House Rules

Afternoon everyone I'm Josh Alexander and economic development for the city of sure what I've been working on Senate bill two O. one for about a year now working it through the Senate I'm here to answer any questions that you guys might have. Again we're on Senate bill two O. one direct you're recognized again. So this this bill is to amend the law regarding local option elections in default townships that resulted from initiated act one of nineteen forty two it's a very narrow bill it this legislation will expire we have a one shot deal to try to get our local option election for area that we have and next that part of sure of parts of the territory we have an extended sure would are are in former defunct township. Great of nineteen fifty four and additional of default township gray of nineteen fifty six which is a very large area we would like to be able to have our local option election in our annexed territory only because if if we have to stand up this entire area to do the local option election we will be affecting Pulaski County North Little Rock in Jacksonville. Would you like to add anything Sir. Yes ma'am so when she said that the area is very large it's approximately fifty nine square miles that the current law requires that we stand up the city if there was only an accident thirteen square miles of that our population in that area is roughly fifteen thousand people of that we and extend but the entire township this fifty four thousand so the voter voter burden is extremely cumbersome for us to try to go go with and also dealing with an additional municipality trying to get them to cooperate as well they may or may not want this is truly keeps a local option local within the city limits are what. Are there any. No question up representative Jiang. You're recognized thank you madam chair just give me from mayor you said it's the gray township yes where is that where is that exactly your. The Great township really encompasses almost all of Jacksonville and then over into of the area that stature would but I believe they were established in Little Rock Air Force base nineteen fifty four nineteen fifty six I think the base came in and fifty five so that gravel region that counts yes Sir okay Sir gravel ridge is now Sir would yeah I saw that they had the speed limit sign we're we're we're reverent worried used of a master would okay what this is basically an economic development bill we would like to be able to have a a a grocery store in an area where we've had a lot of new house homes built and if we get. If we could get a grocery store in that area it would be the only grocery store into you reach Vilonia I mean we are we have what we would call a food desert okay thank you. Are there any other questions. Seeing no other questions you were signed up to speak for the bill right so I ma'am would you like to close for your bill. Committee chair I am close for the bill and I would appreciate a good vote I'm so sorry you're good she is. Zacks but okay perfect sorry about that Sir. I have a motion do pass all in favor say aye opposed no congratulations your bill is passed the very much thank you chair thank you committee that will go to Senate bill three seventy two. Representative Paul well you're recognized please state your name for the record and then you may begin. I thank you madam Speaker thank you colleagues this is a real simple bill it's in a bit Senate bill three seventy to about senator calling myself in it all all it does not alcohol bill it allows a retail liquor stores to offer clothing and other promotional and marketing merchandise with logos and graphics of their permittee permittee's business so I will not be able to a T. shirts caps things like that but it has to have their logo only up board from Selma not nothing other than with their logo on it I have a logo on. Representative more you're recognized for a question thank you madam chair. The representative so you're telling me under current Arkansas law the state is restricting the first amendment from these proprietors that's right you cannot sell the shirts or caps or anything like that. I suspect. Representative Wardlaw you're recognized for a question. I'm just lost but wouldn't it be basically advertisement of these liquor stores. And that's what's prohibited correct. I don't know this is just this just allows them as of. A shirt with a logo on it. Promoter. ABC want to comment on that I see on the actor looking at me. Please recognize yourself for the record and then you may begin. Michael Lewis ABC up retail liquor stores are not permitted from advertising the only prohibition we have on advertising it's private clubs in dry areas so why are they not permitted to sell teacher with a name on it without this law because currently the way the law is set up they are only allowed to operate as retail package store and sell items that are generally associated with the retail package sale of liquor. Also if you sell liquor you can't sell anything else in your store other than liquor beer wine. And other items associated with the retail package so mixers ice cups things of that nature that are associated with. Alcohol thank you. Are there any other questions. Seeing no other questions there's no one signed up to speak for against is everyone that wants to speak for against the bill was the will of the committee. Motion to pass all in favor say aye. I was no can congratulations your bill is passed thank you. Senate bill four four seventy five representative Bryant. Our center right sorry. Please state your name for the record and then you may begin. Thank you measure just have a state Senate district thirty two. Thank have an all state representative district thirty thank you you may begin thank you madam chair thank you committee members what I brief you today is a entrepreneurs bill. This allows the sale of of alcoholic beverages whether mixed drinks beer wine or liquor to be able to be dispensed at a at a at that location where the where the Cup reside for the person resides instead of using a bartender so before you pull back with caution we say that we currently when you go into a facility that serves the these types of drinks you go to the bar you pursue got you going to the facility you get your ID check to go to the bar you order a drink C. one other drink you go back to the bar you might talk to another bartender view another be go back to the bar you might talk to another bartender and they're doing the same thing with hundreds of gas with this bill would allow is a state to match all the other states that attach the State of Arkansas that I've been doing this since about twenty seventeen thank you about five hundred locations nationwide with this has not been a problem is is they enter the facility they get their ID checked if the if they're over twenty one they get a wristband that wristband has an RFID radio frequency identifier and then they can go under the supervision of