Guns on campuses bill passes in House

School-merger waivers also advance

The Arkansas House sent legislation to the Senate on Monday that would require public universities and colleges to allow staff members with concealed-handgun permits to carry firearms on campus.

The House also sent the Senate legislation allowing school districts that drop below 350 students to apply for a waiver so they wouldn't have to consolidate with another district.

The Senate on Monday approved legislation that would give Arkansas elected officials responsibility for approving a key pollution control plan.

In a 66-25 vote, the House approved House Bill 1077, by Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, to require the state's 33 public colleges and universities to allow professors and other employees to carry concealed weapons.

"This is a bill that is designed to help protect our loved ones on college campuses," Collins said. "Last year there were 43 incidents at schools in America, 39 of those included either injury or death. The breakdown for those on college campuses was just under one per month. That's a trend that's not getting any better. If anything, it's getting worse."

Collins said allowing the weapons would deter some of those shooters from opening attacks on campus.

Support for the bill was bolstered by a handful of Democrats who worked to add an amendment last week. It allows colleges and universities to require active shooter training and to prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons at day care and child care facilities on campus. Those Democrats said they wanted at least to give colleges and universities the option to increase campus safety with those measures.

The amendment drew opposition from other Democrats, who wanted the training to be a requirement across the board, instead of an option for universities. Collins said he was opposed to making the class a requirement because he trusted the Arkansas State Police's concealed training classes enough to qualify someone to carry a weapon on campus.

On Monday, several representatives spoke against the bill, arguing that it took away local control and that the colleges already had opted against allowing guns on campus.

Collins successfully had sponsored legislation in 2013 allowing staff members to carry concealed handguns on public college and university campuses. But to gain passage, he was forced to amend the legislation and give schools the choice of opting out and banning handguns. All 33 public higher education institutions passed anti-gun policies.

"On the way down here today, I got two or three calls from the colleges and universities in my neck of the woods ... and without exception, they said leave the law as it is," said Rep. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette. "We used to say around here, that if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION

The House also sent HB1263, by Rep. Bruce Cozart, R-Hot Springs, to the Senate in a 95-0 vote. The bill would allow Arkansas school districts that fall below 350 enrolled students to apply for a waiver to continue to operate independently.

Under Act 60, the 2003 Public Education Reorganization Act, school districts that have fewer than 350 students are required to consolidate with neighboring districts.

The law was passed after the state Supreme Court ruled in the Lake View School District case that the state had the responsibility of providing every student in every district with an "adequate" education. The state's adequacy funding model is based on per pupil funding in a 500-student district, but several consultants determined that the funding model would work for students in a district as small as 350 students.

Under HB1263, school districts that were not in financial, academic or facilities distress could apply for a waiver to continue to operate independently.

Since the 2003 law passed, the Arkansas Rural Community Alliance said 68 school districts have been consolidated and a total of 98 schools have been closed. Alliance officials said last week that there are 28 districts with 450 or fewer students in Arkansas.

"This helps schools that really need help. This is something that we've been looking at for years to do and figuring out how to do it in the right way," Cozart said Monday. "This will help those schools that are doing it right."

There was no debate on the bill, which now will head to the Senate Education Committee.

ELECTRONIC LOGBOOKAND RESTITUTION

The House also sent legislation that would share Arkansas' "real-time electronic logbook," which tracks the sale of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine -- components of methamphetamine -- with other states.

In a 69-6 vote, with 23 members not voting, the House passed HB1292, which now will head to the Senate.

The current logbook in Arkansas is not compatible with many of the surrounding states. Under the current system, someone could purchase the state limit of those medications, then cross into Oklahoma and purchase more without the pharmacy being notified, said sponsor Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville.

The proposed legislation would block retail sales in real time, Leding said. There was no floor debate on the bill.

In a 91-1 vote, the House also sent HB1434, sponsored by Rep. Bob Ballinger, R-Hindsville, which allows the state to garnish state income tax returns in order to pay off outstanding court-ordered restitution in criminal cases.

Under the bill, which now will go to the Senate, the victim of a crime who has been awarded restitution in district or circuit court can request that the prosecuting attorney petition to intercept the income tax return of the person convicted in the crime. In order to file the claim for restitution, the defendant in the case must not have met his obligation for payment.

ENVIRONMENT AND ALCOHOL

In a 30-0 vote, the Senate approved legislation which would bar the state Department of Environmental Quality from submitting a state plan to cut carbon-dioxide emissions from coal-fired electricity generation plants until either the Legislative Council approves the plan or the governor directs the submission of a state plan.

The sponsor of Senate Bill 183, Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot, said his legislation is aimed at giving the Legislature a say in the state plan to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rule. The rule would require a 44 percent reduction in Arkansas' carbon-dioxide emissions by 2030.

Almost half of the state's electricity comes from coal-fired plants, he said.

In a 26-5 vote, the Senate approved SB373 by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, which aims to allow voters in the Gray Township in northeastern Pulaski County to vote on whether to allow hotels and restaurants within the former township to serve alcoholic beverages.

SB373 would require petitioners to gather 15 percent of the registered voters residing within the boundaries of a defunct voting district to hold a local option election on whether to permit the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption within the defunct voting district.

Existing law requires petitioners to gather signatures from 38 percent of the registered voters.

The bill goes to the House.

In a 23-10 vote, the Senate approved a bill to provide immunity from prosecution for certain underage drinkers.

Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, said his SB161 is in response to incidents of alcohol poisoning of college students across the nation.

The bill would provide immunity from prosecution for being a minor in possession of alcohol if the minor calls 911 to help a person get emergency medical assistance, he said.

The bill goes to the House.

Metro on 03/03/2015

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