On Tuesday, the House Public Health Committee passed a conscience protection measure.
S.B. 444 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Lee Johnson (R — Greenwood) strengthens the healthcare workers’ rights of conscience law Arkansas passed in 2021. Among other things, this good bill adds whistleblower protections for healthcare workers, and it helps protect all medical professionals from having their rights of conscience violated.
In 2021, Arkansas passed Act 462 protecting healthcare workers’ rights of conscience.
Before that law passed, Arkansas’ conscience protections were narrowly focused on abortion and end of life decisions, and they protected very few people. Act 462 helped broaden those protections and apply them to all healthcare workers.
S.B. 444 will help enhance the conscience protections Arkansas enacted four years ago. It now goes to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives for a vote.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
On Tuesday the Arkansas Legislature passed a good law to help teach public school students about unborn children.
Similar legislation reportedly has passed in North Dakota, Tennessee, Idaho, and Kansas.
S.B. 450 by Sen. Breanne Davis (R — Russellville) and Rep. Kendra Moore (R — Lincoln) lets public school students see a recording of a high-definition ultrasound video as part of human fetal growth and development education courses.
The law also makes it possible for students to learn important facts about how unborn children develop in the womb.
This year Arkansas lawmakers filed several good bills to teach students about unborn children.
H.B. 1180 by Rep. Mary Bentley (R — Perryville) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R — Springdale) would ensure public schools show students a high-definition ultrasound video that is at least three minutes long as part of sex-education and human growth and development education courses. The bill also makes it possible for students to see a video like Live Action’s computer-animated “Meet Baby Olivia” video that teaches about human development from conception to birth.
And H.B. 1946 by Rep. Bentley and Sen. Penzo requires public school human growth and development courses in grades 6 – 12 to include a three-minute high-definition ultrasound video and a high-quality, computer animated video depicting the process of fertilization and every stage of fetal development. Under H.B. 1946, this instruction would be included in biology instruction and in courses related to sex-education.
S.B. 450 received overwhelming support in the Arkansas Senate and House of Representatives. With its passage, Arkansas becomes the fifth state in America to provide fetal development and ultrasound education to public school students.
As we have said time and again, ultrasound images help demonstrate that unborn children are human beings.
Very few medical advancements have done more to change hearts and minds on abortion than ultrasound technology. In fact, research has shown that some women are less likely to have an abortion if they see an ultrasound image of their unborn child.
S.B. 450 will help teach students that unborn children are living human beings. Family Council is pleased to support this good law.
The Following Representatives Voted For S.B. 450
Achor
Andrews
Barker
Beaty Jr.
Beck
Bentley
Breaux
Brooks
A. Brown
K. Brown
M. Brown
N. Burkes
R. Burkes
Joey Carr
John Carr
Cavenaugh
Childress
C. Cooper
Cozart
Crawford
Dalby
Duffield
Duke
Eaton
Eaves
Eubanks
Furman
Gazaway
Gonzales
Gramlich
Hall
Hawk
Henley
Holcomb
Hollowell
Jean
L. Johnson
Ladyman
Long
Lundstrum
Lynch
Maddox
Magie
J. Mayberry
McAlindon
McClure
McCollum
M. McElroy
McGrew
B. McKenzie
McNair
S. Meeks
Milligan
J. Moore
K. Moore
Nazarenko
Painter
Pearce
Pilkington
Puryear
Ray
Richmond
Rose
Rye
Schulz
R. Scott Richardson
M. Shepherd
Steimel
Torres
Tosh
Underwood
Unger
Vaught
Walker
Wardlaw
Warren
Wing
Womack
Wooldridge
Wooten
Speaker Evans
The Following Representatives Voted Against S.B. 450
Barnett
Clowney
A. Collins
Ennett
D. Garner
Hudson
McCullough
McGruder
T. Shephard
Springer
Steele
D. Whitaker
Gonzales Worthen
The Following Representatives Did Not Vote
F. Allen
Barnes
S. Berry
K. Ferguson
Perry
J. Richardson
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
On Monday the Arkansas Legislature passed a good bill to protect Arkansans from dangerous drugs like THC made from industrial hemp.
THC is the main psychoactive drug in marijuana.
In 2018, Congress passed the federal Agriculture Improvement Act legalizing industrial hemp — or cannabis — that is low in THC. The goal was to let farmers grow cannabis plants for use in textiles like rope or cloth, but manufacturers have found ways to extract and refine the little bit of THC in industrial hemp. Doing this on a commercial scale means they can produce a lot of THC to infuse into drinks, candies, e-cigarettes, and other products.
In response, many state and federal policymakers have pushed back against these dangerous drugs.
Massachusetts, South Dakota, California, and many other states have successfully prohibited food, drinks, and other products that contain THC made from hemp.
In 2023, Arkansas passed Act 629 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) to prohibit THC made from industrial hemp.
Family Council supported that good law, and the legislature voted to pass it.
However, members of the hemp industry filed a lawsuit against Act 629, and the law has been tied up in federal court ever since.
This year Sen. Dees and Rep. Gazaway filed S.B. 533 to address the issues raised in the lawsuit over Act 629.
S.B. 533 is a good bill that will help prohibit intoxicating hemp products that contain THC and other drugs in Arkansas if Act 629 is ruled unconstitutional.
The bill effectively stops THC and other drugs made from hemp from being put into food or drinks sold in the state.
It also ensures other hemp products — like CBD oil or cosmetics — do not contain dangerous drugs or other contaminants.
On Monday the Arkansas House of Representatives passed S.B. 533. The bill had previously passed the Arkansas Senate. It now goes to Governor Sanders to be signed into law.
We deeply appreciate Sen. Dees, Rep. Gazaway, and the Arkansas Legislature for taking this issue seriously, and for passing a good law to help protect Arkansans from dangerous drugs.
The Following Representatives Voted For S.B. 533
Achor
Andrews
Barker
Beaty Jr.
Beck
Bentley
S. Berry
Breaux
Brooks
A. Brown
K. Brown
M. Brown
N. Burkes
R. Burkes
Joey Carr
Cavenaugh
Childress
Clowney
A. Collins
Crawford
Dalby
Duke
Eaves
Ennett
Eubanks
K. Ferguson
Furman
Gazaway
Gramlich
Hall
Hawk
Henley
Holcomb
Hudson
Jean
L. Johnson
Ladyman
Lundstrum
Maddox
Magie
J. Mayberry
McAlindon
McClure
McCollum
M. McElroy
McNair
Milligan
K. Moore
Nazarenko
Painter
Pearce
Perry
Ray
Richmond
Rose
Rye
Schulz
R. Scott Richardson
M. Shepherd
Steele
Steimel
Torres
Tosh
Underwood
Unger
Vaught
Walker
Wardlaw
D. Whitaker
Wooldridge
Wooten
Gonzales Worthen
The Following Representatives Voted Against S.B. 533
Duffield
Eaton
Gonzales
B. McKenzie
J. Moore
Puryear
Warren
Womack
The Following Representatives Voted “Present”
Barnett
John Carr
D. Garner
Long
McCullough
McGrew
S. Meeks
The Following Representatives Did Not Vote
F. Allen
Barnes
C. Cooper
Cozart
Hollowell
Lynch
McGruder
Pilkington
J. Richardson
T. Shephard
Springer
Wing
Speaker Evans
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
