Senate panel OKs bills to bar telemedicine abortions

An Arkansas Senate committee Wednesday endorsed identical bills that would require a physician to be in the room during a chemical abortion.

Several bills made it through committees Wednesday and others made it off the Senate floor during a busy day when legislators also rushed to make the deadline to file proposed constitutional amendments.

Senate Bill 53 by Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, and House Bill 1076 by Rep. Julie Mayberry, R-Hensley, seek to bar telemedicine abortions.

Sometimes referred to as webcam abortions, they are currently unavailable in Arkansas, according to the bill's sponsors.

"However, we do have the technology here that can allow for that to happen," Irvin told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

"This is a bill to say, 'No. We don't want this to come to our state.'

The bills also require that doctors make "all reasonable efforts" to ensure the patient returns between 12 and 18 days after the procedure for a follow-up examination.

Ashley Wright, representing Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, said the group opposes the legislation.

"This bill will restrict access to a medication abortion, which is a safe and legal procedure, by banning the use of telemedicine," she said.

"Restricting access to medication abortion will ultimately increase the number of surgical abortions in Arkansas."

The House abortion legislation has already cleared the House and will now head to the Senate floor; the Senate bill goes to the Senate floor.

In other business, the Legislature's Joint Budget Committee endorsed HB1316 to transfer $6 million of the state's surplus funds to the state Department of Correction to reimburse counties for holding state inmates. It also approved HB1318 transferring $11 million of surplus funds to the Correction Department to pay banked holiday compensation balances for the department's employees.

State officials have projected that the state has about $216 million in surplus funds, but Gov. Asa Hutchinson has proposed spending the surplus on a variety of state needs.

Meanwhile, the House Rules Committee approved HB1234, which would allow the creation of a special license plate for autism awareness.

The sponsor of the bill is Rep. Scott Baltz, D-Pocahontas, and funds from the plate sales will go to the Arkansas Autism Resource Outreach Center.

FLOOR ACTION

In a 34-0 vote, the Senate sent to the governor legislation to allow the state Ethics Commission to issue advisory opinions regarding Amendment 94, which voters approved in November.

Amendment 94 bars lawmakers from accepting certain gifts from lobbyists, bans direct corporate and union contributions to candidates, changes term limits and extends the one-year cooling-off period before a former lawmaker can become a lobbyist to two years.

HB1002 by Rep. Warwick Sabin, D-Little Rock, would allow the Ethics Commission to issue advisory opinions between now and when the Legislature grants the commission authority to enforce Amendment 94, according to Sen. Jon Woods, R-Springdale.

Amendment 94 became effective on Nov. 5.

In a 33-1 vote, the Senate also approved House Concurrent Resolution 1004 by House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, to extend the regular session of the 90th General Assembly and recess by April 10.

The measure also gives the Legislature until May 8 to reconvene and settle any last business before adjournment.

The 2013 regular session lasted 101 days. If the Legislature recesses April 10 and returns to adjourn on May 8, its regular session would be 90 days.

The House approved 13 appropriation bills Wednesday, including funding for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and the Oil and Gas Commission.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Wednesday was also the deadline for legislators to file proposed constitutional amendments. Under state law, the Legislature can approve up to three proposed amendments during each regular session to be placed on the ballot.

In all, 27 House resolutions and 15 Senate resolutions were filed by the close of business Wednesday. Republicans in both chambers filed resolutions Wednesday to add a voter-ID amendment to the state constitution.

House Joint Resolution 1007, from Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, and Senate Joint Resolution 7, from Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, aim to require that citizens present proof of identity in order to receive a ballot. Both also empower the General Assembly to identify exceptions to that requirement.

The state's old voter-ID law, Act 595 of 2013, was voided by the Arkansas Supreme Court last October.

The court found that the law was unconstitutional because it added a requirement to vote above what is set out in the state constitution, which requires a voter to be over the age of 18, a U.S. citizen, an Arkansas resident and properly registered to vote.

Lowery said a voter-ID law is needed to combat voter fraud and will be possible once the constitution is changed. "We require [identification] for a whole lot of activities that are out there. It's a small leap to be able to exercise a democratic right to vote."

Opponents of such laws say they disenfranchise poorer and older voters, as well as members of minority groups, and argue that there is no need for the requirement in the absence of proof of voter fraud.

One of those opponents, Sen. Joyce Elliott of Little Rock, said she doubted Lowery and King would be successful. In order to reach the ballot, the provision would have to pass through the Senate's State Agencies Committee, which has a Democratic majority.

Elliott, who serves on the committee, said it was unlikely she and fellow Democrats would let that happen.

"Any chances of voting for that are as good as me voting for [Russian President] Vladimir Putin," Elliott said. "The Constitution needs protecting."

State Sen. Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, and Senate Democratic leader Keith Ingram of West Memphis abandoned plans to file a proposed constitutional amendment to abolish the lieutenant governor's office, but Mayberry filed one instead.

A section on 02/12/2015