Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee - Senate

You're recognized. This is just a resolution folks. Thank you madam chair like Missy said this is just the Senator Irvin said. This is a state your name for the record Clint Penzo district thirty one just request the Arkansas department of health promulgate a rule that will extend the fifty dollar annual medical marijuana patient card renewal from one year to two years without raising fees and that it promulgates ruled the disks discounts patient card fee by fifty percent for seniors and veterans. Okay are there any questions from the members of the committee. I have one caveat if we pass this out of here. Do you are you just are you gonna run it on the floor yeah in of I might do decided so that take up space of check to see if it would. Okay. Yeah my request is that you would run it during sunny Die and not tomorrow or you know just because of the time issues but I mean that's up to you yeah hi I've asked if if any like any reason why this is don't want to do this I mean I personally don't like extending it but I know this is just a recommendation I don't like doing it from one year to two years without of. Well that against the me let me back up a little bit when when this whole medical marijuana thing first came around I wasn't a fan of it I thought it was just an excuse for people to you know. Get get hold of. Illegal drugs and abuse them since in of course everybody in here knows the situation with my sister she diagnosed with a list several years ago and and it's. With people that really need it it is kind of burdensome you know I know it's probably be used in certain circumstances but I know it's helped my sister get off three different prescription medications you know she's quadriplegic so she's talking about all time a lot of pain this is This Is helped out with anxiety you know I mean just think about being trapped in a straight jacket every hour of every day I mean that's kind of what it's like so things that he was an issue so she was able to come off several medications with this and and you know it's. It's just extent two years takes a little burden off I mean you know veterans the elderly those are really the you know the elderly population if they're using it they're not abuse and drugs so you know veterans with PTSD I mean there's there's a lot of people to use it thanks of my of my mentality on it does change significantly just witnessing my sister so that that's kind of the genesis behind this. Any questions from members of the committee. C. nine anyone here to speak for or against Senate resolution fifty four. C. nine U. closed closing on make a motion to pass motion do pass as their second. Yeah second all those in favor say aye opposed five habit congratulations SR fifty four passes thank you Committee yes Sir thank you and then we'll go to senator Hammer representative Johnson this is house bill seventeen sixty six. Manager Kim Hammer state senator district sixteen representative Lee Johnson District forty seven. And everybody else just state your name for the record please. Marcus divine general counsel at the Arkansas department of public safety division of emergency management okay thank you so much you're recognized and I am Brad harden I'm a member of the state chiefs and then I'm also on that fire protection services board okay. Number and more legislature of a state five R. sensation also member that property services board thank you so much for being here this afternoon. This morning. All right you're recognized to proceed with the bill thank you measure of representative Johnson I have worked to on this bill along with all those issues a agreed upon bill by all parties that are involved in it and just to be respectful affectionate Johnson worked hard on this bill represent Johnson has worked hard on this bill I'd like to do for let him do the presentation because we can be very concise and to the point measure thank you senator Hammer thank you everyone the support card this is a bill that does a lot of good things so we're trying to do with this bill is consolidate services so right now the fire marshal duties reside in state police but and we're moving those from state police over to the department of emergency management this is agreed upon by both agencies the money's following the fire marshal's from state police to the Department merging management has also consolidating two boards right now we have the fire safety board that resides under the department at the state police and we have the fire protection services board resides under department of emergency management we're combining those boards we're giving those ports majority with regard to certification for firefighters were tasking them with creating a registry of certified firefighters right now there's no list and so if we want to do something good for these guys like we do with our for the nurses for the paramedics we really don't have a list to know who the firefighters are this is going to create that process the other thing we're doing is there's money in ACT eight thirty three ACT eight thirty three is the fire funding bill that we passed in nineteen ninety one to create funding for fire services that money specifically it there's some money there that's lays on claimed that is been there for several years we're taking that unclaimed money in putting in a grant funded the fire protection services board to allow them a grant process for some of these fire services they could otherwise qualifies for that money the other thing we're doing is in this is an important nuance we are taking a portion of the growth of ACT eight thirty three so every year ACT eight thirty three funding grows by about three percent. We're taking half of the growth whatever that growth The as and reporting it towards the fire marshal services to try to grow some of the things we're doing far Marshall services we have a pretty rudimentary service right now from far Marshall really does need to be more robust for creating a full time fire marshal which we don't have currently just have shared duties and state police and this is the funding that will allow us to do that again the gentleman here we also have some with that professional firefighters association recognized and back. And everyone's worked hard and got come to come to a place we're happy with the approach we're taking and I'd be happy to answer any questions from committee. Are there any questions from the members of the committee. Yes. You have a fully support what you're trying to do I think it's a good bill I think we can get it done we are here at the last minute. How did we get here to the last minute but something that's important it's a good question the big key to this was negotiate for finding one of the things that I tried to work on throughout the session was try to get traction for increasing funding for ACT eight thirty three so currently ACT eight thirty three is funded by point five percent premium this levied on fire premium services are far premium insurance policies in the state that hasn't been changed since nineteen ninety one I was working to try to get some of the two point five percent that we that we collect right now to go to the General Revenue moved over tax state eight thirty three it was some of the negotiations around that finding peace that left us with this coming to the last minute we had a separate bill that Senator Hammer rand this coming through the House side that left out the fire marshal transfer because we weren't sure we're gonna be able to get the agreed upon a financial that commitments from both state police and from the ACT eight thirty three finding that that that worked out of the very and so we're trying to get the status package now. Careful five for this because I don't want to shed any light on what you're trying to do but it seems like there's a lot of contention between the house and Senate and getting Bills running getting through. And here we are the last minute. And the House coming to the Senate committee with a day and a half or less to get this done. And does this have to go back to the house bill correct so it didn't have to go back but we've got Senate bill sitting down there and you're asking us to work on these bills and pass this bill we've got Senate bill sitting down on the house and while this bill is really important there are a lot of bills down there sitting on the house or that are really important also that don't seem to be moving and now we're being asked to to step in here and solve this problem in the last minute and is Again that that really concerns me has nothing to do with you guys because we want to get this done but yeah there are a lot of really important bills that are sitting down there in the house and I'm concerned. Thank you manager. Thank you so much are there any other questions from the members of the committee. Scene nine as there anyone here to speak for or against this bill. C. nine you're recognized to close for the. First of all they'll differ the center shall understand which stand we did run companion bills one without the component that this bill brings and the other one there's a lot of merit in it And so we we have done that but I do want to say on behalf of representative Johnson we've actually been working on this before session started but in order to get everybody in the game because it did involve of state police and and the fire marshal it has been a long process but I will say I think the end result of that process is well should hearing unity together and I think this is something everybody will be able to champion when we go back home because it's going to give the support that they needed wanted along with another companion bill we for a past not to one of the other one talking about that actually you know goes back to that audit that was done and and all this together thank you gonna make for better fire service for everybody represent Johnson thank you and I appreciate your concern Senator Solomon and I will I will tell you that we're doing the best we can I from my point anything this under my control I'll go down and try to make sure we get Senate bills heard and seen and I'm happy to do anything to accommodate any senator if I can within my committee. Thank you all right what is the pleasure of the Committee motion to pass second thank you all in favor say aye opposed as have it congratulations you passed your bill member that is all for today thank you for public health committee we're done done done and we're returned.