House Management & Senate Efficiency
Video
Transcript
Machine transcript
May contain errors. Verify important quotations against the official video.
About transcript accuracy
- Source
- Whisper
- Model
- ggml-large-v3-turbo.bin RTX5060
- Processing date
- October 7, 2026
Now, I need motions to approve on the Senate end, the minutes for Monday, August 26th, and Tuesday, November 19th, and January 22, 2020. Could I get a motion to batch them and move acceptance? It's been moved and seconded. Moved by
Senator Johnson, seconded by Senator Hendren. is there discussion on
the motion? Seeing none, all those
in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. The motion carries. I'm going to turn it over to my colleague Representative Wing, who is one of the great senators in Senate District 30. And for opening remarks, would you have some, please? I'm good. He's good? We know he's good, but he doesn't have any remarks either. Sure. So that's good. We have, Representative Fortner and I have been meeting, Representative
Wing appointed him as his liaison, and so he and I have been meeting about the concern of the safety of the General Assembly, both the House and the Senate end. And Representative Mr. Fortner, would you
care to make any opening remarks? I just appreciate everybody coming
Representative Jack Fortner
Unverified
1:28
out today. This is a matter that it's just a simple matter of things that need to be done. There is no necessarily a problem, but it's something that needs to be addressed to stop there from being a problem.
And I appreciate everybody coming. It's just a matter of simple things, and we'll just work right through it. And I appreciate Senator Chesterfield and I sitting down over a sandwich and got a lot of this worked out so you guys don't have to go to all the details so much. Thank
you very much. Thank you, everyone. We always try to be as brief as possible but thorough, as
you very well know. I don't like to have long meetings, but I do like to have thorough ones. So with that, we've approved the minutes on the Senate end.
We want to talk about security in the State Capitol Building, and the following individuals are here. Dwight Sutherland, Deputy Secretary of State, Chief of Staff, and Daryl Hedden, Chief of Police, State Capitol Police. And you gentlemen want to come separately or together? If not, Mr. Sutherland, you're recognized. I'm
glad to be here. I'm glad
Speaker 14
2:40
that this has finally come to this point where everybody can get together and we can discuss this,
because it is a concern of ours, and we want to do what is best for everybody, and at the same time, we want to do what you all want. We are here to serve you, but we're also here to protect you, to use our services to protect you. So I'm just glad this meeting is taking
place. one of the things that was of concern when we met in the senate was the access on both the
north and south ends and we didn't have that conversation i would just like for you to bring us up to speed
with the house on what we have been discussing
to some extent on the senate end would you do that for me mr sutherland and then i'll recognize chief hatton you're talking about the north and
Speaker 21
3:28
the south entrances yes those changes that have been made chief you want
Speaker 14
3:40
to deal with that yeah chief i'll let chief
Speaker 22
3:42
deal with that hang on all right we'll just pass that buck
Speaker 24
3:45
on over to him well as you know uh in our previous discussions we were talking about a lot of cards being out
Speaker 25
3:51
there so we we've been in the process of cleaning all that up plus they've been expiring as well so That should cut down on a lot of the activity at the north and south doors with people that doesn't have a card. We do have new cameras that are looking at those doors. This time of year, it's mostly only employees that come in there and people that have access. During the session, though, it gets a little more hectic and a lot more traffic and a lot more people in the area,
So we might update and place an officer in that area during the high-volume times in those
locations. Would you tell them what the process had been prior to now as to how
you got a card? Because I'm not sure the House members, because we didn't know. Maybe they do, but we didn't know, the majority of us in the Senate, how
Speaker 25
4:51
one of the reasons for the concern. Okay. Prior to this administration, Mr. Thurston's administration, the previous administrations have never really had a written-down policy.
And now this administration, along with us, are trying to place something in writing to give us more control, more accountability on knowing who comes and goes from the building. In previous administrations, it was like, just to be frank with you, you go to an elected official, mainly the Secretary of State's office, say, I'd like to get a card. They would send a message to me or call me directly and give the person a card. That's basically how it went.
As you know, there's a lot of, y'all have probably seen a lot of people come and go around here that were previous legislators, previous speakers of the House. They now work in firms that still directly affect the legislature and legislation, and they've had access to the building. Now, we've been eliminating all of that, and that's the way it has been for years. It was like a word of mouth or you're directed to give somebody a card. That's
how it was. So now, if you'll look at your sheet before you where it says the Arkansas Capitol Police,
Arkansas Capitol Building electronic key card access policy, This is the new policy that has been put in place by the Secretary of State. And one of the things that I notice most importantly is instead of, for instance, if Senator Johnson wanted somebody to have a card, all Senator Johnson had to do was say, hey, here's a card. We didn't realize that as an efficiency committee as a whole. We did not realize it was that easy to gain access to the body, and so that has changed.
Representative Jack Fortner
Unverified
6:40
Representative Fortner. push your mic please I think there are some that didn't get a copy of this could we have some copies made give this to Senator Davis for me who else does not have one okay
I don't, Mike, you got a copy? Wigline? Okay. Anybody
else need one that's not the press?
