Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee - Senate

To recognize Senator Flippo for a point of personal privilege thank you madam chair thank you members there's others were recognize the only out here is in this Clint **** Clint stand up. We are very for a few minutes so Clint is from hot springs go to school late so that's what I thought so Clint isn't you know what inspired attorney looking at you know Ouachita Baptist got to thirty one is ACT but apparently that's not good enough so he's taking it again I'm like Senator Wallace and I were like we got accepted were good but no client you know he's got an interest in the political process in the state of Arkansas you know he's he's an all star student back in hot springs his sock game is on point I want to buy cannabis assaults because like here all points but Clint you know we're happy to have you here today thank you for what you do and look for to see what you in the future thank Matt. Welcome. Glad to have you with us and watch out you might get called on to testify if it deals with students because I did call students up if they're in the audience happen to my daughter one time on spring break. Okay we're gonna get senator dis senator these you have a Senate bill two ninety one. Thank you madam chair of the committee bringing back Senate bill two ninety one as a reminder this is a really clean up bill to try to work with the cleaning up the the richer of the data related to head trauma information from patients and I believe there were some communication about clarity around some already already similar databases are going on in trying to make sure that this is that unified into one source from a date a city in the integrity perspective as well as a broken into a behind the department health and so with that happy answer questions and would would appreciate consideration. All rights are there questions from members of the committee. Any questions really appreciate you working with the senators to get those clarifications because I think they were really good questions and doing your due diligence to to make that happen so we appreciate you very much for doing that any questions from members of the committee anyone in the audience wish to speak for or against this bill C. nine what is the pleasure of the Committee motion do pass second all those in favor say aye and opposed ayes have it congratulations you passed your bill the representative Ladyman. Welcome to our public health committee former chair of public health over in the house I had such a great pleasure of sharing with you. Thank you madam chairman of I have some handouts okay get those you bet. House bill eleven forty two. Thank you. While they're handling this out just wanna appreciate and welcome RES so white with the bureau she is new to the committee and will be assisting our committee so welcome and as always we really appreciate our staff for all that you do for us so welcome. Okay you're recognized to present house bill eleven forty two okay committee I have a couple people that would normally be down here with me but they're out of town but he hasn't is the CEO of Arkansas rule electric coops couldn't be here and doctor Bob it with the universe of Arkansas systems could not be here but one hand outs I gave you is a letter from doctor Bob it that he wanted to write because he could not be here if madam chairman if you don't mind I'd like to read this absolutely. I want to lend my full support to representative Ladyman for his steadfast efforts in support of H. B. eleven forty two the Arkansas nuclear recycling program although I am unable to be with you today please do not hesitate to do that mistake my absence for a lack of support of representative Ladyman his commitment to pursuing objectives of H. B. eleven forty two. As president of the university of Arkansas system I have attended several meetings and interaction with experts as they have testified about spent nuclear fuel reprocessing technology that is proven and ready for commercial deployment the state of Arkansas has as is the case of all nuclear power plants in the United States spent nuclear fuel that can be reclaimed and repurposed well this is a complex problem I believe it can be solved with a coalition of diversified institutions including federal and state agencies higher education institutions and the private sector. The legislature support of the commitments outlined in H. B. eleven forty two is a key factor for the federal government to understand and agree that the state of Arkansas is ready willing and has a plan to address the matter of spent nuclear fuel H. B. eleven forty two recognizes the unique role of the University of Arkansas System. Can under take from a public outreach and education perspective upon receipt of appropriate federal funding the interest or university of Arkansas system is ready and willing to partner with the state to assist with a solution to this very complex spent nuclear fuel problem. So I want to read that to show that members of our team are are fully on board with this bill. So now what I'd like to do. Is talk about you know what what what this bill does And and talk a little bit about why we're doing it. So. The bill bills upon the study that we conducted under access ten ninety two that was passed by the legislature in twenty twenty one underactive ninety two our team working to solve the nuclear waste problem in Arkansas and the nation. A found supporters in Arkansas and in Washington DC we have the support of our Arkansas delegation in DC. And U. S. senators from Kansas Delaware and West Virginia at ten ninety two has been adopted by the American legislative exchange council and the southern states energy council as model legislation. In a nutshell we have proven there is support for doing in our in the project to prove spent nuclear fuel rods can be reclaimed and used to produce power. So we need to take the next step let me just stop there