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Good Bill Filed Addressing Consent, Date Rape in Arkansas Code

Mar 2, 2023Jerry CoxLegislationArkansas Legislature, Sexual Assault

A new bill at the Arkansas Legislature would help address consent and date rape in Arkansas code.

H.B. 1141 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R – Elm Springs) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R – Springdale) clarifies the definitions for “consent” and “forcible compulsion” in Arkansas’ laws regarding sexual offenses.

It also amends Arkansas code concerning sexual assault of a person who is incapacitated by drugs or alcohol to make it clear that it does not matter if the person consumed the drugs or alcohol willingly.

In practice, this will help clarify Arkansas’ laws concerning date rape.

H.B. 1141 also amends Arkansas’ laws concerning child molestation, sexual assault, and incest to say that perpetrators can be prosecuted regardless of whether or not their victims consented to the sexual conduct. This will help keep certain sexual predators from evading prosecution.

This is an issue that Family Council has worked on for many years. In 2001 we supported passage of Act 1534 that made it illegal to manufacture or possess gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a designer drug linked to date rape.

Legislation like H.B. 1141 helps further strengthen Arkansas’ laws to stop sexual predators who target their victims with drugs or alcohol.

You Can Read H.B. 1141 Here.

Senate Passes Measure Authorizing Pro-Life Monument On Arkansas Capitol Grounds

Mar 2, 2023Jerry CoxAbortionAbortion, Arkansas Legislature, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

On Wednesday the Arkansas Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill placing a pro-life monument at the Arkansas Capitol.

S.B. 307 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) authorizes a monument on the state capitol grounds commemorating the unborn children whose lives were lost in abortion.

The bill estimates that between 1973 and 2022, at least 236,243 unborn children were aborted in Arkansas.

S.B. 307 authorizes a privately-funded monument “as a memorial to the lives lost from 1973 to 2022 due to the decisions of the United States Supreme Court, and as a constant reminder of our duty to protect the life of every innocent human person, no matter how young or old, or how helpless and vulnerable that person may be.”

This good memorial will honor the lives of unborn children lost to abortion on demand.

S.B. 307 now goes to the Arkansas House of Representatives.

The Following Senators Voted For S.B. 307

J. Boyd
J. Bryant
Caldwell
A. Clark
Crowell
B. Davis
Dees
J. Dotson
J. English
Flippo
Gilmore
K. Hammer
Hester
Hill
B. Johnson
M. Johnson
M. McKee
J. Payton
C. Penzo
J. Petty
Rice
Stone
G. Stubblefield
D. Sullivan
D. Wallace

The Following Senators Voted Against S.B. 307

L. Chesterfield
J. Dismang
S. Flowers
G. Leding
F. Love
R. Murdock
C. Tucker

The Following Senator Voted “Present” On S.B. 307

Hickey

The Following Senators Did Not Vote On S.B. 307

Irvin
B. King

House Rules Committee Unanimously Passes Bill Protecting Children From Internet Pornography

Mar 1, 2023Jerry CoxLegislationArkansas Legislature, Pornography

On Wednesday the House Rules Committee unanimously passed legislation to help protect children from pornography online.

S.B. 66 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R – Centerton) requires pornographic websites to implement an age verification process to protect children from pornography.

This good bill passed with nearly unanimous support in the Arkansas Senate earlier this month. On Wednesday it passed unanimously in the House Rules Committee as well.

S.B. 66 requires pornographic websites to verify users are 18 or older using a government-issued ID or another commercially available age-verification method.

In practice, this means porn sites would rely on IDs like a driver’s license to prevent minors from accessing pornographic material online.

Websites that violate S.B. 66 would be held liable under the law.

Similar legislation has been offered in other states.

Technology has given children unprecedented access to pornography. Among other things, pornography is believed to contribute to mental health problems.

S.B. 66 would help address this problem in Arkansas.

Now that the bill has passed in the House Rules Committee, S.B. 66 goes to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives for consideration.

Below is a list of the members of the House Rules Committee: