JBC-Special Language

Members of we wouldn't call this meeting of special language to order thank you all for being here we'll go ahead and dive into this my co chair have any comments. Okay let's start with C. one. H. B. ten ninety six department of finance ministration Andrew Collins regular Collins if you would state your name for the record. Thank you Mr inter Collins. We'll take a lot of your time but I do want to present this amendment because it you know address is probably one of the most important issues we're we do address here which is public safety obviously we have a crime problem in this state and we have to do things that will reduce crime that are proven to reduce crime one of the things that is proven to reduce crime is quantity and quality of policing. we have a shortage of police in our state recent numbers and not always probably up to the minute but Little Rock down a hundred with rock seventeen said bill forty nine Portsmouth twenty nine throughout the state we have this issue throughout the state we have a crime missions not just big cities it's also small towns rural areas The proof is pretty well documented that adding police reduces major crimes murder robbery rape aggravated assault every dollar spent on hiring new officers has a much higher economic impact that we get back somewhere between a dollar seventy five up to five dollars and that's primarily by reducing the murder rate so these are the big crimes and the way we can reduce the rate of those big crimes is by improving our policing it's also not just arrest just the presence of police reduces the number of arrests which indicates that there actually fewer crimes being committed it's not just our ability to police them just quick numbers and I'll go into the me what this does a ten percent increase in the size of a police force records with three seven percent reduction in crime a fifty percent increase in police presence leads to around a fifteen percent reduction in crime the number one obstacle to hire enough officers is packed that was in the task force that we did a couple years ago law enforcement ministers eighty nine percent the number one issue said low salary was the biggest hurdle to recruitment ninety six percent said the Los our was the biggest hurdle to retention so with that backdrop what this amendment would do is a few things it would set a minimum salary for police officers and county law enforcement deputies of fifty thousand dollars and we have that for our teachers and I think our law enforcement officers deserve that minimum salary as well it would be done by offering state support to our cities and counties these numbers in here seventy million four cities thirty million for counties that's based on the number of officers that we have police verses county officers The. The goal what this is to support our cities and counties because they are currently providing quite a bit less than fifty thousand dollars the actually the average salary is was twenty eight thousand dollars starting salaries twenty thousand dollars twenty nineteen with inflation that's thirty three three sixty in January twenty twenty three it's a lot lower than even the state average for all salaries so we would have to do quite a bit of work to get the average salary up in the starting salary to around fifty thousand dollars but that's what this math equates out to I'm happy to answer any questions ultimately this is a huge issue and something we have to do things that are proven to work policing has a big impact on reducing crime which is why I think this investments worth. But your reserve Collins of members any questions for representive. Senator Hickey you're recognized argue I guess somebody's going to say something here of course of course you know we we did the large stopping bill last session to try to help out officers. Of leadership and things have been and I have been working through you know what we're going to do with the general lot numbers or account you know for the last few weeks. This is not been part of those discussions in any way shape that I've heard of and quite frankly I wouldn't know how it could even be funded you know the way that it would be coming out of the general reserve allotment what other plans are so could you kind of address that why why this all of a sudden we got a hundred million dollars in front of this sure I mean I I put this for few weeks ago obviously you know those decisions are made by Various people here and and whether or not this is included is kind of up to those various people so are you know I've done the presentation of down the map no can take and run with it or leave it and move on to other things but I think this proposals certainly worth considering I think could be more effective more bang for the Buck and some of the other things that we might be doing sure and respectfully I mean I think with what we're doing you know with the whole crime situation you know what may be included you know and everything else I mean we're doing a large part and again I don't know how that you know I could possibly supported just because of where I know where we're at with all of our budget other things that are doing in all of those you know those revenue items are gonna have to be taken care of like that so anyway just wanted to make sure that I was missing something because like I say I haven't seen this part in the discussion so thank you Sir sure I appreciate that and just a quick comment you know. We're gonna be making decisions we have to make spending decisions obviously because of a new prison the cost of longer sentences is very steep I don't know that you can do that and this at the same time but I will say the effectiveness of improving police and is is there in a way that increasing sentences effectiveness in reducing crime is not their job it's one make that observation. All right see no further questions. With the will of committee. Got a motion. All right representative for like a second. The. I have a second. This will well all in favor say aye. All opposed no no seven thank you thank you. Wardlaw you're recognized thank you senator Gilmore Mr chairman A few weeks ago we setting claims committee we heard the claims on from the highway department and parks in tourism about the different claims that happen throughout of their divisions. One thing that was noted in those claims is that there was some negligent in certain departments and I think for those directors in those agencies and commissions to take those serious those claims that come out of those departments so there was a claim at the highway department for just a quick example it was in Eastern Arkansas of a flooded road and we paid for young man's life because that road had been repeatedly flooded and it should not been addressed if that division had to pay for that claim that division may take it more serious to make sure those ditches cleaned and roads not flooded and repeated matter so that's all this does is make sure that those claims are paid from the divisions in which the claim is in and it statewide here because like I said it goes across highway department parks tourism those were the two that came before claims but this this amendment would be encompass and to all state government with that I'd be happy taking questions. Any questions for the representative. See no questions. What's will committee. I've got a motion. Davis I. Read a second all in favor say aye. All opposed. I seven. We are passing over SP thirty two now to SP eighteen Senator Hester. You would state your name for the record please. They Senator bart Hester district thirty three. Members this is special language dealing with the lieutenant governor's budget that up into is removing the responsibility for security from from the Arkansas state police it's giving it to a lieutenant governor's office with the exact same language that the house has for their security detail their security officer in the same language of the Senate has just nearing those happy to answer any questions. You for the presentation the questions for the senator. I see no question okay I do have a question representive Tosh. Thank you Mr. If a is a state police. But they are currently providing security to is that what what is that what I'm understanding Senator. That is correct and so. Who will be assigned the who will have that security of state police is not. I'm I'm get giving it to the lieutenant governor's office to hire security detail I'm sells the same as the House hires their own security detail same as the Senate okay the security detail will be certified law enforcement officers no it's it's the same requirements of the House asked me. It's what what what does I'll stand. You should sign requirements of I'm trying to find it what's requirements. Yeah I don't know the exact I'm just trying to make sure that it's a certified law enforcement officer because I read in the language you aware that I have statewide jurisdiction and I'm just trying to figure out how they're going to have statewide jurisdiction if they're if they're not us a state police officer or someone how we're giving them that type of police power for statewide jurisdiction I just wanna make sure that I just now read that and I'm just curious about it yeah it is under on in on the back page on entered you know section five. Section five section be it says on there for the law enforcement officer certified by the Arkansas Commission on law enforcement standards and training. Okay. Or any additional questions for the senator. Seeing none was will be committed to a motion motion to pass I've got a motion to I have a second. I have a second all right all in favor say aye. All opposed. No seven. Thank Senate. Senator Hester you're recognized. So maybe I'll go I'll just talk from a chair but we're we're in the position here of providing no security for the for the. Lieutenant governor. Right like what this does provide security detail for the governor. Six hundred I maybe I didn't spend enough time explaining that we're spending six hundred fifty thousand dollars a year plus travel on something that we have not spent before four officers off the street in Little Rock or wherever they're taken off the street from. And we just we just heard a police down here that for the need for officers. and so I would ask that we expunge the vote by which that just failed. I make a motion to do that. I have a motion to expunge the vote. Our second I have a second all in favor say aye hi you opposed. All right the vote is expunged I make a motion that we revoked and pass. C. one or no way. We pass see for all right what we have a motion to from Senator Hester do I have a second. There I have a second all in favor say aye hi any opposed. Passes thank you senator. Okay we are passing over SB fifty one. All right. You're fine members next means Tuesday April the fourth. Okay okay I had a note that we're passing over I'm sorry representive. Thank my apologies I don't know we're passing on thank you Mr chairman I won't take long but I just wanted to make a comment because people have an amendment before them that is different than the one I ran last meeting and I just want to make a statement on why I want to pass over this there has been funding found in other places other than what this amendment calls for so I do want to pass over this thank you for the time Mr can't record. I'm sorry what you're done okay we're we're gonna pass out the amendment but thank you. All right members the next means Tuesday April fourth at eight AM please be years you can't. And then we're gonna release H. B. tens ninety six by joint budget and with that we're done thank you.