Religious Freedom Bill Passes Committee, Heads to Entire House

Legislature, , ,

HB1228, the Conscience Protection Act by Rep. Bob Ballinger, passed the House Judiciary Committee today.

This bill restores religious liberties that have eroded over the past 25 years. Most states in America have a state law, constitutional amendment, or court ruling protecting religious liberty similarly to HB1228. Arkansas is one of only a handful of states that has not affirmed the free exercise of religion.

The bill will be voted on by the entire Arkansas House of Representatives as early as tomorrow. Please call your state representative, and ask him or her to vote for HB1228, the Conscience Protection Act by Rep. Ballinger.

You can leave a message for your representative at (501) 682-6211.

READ MORE

Please Call Your Representative

Legislation, Legislature, News, , , ,

Your Arkansas Representative will likely vote on an important piece of legislation next week, and needs to hear from you right away.

House Bill 1228, the Conscience Protection Act by Rep. Bob Ballinger, affirms religious liberty in Arkansas. Arkansas is one of a handful of states with no amendment, law, or court ruling protecting the traditional understanding of the free exercise of religion. Over and over again we have seen Americans marginalized simply for wanting to live out their deeply-held religious convictions. Laws like HB1228 help protect our right to do just that.

Please call and leave a message for your representative at (501) 682-6211 expressing your support for HB1228, the Conscience Protection Act. To learn more about this act and why it is important, click here.

READ MORE

AG Opinion: Arkansas Legislature Controls Its Own Ethics Rulemaking

Legislature

House Health CommitteeWe have written before about Issue 3, which voters passed last November. Among other things, Issue 3 extended term limits for Arkansas’ legislators and put new ethics guidelines in the Arkansas Constitution.

One ballot proposal that did not garner very much attention, however, was Issue 1, which voters also passed last November.

Issue 1 made rules and regulations promulgated by state agencies subject to legislative review and approval.

On the surface, Issue 1 and Issue 3 seem to have very little to do with each other. One prescribes new ethics laws and extends term limits for legislators; the other increases accountability between the Arkansas Legislature and the state agencies operating under the Executive Branch of government.

Before leaving office this week, however, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued an opinion that connected Issue 1 and Issue 3: Together, Issue 1 and Issue 3 give the Arkansas Legislature a lot of authority over the ethics guidelines Issue 3 put in the Arkansas Constitution.

In a Nutshell

In a nutshell, here is what has happened:

  1. Besides extending term limits, Issue 3 outlined ethics guidelines for things like gifts to lawmakers from lobbyists.
  2. Issue 3 directed the Arkansas Ethics Commission to make rules implementing those ethics guidelines.
  3. Issue 1 gave the Arkansas Legislature authority over rules and regulations implemented by state agencies like the Arkansas Ethics Commission.
  4. This means the legislature controls the new ethics rules put out by the Arkansas Ethics Commission under Issue 3.
  5. Issue 3 also gives the Arkansas Legislature the power to change the ethics guidelines in the Arkansas Constitution with a 2/3 vote of the Arkansas House and Senate; no approval from voters is required.

In other words, Issue 3 directs the Arkansas Ethics Commission to implement new ethics guidelines, but Issue 1 gives the Arkansas Legislature authority over anything the Ethics Commission tries to implement.

(more…)

READ MORE