staff we don't get rid of any supervision they can go to that dispensary or whether it's beer thirty two ounces wine per twelve ounces mixed drink or alcohol for three ounces they can slash their badge they can dispense that one product to that announcmenet and then when they want more they go they go back to of a facility operator whether that's a bartender or other. Authorized person and they get checked to make sure that they're not inebriated that that any cut off and if they don't they re enable their their band and then go and and get some more. So the the benefits of this the technology allows for enhancing guest experience is less waiting on drinks additional safety mechanisms controls for monitoring and limiting consumption because now that bartender doesn't have noted that that I serve you last time or to the did you get it from the waitress and they gets another bartender so it actually the the machine can technology will limit that consumption it also improves inventory usage that a typical bar or waste taproom weighs about eighteen percent of their inventory and then it lowers overhead allows A more staff to focus on other other things rather than making sure that nobody's in the bridge. So I think it's it's a good it's a good bill in the sense that it uses technology to regulate consumption and then it also gives a new new enhanced experience to consumers and. I hope that we can adopt this so the state can take advantage like all the other states around. Represent all you're recognized for a question thank you madam chair you say all the other states run this can you name the states that actually have this law. Texas Oklahoma Kansas Missouri Tennessee Mississippi Louisiana. Are there any other questions. Thing no other questions there's no one here to speak for or no one signed up to speak for against is there anyone that I'd like to. I've got a motion do pass all in favor say aye opposed no. Your bill is passed. We're going to move to House Bill eighteen oh one. Please state your name for the record and then you may begin. Representative Jack Ladyman district thirty two and were handed out of hand out for representative Ladyman. Name again Sir. Thank you madam chairman of the committee this bill would realign the ten standing committees in the House and the reason I want to do this was efficiency number one and number two to balance bills in committees because we have three four committees that run fifty percent of the bills some committees don't meet every week so that's the purpose of this bill but let me just give me some history this is not the first time that this has been suggested that hand out you read this later hi interesting reading nineteen thirty one with forty two standing committees including levees and drainage and temperance. In nineteen thirty. Five we had forty one standing committees representative Ladyman I'm going to ask you to be concise and I will get to the point that as well be a gavel any and before we know it thank you Sir let me going to the it was changed to a six or seven times the last time I had to hear these Department run some research on this the last one they could find was in sixty nine seventy one we had twenty three committees I don't know when it got changed to ten but it's been a while so if we could do this I think we could be a lot more efficient in public health we have six five or six secretaries have to come to that committee for different things so this would align us with the executive branch of so I'd I'd like to put that interim study madam chair but it's okay so you're withdrawn the bill Sir with the minimum state thank you Sir we appreciate you being here today. Next we have senate bill four seventy two. Representative Matix please recognize yourself for the. And then you may begin state your name. Along with your guests they all need to state there's also thank you madam chair representative Matix District eighty six I would ask my guests to also introduce themselves and who they're with. Good afternoon Shea Lewis Director of Arkansas state parks. Michael Lewis interim director maybe say. Have we have one other guest joining us at the table. Senator Missy Irvin district twenty four. You may begin Sir. Thank you madam chair I'll try to be as brief as I can this is SP FOR seventy two so this is one of four Bills as part of the governor and services specifically the first gentleman's package of outdoor recreation bills this bill gives the Secretary of parks heritage interest in the the ability to grant a private club permit to a state park if they deem inappropriate this will be very beneficial in streamlining the permitting process in these instances if a permit is granted the state park will still comply with the rules and regulations that are applicable this bill helps set our state up to be more competitive in the hospitality space which is something that we're all interested in and specifically the governor's offices is interested in at this time. An example this is we have some excellent mountain biking trails that are attached to some of our state parks but right now they don't have the ability to go out and compete for these large events due to their lack of having this product so this if it's deemed appropriate will give them that ability to go out and compete and frankly compete with Bentonville and some of the other areas are getting most of these events. One of this to the statistics I read is that fifty percent of our tourist to the State Parks are are from out of state and to be completely Frank nothing the Mr Lewis will testify to this they're it they're often disappointed that they cannot have a glass of wine with your dinner or with their meal so one of our goals is to increase tourism increase that tax base and get these people to stay longer in our state parks and I'm I would like for Mr Lewis to speak briefly few moments. Sure I would just like to say Arkansas state parks is part of the tourism industry and within the tourism industry in in the hospitality industry we are just trying to keep up with that guest expectations that we have we want to continue to position our parks as a family friendly destination but while meeting guest X. expectations for meeting groups in event needs and so I one additional thing that I would add is that after secretary mills issues a permit for a park to host an event or to serve beer wine or alcohol in in one of the restaurants that we would be subject to all other A. B. C. laws concerning the sale and consumption of alcohol. Wrecked questions. Yes manager are there any questions. No one has signed up to speak for against the bill was the will of committee motion do pass all in favor say aye. Opposed no. Your bill is passed thank you madam chair thank you Committee. Representative Wardlaw. I just think the Senate or to understand that on time means early late is when you show up after we start. Thank you madam chair. Seeing no other business were adjourned.