talk about this is a three phase project call the Arkansas plan the first project under ten ninety two was to do a study we did that we felt like their support out there the second step is to do the planning so in other words to get funds and the necessary things. To plan this process the third step which would have to be done later would be the execution. So right now we need to take the next step. Which is to develop plans to implement the project. a firm on these to be hired to develop plans for the for completing the project. we need to develop a model for commercial application. We need to develop a storage plan for rigid residual materials we need to develop engineering documents for the recycling process we need to perform site analysis for research and development plan to verify commercial viability we need to develop construction costs and a schedule for construction of the plant. We need to establish Arkansas is the only state pursuing a final solution for spent nuclear fuel rods through recycling. We need to be able to request federal funds from the department of energy to develop these plans. There's currently a fund that has been established by US department of energy. over the past fifty years. to develop a solution to the nuclear waste the nuclear waste problem. Funding for this fund was from fees paid by nuclear power generation plants for the past fifty years. The trust fund currently has a balance of fifty one billion dollars. And to my knowledge were the only one pursuing those funds no other states doing this at this time. The main thing this bill does is to allow us to request funds and establish a management structure to manage this process. And to secure a federal charter to receive these federal funds. If we are successful in completing the planning of what we call the Arkansas project. There is a potential to create six thousand two hundred jobs in Arkansas. for details on how this could be accomplished you you've got to hand out there in front of you call the rolls Royce nuclear report which was done in the U. K. A. enters information in their own house how these projections are made. There's also some receipt there I believe that shows the number of jobs that could be created what areas they would be created in. So in summary then I realize it's a lot for you all to absorb hopefully adding up to fast on that but let me summarize what we need to do and what this bill would allow us to do. We need to create a program obtained a charter obtain funding hire a contractor develop the transportation plan and develop and outreach programs to educate the public. This is where the University of Arkansas would come into play they would develop this outreach program to educate the public on what we're doing they would also be involved in monitoring this whole process from start to finish because the goal here is to prove this is economically feasible so we would need to monitor that so we would be training engineers and technicians at the university of Arkansas in this whole process it became successful in large companies like Siemens Pratt Whitney G. who makes generators power generators we think would become interested in this process and where would they go for that technology and that knowledge they would come to Arkansas that's what we think the jobs would be created. Lastly. some of you may have received emails or taxes saying that I'm creating a nuclear waste drop drop in Arkansas. That is not true. This bill would actually reduce the amount of spent nuclear fuel rods currently in the state of Arkansas. This project only request federal approval to store on the feedstock to supply this model plant which would be a lot less than what we currently have stored in Arkansas at our nuclear facilities. So with that I'd be happy to take any questions and listen to Penzo on the inside. All right questions Senator love you're recognized for a question. Thank you madam chair and. The representative Ladyman get to see in the and that was the last point that you just made was the the first point the first question I was going to have in regards to. Right now what do we do are we currently storing nuclear waste rights in the state right now yes central AR that's a good question let me talk about that a little bit there is no solution to the nuclear waste not no place to Senate to store there's no landfill that will take it there's no recycling process so nuclear one as well as every other. Eighty six. Ninety six ninety six other nuclear plants in the United States have all of their spent fuel rods stored on site so nuclear one is no different all of those rods are stored there on site they are contained but that road every day. We would reduce that volume there's tons there right now central of. And I'd like to add there is there is no solution to a disposal right now for nuclear fuel rods they still contain ninety five percent of their potential energy so by us recycling them that's probably the purest of form of green energy because we don't have to do any money even solar panels require a ridiculous amount of money to take place in some foreign country the you know we feel like the green but the the environmental footprint for solar's huge the recycling program for nuclear you know spent nuclear fuel rods is is a it helps to follow we have a. Committee your supply these things we have said in the parking lot the nuclear one if this was to go for we could power the state for years many many years hundreds and hundreds of years just based on the fuel rods we have sit in the parking lot so it's a two fold solution the half flat for the waste products is wait list on the the waste from these modular reactors so it's we have like a long term problem now that's that's. Pretty much fixed by. Recycling of spent fuel. Okay so the and The New this new project that will bring online is it going to be what what would the for the for the in project. Okay what the what we would do is we would