By STEVE BRAWNER / TALK BUSINESS & POLITICS
The Arkansas House of Representatives passed a bill Monday (March 15) that would give the Legislature the power to end a governor’s declared disaster emergency. Another bill, opposed by the governor, would require state agencies to refund COVID-19-related fines levied on businesses.
The House also passed a bill allowing medical professionals to opt out of certain procedures, and it advanced a bill codifying COVID-19-related civil immunity.
Senate Bill 379, which would create processes for the Legislature to end a governor’s declared state of emergency, passed 78-16, with 1 voting present. The bill by Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton, and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, R-Paragould, has already passed the Senate.