Cecily, do you do a weekly, and do you need one? You'll get one later. Okay. We just want to make sure that everybody who needs one has one and make sure that those individuals who are in charge of disseminating information are able to do so in a reasonable way. So with that said, Chief, would you bring us up, or Mr. Sutherland, would you bring us up to, well, talk to us again, Chief, about what happens when you lose the card, da-da-da-da. Prior to or this draft?
Speaker 42
8:13
Well, we can do a before and now. Okay. Prior
Speaker 25
8:19
to this draft policy, this administration draft policy, if you lost a card that was issued to you, you would come to the Capitol Police, tell us you lost a card. We would give you a card, a replacement card. That got to be very, very expensive. These cards that we issue out are around $15 a card. not to include the ink and the time it takes to make it.
And I will say that there have been different agencies that have individuals that seem to lose cards quite regularly, and it got to the point that we had to do something. So under the draft policy, if you work in the building, we'll give you a card. just like they do at high schools and junior high schools now. But there's got to be some teeth in the game for everyone.
So if you lose a card, misplace it, stolen, it's going to cost you $15 to replace that card. If it's a malfunction card or it fails to work and you bring it back to us, that's the problem with the card. We'll replace it for nothing. But under the draft, elected officials will give you two under this draft. Any other employee, only one.
Speaker 43
9:44
But not at the same time. Are you giving two at the same time, or are we allowed two during the course?
Speaker 30
9:51
Well, it depends. One for yourself and one for your spouse or something? Right, right. If you
Speaker 25
9:55
wanted one for your husband, then there's no problem. We'd give you two. Okay. Flip, you look
like you've got a question. I was not in the grid. That's
a good idea. Okay. any questions so far for the chief okay go ahead chief they look they're looking very inquisitive so I don't know if
that's because they're bright and shiny this morning or what is going on you do have a question I should come and I'm gonna learn to shut up thank you madam chair chief
Senator Mark Johnson
Unverified
10:28
Chief, I'm not putting words in your mouth, but did I hear you say you were phasing out cards to former legislators who may be, you used a different term, but I was supposed to say liaisons or lobbyists? Yes, sir. Okay. I did have a constituent who made some comment once of someone coming in the security door, not going through the metal detector down in the tunnel. And I said, well, how can they do that? I said, well, they're a former member and they're now lobbyists.
Well, lobbyists shouldn't be allowed to do it. I'm just quoting what they said, but that is phasing out. Yes, sir. Okay. Thank you, sir. Thank
you, Madam Chair. All right. Any other question? So those individuals will be able to access the east and west entrances where we have the
security. That does not preclude folks from coming into the Capitol. That's correct. because we keep in mind that this is the people's house right i think that's important um anything
you want to add let's talk about the electronic key card application is that you or mrs sutherland okay either one of us all right well y'all take it away y'all want
Speaker 14
11:45
to do okay hand out to each other or the the general overall uh idea of or the approach that we had for did you press your button. Yes ma'am. Okay. Can you hear me? Can everybody hear me? Okay. The general overall approach that we have is just a rational policy that we can control access and we can we we also
want to be able to have an idea about who comes in and goes in this building. So if you have a card if we issue a card part of the issuing the card is that you have to fill out a form an application for a card that way we tie back a particular person to that card number because our monitor our our lock system allows us to know every time that a card is used and if we tie that back then to who owns that card then we know who comes and goes in the building and when they come
and go so that is not to keep necessarily keep tabs on anybody but it is a way that we are able to know if somebody is accessing the building illegally or improperly. So if somebody steals your card or if somebody, in this day and age, it's not hard to be able to fake a card, to make a counterfeit card. So we have a way now of knowing when that card was used, who it was that entered that
door. And we can monitor every door in the building, every door in Capitol Hill, so we know when somebody opens that door, and we will know who it is that opened that door
Speaker 17
13:19
at what time. So what that means is that if you get elected, you're a
Speaker 14
13:28
new legislator, or if somebody goes to work for one of the offices that are in the building, then in order for them to have a card, be issued a card,
they will have to fill out a form of who it is, contact information, who they report to, especially employees, who they report to. And then we have that on file so that that allows us to be able to monitor and provide the security that we want to be able to provide for
this building. And which employees would not be given electronic key access? All employees that
Speaker 64
14:04
work in the building. They would have to work in the building.
