Updated: House Committee Passes H.B. 1204 Limiting What Injured People Can Receive in Medical Damages

Legislation,

On Tuesday the House Judiciary Committee passed H.B. 1204, a bad bill that limits what people can receive in damages when someone injures them through no fault of their own.

H.B. 1204 effectively reduces what trucking companies and other big businesses might be forced to pay when they injure a person or family.

The bill also benefits insurance companies, but it could hurt regular people who have faithfully paid their premiums. It is likely to deprive the injured party of the full benefit of their insurance and deny them full compensation for the harm that they suffered.

That might increase the insurance companies’ profits, but there is no guarantee it will result in lower premiums for customers.

Family Council is concerned about potential, unintended consequences this bill could have on families.

H.B. 1204 now goes to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives for a vote. You can read H.B. 1204 here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers. This article has been updated to include information regarding H.B. 1204’s passage in the House Judiciary Committee.

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Petition Precision: Legislation Filed to Clarify Arkansas’ Initiative Laws

Legislation,

Legislation has been filed clarifying Arkansas’ laws concerning petitions to place initiatives on the ballot.

The Arkansas Constitution lets canvassers circulate petitions to place measures on a general election ballot. Since 2008, organizations placed — or attempted to place — measures like the Arkansas Lottery amendment, Arkansas Casino Amendment, marijuana legislation, an abortion amendment, and others on the ballot via the petition process.

H.B. 1221 and H.B. 1222 by Rep. David Ray (R — Maumelle) and Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) clarify Arkansas’ laws concerning initiatives and referendum.

H.B. 1221 makes it clear that petition signatures expire at the end of a General Election cycle. This would prevent canvassers from collecting signatures across multiple election cycles and help ensure sponsors don’t submit old signatures that are outdated or more likely to be invalid.

H.B. 1222 clarifies that the Arkansas Attorney General cannot approve a measure’s sponsors to begin collecting signatures to place a measure on the ballot if the measure conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or federal law. The bill also prevents sponsors from asking the attorney general to certify conflicting measures.

Currently, the Arkansas Attorney General must review each ballot measure to ensure the measure’s title and wording are clear and consistent before canvassers can begin collecting petition signatures to place it on the ballot.

H.B. 1222 would help ensure the A.G.’s office is not asked to approve measures that are unconstitutional or run afoul of federal law.

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

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Montana Legislature Debates Bill Similar to One Arkansas Passed in 2023

LGBT, ,

Recently Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Sara Beth Nolan spoke to the Montana House Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that requires schools, prisons, domestic violence shelters, and other included facilities to designate spaces like locker rooms, restrooms, and sleeping quarters as either males or females.

The bill is similar to a measure Arkansas passed in 2023.

Act 317 by Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R – Jonesboro) protects privacy in public school locker rooms, showers, restrooms, changing areas, and similar facilities. The law requires public schools to designate these facilities for “male” or “female” use. It also addresses sleeping accommodations for students on overnight school trips — something that has been a serious problem for students in other states.

Laws like these are necessary to protect students from federal policy changes that seem to come with each election cycle.

In 2016 the Obama Administration issued federal “guidelines” directing every public school in America — including schools in Arkansas — to let biological males use girls’ locker rooms, showers, bathrooms, and similar facilities at school. The Trump Administration rescinded those federal policies in 2018, which gave schools a brief reprieve, but the Biden Administration moved to reinstate the policies shortly after the 2020 election.

Since his inauguration last week, President Trump has issued a series of executive orders addressing issues like this one, but a future president could repeal those executive orders.

State laws can help clarify how public schools protect student privacy in the face of changing federal policy.

You can watch ADF’s committee testimony below.

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