Voluntary-pension measure a no-go
Legislation that would have created a voluntary small-business retirement program in state government failed to leave the state Senate on Thursday.
The 13-12 vote on Senate Bill 236 by Sen. Jake Files, R-Fort Smith, fell five votes short of the 18 required for approval in the 35-member chamber.
Files said his legislation would establish a voluntary and optional small-business retirement program, noting that 530,000 Arkansans lack access to a workplace retirement savings plan.
The bill is supported by the AARP and won't hinder what private brokers do, he said, adding that "there has been a fair amount of disinformation out there" about the measure. The state can choose not to spend any money on the program, he said.
Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Bigelow, said the bill would create a new division in the Department of Finance and Administration and would be in direct competition with banks and private industry.
The bill is opposed by investment firm Stephens Inc., the American Banking Association and other groups, he said.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Senate approves medical-pot bills
The Senate voted 32-0 to approve legislation that ensures the state is reimbursed for enforcement and regulation before other entities receive money from the medical-marijuana program.
House Bill 1369 by Rep. Doug House, R-North Little Rock, removes references to vocational-technical funds and skills development. The bill goes to the House to consider a Senate amendment.
The Senate also voted 27-3 to for a bill allow employers the discretion to reassign, suspend or fire employees in safety-sensitive positions if those workers use medical marijuana. The bill goes to the governor.
Rep. Carlton Wing, R-North Little Rock, has said House Bill 1460 ensures employee safety and places the burden of proof on the employer.
"This bill is an employee-protection bill, and it protects all who are doing business in whatever the establishment is," he has said.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Bill would move student-loan unit
A Senate committee advanced legislation that would merge the Arkansas Student Loan Authority into the Arkansas Development Finance Authority.
The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee recommended the chamber's approval of Senate Bill 644 by David Wallace, R-Leachville.
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson supports the legislation aimed at making state government more efficient, Hutchinson spokesman J.R. Davis said after the vote.
The state Student Loan Authority's powers, personnel and funds would be transferred to the Development Finance Authority. Terms of the members of the student-loan authority's board would expire on or after July 1.
The authority provides a number of student-loan-related services along with free planning services to college-bound high school students, according to its websites.
The Development Finance Authority is Arkansas' largest source of low-cost financing for low-to-moderate-income housing development, small industries, government, education, public facilities and health care. It also administers funding in the form of tax-exempt bonds and other debt instruments, according to its website.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Victim gun-permit proposal falls short
Legislation to allow domestic-abuse victims to apply for temporary concealed-handgun licenses failed in House committee Thursday after Democrats raised concerns about training.
House Bill 1899, by Rep. Mary Bentley, R- Perryville, would allow someone seeking an order of protection to also apply for a temporary concealed-carry permit. The temporary permit would be available within a day, expire after 45 days, and require the applicant to pass an Arkansas State Police background check.
Several Democrats on the committee questioned whether the holder of the temporary license would have any experience handling weapons, as the bill does not require the training received under an ordinary permit.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Matthew Shepherd, R- El Dorado, ruled the bill passed on a voice vote, but Democratic Rep. David Whitaker of Fayetteville called a roll call. The bill failed to reach the required 11 votes on the 20-member committee, which was absent several Republican members.
A vote was successfully called to expunge the vote, meaning HB1899 can be heard again.
-- John Moritz
Senator pushes bill for court collections
Sen. Bryan King, R- Green Forest, told a panel of House lawmakers Wednesday that many Arkansas counties are sidestepping their duties to collect court fees, fines and restitution.
The problem, King said, is that only some of the counties in the state have an automated system to keep up on collections. To address the problem, the House Judiciary Committee endorsed Senate Bill 367, by King, to establish a committee that will look at ways to expand the automation process at circuit courts.
Having already passed the Senate, SB367 could head to the governor's desk with approval of the whole House.
"There are some counties that have the money to buy a better system, they just are not being told to," King said.
Counties could pay for the new systems, he said, with the extra money they receive from keeping on top of their collections.
-- John Moritz
Bill on transgenders fails in committee
A bill that would prevent transgender Arkansans from changing the sex listed on their birth certificate after sex-reassignment surgery failed to clear a House committee on Thursday.
House Bill 1894, sponsored by Rep. Mickey Gates, R-Hot Springs, would eliminate a part of state law that allows Arkansans who undergo the surgery to obtain a court order to have the birth certificate amended.
The bill would instead require the certificate to list the biological sex as determined by the individual's "genetic code" at birth.
An exception would be made for children born with a medical condition making the sex difficult to determine. In that case, the entry of the child's sex on the birth certificate could be delayed until the person's 5th birthday.
Gates told the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee the bill would aid people conducting genealogical research and prevent people from changing their birth certificates for nefarious reasons.
The bill fell two votes short of the 11 needed for a favorable recommendation. Four members voted no, and seven did not vote.
Rep. Deborah Ferguson, D-West Memphis, who voted no, called the bill "intentionally hurtful and mean."
Changing the certificate "actually requires that they have been physically changed and that they get a court order to do it," Ferguson said. "It's not a willy-nilly process."
-- Andy Davis
75 mph limit zooms through House 93-0
A bill to increase the maximum state speed limit to 75 mph was approved by the House on Thursday.
House Bill 2057 by Rep. DeAnn Vaught, R-Horatio, passed 93-0. It heads to the Senate for further consideration.
The current state maximum speed limit is 70 mph.
"I'd say this bill couldn't get here fast enough," said Rep. Justin Gonzales, R-Okolona, to whistles and mild laughter from the chamber.
-- Brian Fanney
Panel backs bill on foreigners at school
Foreign students would be allowed to attend the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts under a bill approved by the House Education Committee on Thursday.
Senate Bill 531 by Sen. Bill Sample, R-Hot Springs, was approved in a voice vote after it was amended. The measure heads to the House for further consideration.
The original bill allowed out-of-state students to attend the school.
Rep. Bruce Cozart, R-Hot Springs, said he requested the amendment because he did not believe the Arkansas-supported school should serve students from other states.
Foreign students would have to pay tuition and fees.
-- Brian Fanney
Panel moves along school-election plan
A bill to specify when school elections are allowed to be held was approved by the House Education Committee on Thursday.
House Bill 1621 by Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, specifies that school elections may be held on preferential primaries or on Election Day -- the first Tuesday in November following Nov. 1.
It was approved in a voice vote. The bill heads to the House for further consideration.
Districts have broad leeway to decide when to hold elections under current law.
Lowery said holding elections specific to schools means fewer people vote.
Rep. John Walker, D-Little Rock, opposed the bill. He said that the majority of voters could overwhelm the minority interested in education.
-- Brian Fanney
Unused-school-funds proposal supported
A measure to limit fund balances at public schools cleared the House Education Committee on Thursday.
House Bill 1575 by Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, requires schools carrying more than 20 percent of certain funds from one year to the next to spend the money or put it toward a construction fund. The bill allows five years for compliance.
It was approved in a voice vote and heads to the House for further consideration.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are sitting in back accounts instead of being spent on students, Lowery said.
Richard Abernathy, executive director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, said he supported the bill.
Rep. John Walker, D-Little Rock, said the decision on whether to spend the money should be left to the districts.
-- Brian Fanney
Leniency for fleeing removed from bill
The House approved a bill Thursday to remove a penalty cap of 30 days in the county jail for young adults convicted of fleeing.
Arkansas' statutes include widely varying levels of punishment for fleeing. For example, someone who causes serious physical injury to another person while fleeing can be convicted of a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. However, the law caps the penalty for anyone under 21 as a Class C misdemeanor on their first offense, regardless of the circumstances.
House Bill 1885, by Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, R- Paragould, removes that cap. It passed the House on a vote of 86 to 0.
It now heads to the Senate for consideration.
-- John Moritz
A Section on 03/17/2017