They'd have to be officed in the building. The only way you could be turned down, I understand, is if you have a conviction for a
Speaker 23
14:22
felony, or is it a misdemeanor? Which is it? Felony. Felony, not a misdemeanor. All right. Yes. Go
Speaker 25
14:28
ahead. Can I add to the... Sure. On the form, and this is a copy of the form that we use right here. and I think maybe y'all have a copy with you hope you do but the form is is used to not only get
their the date they got the card you'd also get captured their telephone number their driver's number their name who they work for and it what it what it does it also helps us as a lot of times employees would come by our office and say hey I lost my card okay well in the past we would give them a card and then a week later they'd come back and say my card don't work and we'd check the number and it's the card that they lost and they've lost a new one we replaced that one with
so we it got to be very confusing so what this requires an average ordinary employee like me i would have to if i need a replacement card or i'm i'm hiring in the agency administrator is going to have to sign off on this person yes that way if they lose a card they can't just come and get another one by filling out the form themselves they have to take it to their boss or their supervisor and they have to sign off on that so it's an accountability that hey hey boss i lost
my card so um and it captures that that signature that administrator and the administrator has to mark down the doors that they're requiring access to now just because you get a card here don't you have full control access to the building we we can limit that a an administrator of an agency or a director can limit you down to one door you may still have to come through the metal detector and you can get in one office here in the building the one you work in so you don't have carte blanche access to the whole building so the administrator puts all that down then they have to sign it
stating they take responsible responsibility for the car misused lost all that kind of stuff And then down at the very bottom of the card, if they're replacing a card, the administrator signs off on it, there's a space on the form that they have to pay a $15 replacement fee, and that has to be signed off by the business office of the Secretary of State before we would ever issue a card. So it's not just a simple process. You have to go through several steps on that.
Have we generated any questions so far? Or is everything eminently clear?
Speaker 50
16:58
Ms. Dotson, you were raising a concern upstairs. Do you? You don't wish to share that with us? Okay. I'm always interested in your concerns. Chief, Ms. Southerman, anything else? I do
know that we have made changes on the second and third floors as far as access is concerned for the senate end
yes um and our staff feels a bit better about it
you'll have to before you go into the third floor wing you will have to ring the bell uh to get in because people were just able to walk in without anybody knowing they were there and it makes i think rebecca and that crew down there feel a little bit safer on the second on the second floor of course on either side we have that secure entry your card will give you access but uh you can't just just meander in and i guess after i was uh greeted with somebody i've never seen before in my life after after hours here at the capitol i'm a little bit more sensitive
about it perhaps than others are are there questions for
Speaker 22
18:06
the chief or for mrs southern Mr. Johnson, and then Senator Dishmayne. Senator Johnson?
Speaker 77
18:14
That thing that goes into the elevator and the new ones that go into the third floor are sorry. Is there
Speaker 21
18:24
a better technology? We have thought that ever since we've been in office about
Speaker 14
18:31
trying to find a method or a technology
that is better than what is there. We are continuing to work on it. but we don't have
Speaker 21
18:43
a better answer right now. Okay, but it seems like it ought to be a simple solution. That's
Speaker 82
18:51
what I thought, too. So far, it has not been.
Speaker 77
18:54
The north and south end, those scanners work fine. But a lot of times you'll have to pull that card out of your wallet to scan it at those entrances. And if we're gonna have that, I agree,
It's a good thing to have, but, I mean, give me a stinking key if it's
Speaker 25
19:15
not going to work any better than that. Actually, Senator Johnson, that door reader, the original one that was on there, you didn't have to take it out, correct? You could just throw your wallet up there. Yeah. Well, actually, in reality, that is better, I hate to tell you this, but it's better technology now than it was then.
And the reason why is because you have to almost physically take that card out now and put it on the reader itself, other than just swiping it through. So it actually added a tighter control to that door. I hate to tell you that, but... Oh, it's a pain in the butt. Yeah, I
Speaker 77
19:54
know, sir. I know. You have your hands full. Tell us how you really feel, Senator. Yes, sir. I know. I'm not like Jim. Jim can, like, back up to it and cock his hip, and it'll work for him. Not everybody's got eight-foot legs.
Chair
Unverified
20:10
You don't believe me watching. He's a pro-chem. What you going to do? Yeah. Well, I understand, but it's
Speaker 79
20:17
just, you know what, I'm. Yes, sir. It is getting convenient. I just
Chair
Unverified
20:21
go under the thing. Senator Dishmayne, you recognize? Thank you, Madam Chair. And I'm
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
20:29
a little bit confused where we are because I've got all my stares in today. I went
up to the fourth floor twice trying to figure out where you all were. So are we through the whole presentation? We who are not as slim as you hate you, but go ahead.
We're through the whole presentation. So I was making sure I wasn't getting off track. Okay. I wouldn't have recognized you if you were off track. Well, my question may be, though. So my question, it's really on the non-employee, and it goes into the item 1C, which is about having to have a sponsor to be able to get an electronic card. You all may have already covered this, but, you know, in order to, is that information going to be, you know, open to the public as far as who sponsors and who gets a card, or what do we see happening there?
Speaker 21
21:15
No, it will not be publicized. This is a matter of capital security, and so it's not viable.
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
21:27
It's part of the security. Well, and so I guess that would be my only concern is let's just say that, you know, Senator Hendren doesn't mind who has cards. He freely will sign off on, you know, someone, you know, putting in an application, and he'll be their sponsor, right? And so he's the go-to guy for everybody that wants to get a card that's not an employee
because he doesn't mind being a sponsor. Right. I mean, how do we throttle that? I mean, I would be a little bit hesitant on not knowing at all who these people are that have cards, I mean, and who's sponsoring the cards. Yeah. Let me answer that, Senator
Speaker 24
22:07
Dismang. In the draft, the most recent draft that I sent to the Senate and the House, what you're discussing,
Speaker 25
22:15
we've taken it out. There will be no more sponsors.
