Senate OKs tying pot to pharmacist
The Senate voted 27-0 Thursday to approve Senate Bill 721, by Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Bigelow, that would require a dispensary of medical marijuana to appoint a pharmacist consultant who has a state pharmacist license.
SB721, which goes to the House, also would bar dispensaries from supplying, possessing, manufacturing, delivering, transferring or selling "marijuana paraphernalia that requires the combustion of marijuana to be properly utilized, including pipes, water pipers, bongs, chillums, rolling papers and roach clips."
Under the bill, dispensaries would be required to make marijuana vaporizers available for sale to qualifying patients and provide educational materials about medical-marijuana methods of ingestion to qualifying patients and designated caregivers.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Vote for adding pot to no-smoking areas
A bill to ban medical marijuana smoking where cigarette smoke is prohibited was approved by the Senate on Thursday and sent to the governor.
House Bill 1400, by Rep. Robin Lundstrum, R-Elm Springs, passed 31-1. In addition to areas where cigarette smoke is prohibited, the bill would ban marijuana smoking in cars, by patients under 21 years old and in the presence of a child under 14 years old or of a pregnant woman.
Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Conway, the Senate sponsor of the bill, said the bill was noncontroversial.
"Yesterday, I about fell out of my chair, Melissa Fults got up and spoke for the bill" in a committee meeting, Rapert said. Fults, a medical marijuana proponent and executive director of Drug Policy Education Group, agreed to support the bill after it was narrowed from a complete smoking ban.
-- Brian Fanney
Bill to prohibit card skimmers OK'd 33-0
The Senate on Thursday voted 33-0 to approve legislation that would ban possession of electronic devices used to "skim" credit or debit card information.
Using such a device to steal someone's account information is already a crime. Senate Bill 225, by Rep. Jason Rapert, R-Bigelow, would make possession of a device punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Rapert said the bill is needed to help authorities crack down on criminals who are installing the devices at locations such as gas stations. The bill goes to the House for further consideration.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Foreigners closer for math, art school
The Senate voted 32-0 to send the governor legislation that would allow foreign students to attend the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts.
Under Senate Bill 531, by Sen. Bill Sample, R-Hot Springs, foreign students would have to pay tuition and fees at the school.
-- Michael R. Wickline
For donated wares, tax break on move
The Senate voted 32-0 to approve Senate Bill 9, by Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale, that would provide a sales tax exemption for items withdrawn from inventory by a business if the property is contributed to specific organizations or in certain situations.
The donor would get a tax exemption if the item were consumed or used by a nonprofit organization, public educational institution, nonprofit church or a person who has suffered damage or loss as a result of a natural disaster.
The bill is projected to reduce state sales taxes by $1.06 million in fiscal 2018 and $1.59 million in fiscal 2019, according to the state Department of Finance and Administration.
The legislation goes to the House for further consideration.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Disability-benefit cap fails in Senate
The Senate rejected legislation that would end after 450 weeks disability payments to workers injured on the job. The 450 weeks is about eight years and eight months.
The cap would not apply, however, to cases of "catastrophic physical injury," including injury resulting in paralysis, brain damage and total blindness.
The Senate voted 9-17 to reject Senate Bill 682 by Sen. David Sanders, R-Little Rock.
Another bill, House Bill 1586, also would cap total disability benefits at 450 weeks, but would not contain the exception for catastrophic physical injury. Unlike SB682, the House bill also would impose the 450-week cap on benefits to survivors of workers killed on the job. HB1586 awaits Senate action.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Bill to ax a rule for each new one sinks
Legislation that would require state agencies to repeal at least one of its rules before it may adopt another proposed rule failed to clear the Senate on Thursday.
Senate Bill 512 by Sen. Linda Collins-Smith, R-Pocahontas, would not require an agency to repeal a rule before adopting a proposed rule if the proposed rule is required by the General Assembly or an emergency rule under certain cases.
The Senate's 11-8 vote on SB512 fell seven votes short of the 18 required for approval in the 35-member Senate.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Rules expiration for agencies advances
A bill that would establish a sunset date for state agencies' rules and a process for the rules to continue beyond that date cleared the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday. The bill goes to the Senate.
Under House Bill 1880 by Rep. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville, each state agency would be required by Dec. 1 to file an initial report with the governor and the Legislative Council that contains a list of all rules in effect that have been promulgated by the agency. A final report would be filed by July 1, 2018.
Under the bill, agency rules that have been in effect for 24 years or longer when HB1880 becomes law would remain in effect until the date of their first scheduled evaluation, unless they are approved or rejected in accordance with the Arkansas Constitution and the Arkansas Administrative Procedures Act.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Bill on lawmaker's private work fails
The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday declined to recommend approval of a bill that would prohibit any state lawmaker from appearing as the attorney or consultant of another person, firm, corporation or entity before his fellow legislators.
The bill would ban such appearances before the House or Senate, a committee or task force of either chamber, or a joint committee or task force of the Legislature.
The committee's 3-3 vote on Senate Bill 726 by Sen. Linda Collins-Smith, R-Pocahontas, fell two votes short of the five votes required for approval on the eight-member committee.
State law already bars state lawmakers from receiving any income or compensation from the state other than what they are entitled to receive and from lobbying other lawmakers by communicating directly or soliciting others to communicate with any other lawmaker.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Bill called 'ag-gag' is signed into law
Legislation dubbed the "ag-gag" bill by animal-welfare groups was signed into law on Thursday by Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
House Bill 1665 by Rep. DeAnn Vaught, R-Horatio, would create an avenue for civil litigation against anyone, including an employee, who releases documents or recordings from a nonpublic area of commercial property with the intent of causing harm to the owner.
Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, a dairy farmer and the Senate sponsor of HB1665, said the bill would do nothing to subvert state and federal protections for people who expose illegal practices.
But animal-welfare groups have said the bill aims to stifle whistleblowers from disclosing abusive practices regarding livestock. "Arkansas should be ashamed that it has so much to hide, even from its own citizens," Gabriel Walters, legislative affairs manager for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said in a statement Thursday.
-- Brian Fanney
A Section on 03/24/2017