House Committee Advances Pro-Life City Legislation

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Family Council President Jerry Cox and Rep. Kendon Underwood testify in favor of H.B. 1544 before the House City, County, and Local Affairs Committee.

On Monday the House City, County, and Local Affairs Committee passed H.B. 1544 Rep. Kendon Underwood (R – Cave Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R – Branch). The bill affirms the rights of cities and towns across Arkansas to declare themselves pro-life.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that cities can pass pro-life resolutions. H.B. 1544 affirms that right and helps outline how a city in Arkansas can exercise its right to declare itself pro-life.

The bill passed 12 to 6 in committee Monday. It now goes to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives.

Below is a breakdown of the committee vote on H.B. 1544.

Voted For H.B. 1544

  • Rep. Mike Holcomb
  • Rep. Frances Cavenaugh
  • Rep. Johnny Rye
  • Rep. Keith Slape
  • Rep. Richard McGrew
  • Rep. David Tollett
  • Rep. Howard Beaty
  • Rep. Delia Haak
  • Rep. John Carr
  • Rep. Kendon Underwood
  • Rep. Joshua Paul Bryant
  • Rep. Lanny Fite

Voted Against H.B. 1544

  • Rep. Mark Perry
  • Rep. Jamie Scott
  • Rep. Megan Godfrey
  • Rep. Andrew Collins
  • Rep. Tippi McCullough
  • Rep. Milton Nicks

Did Not Vote

  • Rep. Carol Dalby
  • Rep. Les Warren

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Legislation Clarifies Arkansas’ Video Voyeurism Law

Legislature,

On Monday Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) filed H.B. 1586 clarifying Arkansas’ law concerning video voyeurism.

The bill makes simple changes to state law that help clarify Arkansas’ video voyeurism statutes.

This is an issue that Family Council has worked on in the past.

In 2007 we helped secure passage of Act 187 strengthening Arkansas’ anti-voyeurism laws.

At the time, advances in technology had made it possible for voyeurs to take inappropriate pictures of people using cameras hidden in shoes, backpacks, and elsewhere. Act 187 of 2007 helped update Arkansas law to keep pace with changes in technology.

H.B. 1586 makes simple changes to Arkansas’ video voyeurism law that help clarify and strengthen the law even further.

Read The Bill Here.

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Bill Filed to Protect Mental Health Patients From Inappropriate Marijuana Certification

Marijuana,

Recently Rep. Delia Haak (R – Gentry) and Sen. David Wallace (R – Leachville) filed H.B. 1566 at the Arkansas Legislature.

This good bill requires marijuana certifications written for mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer’s to be issued by a board-certified psychiatrist or neurologist.

Arkansas’ medical marijuana amendment contains a long list of qualifying conditions for which a person can use marijuana, including post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer’s.

Under current law, any physician can certify a patient to use marijuana for PTSD or Alzheimer’s regardless of the physician’s training and experience with mental health.

H.B. 1566 would require the doctor to be a board-certified psychiatrist or neurologist in order to write a marijuana certification for these mental illnesses.

It would not stop other physicians from writing marijuana certifications for other qualifying conditions.

This bill will protect mental health patients from receiving an inappropriate certification to use marijuana.

Last year an Arkansas abortionist drew attention for inappropriately certifying a 12-year-old psychiatric patient to use medical marijuana.

When the girl’s psychiatrists learned the abortionist had certified their patient to use marijuana, they filed a complaint with the Arkansas State Medical Board.

An Expert Reviewer’s Report requested by the medical board concluded that the doctor acted in a grossly negligent manner in diagnosing the child and certifying her to use medical marijuana.

The Arkansas State Medical Board suspended the abortionist’s medical license in August. In December the board reinstated his license on the condition that he not certify minors to use medical marijuana.

A cannabis clinic in Heber Springs has issued statements saying that H.B. 1566 “will destroy the ARMMJ [Arkansas Medical Marijuana] program.”

But anyone who understands the bill knows this is not true. You can read H.B. 1566 here.

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