Arkansas Legislature – Page 10

Arkansas Legislature Passes Bill to Keep Pro-Abortion Groups Out of Public Schools

Apr 6, 2023Jerry CoxAbortionAbortion, Arkansas Legislature, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

On Wednesday the Arkansas House of Representatives passed a measure that will help keep pro-abortion groups out of Arkansas’ public schools.

S.B. 466 by Sen. Jim Dotson (R – Bentonville) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R – Smackover) says that a public school or open-enrollment public charter school shall not knowingly enter into any type of transaction with an individual or entity that offers or provides abortion referrals.

Arkansas law already prevents schools from contracting with organizations that perform abortions.

Now that Arkansas generally prohibits abortion except to save the life of the mother, state law needs to clarify that public schools won’t contract with pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood that refer women to abortion facilities out of state.

S.B. 466 is a good bill that will help keep public schools from working with pro-abortion organizations in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Senate already has passed this good bill. S.B. 466 now goes to Gov. Sanders to become law.

The Following Representatives Voted For S.B. 466

Achor
Andrews
Barker
Beaty Jr.
Beck
M. Berry
S. Berry
Breaux
Brooks
K. Brown
M. Brown
Burkes
Joey Carr
John Carr
Cavenaugh
C. Cooper
Cozart
Crawford
Dalby
Duffield
Duke
Eaves
Eubanks
Evans
C. Fite
L. Fite
Furman
Gazaway
Gonzales
Gramlich
Haak
Hawk
D. Hodges
G. Hodges
Holcomb
Hollowell
Jean
L. Johnson
Ladyman
Long
Lundstrum
Lynch
Maddox
J. Mayberry
McAlindon
McClure
McCollum
M. McElroy
McGrew
B. McKenzie
McNair
S. Meeks
Milligan
J. Moore
K. Moore
Nicks
Painter
Pearce
Pilkington
Puryear
Ray
Richmond
Rose
Rye
Schulz
R. Scott Richardson
Steimel
Tosh
Underwood
Unger
Vaught
Walker
Wardlaw
Warren
Watson
Wing
Womack
Wooldridge
Wooten

The Following Voted Against S.B. 466

F. Allen
Clowney
A. Collins
Ennett
D. Ferguson
V. Flowers
D. Garner
Hudson
McCullough
Scott
T. Shephard
Springer
D. Whitaker

The Following Voted “Present”

Perry

The Following Did Not Vote

Bentley
K. Ferguson
Fortner
Magie
Miller
J. Richardson
Mr. Speaker

Arkansas Legislature Passes Bad Bill Legalizing Self-Serve Alcohol Vending Machines

Apr 6, 2023Jerry CoxAlcoholAlcohol, Arkansas Legislature

On Wednesday the Arkansas House of Representatives passed a bill authorizing alcohol sales at bars and restaurants via self-service vending machines.

S.B. 475 by Sen. Joshua Bryant (R – Rogers) amends Arkansas’ law prohibiting alcohol sales via vending machine.

The bill authorizes self-serve machines that dispense beer, wine, mixed drinks, and distilled spirits for on-premises consumption in bars and restaurants.

S.B. 475 would authorize self-serve bars and taprooms in Arkansas as other states have done.

Under S.B. 475, patrons would be provided with an radio frequency identification device device (RFID) — such as a bracelet with an RFID in it — that they could scan to activate the self-serve machine.

A person would be able to self-serve up to 32 ounces of beer, 12 ounces of wine, ten ounces of mixed liquors, or three ounces of unmixed, distilled spirits before the RFID would require reactivation by an employee at the bar or restaurant.

Among other things, self-serve alcohol consumption at bars and restaurants raises concerns about oversight and about ensuring that patrons aren’t over-served.

That is part of why Family Council opposed S.B. 475.

The bill already passed in the Arkansas Senate. It now goes to Gov. Sanders.

The Following Representatives Voted For S.B. 475

Achor
Barker
Beck
M. Berry
S. Berry
Breaux
K. Brown
M. Brown
Burkes
John Carr
Cavenaugh
Clowney
A. Collins
Dalby
Eaves
Ennett
Eubanks
D. Ferguson
K. Ferguson
C. Fite
V. Flowers
Furman
D. Garner
Gonzales
Gramlich
Hawk
D. Hodges
G. Hodges
Hollowell
Hudson
L. Johnson
Lundstrum
Lynch
Maddox
Magie
McAlindon
McCollum
McCullough
M. McElroy
McGrew
J. Moore
Nicks
Painter
Perry
Pilkington
Puryear
Ray
J. Richardson
Richmond
Rye
Schulz
Scott
R. Scott Richardson
Springer
Steimel
Unger
Warren
Watson
D. Whitaker
Womack

The Following Representatives Voted Against S.B. 475

Joey Carr
Duke
Gazaway
Jean
Ladyman
J. Mayberry
Pearce
Rose
Tosh
Vaught
Walker
Wardlaw
Wooldridge
Wooten

The Following Representatives Voted “Present”

Andrews
Beaty Jr.
Bentley
Brooks
C. Cooper
Haak
Holcomb
McClure
B. McKenzie
Milligan
K. Moore
T. Shephard
Underwood
Wing

The Following Representatives Did Not Vote

F. Allen
Cozart
Crawford
Duffield
Evans
L. Fite
Fortner
Long
McNair
S. Meeks
Miller
Speaker Shepherd

Arkansas Legislature Passes Religious Freedom Law

Apr 6, 2023Jerry CoxLegislationArkansas Legislature, Religious Freedom, Religious Liberty

On Thursday the Arkansas Legislature passed what could be the strongest religious freedom protection law in the country.

H.B. 1615, the Conscience Protection Act by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch), makes important clarifications to the state Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The bill also helps prohibit religious discrimination against individuals, business owners, and organizations that want to follow their deeply held religious convictions.

In 2015 Gov. Hutchinson signed Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. That good law has been on the books for the past eight years — but it needs to be improved upon.

Over the past decade, we have seen wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, and florist shops come under fire, because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions.

Our laws must protect religious liberty as much as possible. H.B. 1615 improves on good state law to help prevent the government from burdening the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

H.B. 1615 has already passed in the Arkansas House of Representatives, where it received very strong support. The bill now goes to Gov. Sanders to become law.