Hutchinson to sign voter ID measure
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday that he would sign House Bill 1112, which would tighten the state’s voter-ID law by removing a provision allowing voters to bypass the ID requirement by signing their names.
The bill, by Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle, passed by large majorities in the House and Senate, over the objections of Democrats who said it would stifle participation in voting.
“I have consistently supported a voter identification requirement, as long as there is state assistance for anyone who does not have personal identification,” Hutchinson said.
The governor noted that voters backed a voter ID requirement at the polls in 2018, and the Legislature subsequently voted to give IDs free of charge to Arkansans who seek them.
Lawmakers who argued against the bill noted that instances of voter fraud are rare — three instances of fraud have been documented in the state since 2002, according to a database by the conservative Heritage Foundation — and accused the bill’s sponsors of attempting to make it more difficult to vote.
— John Moritz
Panel favors longer DWI look-back span
The Senate Judiciary Committee favored Thursday increasing the look-back period for drunken driving offenses, from five years to 10 years.
House Bill 1062, by Rep. Lanny Fite, R-Benton, refers to the period of time in which a previous DWI conviction can be used against a driver as an enhancement for a current DWI offense.
“Arkansas has one of the least impressive look-back periods in the country,” said Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton, the bill’s Senate handler.
According to the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri each have look-back periods of five years.
Tennessee, Oklahoma and Louisiana have look-back periods of 10 years. Texas has a lifetime look-back period.
The committee supported HB1062 by a voice vote and sent it to the full Senate. The House passed HB1062 last month.
— John Moritz
Panel supports bills on eminent domain
Two bills dealing with the use of eminent domain in Arkansas were favored by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
Senate Bills 334 and 335, both by state Sen. Bob Ballinger, R-Ozark, are aimed at codifying the legal precedents surrounding the use of eminent domain, Ballinger said.
SB334 deals with eminent domain by state agencies and SB335 deals with the use of eminent domain by counties and municipalities.
“From my standpoint, it’s pretty much exactly the way the process happens today,” Ballinger said of what’s in his legislation. “The only purpose, really, in codifying this is so that we can be confident that it will last.” The bill dealing with eminent domain by state agencies did not draw any opposition, but the second bill was opposed by the Arkansas Municipal League.
Blake Gary, an attorney for the municipal league, expressed concern about language in the bill that would put the burden on local governments to prove that a project seeking to use eminent domain could not instead be accomplished by acquiring other properties from consenting owners.
“I do think that is a very high bar on any local government looking to take any action in this regard,” Gary said. “I think it could hold up a whole lot of projects.” The Senate Judiciary Committee passed both bills by a voice vote, sending them to the Senate.
— John Moritz
Advisory committee for Rx pot advances
A bill to establish a legislative committee advising on medical marijuana in Arkansas gained the approval of a House committee Wednesday.
Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, said she felt that it was important for legislators to have their voices heard on the sizable industry.
“This is the only industry that has over $240 million in revenue that has absolutely no legislative … advice,” Chesterfield said.
The Medical Marijuana Commission awards licenses for dispensaries and cultivators, while Alcoholic Beverage Control oversees regulation of medical-marijuana businesses.
Senate Bill 226 will head to the House floor for consideration.
— Rachel Herzog
Senators OK repeal of Pawnbrokers Act
The Arkansas Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to repeal the Arkansas Pawnbrokers Act enacted in 2017.
The Senate voted 31-1 to send Senate Bill 184 by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, to the House for further action.
Irvin said people in the pawnbroker industry asked for the 2017 law, but now want it repealed. The licensing commission created by the law never met and didn’t have an appropriation. Pawnbrokers already are regulated by law enforcement and the attorney general’s office, she said.
— Michael R. Wickline
Hybrid vehicle fees bill gains traction
The Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to reduce the additional registration fee for standard hybrid vehicles from $100 to $50, starting Jan. 1, 2022.
The Senate voted 32-0 to send Senate Bill 225 by Sen. Blake Johnson, R-Corning, to the House for further consideration.
The bill also wouldn’t change the $200 registration fee for electrical vehicles, and the $100 registration fee for a hybrid vehicle would continue to be collected on a plug-in hybrid electrical vehicle, according to the state Department of Finance and Administration.
The finance department projected that the bill would reduce registration fee revenue by up to $550,000 in the state Highway and Transportation Department Fund in fiscal 2022 that starts July 1, and by up to $1.1 million in fiscal 2023.
Act 416 of 2019 created higher registration fees for hybrid and electric vehicles.
— Michael R. Wickline
Governor espouses energy task force
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Wednesday the formation of the Energy Resources Planning Task Force to review outages and blackouts that resulted from last month’s winter snowstorms.
The task force will consist of Secretary of Energy and the Environment Becky Keogh; Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission Director Lawrence Bengal; Arkansas Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board Director Kevin Pfalser; and Commerce Secretary Mike Preston.
The group will review what happened in Arkansas during and after the storm, and compare that performance with other affected states.
“The whole design of this is to review what happened in this historic storm and how our regional power administrations performed, how our utilities performed, how the state performed and compare that obviously to other states, and to have some lessons learned for us,” Hutchinson said.
The task force is to submit a report to the governor by Sept. 30.
— John Moritz