Senate Passes “Ten Commandments” Legislation

Legislature

Today the Arkansas Senate passed a bill authorizing the State of Arkansas to place a monument of the Ten Commandments on the Capitol grounds.

The bill passed with 27 senators voting for it; 3 senators voting against it; 3 senators not voting; and 1 senator voting “Present.”

If passed, the bill would allow the State to work with private entities to pay for the monument and defend its constitutionality in court. You can see how your senator voted here.

The bill now goes to the Arkansas House of Representatives for consideration.

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Lawmakers File Over 450 Bills in One Day

Legislature, ,

capitol3-1Yesterday Arkansas’ lawmakers filed over 450 pieces of legislation ahead of the filing deadline.

Many of these bills were what we call “shell bills.” These are bills with little more than a title, like, “A Bill to Improve Public Education.” These bills may be amended later to flesh them out; we will keep an eye on them to see how they are amended.

However, several complete bills were filed. Below are a few you may want to know about.

A Bill Making Sexual-Orientation and Gender-Identity Protected Classes

Twenty-two years ago, the Arkansas Legislature passed the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993. Over the years we have fought to make sure Arkansas’ civil rights and hate crimes laws are not used to promote a homosexual agenda.

House Bill 1950 by Rep. Leding makes sexual-orientation and gender-identity protected classes in the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993—right alongside race, religion, national origin, gender, and disability.

(more…)

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Breaking Down the Committee Vote on Religious Freedom Legislation

Legislature, Religious Freedom, , ,

HB1228RollCallVoteA few people have been asking how each senator on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on House Bill 1228 (the religious freedom bill) yesterday.

The bill failed, with 3 senators voting for it; 3 voting against it; and 2 not voting. In order to make it out of committee, the bill needs 5 votes.

Here is a breakdown of the vote:

Senators Who Voted FOR The Bill

  • Sen. Jon Woods (R – Springdale)
  • Sen. Terry Rice (R – Waldron)
  • Sen. Linda Collins-Smith (R – Pocahontas)

Senators Who Voted AGAINST The Bill

  • Sen. David Johnson (D – Little Rock)
  • Sen. Joyce Elliott (D – Little Rock)
  • Sen. Linda Chesterfield, Vice-Chair (D – Little Rock)

Senators Who DID NOT Vote For or Against the Bill

  • Sen. David Burnett (D – Osceola)
  • Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, Chair (R – Benton)

This bill can still be brought back up for a vote. Be sure to call your senator at (501) 682-2902, and ask him or her to support the religious freedom bill. You can also call Governor Hutchinson’s office at (501) 682-2345 and leave a message encouraging him to support the bill.

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