Public Transportation- House

We'll come to order. Of representative Brooks is here to run Senate bill five fifty five percent Brooks would you introduce yourself you district and you may you may proceed. Thank you Mr chairman committee Keith Brooks they represent District seventy eight. And today I'm bringing Senate bill five fifty five said bill five fifty five is a specialty license plate is dyslexia awareness license plate you guys know that dyslexia is a a pretty important issue to me and so this has been actually something that's been looked at for several years try to get through last session coming up time so trying to squeeze it through here and I appreciate that just just as a point of clarification obviously we if we're adding a specialty play with to remove one and so to removing the hospice and palliative care license plate which is has not been utilized only a hundred twelve times since it was issued which is about ten percent of most especially license plates the requirements for issued a new one or twenty thousand dollars to get a funny get started as well as five hundred signatures and those are already in place there's no I was you know a fiscal impact from the standpoint of I've started up and then where will the money go the money twenty five percent of we'll go to trainings for dyslexia interventionists twenty five percent will go to and incentivize school districts interventions fifty percent will go to advocacy for kids who are on five a four eyed peas IT goes the Arkansas dyslexia support group which is about one two three and with that I would appreciate a good vote taking questions any questions or committee. Seeing none anyone here to speak for against the bill you are close to the bill I'm closer bill and what's for me. I have a motion to pass any discussion all in favor say aye opposed say no hearing the resolution to build as many. Okay next we're going to be here a Senate bill five sixty seven representative Richmond if you will introduce yourself calling you would issued like you may proceed. Thank you Mr thank Committee again I'd like to have a couple witnesses join me if you gentleman would come on up. I'm represent Richman District fifty two I'm bringing to you today Senate bill five sixty seven. I'm gonna be very quick what this bill does is basically hold people who know the weight limit no there truckers overweight still drives across the bridge and it and damages that bridge to the point where it can no longer be safely used by the public they're built being held accountable for replacement cost of that bridge and the reason why this come about is I'm gonna let you the one of the German tell a story about what happened and why this is necessary. Grego Joe's with yourself with are you from are you representing you might see. Thank you Mr chairman thank mark phone I'm up the former your county judge I'm joined by Mister Tom Tatum or attorney and also the prosecutor for that district in the behind us back here is Jeff Gilkey The New county judge of a yeah County this this bill has been supported by the county judges so she ation and the Arkansas the county Group the the problems that we had with this incident started in January of two thousand nineteen when a tractor trailer load. Based out of a that the truck was based out of Bakersfield Californian it came to the animal Arkansas to get a load of frozen chicken when leaving them with the driver took a wrong turn and travel down they'll be in road a gravel road in travel approximately three and a half miles we came to historic bridge this bridge was approximately a hundred years old was listed on the national historic registry the bridge was clearly marked with the load limits postings of three ton for ton and six ton the loaded truck and trailer weight approximately forty tons the driver disregarded the signs and tried to cross the bridge collapsing the bridge both the truck and the bridge fell into the Petty Jean river the the data bridge they are being bridge was a main access point for the Petty G. wildlife management area approximately fifteen thousand acres owned by the Arkansas game and fish commission the bridge was also a favorite of locals but backdrop for wedding pictures wedding announcements graduation pictures family pictures and so all the destruction of the Dale been bridge was the beginning of about a three and a half year ordeal the insurance company was very difficult to deal with did not want to pay for the damages the insurance company wanted to use a depreciation value on the bridges the replacement cost on the bridge this was totally unacceptable. The first offer received in January of twenty twenty was which was one year after the collapse was sixty one thousand one hundred sixty dollars. Then in February they come back with a all four of one hundred and twenty three thousand dollars and this off all for also contained a statement to Mr Tatum for him to tell the county judge to be reasonable and that was rejected also at this time we inform the insurance company that we were retaining an outside law firm to represent the people of Utah county and we repair preparing for court. We agree to a mediation process during this time but it also come to know click finally in two thousand twenty two we got a court date set and the Dardanelle district of yell county for March of twenty three which was last month the insurance company could could not get an effort to move it out of your county that that failed so the court date was set for you know County and then the income insurance company contacted our attorney and made an offer of a million dollars to settle the case for going to court the county accepted that offer all for in the fall of twenty two however. Three and a half years this including having to hire an outside law firm that also you know had to be paid far out of our settlement this was totally uncalled for the company destroyed the property of the people yeah County thanks to all the people rather travel the took the route of access to public property owned by the game and fish and the issue why you look at that that was wrong the strong now it'll be wrong the next time this happens it's up and then corrected honest with this bill and the I ask you all to consider this and so another county judge will not go through what what I went through in my staff with the thank you Mr. Okay we'll take questions represent talk you're recognized thank you Mr quick question so with this still be mediated out in like a court