have a facility we don't know what size that's what we need to hire an engineering firm to to find the sweet spot on what's economical but we would have a plan that would recycle the fuel now that's being done at Argonne laboratories right now they're doing that on a daily basis in very small quantities but we would need the size of factory. To read cycle the fuel so a nuclear fuel is a little it's about the little two by thank that they put into that put the tubes in a packaging that that's a nuclear fuel rods so we would make these little pellets that would be weaker than what nuclear one uses. We would build a plant next to that recycling facility a Jian for students so sodium based GM for nuclear plant modular plants you probably heard of these so we would build a plant there to utilize this fuel that we're recycling. And then we would have gone to the greeted and put power into that. Let me as so that that's basically don't know what signs but that's the elements okay. right now there are no June for plants in operation in the world. I cannot emphasize how important this project really is a poor successfully would be global it would be a global impact in Arkansas would be the leader but. There's two plants being that they haven't broke ground yet being constructed or along the process one I think in Idaho I think the other ones Washington I might be wrong or the location but but they're using new fuel okay there's a couple I think I found one is being constructed Russia and China one in China these all will work on new fuel. Which may become a shortage for building all these nuclear plants running the fuel so we wouldn't need this recycle fuel to be able to develop and operate this new technology. I will I will okay that I think this. Okay I'll get back in the queue okay senator Boyd. Thank you madam chair I Mark from din's into work thank you for answering this but just make it crystal clear and simple for me so when we're recycling this fuel we're recycling it into. The next phase of nuclear fuel. Are we really into something else with me what when you say recycle what is the what is it being recycled into is what I'm trying okay get straight mind I understand your question let me try to answer that. shortly I guess If you will right now a lot of its manufacturing will North Carolina be into that factory was G. plan to work for that company and then they make the same thing they make these little pellets apartment pipes some amount to the factor I. Those fuel rods used in nuclear one only use five percent of the energy that's all they can use so ninety five percent to be to use or still in those spent nuclear fuel rods so those could be taken and the ground up go through the process and it would make new pellets okay in a new pack or a new fuel that may not be the same package. The rules can be used in the new Gen four nuclear reactors that cannot be used in the old reactors like we have a Russellville they can only be used in the new reactors And center console talked about the life the half life the half life of the nuclear spent nuclear rods up at Russellville is million years they reacted for million years the half life of the product coming out of this recycling facility would be three hundred years. Now I said that in the committee and some people laughed at me they still think three hundred years too much but whole lot listen me and. I will answer your questions yes and so so what I'm hearing is it's going to give us an additional source of energy for a lot of years which then should reduce our dependence on other countries and ourselves for fossil fuels and wind power potentially and so again further diversification the. Thank. And to be better stewards of our resources for sure and eliminate that foot print that Senator Penzo and I completely agree on I mean there is a huge environmental impact to sell or solar panels and and the installation of those and the mining that occurs we've we've discussed that so. I mean I know representative lady committee for really hard for many years on this project and so it's really great to see this come to fruition and this legislation in my opinion are there other questions from members of the committee. St nine is there anyone here to speak for against this bill. All right. Did you have any other questions Senator live. More of a more of a statement Representative Ladyman I do support for what we're trying to do here I think I understand it the only my only concern is the new footprint that that that we will have as far as once we bring it in. We will be stored in you know what of the. I guess what are the threats now that would mean that we have. How much we're going to be stored bring in also I mean all those kind of questions that I still have even though I do understand what you're trying to do and the I do support it because it is is one million years is a long time three hundred and three hundred is something that the rest my head around but the I mean those are just the questions as we move forward in this process is the monitoring of how large we're going to come. What what what burden we're going to be bringing in from other. This one short statement in answer to that. If we approve this bill it will be less nuclear waste in Arkansas than there is right now. Thank you any other questions thank you are you're recognized to close for your bill well again I just wanna emphasize that that I mean this is a very important project. And if we could do this it would be very very good for Arkansas so I'm close all right close motion do pass and second all those in favor say aye. Yeah. You're recognized for discussions sorry no it's it's fine not thank you madam chair yeah so thank you I I appreciate you bringing this I think it's very important in our conversation and I think they're all kinds of risks that we don't know about within wind energy we've mentioned seller and I think that diversifying and figure out what to do with the