Senate Passes Measure Authorizing Pro-Life Monument On Arkansas Capitol Grounds

Abortion, , , ,

On Wednesday the Arkansas Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill placing a pro-life monument at the Arkansas Capitol.

S.B. 307 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) authorizes a monument on the state capitol grounds commemorating the unborn children whose lives were lost in abortion.

The bill estimates that between 1973 and 2022, at least 236,243 unborn children were aborted in Arkansas.

S.B. 307 authorizes a privately-funded monument “as a memorial to the lives lost from 1973 to 2022 due to the decisions of the United States Supreme Court, and as a constant reminder of our duty to protect the life of every innocent human person, no matter how young or old, or how helpless and vulnerable that person may be.”

This good memorial will honor the lives of unborn children lost to abortion on demand.

S.B. 307 now goes to the Arkansas House of Representatives.

The Following Senators Voted For S.B. 307

  • J. Boyd
  • J. Bryant
  • Caldwell
  • A. Clark
  • Crowell
  • B. Davis
  • Dees
  • J. Dotson
  • J. English
  • Flippo
  • Gilmore
  • K. Hammer
  • Hester
  • Hill
  • B. Johnson
  • M. Johnson
  • M. McKee
  • J. Payton
  • C. Penzo
  • J. Petty
  • Rice
  • Stone
  • G. Stubblefield
  • D. Sullivan
  • D. Wallace

The Following Senators Voted Against S.B. 307

  • L. Chesterfield
  • J. Dismang
  • S. Flowers
  • G. Leding
  • F. Love
  • R. Murdock
  • C. Tucker

The Following Senator Voted “Present” On S.B. 307

  • Hickey

The Following Senators Did Not Vote On S.B. 307

  • Irvin
  • B. King

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House Rules Committee Unanimously Passes Bill Protecting Children From Internet Pornography

Legislation,

On Wednesday the House Rules Committee unanimously passed legislation to help protect children from pornography online.

S.B. 66 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R – Centerton) requires pornographic websites to implement an age verification process to protect children from pornography.

This good bill passed with nearly unanimous support in the Arkansas Senate earlier this month. On Wednesday it passed unanimously in the House Rules Committee as well.

S.B. 66 requires pornographic websites to verify users are 18 or older using a government-issued ID or another commercially available age-verification method.

In practice, this means porn sites would rely on IDs like a driver’s license to prevent minors from accessing pornographic material online.

Websites that violate S.B. 66 would be held liable under the law.

Similar legislation has been offered in other states.

Technology has given children unprecedented access to pornography. Among other things, pornography is believed to contribute to mental health problems.

S.B. 66 would help address this problem in Arkansas.

Now that the bill has passed in the House Rules Committee, S.B. 66 goes to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives for consideration.

Below is a list of the members of the House Rules Committee:

  • Representative DeAnn Vaught
  • Representative Shad Pearce
  • Representative Frances Cavenaugh
  • Representative Carol Dalby
  • Representative Matt Duffield
  • Representative Jon S. Eubanks
  • Representative Kenneth B. Ferguson
  • Representative Lanny Fite
  • Representative Mike Holcomb
  • Representative Lane Jean
  • Representative Stephen Magie
  • Representative Jeremiah Moore
  • Representative Milton Nicks, Jr.
  • Representative Dwight Tosh
  • Representative Jeff Wardlaw

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Committee Passes Bill to Let Human Trafficking Victims Take Traffickers to Court

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Above: Family Council staff member Charisse Dean (left) and Sen. Irvin (right) testify in support of S.B. 282 in committee.

On Wednesday the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill that creates a civil cause of action for human trafficking victims in Arkansas.

S.B. 282 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R – Mountain View) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) makes it easier for victims of human trafficking to sue their traffickers and those who profited from the trafficking.

Besides being criminally liable, S.B. 282 makes it clear that a person is civilly liable in court if they engaged in human trafficking or if they knew or should have known that a victim was being trafficked, and if they benefitted from the trafficking.

A motel in Springdale made headlines last year after a lawsuit revealed that the motel permitted a teenage girl to be trafficked at the motel over the course of three years.

It is possible that the crime might have been discovered much sooner if the motel’s management had not facilitated the human trafficking.

Human traffickers should go to prison, and those who aid or abet human trafficking should be held accountable. S.B. 282 will help do exactly that.

Family Council is pleased to support this good bill.

S.B. 282 now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for consideration.

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