Oh, okay. I was just reading what the handout was. Yeah, your concern, we took your concern into consideration the last time you were talking about that. And we got an understanding from the members of the Senate that y'all really didn't like that idea. Agreed. So we've taken that completely out. Okay. Yeah, the only way a non-employee now would be able to get a card would be if you was a contractor. or you were doing some kind of specific job for the Senate or the House
or the Capitol building or any office in the building, and then they would still have to fill out a form like a contractor or somebody working on them. Gotcha. No, I was just reading what I had here. We took that
Speaker 103
23:02
sponsor from out. All right, that's awesome. Thank you. I'm thinking that those individuals
who work the session, those individuals would be able to do so after they filled out the form. Right. They
Speaker 31
23:14
would be considered employees. Because they would be temporary employees, so we can do that. Further questions? Haven't heard from the House.
Yes, Senator. Mr. Vice Chair, you recognize? Thank
Speaker 108
23:27
you, Madam Chair. One thing that we mentioned, but I don't know that we heard anything about it, and it may not be that there's any real solution, but either end the doors. We kind of mentioned that in passing. is there is there any plan to try to develop anything that will will make it where they'll be more secure I mean is it I mean I honestly don't know how to do that but but I know like today I walked in the the north door here and I realized
after I walked in I didn't even remember pulling out my card I was sidetracked with something else and if somebody else had been standing there I would have held the door for him probably to get in even though you know from a security function, that's probably wouldn't be a very good thing to do. Is there any plan to try to do anything as far as security on either end? Well, like I was
Speaker 25
24:15
discussing or mentioned earlier, that during this time of year, it's real slow. So if I was to stick a guy down there with a metal detector, I wasted manpower, I could have him using somewhere
else. Everyone in this room has a vested interest in security of the building. And I know we're all polite Arkansans and, hey, let me hold the door for you, but But when it comes to our protection and safety, if you was to walk up to the door and there's three guys standing over in the corner, I would hope you would say, how do I get in the building? Well, maybe you need to go around to the east door. I'm not going to let you in. But during the session, it's a different story. It's so crowded on the first floor, especially when committee meetings are going on. And we try to have what you probably noticed in this committee here, you've seen me standing around here a lot myself.
So we moved and utilized our resources better at that time. Now, I know the Senate, during the morning hours down on that end, they stationed a sergeant-at-arms down there who knows the employees just like I do, who knows the senators just like I do, and they're there to monitor it. They've been told that someone comes up there, they're not an employee or they're a visitor, just proceed around to the east or west side. So that helps out during the session on the south end.
On the north end, we try to take up the
Speaker 107
25:39
slack on this end down here. So the plan would be
to try to have someone stationed down there? Okay. Thank you. We've done it on the Senate
end for some years now, and I anticipate with this discussion perhaps that would be something efficiency could recommend as a use for the redcoats who are at that end. and that would preclude us having to use the Capitol
Police to do what is our responsibility for both ends of this Capitol. It's not just their responsibility.
Speaker 24
26:05
Senator, I will say that that does help us out, especially in the
Speaker 32
26:08
morning hours when it's real busy, before y'all go up to the chambers. So the Sergeant Arms down there do
help us out greatly on that end. Any
other questions? i do know that the panic button has been installed around is that not correct the rave panic button yes yes it has been yes how is that working
Speaker 40
26:31
uh it's working good matter of fact um i just uh updated all the
Speaker 25
26:35
bureau of legislative research they sent me a list of
all their people and some bunch of people left new people that come on board if any of y'all do not have the rave panic button on your phones, all you have to do is contact me and I'll discuss that with you. I need email information and cell phone information and things like that and we can put it on there for you. It
Speaker 24
26:56
works under a geo-fence. It's on a geo-fence as long as you're inside this geo-fence area. It'll work. It'll work anywhere in the state, but it just wouldn't tell the 9-1-1
Speaker 104
27:08
operator where you were unless you were on this campus. well we've had um health issues
to crop up every now and then uh in our in our chamber and i'm sure in others and i think it would be a good idea if we had uh during orientation or at some point that we would update our cell phone so that we could if we had a medical event we could just push a button and they know where we are and we would be able to do that there's no need in having
it here if we're not going to use it. That's correct. So just wanted to give that information to everybody that
Senator Mathew Pitsch
Unverified
27:49
it is available. Senator Pitch. Thank you Madam Chair. Just a quick round. I mean I'm kind of doing a poll of local. He found it just a minute ago but do all the rest of you have the rate button on your phone? I don't. I don't think we've marketed that very well and maybe that's
incumbent upon us to do so. That's why I'm trying to make that statement today and as a
part the efficiency committee to help the senate in and i'm sure the rules committee can help the house
in to upgrade because we did have that episode in the chamber last time if we'd had a button then they would have known specifically where to come correct uh and we had one we had an incident in the um in big
mac yes ma'am and we weren't using it so if we can save lives then we need do that if we see something that's going to create a not just a health hazard for us but a physical we feel
physically uh challenged uh by something that might be going on in the building then we
would be able to punch that button and get security here so anyway it's available just wanted you to know that just wanted
you to know it any other questions gentlemen do you