waste in a child of the eighties reduce reuse recycle that includes nuclear waste and I appreciate you not just today but all the work you've done up and up to this point so thank you. All right any other discussion R. L. as in favor say aye. And oppose ayes have it congratulations you've passed your bill thank you Committee thank you. eight. Senator Solomon if you'll take the chair at let's see I don't believe. Anyone's here for these first couple the H. B. fourteen one is represented parts here or somebody here to run representative purchases legislation. Fortino one center Penzo are you running Fortino one. Okay H. B. Fortino one. And. Fourteen forty nine anyone here to run fourteen forty nine no and three nineteen at three twenty or being amended so the only one I'll run is three eighteen and then I think we're done. Senator Penzo. House Bill fourteen. one thank you madam chair and I have a new court here with me if there's any questions about this bill. House Bill Fortino one amends the duration of Cass's cash assistance benefits provided to work eligible able bodied adults receiving ten of ten of his temporary assistance for needy families program administered by the department of workforce services it is designed to help low income people during a difficult time or while they're becoming more job ready such as participating in a training program. The bill came to me from the courtroom of opportunity Arkansas discusses Billings with Dr Chilvers the department of workforce services before filing it and they're okay with the bill. Currently entertain if adults and children receive cash assistance and other support services this bill does not change anything related to child cases it only addresses work eligible able bodied adults for those able bodied adults the bill reduces the time limit to be on the program from twenty four to twelve months during those twelve months the participants should be able to remit ready themselves to find work and then joined the work force. The safeguard here is that under current law in this bill Department work for services has the discretion to issue a waiver and extend the twelve month time limit for up to as many as sixty months if needed for example if an individual is in a training program that takes longer than twelve months DWS could extend the benefit to allow them to finish the program. The ultimate goal is to help more Kansans leave the trap of government dependency cycle off the program and this bolster workforces more adults move from welfare to work. Be happy to answer any questions if you have a okay are those I have a quick question are those waivers also available if it's a able bodied working adult that may be a single parent. Four how would that be happy. What would they. There's there's ten starting at the bottom of page two okay ten exemption so to speak that the department can determine I make a judgment on whether or not Anything you wanted to so they would they would fall under. Four yes I would just said there to serve in those point there's there's a lot of exemptions available already in state law some of them are very broad gives DHS DWS a lot of discussion if they want to exempt someone in our conversation with DHS you know there was a conversation about what if there's a young mom she's in school she's trying to get through but she's going to at this time on it like in that case they would be able to give her an exemption to continue getting benefits if that was what was best in that case so it's very much a case by case determination but this bill doesn't affect any of those exemptions and still leave that discussion place perfect and it just state your name for the Robsart the court with up to new Arkansas action okay thank you any other questions for members of the committee. Love you're recognized thank you mention I guess I'm trying to figure are because I thought you when you start present at that you're with do you have yes you with. No sorry I'm with opportunity Arkansas actions okay what is opportunity Arkansas and we're a nonprofit in Arkansas. Okay. All right it is so nonprofit here in Arkansas and what it specifically needed so our mission is to solve generational problems and simplify government so we work on a variety of policy issues that kind of fall under that umbrella including welfare reform education reform foster care variety of issues okay thank you right any other questions Senator Boyd you're recognized for a question. All right again make this simple former help me understand what exactly is cash assistance so we start there. Will. Nick might be able to explain that better but currently currently on if someone's receiving benefits it's handled through an EBT card they can pull cash off of the BT card for expenses so it's actually cash assistance so You know the. Do you have anything. Yes so I would say this kind of you know three major welfare programs generally they think of Medicaid food stamps which a snap and intent of which is cast cash welfare so this is this is a casual for program that we're that we're talking about so they're cash benefits to put on a card given to folks right now we have a two year time limit federal law allows states to go from anywhere between one year and five years and this bill simply goes down to one year of some of the benefits specifically we're talking about tennis than ten yes Sir okay. Yeah and just to reemphasize the federal government does allow for the states to determine that level of eligibility for participation. Any other questions for members of the committee all right seeing none we do have somebody here to speak against pre no showers. If you'll come to the end of the table. Thank you for being with us today appeal to state your name for the record we may proceed yeah presheaf you for letting me be here today madam chair of moneys for no showers the senior policy analyst for Arkansas advocates for children and families and I'm just going to explain today