The state Senate on Tuesday sent to the governor legislation that would make it easier for a community to carve out a new school district from an existing one.
The Senate also approved legislation to extend the time until driver's licenses expire from four years to eight years. Meanwhile, the state House of Representatives approved a resolution urging President Barack Obama to restore trade relations with Cuba. The House rejected another resolution calling for Congress to convene a constitutional convention to enact a federal balanced-budget amendment.
Tuesday was the 51st day of the 90th General Assembly. Legislative leaders are aiming to recess the session by April 10 and adjourn by May 8.
In a 20-6 vote, the Senate approved House Bill 1242 by Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, seeking to lower the enrollment threshold for forming new school districts from 4,000 students to 2,500 students.
"This is a long process that Jacksonville went through in order to detach from the Pulaski County Special School District, and it took 30 years to do it, so this is a first step for a community that might want to do that," said Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, who is the Senate sponsor of HB1242.
She said she believes that Maumelle and Sherwood are the only cities that would be affected by the legislation, and "this is just preparation for if and when" the Pulaski County Special School District is declared unitary, or in substantial compliance with its desegregation plan.
Residents of Sherwood and Maumelle have expressed interest in forming their own school districts, exiting the Pulaski County Special School District, which is in the middle of a five-year state takeover because of its fiscal distress. Jacksonville recently reached the 4,000-student threshold and voted to form its own school district out of the Pulaski County special district.
But Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, who voted against the bill, said the state has been involved in an "incredibly awful long drawn-out desegregation lawsuit that we are about to get out of" and "in the process of doing that, we recognize that the state had taken deliberate actions.
"It bothers me just more than a little bit that we are talking about creating more school districts in Pulaski County when we are looking at closing school districts in other places that we already have," she said. "Actually what we ought to do is to fix the ones we have."
Afterward, Jim Parsons, chairman of the Bella Vista Patriots and Bella Vista Kids Come First, said the legislation also will allow Bella Vista residents to start their own petition drive to form their own school district.
Bella Vista has more than 3,000 students that have to travel to Bentonville or Gravette to attend classes, he said.
DRIVER'S LICENSES
In a 33-0 vote, the Senate sent to the governor HB1359, by Rep. Bob Johnson, D-Jacksonville, to change the renewal term on driver's licenses from every four years to every eight years.
The change would apply only to Class D noncommercial driver's licenses or Class M motorcycle licenses.
HB1359 also would increase the initial license fee from $12 to $24, and would increase the general replacement or renewal fee from $1 to $2. It also increases the cost for an eye exam from $1 to $2 and raises the specific renewal fees for Class D, Class M or Class MD -- small motorized cycle licenses -- from $6 to $12.
CUBA TRADE
The House narrowly approved a resolution encouraging President Obama and Congress to restore trade relations with Cuba.
The House voted 52-36 for House Concurrent Resolution 1006 by Rep. David Hillman, D-Almyra.
Two months ago, Obama signaled that he wanted to normalize relations with the Communist power, with which the U.S. has had an embargo for more than 54 years.
Supporters of the measure argued that the embargo hasn't worked and pointed out that Arkansas goods like rice and poultry are in great demand in the island nation.
Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, led opposition to the bill, describing communism as an "evil form of government."
"I know it's just a resolution, and maybe I'm just an old dog who can't learn any new tricks. ... I was a part of [President] Ronald Reagan's navy. We fought hard against communism in this world," Collins said. "While I love the rice farmers of Arkansas and the other producers of Arkansas ... and [feel] that economic free trade is awesome ... I'm gonna vote no."
CONVENTION
The House voted down a measure urging Congress to convene a constitutional convention with the aim of passing a federal balanced-budget amendment.
The 45-38 vote on the resolution fell six votes short of the 51 required for its approval.
House Joint Resolution 1003, by Rep. Bob Ballinger, R-Hindsville, seeks to apply for a convention under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to look for ways to control federal spending and federal government overreach, and institute term limits on federal lawmakers.
"[The federal] government has gotten too big and it has overrun the states' authority in a lot of ways and it's spending a lot of money," Ballinger said. So far, three states have adopted similar resolutions. It would require approval by 38 states to compel a convention.
Rep. Jana Della Rosa, R-Rogers, called the resolution irresponsible.
"With this type of wording you could do just about anything you want to the Constitution, and it would follow these guidelines. ... This could run away in a heartbeat," Della Rosa said. "Frankly, I like my constitution the way it is right now, and I don't want a whole bunch of people messing with it."
SEX OFFENDERS
The House passed of a pair of Senate bills related to sex offenders, sending the measures to the governor.
SB55 by Sen. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, would require that anyone convicted under the state's human-trafficking statutes be added to the state's sex offender registry.
SB56, also sponsored by Woods, would require sex offenders to report in with their local law enforcement agencies instead of with the state's criminal information network, within 10 days of changing addresses.
It also would require homeless sex offenders to report in with local law enforcement agencies every month.
STATE POLICE
The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee recommended approval of SB636 by Woods to allow for a new bond issue in 2018 to fund new projects for the Arkansas State Police.
Certain license fees have been pledged and used by the department since 1997 to pay for equipment and facilities for the department, and the fees should be designed as permanent sources of funding to be used and pledged by the state police to finance or purchase communication and information technology equipment and headquarters facilities through the use of revenue bonds, according to SB636.
Woods said $3 million a year would continue to go to the state police health insurance plan, and $2 million a year would continue to go for the agency's operations under this plan.
About $2.5 million a year would go to the Arkansas Wireless Information Network, while $2 million a year would be used for state police capital improvements and $500,000 a year for fleet cars, he said. State police facilities targeted for capital improvements include those in Forrest City, Harrison, Newport, Springdale and Warren, according to an information sheet distributed by Woods.
The bill now goes to the Senate.
Metro on 03/04/2015