A legislative committee has blocked an attempt to reject a key portion of the federal health care overhaul.
The House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Tuesday voted down a proposal by Republican Rep. David Meeks of Conway that would ban any law requiring Arkansans to buy health insurance.
Meeks says he’s surprised the measure didn’t get through the committee. He says he’s not sure what he’ll do next.
An assistant Attorney General and the state surgeon general spoke against the bill saying that it would all but guarantee that the state would be sued.
The proposal came up in the Arkansas Legislature less than a week after Republicans in Congress cast a largely symbolic vote to repeal the federal health care law.
In other news, a proposal to allow Arkansans to receive their vehicle renewal notifications by e-mail is heading to the state House of Representatives for a vote.
The House Public Transportation Committee on Tuesday advanced a bill by Democratic Rep. Kathy Webb of Little Rock that would allow Arkansans to choose to receive notices by e-mail, rather than through regular mail. Vehicle owners currently have the option to renew their registration online.
Webb said that nearly 300,000 Arkansas renewed their vehicle registrations online last year. The state would save $100,000 if that many people received their renewal notices by e-mail, she said.
The proposal now heads to the full House for a vote.