Committee Passes Two Good Bills to Clarify State Laws Regarding Paid Petition Canvassers, Deceptive Ballot Measures

Legislation,

On Wednesday the House State Agencies Committee passed two good bills that would help clarify state law concerning paid petition canvassers and deceptive ballot measures.

The Arkansas Constitution lets canvassers circulate petitions to place measures on a general election ballot. Its original intent was to give citizens a way to function as a “legislative body.” Unfortunately, powerful special interests have used the initiative process to put flawed, misleading, and deceptive measures on the ballot in Arkansas.

Two good bills passed in committee on Wednesday would help address this problem.

H.B. 1713 by Rep. Ryan Rose (R — Van Buren) and Sen. Mark Johnson (R — Little Rock) requires ballot initiative titles to be written at or below an eighth grade reading level.

A ballot title is supposed to accurately summarize a measure so voters can decide if they support or oppose it.

H.B. 1713 is similar to legislation enacted in other states to help make sure ballot titles are easy for voters to read and understand. This will help address deceptive or misleading ballot initiatives in Arkansas.

H.B. 1714 by Rep. Ryan Rose (R — Van Buren) and Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) clarifies the definition of a “paid canvasser” in state law.

Current law says that anyone who receives anything of value in return for soliciting signatures on a petition is a paid canvasser. Paid canvassers are subject to certain laws that do not apply to volunteer canvassers.

H.B. 1714 further clarifies that receiving anything of value includes receiving payment for items like food, lodging, travel, bonuses, fees, gift cards, and other payments associated with obtaining signatures on a petition. This will help bring better clarity to state law.

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 and H.B. 1714 are two good bills that will help improve Arkansas’ ballot initiative process.

Below is part of Family Council President Jerry Cox’s testimony in support of H.B. 1713.

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

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Bill Filed to Strengthen Conscience Protections for Healthcare Workers

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New legislation filed on Wednesday would strengthen conscience protections for healthcare workers.

In 2021 Arkansas passed Act 462 to protects healthcare workers’ rights of conscience.

Prior to Act 462, Arkansas’ conscience protections were narrowly focused on abortion, abortifacients, and end of life decisions, and they protected only a limited number of people. Act 462 helped broaden these protections for healthcare workers.

S.B. 444 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Lee Johnson (R — Greenwood) would improve on Act 462’s conscience protections.

The bill would add whistleblower protections for healthcare workers to Arkansas’ conscience protection laws.

It also would protect healthcare workers from being penalized for engaging in free speech protected by the First Amendment, and it would clarify that medical researchers and other workers in the medical field have conscientious protections.

Arkansas has some of the best laws in the country when it comes to protecting healthcare workers’ rights of conscience. S.B. 444 would help make these good laws even better.

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

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House Committee Rejects Bad Bill Legalizing Drugs Made From Industrial Hemp

Marijuana, ,

On Wednesday the House Rules Committee rejected a bad bill that would legalize drugs made from industrial hemp in Arkansas.

In 2018 congress passed the federal Agriculture Improvement Act legalizing industrial hemp in America. “Industrial hemp” refers to varieties of the cannabis plant that are low in tetrahydrocannabinol — or THC — the main psychoactive substance in marijuana.

However, manufacturers have developed ways to extract and refine the THC in industrial hemp on a commercial scale — meaning they can produce a lot of THC to infuse into drinks, gummies, and other products made from industrial hemp.

In response, states have begun pushing back against THC products made from hemp.

Last year officials in Minnesota issued a public health warning about “high-dose hemp-derived products.”

Texas lawmakers reportedly filed legislation to ban THC statewide.

And last fall the California Department of Public Health published emergency rules prohibiting hemp products that “contain a detectable level of THC or other intoxicating cannabinoids.”

Arkansas has taken steps to restrict and prohibit these drugs as well. In 2023, state lawmakers passed Act 629 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould). This good law prohibits THC made from industrial hemp, and it contains a regulatory framework for restricting hemp products if the ban were blocked in court. The law has been tied up in federal court, but we expect a decision in the case soon.

H.B. 1722 by Rep. Jeremiah Moore (R — Clarendon) would effectively repeal Act 629 of 2023 and legalize hemp-derived products containing THC in Arkansas — including THC vapes and other THC products made from industrial hemp. The bill was presented at the House Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday. After lengthy testimony and discussion, H.B. 1722 failed to pass.

The marijuana industry did not get its way with the ballot initiative process last year. Now powerful interests want to legalize a form of recreational marijuana at the Arkansas Legislature.

H.B. 1722 would give wealthy companies a way to manufacture and sell THC and other dangerous drugs made from hemp. The bill’s regulatory framework simply won’t protect kids from being exposed to these drugs.

Policymakers could take steps to restrict drugs in Arkansas. H.B. 1722 takes Arkansas the wrong direction by legalizing these drugs instead. Fortunately, the House Rules Committee understood that and rejected this deeply flawed measure.

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

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