Senate passes bill
on Rx harm, death
The Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would create the criminal offense of prescription drug harm or homicide.
The Senate voted 34-0 to send Senate Bill 7 by Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, to the House for further action.
Under the bill, a person commits prescription drug harm or homicide if the person is an executive officer for a pharmaceutical company, is 18 or older, introduces into the market a prescription drug produced by the company and knowingly hides, conceals, omits or otherwise withholds evidence, documentation or information that the drug has dangerous effects.
The bill also would require the use of the prescription drug cause the death of or serious physical injury of another person, who is prescribed the prescription drug and uses the drug in this state.
Prescription drug harm or homicide would be an unclassified felony with a sentence of imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than life. If enacted, the bill would expire Dec. 31, 2026, to allow lawmakers to decide whether to continue it.
King said the bill is aimed at holding pharmaceutical companies accountable.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Vaccine harm bill
passed by Senate
A bill that would create the criminal offense of vaccine harm zipped through the Arkansas Senate on Tuesday.
The Senate voted 33-0 to send Senate Bill 8 by Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forrest, to the House for further consideration.
Under the bill, a person commits vaccine harm if the person is a chief executive officer for a pharmaceutical company and is 18 or older, introduces a vaccine produced by the company into the market and knowingly hides, conceals, omits or otherwise withholds evidence, documentation or information that the vaccine has dangerous effect. The bill also would require another person to receive the vaccine in this state through a vaccination containing the vaccine and the vaccination to cause the death or serious physical injury to that person.
Vaccine harm would be an unclassified felony with a sentence of imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than life under the bill. If enacted, the bill would expire Dec. 31, 2026, to allow lawmakers to decided whether to continue it.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Bill reduces size
of pollution board
The Senate approved a bill that would reduce the Pollution Control and Ecology Commission from 15 to seven members.
The Senate voted 34-0 to send Senate Bill 467 by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, to the House for further action.
The bill would reduce the number of state agency officials on the commission from seven to three and the number of other commissioners from eight to four. The secretaries of the state Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture and the director of the Game and Fish Commission would remain on the commission under the bill, but the state forester, director of the Oil and Gas Commission, director of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the state geologist would no longer serve on the commission. The removal of these four commissioners would be effective upon the effective date of the bill, if enacted into law.
The bill states that it "shall not shorten the term of any current member of the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission that is appointed by the governor, but shall be implemented as terms expires, if a member voluntarily resigns, and by filling vacancies on the commission."
Each congressional district is required to be represented on the commission and the governor makes these appointments.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Bill allows pulling
of doctors license
The Senate approved a bill that would require the state Medical Board to revoke a physician's medical license upon a finding by the board that the physician failed to comply with the state's Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act.
The Senate voted 29-5 to send Senate Bill 463 by Sen. Ben Gilmore, R-Crossett, to the House for further consideration.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Joint panel OKs
10 education posts
The Joint Budget Committee's personnel subcommittee endorsed the state Department of Education's request for the creation of 10 new positions in exchange for surrendering 20 positions.
The subcommittee recommended the Joint Budget Committee approve the request, which also included four new classifications.
The Arkansas Department of Education needs the additional positions and classifications to assist with implementing the Arkansas LEARNS Act, adhering to the executive orders issued by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and creating cohesiveness among all agencies at the department, Kay Barnhill, the state's personnel director, said in a letter dated Tuesday to the personnel subcommittee co-chairs Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville, and Rep. Jim Wooten, R-Beebe. The LEARNS Act is Act 237 of 2023.
The cost of the 10 new positions is about $125,250 for the remainder of fiscal year 2023 that ends June 30, Barnhill said. Wooten said the positions would cost about $1.2 million during fiscal year 2024 that begins July 1.
According to Barnhill, the 10 new positions include a chief of staff position with a salary range of $149,862 to $181,500 year; three associate deputy positions with a salary range of $120,543 to $157,100 a year; a chief legal counsel post with a salary range of $108,110 to $147,200 a year; a program director post with a salary range of $96,960 to $140,592 a year; and four coordinator of special programs posts with a salary range of $77,862 to $122,900 a year.
