Good Legislation Filed to Increase Arkansas Lottery’s Scholarship Budget

Arkansas Lottery,

On Wednesday Sen. Charles Beckham (R – McNeil) and Rep. Richard Womack (R – Arkadelphia) filed S.B. 649.

This is a really good bill that requires the Arkansas Lottery to increase the percentage of its revenue budgeted for scholarships over the next six years.

Right now the Arkansas Lottery allocates around 16% of its gross revenue for scholarships. S.B. 649 would require the Lottery to increase that percentage annually until it reaches 25% in Fiscal Year 2027.

Arkansas should be able to do this.

The typical state lottery budgets approximately 30% of its gross revenue for education; Louisiana requires its lottery to budget at least 25%.

If other states can do it, so can Arkansas.

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Arkansas Senate Passes Measure Restricting Abortion Facilities

Abortion,

On Wednesday the Arkansas Senate passed S.B. 388 by a vote of 28 to six.

This good bill by Sen. Charles Beckham (R – McNeil) and Rep. Joe Cloud (R – Russellville) requires any facility that performs abortions to be licensed by the Arkansas Department of Health as an abortion facility.

S.B. 388 also prohibits abortions in hospitals except in cases of medical emergency.

Under current law, clinics are not required to be licensed or inspected as abortion facilities unless they perform more than ten abortions in a month.

This means that a clinic potentially could perform more than 100 abortions per year without being licensed or inspected as an abortion facility.

S.B. 388 addresses this problem in state law.

This bill will make it easier for the Arkansas Department of Health to enforce existing pro-life laws that restrict abortion at abortion facilities.

S.B. 388 will ensure that every clinic that performs abortions is licensed and inspected, and that Arkansas’ laws against abortion are properly followed.

The bill now goes to the Arkansas House for consideration.

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Arkansas House Passes Bill to Help Keep Planned Parenthood Out of Public Schools

Abortion,

On Wednesday the Arkansas House of Representatives passed H.B. 1592 by a vote of 73 to 18.

This good bill by Rep. Mark Lowery (R – Maumelle) prohibits public schools in Arkansas from engaging in transactions with abortion providers.

The measure is similar to H.B. 1589 that recently passed into law.

Planned Parenthood has issued multiple statements opposing this good bill.

We have written many times about Planned Parenthood’s efforts to gain access to public school students in Arkansas.

H.B. 1592 will help make sure Planned Parenthood and other abortionists don’t work their way into our state’s public schools.

H.B. 1592 now goes to the Arkansas Senate for consideration.

Below is a breakdown of the vote on H.B. 1592 in the Arkansas House of Representatives.

Voted FOR H.B. 1592

  • Barker
  • Beatty Jr.
  • Beck
  • Bentley
  • S. Berry
  • M. Berry
  • Boyd
  • Bragg
  • Breaux
  • Brooks
  • Brown
  • Bryant
  • Carr
  • Cavenaugh
  • Christiansen
  • Cloud
  • Coleman
  • C. Cooper
  • Cozart
  • Crawford
  • Dalby
  • M. Davis
  • Deffenbaugh
  • Eaves
  • Eubanks
  • Evans
  • C. Fite
  • L. Fite
  • Fortner
  • Furman
  • Gazaway
  • Gonzales
  • M. Gray
  • Haak
  • Hawks
  • Holcomb
  • Hollowell
  • Jean
  • Jett
  • L. Johnson
  • Ladyman
  • Lowery
  • Lundstrum
  • Lynch
  • Maddox
  • J. Mayberry
  • McClure
  • McCollum
  • M. McElroy
  • McGrew
  • McKenzie
  • McNair
  • S. Meeks
  • Miller
  • Milligan
  • Penzo
  • Pilkington
  • Ray
  • Richmond
  • Rye
  • B. Smith
  • S. Smith
  • Speaks
  • Tollett
  • Tosh
  • Underwood
  • Vaught
  • Wardlaw
  • Warren
  • Watson
  • Wing
  • Womack
  • Wooten

Voted AGAINST H.B. 1592

  • F. Allen
  • Clowney
  • A. Collins
  • Ennett
  • D. Ferguson
  • V. Flowers
  • D. Garner
  • Godfrey
  • M. Hodges
  • Hudson
  • Love
  • Magie
  • McCullough
  • Murdock
  • Richardson
  • Scott
  • Springer
  • D. Whitaker

Did Not Vote

  • Dotson
  • K. Ferguson
  • Fielding
  • Hillman
  • Nicks
  • Payton
  • Perry
  • Slape
  • Shepherd

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