Arkansas Senate Passes Bad “Hate Crimes” Bill

Hate Crimes,

On Wednesday the Arkansas Senate passed S.B. 622, a bad bill widely being referred to as a “hate crimes” measure.

As we have written repeatedly, S.B. 622 is vague and subjective.

The bill is so ambiguous that it’s impossible to know just how far-reaching this legislation may be.

S.B. 622 fails to define important terms like ‘recognizable and identifiable.’

Its protections for religious liberty are not adequate.

It does not contain sufficient safeguards to prevent cities and counties from enacting their own, more stringent hate crimes ordinances.

It does not do enough to protect free speech or prevent thought-policing.

The bill now goes to the Arkansas House for consideration.

Below is a breakdown of the vote on S.B. 622.

The Following Senators Voted FOR S.B. 622

  • B. Ballinger
  • Beckham
  • Bledsoe
  • Caldwell
  • B. Davis
  • J. Dismang
  • L. Eads
  • J. English
  • Flippo
  • T. Garner
  • K. Hammer
  • J. Hendren
  • Hester
  • Hickey
  • Irvin
  • B. Johnson
  • M. Pitsch
  • Rice
  • B. Sample
  • J. Sturch
  • D. Sullivan
  • D. Wallace

The Following Senators Voted AGAINST S.B. 622

  • L. Chesterfield
  • Elliott
  • S. Flowers
  • K. Ingram
  • G. Leding
  • Teague
  • C. Tucker

The Following Senators Voted “Present” on S.B. 622

  • Gilmore
  • Hill
  • M. Johnson
  • Rapert
  • G. Stubblefield

The Following Senator Was Excused

  • A. Clark

READ MORE

Legislation Filed to Protect Physical Privacy in Arkansas

LGBT, ,

On Wednesday Rep. Cindy Crawford (R – Fort Smith) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R – Branch) filed H.B. 1882.

This good bill protects physical privacy and safety of Arkansans in showers, locker rooms, changing facilities, and restrooms on government property.

The bill is narrowly tailored.

H.B. 1882 does not affect private businesses like Walmart or Target. It only applies to facilities on government property — such as public schools, state parks, and government buildings.

H.B. 1882 requires a person using a public shower, locker room, restroom, or similar facility on government property to use the facility that corresponds to the person’s biological sex.

The bill also provides reasonable accommodations for transgender individuals.

Read The Bill Here.

READ MORE

Arkansas Enacts Good Laws Protecting Women, Unborn Children From Abortion Drugs

Abortion, , ,

On Monday Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed two good, pro-life laws protecting women and unborn children from dangerous abortion-inducing drugs.

The first was H.B. 1572 — now Act 560 of of 2021.

This good law by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R – Springdale) and Sen. Scott Flippo (R – Mountain Home) outlines the informed-consent process for chemical abortion. Arkansas’ current informed-consent laws for abortion are geared primarily for surgical abortion procedures. Act 560 will help ensure women get all the facts about chemical abortion — including its risks, consequences, and pro-life alternatives.

This will help women choose options besides abortion.

The second was H.B. 1402 — now Act 562 of 2021.

This good law by Rep. Sonia Barker (R – Smackover) and Sen. Blake Johnson (R – Corning) updates Arkansas’ restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs like RU-486. It outlines requirements that abortionists must follow in administering abortion-inducing drugs, and it prohibits abortion drugs from being delivered by mail in Arkansas. It also updates current law to ensure doctors who perform chemical abortions are credentialed to handle abortion complications and can transfer the woman to a hospital if she experiences complications.

This will help protect women and unborn children from abortion-inducing drugs.

In 2019 two out of five abortions performed in Arkansas were chemical abortions that used the RU-486 regimen.

With chemical abortion on the rise — and with the Biden Administration expected to relax the rules for RU-486 in the coming months — it’s more important than ever before that states make sure women get all the facts about abortion-inducing drugs and protect women and unborn children from these dangerous abortion methods.

Act 560 and Act 562 will protect women and help save unborn children from abortion. That’s something to celebrate.

READ MORE