seems like restitution be paid or something because of what I'm thinking is like sixty one thousand dollar I'm by the way I'm all for this by I'm just asking questions on the process of how this would go for go for because if you call sixty one thousand one hundred thirty thousand would be paid like a form of restitution or or how how would that process work in this. It ended to ship please. All right Tom pursued in. Your term time and prosecute thirty fifteen judicial district of essentially what would have this would be civil there would be there's nothing really criminal about this bill it's just saying that it's welcome a private face case that you're. president debate kinda at fault if you're overweight and collapse the bridge of the situation then it it there's nothing restricting how goes after that you know the county could immediately fall files suit normally that's not what happens normally you reach out to to the insurance company or the attorneys for the insurance company and get in the Goshen agents which is what I did in the in this case I kinda added background in this type of law previously and will it was just really frustrating we were arguing what what hung this up was we were arguing over how damages should be calculated. And you know the the county's position was attempt simply that we lost a public way and they were saying it should be valued lock your car outside that you know how you will is three years old it's got so many miles on it and so we should only have to pay for for what it's worth now the the problem with like bridges and and property of that nature is there's no way you know there's not a marking you not buying and selling bridges every day and and so you know the the unfortunate thing is in other jurisdictions live. There's been cases where they've gone back to my the bill back to bridge lock it was we weren't even asking for that we're just asking for a plain regular bridge to get people up one lane bridge get people cross river and and that's still going to cost us actually that I think County wind up paying about a hundred fifty thousand over what we sent. because it because we had the insurance are we had a higher and then the actually that farm had to hire another farm to brief this did this damage issue and so it was. anyway is a lot of turning going on and not much relief going to the county any other questions. With represents all cure sorry not a I hit my button and follow up so with this bill we can assure though that moving forward at this because in the law that the counties would have come out in money because the truck company would essentially pay for the damage that correct. Right it will make it it'll make it easier I can't guarantee that that will completely eliminate that won't be the dispute over how damages are calculated what the bridges work that that the the the amount of damages they be arguing over what is going to cost to replace that breach purpose on it thank you. Representantes you're recognized thank you Mr I think another point you need to be made I really like this bill is the fact that you probably had funds set aside for other bridges that needed repair in that community or in that county or on your state highways and then those funds had to be divided you correct me if I'm wrong had to be diverted now to address this immediate problem and so those other bridges or other areas that you probably had resources set aside for have had to be put on hold because you had to address the immediate problem so I see where you're going with this I like the concept and and I guess my question is am I correct that it calls you delays in fiction other years it probably needed your media attention is that correct judge well to an extent sir but uh we didn't repair the Braidwood in Ridgewood and build new bridges not been built yet so it's been four years it would have taken all the money that we could possibly scraped up and would have been the collective thousand square miles of your county the the build this bridge you know so we waited on the insurance settlement and I believe judge guilty open B. as the other day and it's at seven hundred and fifty some odd thousand to up for this replacement bridge which is also just a one lane concrete steel structure the original structure was a drive through truss bridge historic which would cost millions I guess to replicate so we weren't even asking for a replica we were just asking for a way and the so we're the county's going be out after settlement probably a hundred and a quarter to in that range follow up follow and the longer you wait the more the cost for that up in the list titled quickly we could have built a bridge or a lot less money does your committee based on any kind of constructs the last few years you know you look at thirty percent upon exactly thank. Thank you represent very recognized thank you Mr chairman and just out of curiosity with the due to the crazy person that did this. that might be missed items answer yeah none of the the driver was prosecuted and the then also he was immediately fired by the company also you know how many of. It was clearly clearly at fault course you know the the eight PM the driver spoke no English I'm not sure he could even read the site law you know I mean I I'm not certain how you got license or how they decide to hiring in the first place but it was it was it was it was back okay thank you Mr thank you Mr any other questions from committee members. Seeing none anyone who speak for against the bill saying none Richey Richmond you are close. Yes Sir very quickly again I want to thank the kind of the committee for this quick response this this bill everybody thought I was going to go back to judiciary I mean if you look at Page two line five there was an amendment put on there to help the timber industry to be sure that the that wasn't of a burden to those guys and so you guys coming in really appreciate it and and before I close I just wanna say that with all the committees that I visited I think this is the best looking one that I've been to a Mister chair you're just you're just incredible you're you're literally my idol so thank you very much and I will come back anytime you want to represent Kerr you're recognized thank you Mr I make a motion to pass I have a motion do pass in discussion all in favor say aye All opposed say no hearing and congratulations your bill passed thank you committee thank you Mr us see no other business come before this committee we stand adjourned.