why we oppose H. B. Fortino one which limits the duration of the transitional employment assistance fourteen program as well as the work pays program from twenty four to twelve months so these programs are designed to have an infrastructure that connects parents to work they have the things in place for participants get education skills and and job training in addition to just cash assistance there's wraparound services and employment subsidies that help disadvantage workers kind of get back on to work on you know worked their way up the ladder basically so I think actually in the long run employers benefit from a larger and more productive work force obviously state and local government benefits as they're spending the cash in our local economy kind of stimulates economic growth here and you know we know that cash assistance is one critical component to helping disadvantaged workers get to work at the addressing employment barriers like a lack of child care access or unreliable transit which we know is a big issue especially in a lot of our rural communities insulate here a lot about our labor force issues but I think programs like this actually help or labor force participation rates in our employment rates in the long run. some of the things I want to just point out is that both the both T. and work pays already have work requirements built into the program for you for example work pays participants have to be working a minimum of twenty four hours to be part of that program at all. there's already strict resource an income limits that we follow and so like a lot of the people that are working even if they're able bodied as we've noted here there's waivers for them so you know if they're taking care of someone who is less than six years old someone who is disabled a lot of the the statistics about how many folks are working even though they're able bodied likely fall under some of those exemptions. and so I appreciate that we're not eliminating the program entirely in that they're still kind of guardrails in place to to keep people who meet certain exemptions on the program but I think they're already designed with twenty four women in mind so like work pays for example gives you a bonus if you're working a certain number of months out of those twenty four months another bonus if you move your income up to a hundred and fifty percent of the federal poverty level again this the idea being that it kind of helps you make ends meet as you're working in low skill low wage jobs and and working your way up the ladder in another thing I want to point out is that we're talking about these is though it's you know you're on the program once and and you have a twelve month or twenty four month time limit these are lifetime limits so if you've done twelve months on the program previously but you get back on the hard times again you would have to try and get that exemption to get back on the program rather than statutorily already kind of qualifying to get back on it. And so again based basically I feel the giving families a longer offering is more likely to help them not just get a job and get like a good paying job that that'll help them start a career and move up the ladder and that's why we oppose reducing the length of this program from twenty four to twelve months. Thank you Senator Solomon you're recognized for a question. Thank early in your presentation you talk about this helps the government. If we are giving them money and they're spending money and we get it back to taxes how does that help that we give them money and they give it back to us. Sorry the the point that I was trying to make is that this helps them stay employed and you know it helps them get back on their feet if they're not working obviously they're not paying taxes evinced. What what the taxes the money we're giving them comes from the taxes. Okay. I'm at think it also if they purchase they use the money to purchase product they're paying sales tax I thank perhaps this point Senator love and then senator Boyd. Thank you madam chair I was just going to ask and you may not be able to answer this but what is the average yes T. benefit. This someone receives I'm not just I don't know that off the top of my head I'm sorry Senator love I apologize I think it's it's fairly modest but I don't know the exact amount. Okay. Kommentar is is there anybody from the W. S. in hand they can actually answer the question. Anyone here from DWS. I thank you that you can come forward but it. No she's not from deed of yes but she is from DHS merit ms Franklin. Good morning glad to see you you want to go ahead and just maybe you can answer. Good morning I'm very Franklin with the Division of County operations department of Human Services I don't know the average of those across the case load but I can tell you in our child only cases if there was one child it's eighty one dollars a month if it's a two person household mom and one child one sixty two two oh for a month of its three person household so they are very low but I don't know exactly what the averages per month right now but it. Depends on the household size. If I may I think one other thing to point out here is that I think we mention this doesn't touch quote unquote child only cases that just means that the adult participant or the adult in the household wouldn't be included in the benefit calculation so that just means that it's households with children wouldn't the Committee doll wouldn't counsel the benefit would be reduced okay. Senator are you finished under live. For now okay senator Boyd you're recognized for a question thank you madam chair so. Help me understand a little bit I'm I'm making an assumption and correct me if I'm wrong there's an income cap at which you would not be eligible would be question number one. That's correct and again I'm sorry I should have prepared better but I don't know the exact I know it's quite low but. Okay it's five hundred and thirteen dollars