint Budget Committee is working to complete the review and votes of the remaining budget bills in the upcoming week. The bill filing deadline for the 2022 Fiscal Session is February 28.

The House will reconvene on Monday, February 28, at noon. You can watch all committee meetings and House proceedings at www.arkansashouse.org

Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

On Monday, the 93rd General Assembly will convene at the State Capitol to address the budget for Fiscal Year 2023.

Fiscal Sessions began after Arkansas voters approved what would become Amendment 86 in 2008. This will be the 7th Fiscal Session held in state history.

Governor Asa Hutchinson is expected to address the General Assembly shortly after we convene at noon, February 14.

During the address, the Governor will outline his budget proposal. Previously, in budget hearings the Governor recommended a 3.3% increase in spending. His proposal included increases for state police salaries and more funding for services for Arkansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Governor has also said publicly he will be asking the legislature to direct a portion of surplus funds for a state prison expansion.

The latest revenue report from the Department of Finance and Administration shows net available general revenue at $275 million or 7.1% above this time last year.

All appropriation bills will be heard first in the Joint Budget Committee. That committee has spent several weeks reviewing agency proposals.

By Friday afternoon of this week, more than 90 budget bills had been filed in the House. And more than 80 bills had been filed in the Senate.

If the General Assembly is to take up any bills outside the scope of the budget, they must first have a 2/3 vote in both chambers for a resolution describing the bill. The deadline for those resolutions is by the end of the first day of the session, February 14.

The deadline for filing both appropriation bills and non-appropriation bills is Monday, February 28.

Amendment 86 states that each Fiscal Session shall not exceed 30 days. The Fiscal Session may be extended one time, however, for no more than 15 days, by a ¾ vote of both the House and Senate.

We will continue to update you during this upcoming session. You can find the daily agendas and watch the meetings live at www.arkansashouse.org.

State Representative Lowery exits Secretary of State’s race, will seek Treasurer’s post

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

State Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, said Friday (Jan. 21) he would leave the Secretary of State’s race and would instead seek the Republican nomination for Treasurer of State.

Sen. Mat Pitsch, R-Fort Smith, has already announced for the Treasurer’s seat. No Democrats have announced yet.

Lowery has served in the Arkansas House of Representatives since 2013. He is the chair of the House Insurance & Commerce Committee.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/01/rep-lowery-exits-secretary-of-states-race-will-seek-treasurers-post/