Legislation – Page 16 – Family Council

First Pro-Life Legislation of the Session Filed

Jan 16, 2015Jerry CoxLegislatureAbortion, Arkansas Legislature, Legislation, Legislature, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

Senator Missy Irvin and Representative Julie Mayberry have filed the first pro-life bills of the 2015 legislative session in Little Rock.

Senate Bill 53 and House Bill 1076 would require doctors performing a chemical abortion (using drugs such as RU-486) to be present during the procedure and make arrangements for a follow-up visit in the days after administering the drug.

Evidence from around the country suggests abortion-inducing drugs are increasingly being distributed without proper oversight from a doctor. This poses a serious threat to women’s health.

Abortion advocates often say abortion ought to be safe, legal, and rare. SB53 and HB1076 would help abortionists abide by that mantra and would curtail the proliferation of abortion-inducing drugs.

Lawmakers Looking to Abolish Lottery Commission

Jan 6, 2015Jerry Cox1 CommentArkansas LotteryArkansas Legislature, Arkansas Lottery, Legislation, Legislature, Lottery Oversight

Senator Jimmy Hickey has filed a bill that would abolish the Arkansas Lottery Commission and put the Arkansas Lottery and its director under the authority of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and the governor.

The Arkansas Lottery Commission currently operates as an independent state commission with relatively little oversight. Its nine commissioners were appointed by the governor and members of the Arkansas Legislature. Senator Hickey’s proposal would bring the state lottery under the purview of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, and it would cause the Arkansas Lottery Director to serve at the pleasure of the governor–just as virtually every other state agency director does.

This bill, presumably, is intended to bring more accountability and stability to the Arkansas Lottery. The Arkansas Lottery Commission set an unusual precedent last year when it voted to approve lottery “monitor games” despite objections from Arkansas’ lawmakers. As some legislators said last spring, the Arkansas Legislature created the Lottery Commission, and the Arkansas Legislature can change it. It seems that may be exactly what some lawmakers intend to do.

We will keep an eye on this bill as it develops at the Arkansas Legislature in the coming days. You can read Senator Hickey’s entire proposal here.

Portions of Texas’ Pro-Life Law Already Been Offered in Arkansas

Jul 16, 2013Jerry1 CommentAbortionAbortion, Arkansas Legislature, Legislation, Legislature, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

Texas recently passed a pro-life bill that has garnered a lot of national attention. Abortion advocates have tried to frame the bill as extreme. The truth is many of the bill’s provisions are commonsense regulations that have been offered in Arkansas—and actually have enjoyed a great deal of support at the Arkansas Legislature. Here are four the bill’s primary components: (more…)