Speaker 17
29:01
have anything else to share with us we have not discussed we have
Speaker 14
29:07
not discussed the policy for okay go ahead we're proposing and you should I
Speaker 21
29:14
don't know if you have a copy of this so but we are proposing also some policy changes for the for
access to Capitol Hill are they all the same because representative wings and mine are
not exactly the same draft at the top and this one just
Speaker 14
29:33
says well there there is a separate document for capitol hill that should say draft at
Speaker 131
29:41
the top of it okay so far the words seem to be the same but uh
Speaker 132
29:54
but this looks like uh it was formalized
his doesn't go to k mine does go
ahead and visit with us about it and and we'll make sure that everybody who is here gets a copy of the same thing okay yeah do you think we could just scan it and just uh send it to everybody sure via email sure that should be that
Speaker 42
30:22
should solve that problem we already sent it i did send it to the uh house and the
Speaker 25
30:27
senate um administration and i don't know if they sent it to y'all or not
Speaker 14
30:36
did we just didn't pay attention okay Okay. The most dramatic change that we're proposing for Capitol Hill is that we're going to do away with the keypad access, that you're going to have to have a card to be able to access Capitol Hill. And I know that that may sound, on the front end, that may sound like, oh, well, that's too much trouble. But that's the only way that we know that we can propose to maintain security in the Capitol Hill building. so if you don't have a card
you don't get in and we're also going to monitor those doors so that to keep anybody from opening the door and then putting a little wedgie under it to keep it from closing so that the door doesn't stay open
Speaker 137
31:21
Senator Hester has a question for you Senator Hester
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
31:23
My immediate concern is somebody that has four kids you know when they're here with me their ability to come and go to the apartment you know when we're sitting through meetings that they we would lose that freedom right
Speaker 101
31:38
because if they were there and i'm in a meeting you won't lose that freedom but though whoever is going to have access to that building
Speaker 17
31:46
has got to have a card we've got to know who's
Speaker 45
31:50
who it is so if i've got six members of my family i would come get six cards
Speaker 62
31:57
according to the draft that we've got you get two if if
Speaker 25
32:04
you've got a copy of it we're going to issue you the elected official two cards that's for you and the spouse in an exceptional case a tenant may request an electronic card for
additional persons it's family all you have to fill out is a application form and you're going And it says you're going to have a payment for the key card made prior to access to the building. We're going to give you two. Let's say I've got a large family of 35. You know, I wouldn't expect you to give me 35 cards. So we're going to give you two, and anything over that is going to be a $15 card, and you just fill out a form. So like your family. That's what you're talking about.
Speaker 142
32:48
Follow-up, Senator Hester? Okay. All right, I saw Senator Ballinger and then
Speaker 108
32:56
Senator Hendren. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I guess this is the question fundamentally is what do we use the apartments for? I know of members that have allowed families to come down here and stay down here when their kids was in Children's Hospital. You know, I've had my son come down here and stayed when he had a meeting down here in Little Rock and stayed.
it makes it really inconvenient to try to get with them and distribute cards to all those folks. Now, I get it if that's the kind of security concern that you'd have, but I'm wondering, like, if you used a code, are you saying that there's no way to have it secured by a code, or is the concern the fact that there's too many codes floating
Speaker 14
33:42
around? Yeah, there's both. One is that you can. I mean, we can leave the keypad up there, But just for somebody to have a four-digit code to get in, I mean, I guarantee you I can go over there.
And, of course, I've got a technical background. I guarantee you I could go over there not knowing anything and within 15 minutes get into that building just by using a
Speaker 108
34:06
keypad. Just because it's four-digit code. Does the technology provide for more than four digits? Because, you know, everybody knows new
Speaker 14
34:12
numbers. Even if you provide more, all you're doing is just restricting the time. That it takes. That it takes
Speaker 111
34:20
to get in. okay so so help me like it let's say
Speaker 14
34:23
it's a it's and and here's here's the biggest problem is once the code is known we have no control over over who
knows it we have no control over that code then is that it will will track back to a person who was issued that card because the code is it's the same right last four digits of the card so that would track back to that person but if that person was violated if that person's information was violated and somebody had the code had the code we have no idea then
Speaker 147
34:50
who has access to the building and I understand that but I don't
Speaker 108
34:54
know that's more of a security risk than the card so the card itself I mean the code is not something you can
accidentally drop on the side of the road and someone pick up the card could be you know the code is something that's going to require actually some sort of communication to be to be shared not and I get it but and it would because the fact there's a code and a card so therefore maybe you can say it doubles the risk possibly but the question is
Speaker 14
35:17
it more than doubles the risk because if you have a card you've got to physically have that device in your hand before you can get in that door if if all it takes is a four-digit or six-digit code okay that can be distributed to hundreds of people in a short period of time and
Speaker 150
35:31
they have access to the building I'll give you for instance Center Bounder
Speaker 25
35:37
a couple years ago when we've had that access card on there since for the a keypad on there since way back in Charlie Daniels, Secretary of State Administration. So you can imagine how many card numbers we've issued out. Sometime a year or so ago, a state representative on a Saturday night shows up at Capitol Hill. He calls me on my personal cell phone.
