Arkansas Legislature Passes Law to Make Ballot Measure Summaries Easier to Understand

Legislation,

On Tuesday evening the Arkansas Legislature passed a law that will help make ballot measure summaries easier for voters to read and understand.

By law, all ballot measures in Arkansas must have a ballot title. The ballot title is a summary that is supposed to accurately describe the measure so voters can read it and decide if they want to vote for or against the measure.

Unfortunately, these summaries are often misleading, confusing, and poorly written. But H.B. 1713 would fix that.

H.B. 1713 is a good bill by Rep. Ryan Rose (R — Van Buren) and Sen. Mark Johnson (R — Little Rock) requiring ballot initiative titles to be written at or below an eighth grade reading level. This would help address deceptive or misleading ballot measure summaries in Arkansas.

The Arkansas House of Representatives passed H.B. 1713 in March. On Tuesday, the Arkansas Senate passed it as well.

Arkansas’ ballot initiative process has become the opposite of what it was intended to be, and if lawmakers do not act soon, the problem is simply going to get worse.

H.B. 1713 now goes to Governor Sanders to be signed into law.

The Following Senators Voted For H.B. 1713

  • J. Boyd
  • J. Bryant
  • Caldwell
  • A. Clark
  • Crowell
  • B. Davis
  • Dees
  • J. Dotson
  • J. English
  • Flippo
  • Gilmore
  • K. Hammer
  • Hester
  • Hickey
  • Hill
  • Irvin
  • B. Johnson
  • M. Johnson
  • F. Love
  • M. McKee
  • J. Payton
  • C. Penzo
  • J. Petty
  • Rice
  • J. Scott
  • Stone
  • G. Stubblefield
  • D. Sullivan
  • D. Wallace

The Following Senators Voted Against H.B. 1713

  • J. Dismang
  • S. Flowers
  • G. Leding
  • R. Murdock
  • C. Tucker

The Following Senator Was Excused from Voting

  • B. King

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Arkansas Legislature Passes Law Placing Ten Commandments in Public Schools and Buildings

Legislation,

On Monday the Arkansas Legislature passed a law to place a poster of the Ten Commandments in public schools and public buildings.

Current law requires a copy of the national motto, “In God We Trust” to be displayed in public schools and other public buildings.

S.B. 433 by Sen. Jim Dotson (R — Bentonville) and Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs) requires a historical copy of the Ten Commandments to be displayed as well.

Over the years, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that items that are important to our nation’s history — like the Ten Commandments or the national motto — may be honored and recognized publicly without running afoul of the First Amendment. The Ten Commandments are one of the earliest examples of the rule of law in human history, and they have had a profound impact in shaping America’s concept of the rule of law as well.

S.B. 433 will make sure Arkansas continues that longstanding tradition of recognizing the importance of the Ten Commandments. The bill already passed the Arkansas Senate. It now goes to Gov. Sanders to be signed into law.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Teaching Students About Unborn Children Would Be Cost-Free to State of Arkansas: Report

Legislation, , ,

An official report published on Friday found that teaching public school students about fetal growth and development won’t cost the state any additional money.

S.B. 450 is a good bill by Sen. Breanne Davis (R — Russellville) and Rep. Kendra Moore (R — Lincoln) that lets public school students see a recording of a high-definition ultrasound video as part of human fetal growth and development education courses.

The bill also contains provisions letting students learn important facts about how unborn children develop in the womb.

The Arkansas Senate passed S.B. 450 last week. However, the bill could not be presented to the House Education Committee before state officials reviewed what it would cost to implement S.B. 450. Friday’s fiscal impact statement showed S.B. 450 will not cost the state a dime.

This year, lawmakers have proposed multiple laws that would let public school students see ultrasound videos of unborn children and learn about fetal development in the womb.

H.B. 1180 by Rep. Mary Bentley (R — Perryville) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R — Springdale) ensures public schools show students a high-definition ultrasound video that is at least three minutes long as part of sex-education and human growth and development education courses. The bill also ensures students see a video like Live Action’s computer-animated “Meet Baby Olivia” video that teaches about human development from conception to birth.

And H.B. 1946 — which is also by Rep. Bentley and Sen. Penzo — requires public schools to provide human growth and development education in grades 6 – 12 every school year. Under this bill, the courses must include a three-minute high-definition ultrasound video and a high-quality, computer animated video depicting the process of fertilization and every stage of fetal development.

As we have said before, it’s good to see lawmakers taking a strong interest in teaching public school students about unborn children.

Ultrasound technology provides what some people call a “window into the womb.” Good bills like H.B. 1180, S.B. 450, and H.B. 1946 help students understand that unborn children are living human beings.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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