Transportation, Technology & Legislative Affairs - Senate

He's a quorum of. Let's see. We know is here for the. Right you. Is represented Dalby here or is someone that is. representing her I know Senator Rice you have I believe you have thirteen fifty one don't you but you you're not caring twelve oh eight are you okay we'll we'll just go on the thirteen fifty one Senator Rice you will come a day will you be recognized. Thank you Mister Committee. You're recognized center right president House Bill thirteen fifty one thank you thirteen fifty one is is pretty simple of sitting County vehicles are eligible for a special license plate motor vehicles or property ever owned by the city or county clarification is needed to ensure that the vehicles that are leased for twelve months or more about city or county or treated as property of the local government and are eligible for the special license plate these leased and these lease vehicles or exclusively for seating County business and this bill was reviewed by the FNA and they're it it's or including the bill there is no no opposition. So it's simply treated as if it were in this county owned it because it's a longer term lease is not a short term for the for twelve months or more so it is considered our property okay the license any questions from committee members. Signals or anyone signed up to speak. Anyone from the audience like to speak on this bill. If not What is the will of the committee. The motion by Senator board second by Senator Hill a discussion. All favor say aye opposed. Thank you senator writes your bill passed thank you for your committee. And we will move to Third you've you've got thirteen twenty four yes okay What we know representative Tosh is here to make sure okay well then. Surfboard representante shall recognize for representative boss bill which is house bill thirteen twenty four. Thank you Mr chair senator Boyd to present house bill thirteen twenty four house bill thirteen twenty four seeks to change the situation where you're you know right now legally you have to have your lights on when you're using your windshield wipers this bill seeks to take it from a secondary fence or primary offense what happens on state highways like between hot springs in Fort Smith where there's a lot of twists and turns it just it creates a dangerous situation when you can't see people when there's already limited visibility so with that said representative Tosh is here if you have any questions for either the two of us. Representantes you're recognized Mister chair committee members of senator boards exactly ride this bill is already the law this bill was enacted years ago I mean it was a law when I was still working and I've been retired almost twenty years so there's no language in this bill that is changing from the old wall to what is being presented here today the only thing that is changing as US senator Boyd said is this bill moves it from a secondary offense to a primary offense and that simply means that it when it was enacted there's very few patients pieces of legislation and traffic offenses that when we pass on here they're not a primary offense but there have been occasions over the years even though it's rare that the legislative body chose to make it a secondary offense and that's what they did with this bill when they enacted it years ago so this will move it to a primary expansion what a secondary offense is in ours is a primary offense and for those that may not understand it the secondary plants means that if you are violating that law and that's the only thing that you're doing role in a law enforcement officer sees you on the highway they cannot stop you for that offense Aloni they have to have other probable cause to be able to make that traffic stop because it is a secondary offense moving this to a primary offense that simply changes the fact that of the law enforcement says you're violating this particular law they don't have any other probable cause to stop you they can stop you for that traffic complaints on its own merit and with that the. If we take any questions any questions by the committee. Senator Rice. Not not make a lovely could you make it two for one or the. Get him for not signaling to turn also. Still time to file new bill senator. Any any other questions Senator Clark. How long has it been a secondary offense. How long has it been in law is a secondary offense. You know I don't know the exact day that this bill was enacted into law I do know that it was a low back when I was working I know it up but what year that actually was passed to you and I I I retired in two thousand five so Senator I know it was I know it was a law at that time and even several years prior to that but the exact year I couldn T.. Okay and. The assume that there's. In a report of a lot of problems with this. Not to my knowledge I mean you know I think it's an issue of visibility you know means being able to make that stop if you see someone that's violating the law just give those law enforcement officers opted mean they'll issue a citation use means a bit they have the authority to pull over and take corrective action if you've made just a verbal you need to turn your headlights on. Thank you. Any other questions Senator Hill. Okay a. I've got a easy question I spoke representation briefly back we're moving for more and more cars will automatically turn the headlights on and maybe even do it when when the wipers are on is that kind of is this being taken care of in part by technology already. That's exactly right I think you know this law when it was enacted that those features were not on the vehicle a test at that time I think over a period of time this law will become obsolete anyways because of the features on the vehicles but there's still a lot of vehicles out there where you have to manually turn your headlights on and so that's the reason it needs to stay in effect for at least a lot longer okay any other questions we everyone signed up Senate bill I'm sorry. With this being a secondary offense right now it seems to be working because we have no data to back this up one we need to change. So representative Vaught had a situation or. Her law enforcement brought this to our said look this is a problem it puts us in a position of people driving in dangerous situations and and once you know literally unless I made something up they can't pull them over and even ask them to turn their lights on and make sure they know about it and so that that's the background so it is happening and there are there are reasons to do it I don't have an exact number for you but it is it is