Earlier this month, Courtney Salas-Ford, an attorney in the Arkansas Department of Education, was named the agency's chief of staff by state Education Secretary Jacob Oliva. Salas-Ford's salary is $140,591 a year, according to the Arkansas Transparency website.
After the personnel subcommittee meeting, Greg Rogers, the department's assistant commissioner for fiscal and administrative services, said "we will be looking for individuals" to fill the other nine new positions.
-- Michael R. Wickline
Bill criminalizes
disarming officers
The Arkansas House Committee on Judiciary approved a bill on Tuesday that would create a criminal penalty for disarming a law enforcement officer.
House Bill 1521 by Rep. Carlton Wing, R-North Little Rock, advanced from the committee in a voice vote without audible dissent. The measure moves to the full House for further consideration.
Wing, who originally presented the bill to the panel earlier this month, provided an amendment striking a provision that would presume a person to "have had a conscious object to engage in conduct or cause a result with respect to a law enforcement officer" if the officer is identifiable as a law enforcement officer.
Jeff Rosenzweig with the Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers objected to the provision during an earlier meeting, saying the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the state has the burden of proof and cannot presume a person's intent in criminal cases.
Under the bill, a person who purposely uses physical force to take a firearm, nightstick, stun gun, "personal protection chemical dispensing device" or any "other protective gear or weapon" and intends to cause physical injury to the law enforcement officer or another person would be guilty of a Class C felony upon conviction.
Supporters of the bill have said under current law a person who attempts to take an officer's firearm or other weapon may only be charged with resisting arrest.
-- Will Langhorne
House bill protects
cultural hairstyles
The Arkansas House on Tuesday advanced a bill that aims to prevent discrimination based on "natural, protective, or cultural hairstyles."
House Bill 1576 by Rep. Jamie Scott, D-North Little Rock, received a vote of 83-6 and moves to the Senate for further consideration.
The legislation would bar public school officials and teachers from discriminating against a student based on their "natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle." State-supported institutions of higher education also would be prohibited from discriminating based on hairstyles.
The measure would not apply to the state Division of Youth Services.
Under the bill, "natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle" includes "without limitation afros, dreadlocks, twists, locs, braids, cornrow braids, Bantu knots, curls, and hair styled to protect hair texture or for cultural significance."
The measure adds "natural, protective, or cultural hairstyle" to definitions in the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993.
-- Will Langhorne
Program allows
infants at work
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Tuesday a pilot program to allow Department of Human Services employees to bring their children to work.
In what she said was her first visit to the Department of Human Services headquarters since taking office, Sanders said the program lets employees take their children, if they are 6 months old or younger, to the office and is a pro-family policy for new parents.
"No parent should ever have to choose between a paycheck and time with their newborn," Sanders said. "This policy makes it possible for DHS employees to do both."
Also a part of the new policy, Department of Human Services employees can request permission to bring their children to work "under certain conditions and in certain settings," according to a draft overview of the policy. The program is meant for workers who may not have ready access to daycare for their children, Sanders said.
While the pilot program is open only to those working at the Department of Human Services, Sanders said she will look to expand it to other state agencies.
-- Neal Earley
House member
taken to hospital
Rep. Vivian Flowers was transported to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center after a "medical episode" Tuesday at the state Capitol, according to a spokesperson for the state House of Representatives.
Flowers, a five-term representative from Pine Bluff, was being attended to by a Capitol police officer and fellow state representatives Lee Johnson, an emergency medicine doctor from Greenwood, and Steve Magie, an ophthalmologist from Conway, as they waited for paramedics to arrive.
Flowers could be seen talking with Magie and Johnson before being transported to UAMS.
Cecillea Pond-Mayo, a spokeswoman for House, could not provide further details late Tuesday afternoon.
-- Neal Earley