Unpacking Arkansas’ New Term Limits Law

1 CommentLegislature,

Rep. Clemmer and Sen. RapertWhen Arkansans headed to the polls earlier this month, many of them probably did not realize one of the items on the ballot was an extension of term limits for lawmakers.

Up until 1992 there was no limit on the number of years a person could hold office in Arkansas. Then, 22 years ago, Arkansans chose to institute a limit. At most, a person could serve 6 years in the Arkansas House of Representatives (3 terms); 8 years in the Arkansas Senate (2 terms); and 8 years (2 terms) in any constitutional office, like Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and so on. Once you max out the number of years you can serve in an office, you’re done; you can never run for that office again.

This has left many elected officials hopping from office to office. Where once upon a time a person might serve 30 years in the Arkansas House of Representatives, today a lawmaker typically starts in the House; runs for the Arkansas Senate after 4-6 years; serves 8 years in the Senate; and then makes a run at a constitutional office, like Secretary of State, or gets a job in a state department or agency. The result is many of the legislators in the House of Representatives are brand new lawmakers while some of the members of the executive branch have been coming out to the Capitol for 20 years or more.

There is little doubt term limits is popular in Arkansas. When it was proposed in 1992, it received nearly 60% of the vote. Every attempt to change term limits was rejected–until November 4 of this year.

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Researchers: Marijuana Smoke as Dangerous as Tobacco Smoke

Marijuana

Preliminary findings in a study on marijuana reveal secondhand marijuana smoke may be as dangerous as secondhand cigarette smoke.

Matthew Springer, associate professor of medicine at University of California San Francisco and one of the authors of this newest study, says, “Both tobacco and marijuana smoke impair blood vessel function similarly. People should avoid both, and governments who are protecting people against secondhand smoke exposure should include marijuana in those rules.”

Researchers found blood vessel function in laboratory rats was reduced by 70% following exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke–similar to levels found as a result of tobacco smoke. Reduced blood vessel function can lead to serious health complications, including heart attack.

This research raises many questions. If secondhand marijuana smoke is dangerous, how safe can firsthand marijuana smoke possibly be? And just how safe are other methods of marijuana consumption? After all, many of them have not been thoroughly researched.

These latest findings underscore, once again, that marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Read more about this latest research here.

Read our most popular blog post of all time, “Busting the Myth Marijuana is Harmless,” here.

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News Release: Citizens to Rally for Traditional Marriage

Marriage,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Little Rock, Ark. – On Wednesday, November 19, at 11:00 AM Arkansans will gather on the steps of the Arkansas Capitol Building in Little Rock to rally in support of traditional marriage. The rally comes on the eve of oral arguments at the Arkansas Supreme Court concerning the fate of the state’s Defense of Marriage Act and the 2004 Arkansas Marriage Amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Speakers at the rally will include Josh Duggar of Family Research Council Action; Jerry Cox of Family Council; State Senator Bart Hester; State Representative Bob Ballinger; Pastor Happy Caldwell of Victory Television Network; and Pastor Derick Easter of New St. Hurricane Missionary Baptist Church in Pine Bluff.

In May Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza struck down the state’s marriage laws. Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement ahead of the rally, saying, “We are gathering to ask the Arkansas Supreme Court to honor our vote. Arkansans voted overwhelmingly to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The question before the court is who gets to make the laws in Arkansas: The voters or one judge in Little Rock?”

Cox said he believes Americans are tired of judges overriding voters. “Our government is supposed to be of the people by the people for the people. That applies to every branch of government, including the judicial branch. A few folks have begun calling for a new law allowing voters to recall a judge in the middle of a term if they don’t like how that judge has ruled. If the Arkansas Supreme Court chooses to ignore all the voters who believe marriage ought to be between a man and a woman, I would expect those calls for judicial reform to intensify.”

Cox said he hopes the Arkansas Supreme Court will respect the will of the people by upholding the state’s marriage laws. “Nearly one in ten voters signed the petition to put the Arkansas Marriage Amendment on the ballot in 2004. Seventy-five percent of voters voted for it. Ten years later, most Arkansans still believe marriage ought to be between one man and one woman. I hope the state Supreme Court respects voters enough to uphold the amendment Arkansans worked so hard to pass.”

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