He doesn't have his card with him, can't remember his code. He's standing at the door. I tell him my card number. He enters the number, goes in about three weeks later. I run a transaction report on me. And I was binning in and out of Capitol Hill more than you or anybody in this room. Because my card number was an easy number, 0993. So he used it regularly and then I'm assuming gave it to everybody else. Because I was in there at 2 o'clock in the morning, 3 a.m.
If my wife would have run a transaction report on my card, What in the world are you doing at Capitol Hill? So that's what Mr. Sutherland is getting at. You don't have your car, but you remember your number. And then your spouse remembers your number, and then next thing you know, everybody over there is remembering the number. So that's the problem that we have with that keypad number. If you just have that card with you, I mean, you're responsible enough to have your driver's license with you when you drive.
You know you've got a vested interest in security of that building, the odds of you having that card
Speaker 145
37:11
with you is going to be real high. Yeah, I mean,
Speaker 108
37:15
honestly, for me, I don't think it's, in fact, I don't even use the code. I use my card, so that's no big deal. But the issue is when you are providing the help to somebody else to use the apartment that somebody's renting, then all of a sudden it creates a, and I can see the security value of it, but it also creates a hassle associated with actually trying to get that piece of plastic to somebody to be able to use it.
And then, you know, if you have two of them, you may not have one yourself. So the question really here is, are we willing to give up that convenience for the security, or is it better that we have the convenience? And I don't know the answer to that exactly, but I just think that we ought to realize that that's really what we're issuing, Are we wanting to have better lockdown and then be more secure, or do we want to be able to better utilize this resource? Yes, sir.
Speaker 24
38:07
And I agree with you on that.
We've run into that numerous times where
Speaker 25
38:11
a constituent of yours or someone may have a child at Children's Hospital, and they're distraught. They may have had some kind of issues where they can't get a motel room here. You know, come stay in my field. I've never run across not one time that a legislator has never called us and said, hey, I've got this is the situation. I need them to stay in my apartment for one, two nights, whatever. We always know that because y'all always told us.
We very rarely have run across any time that you've allowed that to happen because, I mean, that's your apartment. You're not going to let anybody stay there. So every time that's occurred, we've been contacted right up front. We know what's going on, and we try to assist them as well
Speaker 155
38:58
because we know the circumstance that they got going on.
Speaker 108
39:02
So in that situation, if that happens where I have a constituent who calls me up, they're coming down here, and they need a place to stay, then what would be the procedure to get them into the apartment
if I'm not with them to hand them the card? I mean, can I call the Secretary of State's office, Capitol Police, and get them into the apartment? i have no issue with
Speaker 25
39:24
that sir at all if you contact me directly if you have an emergency situation or a problem situation like that at all we still we still have a mechanism where you could you could come by later and fill out a form you know that's no problem okay thank you senator hindron i think that i think that covered most
Speaker 159
39:42
of my concern because i will tell you that
Senator Jim Hendren
Unverified
39:46
this last christmas i had a family that i'd done my whole life who that exact situation need to be at Children's for a couple weeks with a child. And my only request is that we be able to do what was just mentioned because it would have been, they live in Rogers, I live up in Gravett. It would have been a pain to go try to find a way to give them one of my cards and then try to find a way to get it back. As long as we have the ability to call down and you guys can authenticate us somehow or you know us that we can say, look, they're going to be using the apartment for a couple weeks. I'm not going to be there.
can you get them a card or have one somehow waiting for them at the apartment I think we can work through that because I certainly see that the risk of four digit numbers you know floating out in everywhere if there's no security there but if we're going to go with cards there needs to be some ability for us to do that without having to come face to face fill out a form and do all that stuff you're telling me that we can do that yes sir I have no problem with
Speaker 24
40:43
that and And I've never met a legislator who wasn't afraid to call me in the middle of the night.
So, no, I have no problem with that. Thank you. Representative Wayne.
Speaker 163
40:57
For the record, Chief, that code that you gave has been deactivated. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Good deal. It has. Matter of fact, I
Speaker 25
41:05
didn't tell the person that I gave the code. It was deactivated, and I knew the people that were using it would eventually say, hey, my card number don't work, and I had three come to me. So I said, it wasn't your number, but mine.
Representative Jack Fortner
Unverified
41:21
Yeah, it's been deactivated. Mr. Fortner, your mic is on. Did you want to say something? Yeah, I have a question or a comment. I realize that taking the punch card away will be an inconvenience, but I'm telling you there are thousands of people that know those numbers I have a number that was given to me before I was ever elected and I still use it I don't even know the number that's assigned to me
I guess it's on my card but I've never looked okay they're out there, they're everywhere that's my home, my wife and I come rolling in there Sunday nights, we'll be the only ones in the parking lot, it's very disconcerting to see somebody punch those buttons and walk in that. I have no idea who it is. I understand families. We should be have, our families should have access to it. Extreme circumstances, but it's not a hotel. It's our home. It's not a hotel.