a month for an applicant coming into the program so then the the next question is if if there's an income cap then link then in that time would that be some kind of disincentive to wanting to rise in your ear your pay I mean. So like if you're if you're capped at this amount you know there's a cliff at some point right where is five hundred fourteen dollars a month now and all of a sudden not you know so so are we encouraging people to to not rise to the next level by continue to have the benefit is what I'm trying to understand. I believe I believe there's an earned income exclusion when you're working on if you. So I what I can do is just answer questions about the eligibility requirements when when someone applies in is new to the program there's a twenty percent disregard of income and so once that disregard of earned income is applied if they are at five hundred and thirteen or below per month income they can qualify for. The cash assistance program here in Arkansas is called transitional employment assistance and then once they are in the program and there are. There are activities there's an assessment there they work with a case manager to move towards self sufficiency and if there once they are in the program if there is more than a twenty percent disregard so they get that twenty percent disregard but then they would also get an additional sixty percent so you can increase your earnings and still qualify for that cash assistance that there is a point at which the cash assistance monthly amount would trigger down to fifty percent of whatever it would normally be and there are there is a bonus when they exit the program due to employment and then they they can move on to the work pays program if they meet the income limit for work pays we're in that program they would continue to be worked with to move up the income ladder and become more and more self sufficient so that is basically how the program works. So submitted as to one to twelve months does not eliminate their ability to seek assistance through a different program. No it. It does limit the amount of time they can receive ten cash assistance without some type of exception being made due to the progress right type of training they are in but you just mentioned the work pay but Graham right they could move into the work pays program if their team case closes due to employment data. Okay any other questions for members of the committee. Miss Franklin thank you so much you're welcome. A wealth of knowledge very fortunate to have you. Thank you thank you any other questions all right do you have anything else Mr some. No I appreciate your thank you yes Sir thank you so much for being here for your testimony today anybody else in the audience here to speak for or against this bill. All right scene nine you're recognized senator Penzo to close for your bill. Thank you madam chair the the one of the members asked questions about incentives you know there's there's the exemptions on this that allow you to go into I mean if you're in a training program or something that's I think I think there's incentive with a shorter fuse to get him into a training program quicker if they know that that's what they need to do to keep the the benefits so just press your body for good vote. All right. And what's the will of the committee motion to pass second is there discussion I want to say one thing in our labor market right now there are so many employers looking for employees and at an end and I appreciate the testimony I really thank you Mr sours for being here I feel actually a lot more comfort level with this bill after miss Franklin's testimony to be fair and yours I mean I think that we've had some really good depth at a Mister Horton due to me to leave you out but I feel better about this bill because it's really a smart approach to just wrap reacting to where we are today in a society that in my opinion any other discussion right see none all those in favor say aye. And opposed. Is have it congratulations you've passed your bill. Thank you. All right I think we just have to see how about house bill fourteen forty nine. Representa Ferguson that last one then Senate bill three eighteen. Senator Solomon if you'll take the chair and all invites department of labor to come up. Center if you would introduce yourself and you're open to present your bill thank you senator Missy Irvin to serve twenty four. And I have good morning hi Steve Gunther for the department of labor licensing. The mayor Howard the director of the Medical clone Commission. Right so that these folks and this is their agency gonna let them explain the bill and just appreciate the manufacturing association as well for their work with us on and on on the on the bill that you have with the amendment engrossed. Alternative issue good morning committee this law or this bill would amend the current manufactured home Commission language it would put it in compliance with federal law upon the recommendation of the department of housing and urban development failure to update this law would put at risk the potential for a the federal funding for the commission to be lost currently that's at about ninety two thousand dollars also it changes the makeup of the board there's currently ten members it would reduce the board to eight members this does have the approval of the governor's office. Member center at one one have any questions. NO questions if anyone here to speak for against the bill. Thank you senator you're welcome to close I'm close for check the tutelage and work on the bill we have a motion and second all in favor say aye aye All opposed same. Thank you senator your bills passed. At center king did you have a question it's just on the fiscal impact of my bill I've not heard anything back in the staff people get me you it DHS and the contact people can you email me who does so. Okay thank you any other business come before the committee all right C. nine we're adjourn.