Senator Rapert Files Taxpayers’ Protection Amendment

Legislature, Taxes, , ,

This morning Senator Jason Rapert (R-Bigelow) filed SJR4, the Taxpayers’ Protection Amendment.

Under his amendment a ¾ vote of the Arkansas Legislature would be necessary to levy a new tax or raise existing taxes.

A simple majority vote would allow the legislature to lower taxes or change tax deductions, exemptions, exceptions, or credits.

Senator Rapert filed a similar amendment two years ago.

Please contact your lawmakers, and ask them each to support Senator Rapert’s amendment.

  • The phone number for the Arkansas Senate is 501-682-2902.
  • The Arkansas House of Representatives is 501-682-6211.

You can read the latest version of the amendment here.

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Representative Mayberry Files First Pro-Life Bill of Session

Abortion, Legislation, Legislature, , , , , ,

Rep. Andy Mayberry (R-Hensley) has filed the first pro-life bill of the session.

H.B. 1037, also known as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, prohibits abortion once an unborn child is capable of feeling pain—roughly twenty weeks into a pregnancy—except to save the life of the mother or prevent “substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.”

The bill has more than fifty sponsors in the House of Representatives, meaning if it makes it out of the House Public Health Committee, it is bound to pass the entire House.

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For “Fiscal” Session, Lot of Non-Budget Items Filed

Legislature, ,

Four years ago, Arkansans approved a ballot issue authorizing the Arkansas Legislature to meet every year instead of every other year.

The idea was that lawmakers would use sessions during odd-number years to pass legislation and outline fiscal policy, and meet during the even-number years (like this year) to focus exclusively on the state’s budget and make fiscal appropriations. The past two years, that has worked just fine. This year, however, things are a little different.

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