Arkansas Legislature – Page 9

Arkansas Legislature Passes Bad Bill Legalizing Self-Serve Alcohol Vending Machines

Apr 6, 2023Jerry CoxAlcoholAlcohol, Arkansas Legislature

On Wednesday the Arkansas House of Representatives passed a bill authorizing alcohol sales at bars and restaurants via self-service vending machines.

S.B. 475 by Sen. Joshua Bryant (R – Rogers) amends Arkansas’ law prohibiting alcohol sales via vending machine.

The bill authorizes self-serve machines that dispense beer, wine, mixed drinks, and distilled spirits for on-premises consumption in bars and restaurants.

S.B. 475 would authorize self-serve bars and taprooms in Arkansas as other states have done.

Under S.B. 475, patrons would be provided with an radio frequency identification device device (RFID) — such as a bracelet with an RFID in it — that they could scan to activate the self-serve machine.

A person would be able to self-serve up to 32 ounces of beer, 12 ounces of wine, ten ounces of mixed liquors, or three ounces of unmixed, distilled spirits before the RFID would require reactivation by an employee at the bar or restaurant.

Among other things, self-serve alcohol consumption at bars and restaurants raises concerns about oversight and about ensuring that patrons aren’t over-served.

That is part of why Family Council opposed S.B. 475.

The bill already passed in the Arkansas Senate. It now goes to Gov. Sanders.

The Following Representatives Voted For S.B. 475

Achor
Barker
Beck
M. Berry
S. Berry
Breaux
K. Brown
M. Brown
Burkes
John Carr
Cavenaugh
Clowney
A. Collins
Dalby
Eaves
Ennett
Eubanks
D. Ferguson
K. Ferguson
C. Fite
V. Flowers
Furman
D. Garner
Gonzales
Gramlich
Hawk
D. Hodges
G. Hodges
Hollowell
Hudson
L. Johnson
Lundstrum
Lynch
Maddox
Magie
McAlindon
McCollum
McCullough
M. McElroy
McGrew
J. Moore
Nicks
Painter
Perry
Pilkington
Puryear
Ray
J. Richardson
Richmond
Rye
Schulz
Scott
R. Scott Richardson
Springer
Steimel
Unger
Warren
Watson
D. Whitaker
Womack

The Following Representatives Voted Against S.B. 475

Joey Carr
Duke
Gazaway
Jean
Ladyman
J. Mayberry
Pearce
Rose
Tosh
Vaught
Walker
Wardlaw
Wooldridge
Wooten

The Following Representatives Voted “Present”

Andrews
Beaty Jr.
Bentley
Brooks
C. Cooper
Haak
Holcomb
McClure
B. McKenzie
Milligan
K. Moore
T. Shephard
Underwood
Wing

The Following Representatives Did Not Vote

F. Allen
Cozart
Crawford
Duffield
Evans
L. Fite
Fortner
Long
McNair
S. Meeks
Miller
Speaker Shepherd

Arkansas Legislature Passes Religious Freedom Law

Apr 6, 2023Jerry CoxLegislationArkansas Legislature, Religious Freedom, Religious Liberty

On Thursday the Arkansas Legislature passed what could be the strongest religious freedom protection law in the country.

H.B. 1615, the Conscience Protection Act by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch), makes important clarifications to the state Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The bill also helps prohibit religious discrimination against individuals, business owners, and organizations that want to follow their deeply held religious convictions.

In 2015 Gov. Hutchinson signed Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. That good law has been on the books for the past eight years — but it needs to be improved upon.

Over the past decade, we have seen wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, and florist shops come under fire, because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions.

Our laws must protect religious liberty as much as possible. H.B. 1615 improves on good state law to help prevent the government from burdening the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

H.B. 1615 has already passed in the Arkansas House of Representatives, where it received very strong support. The bill now goes to Gov. Sanders to become law.

The Following Senators Voted For H.B. 1615

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

The Following Senators Voted Against H.B. 1615

G. Leding
F. Love
R. Murdock
C. Tucker

The Following Senator Did Not Vote

L. Chesterfield

The Following Senators Were Excused From Voting

Caldwell
S. Flowers

Updated: Bill Protecting Children On Social Media Narrowly Clears Arkansas Senate, Goes to Governor

Apr 6, 2023Jerry CoxLegislationArkansas Legislature, Child Welfare, Social Media

On Thursday the Arkansas Senate narrowly passed a bill that would help protect children in Arkansas from accessing social media sites without parental consent.

S.B. 396, the Social Media Safety Act, by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jon Eubanks (R – Paris) says that social media companies must use age verification to ensure minors do not access social media platforms without parental consent.

The bill contains protections for user privacy. A social media company that violated the law could be held liable.

More and more, we hear stories illustrating how social media platforms host content that isn’t suitable for children. The adults who operate these platforms should not be able to register children as users without parental consent.

In February the American Psychological Association’s Chief Science Officer told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that social media use heightens the risk of negative influences among adolescents, and that young people are accessing social media sites that promote eating disorders and other harmful behavior.

In December, news outlets reported how social media giant TikTok’s algorithm was suggesting videos that promoted self-harm and eating disorders to teenagers.

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has published an analysis determining that social media is a major cause of mental illness in girls.

And a recent CDC report found 16% of high school students were electronically bullied in 2021 through texting, Instagram, Facebook, or other social media platforms.

Legislation like S.B. 396 would help parents and social media companies protect children from harmful content online.

S.B. 396 overwhelmingly passed in the Arkansas House on Wednesday. The bill now goes to Governor Sanders to be signed into law.