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Two Climate-Change Bills Die in Committee
A pair of bills that were the highlight of the Arkansas Global Warming Commission's legislative package have failed to advance from a House committee.
The House Insurance and Commerce Committee voted down a bill Wednesday by Rep. Kathy Webb, D- Little Rock, that would have required electric utilites to buy at least 2% of their annual electricity supplies from a renewable energy facility.
Another bill, by Rep. Joan Cash, D-Jonesboro, was referred to an interim study. That bill would have given rebates and incentives to Arkansas homeowners and businesses to make buildings more energy efficient.
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Senate OKs Regulations for Toughman
The Senate has sent Gov. Mike Beebe legislation that requires the state Athletic Commission to regulate fighting events like Toughman.
Senators unanimously approved a proposal Wednesday to put events such as Toughman under the authority of the Athletic Commission.
Under the measure, the commission can set up regulations and inspect events like Toughman and mixed-martial arts competitions.
The legislation was proposed by Rep. Steve Harrelson, D-Texarkana, who pushed for the regulations after an amateur fighter died last year following a Toughman fight in Texarkana.
The measure now heads to Beebe's desk.
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Senate Votes to Require Coverage for Autism
The Senate has approved a measure that would require health insurers to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism, a move that its sponsor estimates would raise Arkansans' premiums by an average $1.48 a month.
The Senate was unanimous Wednesday in backing the proposal by Sen. Mary Anne Salmon, D-North Little Rock, which would require insurers to provide up to $50,000 coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.
Salmon said requiring the coverage would reduce the costs to the state of caring for children with autism and related disorders. The proposal now heads to the House for a vote.
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Teacher Insurance Relief Fails
A budget subcommittee in the Legislature has rejected a measure that would have set aside $25 million to help public school teachers with health insurance premium increases.
The special language subcommittee of the Joint Budget Committee rejected the measure Wednesday that had been offered by Rep. Bill Abernathy, D-Mena.
All session, lawmakers have said they wanted to help teachers who are faced with increasing insurance premiums, but they haven't been able to agree on how to fund it. Abernathy's bill called for the $25 million to come from the Department of Education.
Abernathy says he'll try to bring back the bill to the budget committee and request a lower amount.
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Senate OKs Round-the-Clock Alcohol Sales at Tracks
The Arkansas Senate has given final approval to a bill allowing round-the-clock alcohol sales at a West Memphis dog track and a Hot Springs horse track.
The Senate approved on a 20-6 vote Wednesday a proposal that would allow Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs and Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis to serve alcohol on any day of the week during hours that they are open. The measure would not allow alcohol sales on Christmas day, and would only allow alcohol sales between midnight and 2:00 a.m. on Easter.
The measure now heads to the governor's desk. A spokesman for Gov. Mike Beebe has said he plans to sign it into law.
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House OKs Sales Tax Holiday For Clothes
A one-day sales tax exemption for clothing that costs less than $75 has been endorsed by the Arkansas House.
The bill by Rep. Tiffany Rogers of Stuttgart now heads to the Senate. Rogers says the bill will stimulate sales at retailers and give shoppers a small tax break. Finance officials say that the one-day sales tax holiday - set for the first Saturday in August - would cost the state about $1.6 million.
Rogers' bill passed the House on a 77-14 vote, despite warnings from the chairman of the Joint Budget Committee that it's getting too late in the session to be passing tax cuts.
Several surrounding states have similar sales tax holidays, typically coinciding with the back-to-school shopping period.
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House OKs Change in Counting Schools' Students
The Arkansas House has approved a new method for how the state calculates a school district's enrollment for the purposes of consolidation.
Now, a district can be consolidated if its enrollment falls below 350 students two years in a row, but a district's fourth quarter isn't counted. A bill by Rep. Buddy Lovell of Marked Tree would count all four quarters for consolidation purposes.
The bill's backers say it will benefit districts that are "on the bubble" of being consolidated - for example, a school that has 348 students. But opponents say the state shouldn't tamper with the consolidation process approved as part of Arkansas' effort to exit the long-running Lake View school-funding case.
The bill passed the House on an 89-8 vote Wednesday and now heads to the Senate.
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Two Amendments Recommended by Joint Panel
A joint panel has recommended that proposals to create a constitutional right to hunt and fish and to change how the state can issue bonds for major economic projects be placed on the 2010 ballot.
The Joint Committee on Wednesday recommended both of the proposed constitutional amendments. The Legislature can refer up to there constitutional amendments and the committee plans to meet again to decide on a potential third ballot measure.
Sen. Steve Faris said his proposed hunting and fishing amendment was needed to prevent groups from trying to restrict the rights of hunters in the state.
The other amendment recommended Wednesday would allow legislators to set the standards for issuing bonds for so-called superprojects. An amendment approved by voters in 2004 authorizes the Legislature to issue bonds to attract projects that would provide 500 jobs and invest $500 million.
The proposal by House Speaker Robbie Wills removes references to the $500 million investment and the creation of 500 jobs. Under the proposal, the Legislature would be in charge of setting those benchmarks.
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Committee OKs Ban on Absentee Lobbying
A House committee has advanced a measure backed by Attorney General Dustin McDaniel that bans lobbyists from paying for lawmakers' meals or drinks when the lobbyists are not actually present.
The House Rules Committee endorsed the measure Wednesday and sent it on to the House for a vote. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Steve Faris of Malvern, does not include special events such as receptions under the absentee-lobbying ban.
The proposal also includes fines for lobbyists who purposely don't register with the state within five days of beginning lobbying activities and requires lobbyists to file their activity reports with the state online, starting in 2010.
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Three More Members Named to Lottery Commission
Three more members have been named to the Arkansas Lottery Commission, including a Democrat from Conway who unsuccessfully ran for a state Senate seat last year.
The appointments, announced Wednesday by House Speaker Robbie Wills, are: Joe White of Conway, Mike Malone of Fayetteville and Dr. Susan Ward-Jones of Marion.
White, a businessman from Conway, ran against Republican Gilbert Baker last year in what's believed to be the most expensive Arkansas legislative race ever.
Malone, who served in the Clinton administration, is now the executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Council. Ward-Jones is the CEO of the East Arkansas Family Health Center in West Memphis.
Six people have already been named to the nine-member commission; Gov. Mike Beebe still needs to pick his three appointees.
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Panel Advances Bill on Lethal Injection Info
A proposal that would exempt most of the state's execution policies and procedures from public disclosure is headed to the Senate for a vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday advanced the bill by Rep. Bobby Pierce of Sheridan that would allow authorities to release information about what kind of drugs would be used for executions. But the measure would block other execution preparations from public view.
The proposal was approved despite objections from the American Civil Liberties Union that the bill goes to far in restriction the release of information.
ACLU Arkansas Executive Director Rita Sklar says the bill would restrict information about how witnesses to executions are chosen and other policies that would not affect security.
Correction Department Director Larry Norris says the state already considers information specified in the bill as exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
However, the state's past policies and procedures have been routinely included in court filings by death row inmates.
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Blue-Catfish Honor Again Shot Down by Panel
A measure to honor the blue catfish as Arkansas' official fish is dead in the water for this legislative session.
A House committee on Wednesday again rejected a measure to honor the blue catfish as the state's official fish, even though sponsor Gregg Reep amended the bill to also include the smallmouth bass.
But the measure failed after members of the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee questioned why the rainbow trout and brown trout were cast out.
It's the second time this session Reep's bill went belly up, and he cannot bring it before the committee again.
Not all bills in the genre have failed this session. Legislators earlier approved making the pecan Arkansas' official nut.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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