Further comments? Further questions? Representative Dotson, you do have a question. Thank you,
Representative Jim Dotson
Unverified
42:33
Madam Chair. I mean, just listening to the discussion back and forth, I'm one that uses that keypad all the time. I can't remember the last time I pulled my card out of my wallet in order to use it over there. I use it in this building all the time, but not over there. And having multiple cards might help allow for some of the concern I had if my wife is here
or another family member being able to have multiple ones so that I don't have to call you guys to come let me in the room if they happen to be out shopping or something. But just, I don't know, punching the keypad thing is incredibly convenient. And now that we have security cameras throughout the entire building, I mean, I lock my door to the room so nobody can have access to my room unless I'm there. they have an actual key so I don't see what the problem was with that as long
as you're regularly deactivating codes and people are are not getting new codes I don't know I have a problem with it and I may be the only
one but I'm gonna voice my two cents here and say I'm opposed all right you've heard
that Do y'all want to vote on this? This is within the realm of the Secretary of State. Yes, ma'am. So we don't get to vote on what you
Speaker 22
44:02
do anyway, so it doesn't matter. But it's good to know.
It's good to know. We get to vote
Speaker 25
44:11
on the budget. Senator, I think what I'm looking for, and I'm assuming Mr. Sutherland's looking for, is not actually a vote. It's just, I mean, we all have a vested an interest in everything that we do here. These are draft policies, and that's the reason why we brought them to you is if y'all indicate that you're in agreement with this, then we take it out of draft status and implement the policies.
I know you had previously said something about do we need to do anything in legislation? Well, you know, I thought, well, policy would be better because we can change policy as we go along. It can be fluid. If you do something legislatively, as far as this type stuff, it may be two years before we can get it changed. So I think what we're looking for is your, y'all's mutual agreement on this draft so we can implement it as a final policy.
Speaker 23
45:10
And I think that's what we're looking for. Madam Secretary? Yes.
Speaker 14
45:18
I mean, Madam Secretary. I'll do that tonight. Madam Chairman. Anyway, in my opening comments, that I was glad to have this meeting, glad for us, for everybody to get together, because we do want to work together with you all. We are responsible for the security of this building. And so, as in discussion, I always say, hey, you know, we have all the responsibility and very little of the authority. So, and I appreciate your concerns.
I do understand that. I do understand that, but I also know that this is not the same world that it used to be. And I do know that we have, I mean, all it would take would be one crazy who had access to that building. With four digits, as well. With four digits, yeah, with four digits. And, you know, whether you realize it or not, I mean, in this day and age, I mean, there are places I can go for $40 and get a little electronic device and walk up to that door
Speaker 17
46:17
and stick it up there, and in 13 seconds, it'll get me in
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
46:24
that room, get me in that door. Senator Irving. Thank you, Madam Chair. I do just want to say thank y'all for just the security that you provide us because, you know, last session I had an incident, and so I just, you know, and just so you know, I mean, I'm getting emails from that same individual again threatening to be here again this year i'm aware of that yes and i know you are and so you
know i just from somebody that has personally experienced what i experienced i think it's really important to maintain the security of our building as much as we possibly can because um you know it's it's scary it's scary to be in public office sometimes um and it's even scarier when your children are scared for your own safety And so, you know, just wanting to share that. I'm not sure if everybody was familiar with what happened.
But, you know, for those of us, we put ourselves in this position, and there are people out there that do threaten us, and they want to hurt us, or they say horrible things to us or about us personally. And so I think that level of security is really necessary. I mean, I forgot my key card today. So, you know, I'm having to go through this entrance, but I'm okay with that just because I want to be safe and secure. I want all of y'all, all my colleagues and all the employees in this building to be safe and secure because I've experienced that firsthand.
So thank you, Madam Chair, for letting me say that. And I just really want to personally thank y'all for what you've done for me and Representative Patty. Thank
you. Thank you. the Senate has a quorum. The House does not. Without objection, may we ask that these rules be reviewed? They're reviewed. All right. And Representative Wayne will meet with the members
of the House Committee. But on the Senate side, these are reviewed. So as far as we are concerned, you go forward
with what it is. There is always inconvenience in order to be safe you got to be inconvenient some because people's rights stop where yours begin and your stop where they begin senator Irving and I several of us have had people who have made us extremely uncomfortable and I appreciate you for stopping the person that was stalking us
it's not fun you know the fellows may not feel quite as conflicted as we do and I take care of myself pretty well but it's good to know that
you're there and I appreciate it very much somebody else I saw somebody else saying
Senator Mark Johnson
Unverified
49:21
sir Johnson thank you madam chair and chief let me echo Senator Irvin's appreciation of what y'all do we were earlier talking about the button which is a phone app, I presume.
