Jeff Wardlaw

Arkansas House committee advances bill to allow nitrogen gas executions

KUAR | By Nathan Treece

A bill to allow executions using nitrogen gas in Arkansas cleared an initial hurdle Thursday morning.

House Bill 1489 is sponsored by state Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, R-Hermitage. It would expand the state’s alternatives to lethal injection to include nitrogen hypoxia, alongside the electric chair, which is Arkansas’ only alternative on record.

In a meeting of the House Judiciary committee Thursday, Deputy Solicitor General Dylan Jacobs said the state has been seeking a resupply of lethal injection drugs since 2017.

“The lethal injection drugs are controlled substances, and the supply chains are obviously very restricted in who can purchase them," said Jacobs. "That's not necessarily the case with nitrogen gas, and states have, thus far, assessed that it's pretty available to get. I'm not aware of any troubles that Alabama has had in securing access to a supply of nitrogen.”

Arkansas House committee advances bill to allow nitrogen gas executions

Arkansas education secretary withdraws Solution Tree contract after legislative opposition

KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate

Arkansas’ education chief withdrew from legislative review a $99.4 million contract with an Indiana-based education company following pushback from lawmakers on the proposal’s high cost and the vendor’s effectiveness.

During Friday’s Arkansas Legislative Council meeting, Sen. Scott Flippo, R-Bull Shoals, said Education Secretary Jacob Oliva asked to withdraw a proposed seven-year contract with Solution Tree, which has implemented its professional learning community program in Arkansas since 2017.

In a Thursday email to ALC’s co-chairs, Sen. Terry Rice and Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, Oliva requested that the contract be pulled from the agenda and said his agency would let them know when it intends to resubmit it.

Arkansas education secretary withdraws Solution Tree contract after legislative opposition

Arkansas Advocate Antoinette Grajeda

Legislature Passes New Version Of 'Gun Sovereignty' Bill In Final Day Of Session

In the last moments of the 2021 Arkansas General Legislative Session, which ended early Tuesday after 1 a.m., the legislature managed to pass a bill that bans police from enforcing some federal gun laws, but addresses problems previously brought up on a similar bill that was vetoed by the governor. 

House Bill 1957, filed late Monday night, made its way through the legislature in fewer than 28 hours through a series of committee meetings, recesses and votes.

The legislation would ban all state and local law enforcement officers from enforcing any federal gun laws that conflict with the right to bear arms as outlined in both the U.S. and Arkansas Constitution. Those include any laws requiring registration, tracking or banning possession of firearms. The bill is nearly identical to Senate Bill 298, which Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed on Friday.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/legislature-passes-new-version-gun-sovereignty-bill-final-day-session

Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, R-Hermitage, presents House Bill 1957 to the House floor.CREDIT ARKANSAS HOUSE

Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, R-Hermitage, presents House Bill 1957 to the House floor.

CREDIT ARKANSAS HOUSE