Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday announced she had vetoed three bills and partially vetoed a fourth, objecting to measures ranging from the creation of a heart attack task force to stipend raises for members of a state board.
The vetoes, which Sanders announced in letters addressed to the top lawmakers in the Arkansas Senate and House of Representatives, are the first the Republican governor has made since she was inaugurated Jan. 10.
House Bill 1189, which aims to create a state-based license for behavior analysts, is among the bills Sanders vetoed in its entirety. Behavior analysts are professionals who help treat patients with mental and social disorders such as autism.
In a letter, Sanders said the legislation "creates unnecessary and overburdensome regulation" for behavior analysts. The governor noted these professionals are already subject to regulation and certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, a nonprofit corporation that provides certification on a national level.
"Creating duplicative licenses with new fees attached is additional red tape that does not ensure additional protections for the public," Sanders said in the letter.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Nicole Clowney, D-Fayetteville, said on Friday she had worked on the legislation publicly for months without opposition from the governor. She noted the bill had received bipartisan support in both state chambers and was broadly backed by Arkansas behavior analysts.
"At the end of the day, what I'm most disappointed by is that Arkansans who need protection won't get it," she said in an interview.
[DOCUMENTS: Read three of the bills vetoed » arkansasonline.com/415hbsbveto/]
Under the current certification system, Clowney said Arkansans have to bring complaints against certified behavior analysts to a board outside the state.
"That national board is not serving Arkansans as well as an Arkansas board would," she said.
The state license system would require analysts to undergo criminal background checks, which Clowney said is not a part of the national certification. She also said she was unaware of any state laws that require analysts to receive certification before practicing in Arkansas and noted the certification is not a license. She said that all states surrounding Arkansas require licenses for analysts.
While Clowney said she does not plan to challenge the veto, she said she and other supporters still feel a fix is needed.
HEART ATTACK TASK FORCE
Sanders also vetoed House Bill 1622, which aims to create a heart attack task force, saying it would duplicate the Arkansas STEMI Advisory Council.
The STEMI Advisory Council, which is overseen by the Arkansas Department of Health, was formed to tackle ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, a type of heart attack. The voluntary panel consists of health care providers and public health professionals, according to the Department of Health's website.
Rep. Andrew Collins, D-Little Rock, who sponsored House Bill 1622, said in an interview Friday that the veto was an unfortunate decision and represented a misunderstanding of what he intended to accomplish with the bill. The heart attack task force would not duplicate the STEMI Advisory Council. Rather the council would serve as the core of the task force, he said.
Collins said he was disappointed Arkansans would not benefit from the positive impact he expected the task force would have in addressing the high rate of heart attack mortality in Arkansas.
"It seems like a task force is a nonstarter for this governor regardless of what it does or how useful it is," he said. "That's the signal I'm getting from this veto."
Collins said he did not plan to challenge the veto.
[DOCUMENT: Read the full appropriations bill partially vetoed » arkansasonline.com/415hb1176/]
STIPENDS
Sanders vetoed Senate Bill 509, which would boost the maximum permitted daily stipend for members of the Arkansas Board of Corrections from $85 to $110. In a letter, Sanders said the increase "cannot be justified to Arkansas taxpayers."
"As Governor, I made a commitment to the State of Arkansas that I would look for ways to reduce government waste and ensure that tax dollars are spent wisely," Sanders said. "Elected officials have a responsibility to eliminate unnecessary spending at every level of state government."
Rep. Jack Fortner, R-Yellville, who sponsored the bill, said he was disappointed by the decision, noting the increase in his bill was minimal. Nevertheless, Fortner said he understood the stance Sanders has taken to reduce government.
"Governor Sanders and I are good friends and have worked together all session," he said. "This will not affect our relationship."
APPROPRIATION
Sanders vetoed a section of House Bill 1176, advanced by the Joint Budget Committee, that would provide an appropriation of $5 million for pandemic-related expenses for the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
"During my first days in office, I terminated several existing Executive Orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic," Sanders said in a letter. "I believe in freedom and personal responsibility – not COVID mandates or shutdowns. The COVID-19 pandemic is over."
Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Beebe, said the section of the bill Sanders vetoed was an unfunded appropriation that would have no impact on the Department of Corrections.
The vetoes send the bills back to the General Assembly where lawmakers may override Sanders' objections with a simple majority vote in both chambers. The Senate and House of Representatives voted April 7 to recess the regular session until May 1 or sooner.