Yes, sir. Is there some app-based solution that might provide us with adequate security at Capitol Hill but maybe meet Representative Dodson's concerns or maybe some others where you could have an app on your phone or even your children could with a code button and then once, or even the situation that Senator Hendrick mentioned of someone temporarily being there, that after that set period of time, it would expire, be deactivated.
I'm just wondering, I mean, the technology, as Mr. Sutherland said, you can go buy a box that'll make a bypass, but there's also new technology that maybe would allow this to be done in a temporary basis, something that would have an expiration, or you could walk to the computer in your office and turn it off whenever you thought it was appropriate. Is that a possibility? I want to address that.
Mr. Sutherland? And then I'm going to recognize Senator Ballinger, and for once, I'm going to let him have the last word.
Speaker 64
50:42
We are constantly reviewing technology. Those systems like that, there's a wide
Speaker 14
50:47
possibility of things that we could implement, everything from facial recognition at the door to whatever. Some of that just
Speaker 17
50:54
comes down to a matter of money. Okay. Right now, we're wanting to implement a policy with the equipment that we currently have, with the technology that we currently have, that would provide
Speaker 14
51:09
a higher level of security and safety for the people who live in Capitol Hill, who utilize Capitol Hill, with the least amount of expense.
We are continuing, okay, to look at what would possibly be other solutions that would provide convenience, provide features that we currently don't have. and we will continue to review that as time goes. I'm open for if you come across anything that you know of, just let me know, and I'll be glad to review
Senator Mark Johnson
Unverified
51:38
it. Quick follow-up, Madam Chair. I have an app on my phone, and it has facial recognition. It knows it's me. I can open and close my garage door from anywhere in the world.
I have Internet access. I was about to do it, but I thought my wife might freak out. If I did that, she knows where I am. But something on that order that would, you know, allow you to click the door and maybe even, you know, we've got these ring doorbells and things like that. The technology is there. I don't know if it's come down enough to be viable, but thank you for looking at that. Thank you, Madam Chair. Senator Ballinger.
Speaker 108
52:15
Thank you, Madam Chair. That actually made me think of a possibility is, you know, currently we just talked about your code that has been turned off.
Sure. I mean, the technology is already sitting there with the codes on the door. You know, if we just deactivated all codes, they'd be off. The question is, how hard would it be if we had a situation like Senator Hendren where people are coming down there to activate a code that would then could be shut off, you know, a week later? I mean, is that impractical? I mean, it doesn't cost anything more. It's already there. So is that a possibility?
Speaker 180
52:54
Yes, sir. It would be a possibility to give out a code and then shut it off. No problem.
Speaker 108
53:00
And so if we did that, that may, you know, be able to, I mean, it wouldn't help represent Dotson's concerns because he likes using his code, but it would make it where we'd still have access if there was an emergency. Wouldn't require, you know, if I'm gone, my wife stands, she doesn't have my card, whatever, instead of actually having to have somebody with a capital please come provide a car especially if it's after
Speaker 181
53:21
hours she can get a code to get in the
building and then have it shut off in a
Speaker 25
53:28
short amount of time right yeah but i think that still doesn't eliminate the the four-digit code problem of random numbers you know there's 135 of you guys and 135 times four digits just i keep hitting
Speaker 42
53:40
digits and pound eventually i'm gonna get in there yeah but if all the four-digit
Speaker 145
53:45
codes are shut off and then only in the emergency situation and
Speaker 108
53:50
someone provided a four-digit code, then you're talking about, right, it's one code. Then now it's in the randomness.
It's enough to, I mean, you just couldn't, the odds of picking that right code would
be something. I understand what you're saying. And the chair is going to suggest that other wonderful suggestions like this be discussed with the Secretary of State's office and Chief Headon offline, and we'll move ahead. Is that
Senator Mathew Pitsch
Unverified
54:26
all right? Well, with that, we're adjourned. Thank you. I put my phone number in there and it says email your institution because that's my number
of record and when I email my institution I don't know where that goes I've asked her to try and find it
Speaker 76
54:43
but that didn't work with that I don't know what what what app are you the rave app, the panic button, the
Agenda
No agenda available.
Documents
No documents posted.
Speakers
Senator Linda Chesterfield Chair
Unverified
Representative Jack Fortner
Unverified
Speaker 14
Speaker 21
Speaker 22
Speaker 24
Speaker 25
Speaker 30
Speaker 42
Speaker 43
Senator Mark Johnson
Unverified
Speaker 17
Speaker 64
Speaker 23
Speaker 50
Speaker 77
Speaker 82
Chair
Unverified
Speaker 79
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
Speaker 103
Speaker 31
Speaker 108
Speaker 107
Speaker 32
Speaker 40
Speaker 104
Senator Mathew Pitsch
Unverified
Speaker 131
Speaker 132
Speaker 57
Speaker 137
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
Speaker 101
Speaker 45
Speaker 62
Speaker 142
Speaker 111
Speaker 147
Speaker 150
Speaker 145
Speaker 155
Speaker 159
Senator Jim Hendren
Unverified
Speaker 163
Representative Jim Dotson
Unverified
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
Speaker 180
Speaker 181
Speaker 76