Legislation – Page 17 – Family Council

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…)

Family Council Says SJR16 Will Arbitrarily Restrict Petition Process

Apr 19, 2013JerryLegislation, NewsArkansas Legislature, Legislation, Legislature, News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 19, 2013

On Friday, Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement regarding the Arkansas House of Representatives’ referral of Senate Joint Resolution 16.

“SJR16 is a serious issue,” Cox said. “It’s going to have a chilling effect on grassroots petition efforts.”

Cox said the resolution was presented as an anti-fraud measure, but has little to do with preventing fraud. “Petition fraud is already a crime. SJR16 doesn’t make fraud any more criminal. It doesn’t provide more oversight to prevent fraud. All it does it make it harder for citizens to place a measure on the ballot via the petition process. That’s it.

“We don’t try to prevent slander or libel by outlawing free speech. We shouldn’t try to prevent petition fraud by arbitrarily restricting the petition process.”

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