Bill Filed Letting Colleges, Universities Offer Raffles During Sporting Events

Gambling,

A bill filed at the Arkansas Capitol on Thursday would authorize colleges and universities in Arkansas to offer raffles during sporting events.

Currently, Arkansas’ Charitable Bingo and Raffles laws let non-profit charities conduct bingo and sell raffle tickets as part of their fundraising efforts. State reports indicate the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration issued 719 bingo and raffle licenses to charities last fiscal year.

H.B. 1044 by Rep. R. J. Hawk (R — Bryant) and Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R — Little Rock), the Arkansas Sports Raffle Act, would let colleges and universities conduct raffles in-person or online during sporting events. Schools would be able to sell raffle tickets themselves or use a nonprofit charity affiliated with the school conduct the raffle. The bill contains a provision preventing casinos from operating or administering a raffle on a school’s behalf.

Schools could use raffle proceeds to benefit school athletic programs — including purchasing and maintaining athletic facilities or providing financial aid, scholarships, stipends, and other compensation to student-athletes.

Family Council is currently neutral regarding H.B. 1044. Family Council has never opposed charitable bingo or charitable raffles that benefit nonprofit groups as long as the charities themselves were the ones who administered the raffle. H.B. 1044 addresses that concern by making it clear that casinos cannot conduct raffles. We plan to continue monitoring and reporting on this bill.

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

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Bad Bill Would Prohibit Healthcare Professionals From Helping People Overcome Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction, Gender Confusion

Transgender, ,

On Wednesday Rep. Andrew Collins (D – Little Rock) filed a bill prohibiting so-called “conversion therapy” in Arkansas.

H.B. 1032 would prevent healthcare professionals from helping people overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion.

However, the bill would permit pro-LGBT counseling.

In other words, H.B. 1032 would let counselors, doctors, and other healthcare professionals encourage people to accept same-sex attraction or disagree with their biological sex, but healthcare professionals would not be able to help them overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or accept their biological sex.

H.B. 1032 would threaten the free speech and the free exercise of religion among licensed healthcare professionals. It fails to account for the fact that many medical professionals, such as the American College of Pediatricians, believe that it is deeply harmful to encourage a child to disagree with his or her biological sex. The bill does not contain any exceptions for healthcare professionals who have deeply-held religious convictions against performing pro-LGBT counseling.

Simply put: H.B. 1032 is a radical, pro-LGBT proposal that would hurt Arkansans. You Can Read The Bill Here.

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

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Bill Filed to Repeal Pro-Life Laws, Legalize Abortion in Arkansas

Abortion, , , ,

On Wednesday Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) filed a bill repealing virtually all of Arkansas’ pro-life laws and legalizing abortion in the state.

State law currently prohibits abortion except to save the life of the mother. The law also contains clear exceptions for ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage treatment, and other situations.

Prior to the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Arkansas had enacted more than 50 laws restricting or prohibiting abortion — including laws concerning parental-consent and informed-consent for abortion, and laws preventing public funds from going to abortionists or their affiliates.

H.B. 1011 — the “Restore Roe Act” by Rep. Collins — is a bad bill that would repeal Arkansas’ pro-life laws and legalize abortion throughout the state.

The measure is nearly 128 pages long. It not only legalizes abortion in Arkansas, but it also strikes virtually all of the good, pro-life laws that Arkansas passed prior to 2022.

Arkansans do not support elective abortion. Time and again, public opinion polling has shown Arkansas voters believe abortion ought to be either completely illegal or limited to certain circumstances. Arkansas’ current laws reflect that.

H.B. 1011 would erase nearly four decades of good laws that protect women and unborn children from abortion. Family Council has worked for 35 years to promote and protect the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life, and we remain firmly committed to stopping abortion in Arkansas.

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

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