Senate Health Committee Passes Measure to Ensure Patients, Nursing Home Residents Have Visitors

Current Events, Legislature,
Above: Rep. Mayberry explains H.B. 1061, the No Patient Left Alone Act, to state representatives in this file photo.

On Monday the Senate Public Health Committee passed H.B. 1061 by Rep. Julie Mayberry (R – Hensley) and Sen. Breanne Davis (R – Russellville).

This good bill protects people from being left alone and denied visitors in hospitals, nursing homes, and similar facilities.

Since the coronavirus outbreak began, we’ve heard story after story of people separated from their loved ones.

Nobody should be barred from being in the hospital with their dying child, their spouse, or their parent. This bill helps address that in Arkansas.

H.B. 1061 now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for consideration.

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Here’s How Your State Representative Voted on S.B. 6

Abortion, Legislature, , , ,

This week the Arkansas House of Representatives passed S.B. 6.

This good bill by Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Conway) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) prohibits abortion in Arkansas except when the mother’s life is at risk.

The bill passed with 76 votes in favor of it. Nineteen representatives voted against it. One voted “Present,” and four did not vote.

Below is a breakdown of how the Arkansas House of Representatives voted on S.B. 6.

Voted For S.B. 6

  • Barker
  • Beatty Jr.
  • Beck
  • Bentley
  • S. Berry
  • M. Berry
  • Boyd
  • Bragg
  • Breaux
  • Brooks
  • Brown
  • Bryant
  • Carr
  • Cavenaugh
  • Christiansen
  • Cloud
  • Coleman
  • C. Cooper
  • Cozart
  • Crawford
  • Dalby
  • M. Davis
  • Deffenbaugh
  • Dotson
  • Eaves
  • Eubanks
  • Evans
  • C. Fite
  • L. Fite
  • Fortner
  • Furman
  • Gazaway
  • Gonzales
  • M. Gray
  • Haak
  • Hawks
  • Hillman
  • Holcomb
  • Hollowell
  • Jean
  • L. Johnson
  • Ladyman
  • Lowery
  • Lundstrum
  • Lynch
  • Maddox
  • J. Mayberry
  • McClure
  • McCollum
  • M. McElroy
  • McGrew
  • McKenzie
  • McNair
  • S. Meeks
  • Miller
  • Milligan
  • Payton
  • Penzo
  • Pilkington
  • Ray
  • Richmond
  • Rye
  • Shepherd
  • Slape
  • B. Smith
  • S. Smith
  • Speaks
  • Tosh
  • Underwood
  • Vaught
  • Wardlaw
  • Warren
  • Watson
  • Wing
  • Womack
  • Wooten

Voted Against S.B. 6

  • F. Allen
  • Clowney
  • A. Collins
  • Ennett
  • D. Ferguson
  • V. Flowers
  • D. Garner
  • Godfrey
  • M. Hodges
  • Hudson
  • Love
  • McCullough
  • Murdock
  • Nicks
  • Perry
  • Richardson
  • Scott
  • Springer
  • D. Whitaker

Voted “Present” on S.B. 6

  • Tollett

Did Not Vote

  • K. Ferguson
  • Fielding
  • Jett
  • Magie

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Bill Filed to Prohibit Fraudulent Fertility Treatment

Bioethics, Legislation, Legislature,

On Thursday Sen. Charles Beckham (R – McNeil) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) filed S.B. 474.

This good bill prohibits fraud and abuse in fertility treatments.

Right now Arkansas law contains very few provisions to prevent someone from conducting fertility treatments that are fraudulent or abusive.

S.B. 474 changes that by making it a crime for a person or healthcare provider to use unauthorized human reproductive material in a fertility treatment. This prevents reproductive material from another person from being used without appropriate consent.

The bill also makes it a crime for individuals who perform fertility treatments to misrepresent the identity of the person who has donated the reproductive material for the treatment or to misrepresent the quality of the material or the treatment procedure.

This helps address situations in which a person or company who does fertility treatments lies about the donor or secretly uses material or treatment procedures that probably will not work.

S.B. 474 also makes it possible for a person who engages in fraudulent fertility treatments to be sued.

This bill will make much-needed improvements to Arkansas’ laws governing fertility treatments and protect Arkansans from fraudulent or abusive conduct.

Read The Bill Here.

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