problematic that's why representative Tosh is here. I have a question I think Senator hills touched on this we we probably need a little more PSAs are some well at the public realized this is the law and also that it's a safe thing if it's enough to turn the wipers on you need your headlights on just for a You know that we we used to have problem people might not do it because it forget my parked and leave their lights on run your battery down but now usually your car will make it be for someone and remind you if that's the case but I'm looking at Director tutor maybe we can find some some of those overhead reminder signs that shall have that would would tell people that you if if your wipers are on your headlights need to be all could that maybe work correct I'm not going to call you the table you could not that's good enough or any other questions. Senator you ready to close on this. Is there any I don't think we've been one signed up anybody for against the audience okay. You're recognized closer war so I think what I would I mean. I'm just being honest I'm looking around the room here I'm thinking it might be better that we pull this bill down at the moment and ask representative ought to either come back and and give more detail about what exactly is behind this or to help us with some statistics and why the need for the the change so if you're okay with that I'm committee any problems with Senate holding this down for the moment I think we need to do that so okay we'll be pulled down and she can come back or you can come back with the information from our perfect thank you thank you thank you represent us. Okay. Okay I would have a House bill thirteen fifty four representative Holcomb I believe Senator Caldwell's going to carry that. Senator Caldwell you're recognized to present to the House Bill thirteen fifty four thank you Mr chairman and committee of this little clean up bill on. The defining how revenues from a hybrid cars basically electric vehicles or distributed of most revenue we receive on the vehicle license and and taxes distributed of seventy percent to the State fifteen percent to cities fifteen percent to the County presently hundred percent of the revenue electric vehicles go to the state in this amends that the language to allow the counties to get fifteen percent cities to get fifteen percent this is supported by the association counties by the municipally. Senator call is this basically just applying the formula we do for every other kind of wrote Fund in revenue that is correct to the this was an apparently this the left home match the other revenue streams that we have today on revenue coming from vehicles to help pay for the roads yes I will note just for the record that I discussed with with Mr blinds I haven't spoken to the Municipal League yet but will public I want to state that I'm looking at some options I had once very short conversation with director tutor about some of the the two hundred dollar fee from from electrics I haven't even thought about the plug in hybrid yet but that a small portion of that would go. Into a fund to help. Get the. But like to charging stations on roads that may not be either the prayer eligible they're just down the priority list of form of federal money but to I realize that there's some new rules out Director tutor and I want to go over those with you but I have not done it yet but that obviously this but this is a good bill we need to do it I want to support it but wanted to let everyone know that we're looking at some ways to to primarily make sure we have electric charging stations on tourism quarters like highway sixty five going up in the direction of Branson and so we need to that's just one example sixty five in the other direction would need that too but just laying there right now would be looking for that because I work with are not in the counties and everyone else involved to make sure we come up with something they are working I would anticipate it would have a sunset clause as well so visually all that fee would go into the. The general fund so to speak of transportation now one thing we we will have to look at and I'm also let's Committee now I'm looking at an interim study that will look at alternatives for road funding because is there more more diversion of electric vehicles then we're going to see a decrease in fuel taxes and we need to at least have a plan and be looking at it so I'm working on putting together an interstate where we can spend a little time taking testimony learning about how we can deal with that issue of the Road funding when a significant number of of motorists are driving cars that don't use any motor fuel so we'll just give notice the committee will be looking at that and it certainly any ideas all have I would be left very interesting here so does anyone in the audience will speak for against the bill Sir Clark I'm sorry. Surgical will I have probably. Of certainly in my top three. phone calls that I received in last two years has been. Those are long like recording specially hybrids thinking that this tax is unfair all was or is anybody looked at changing the tax anyway we did not look at that at all Sir Clark all we do is look at the distribution of the funds received which leads me to my second question because though those on the have hopper to made a good case of is. Sporting this money which I think was fairly I think on that side it's a good bill with the counties and cities of does that make it harder to fix it because we know how people are about getting their money cut. Miller I have never thought about that I don't really have an answer but I would assume that to if if we're going to thank you senator Johnson's senator you should to eliminated the. or change it to the. I have said bill to. Given opinion on it but to no one's a change if you don't want eliminated the. it may be harder if the cities and counties oppose if you have more people that you're saying the revenue you may be correct. Thank you. Thank you Sir have. Thank you Mr I would say that is Senate sponsor of the highway bill. The biggest highway investment that we had it was inadvertently Left out although I didn't write the bill it was. Noted at the time we're trying to get all the money we could on state highways which also run through cities and counties so I'm not opposed this I understand the director or is directed is not opposed to this either and I do agree as technology moves and changes it's going to be important to as is this what's not as much right now grows I'm fine with that but the It my mind said at that time because noted there are some town cities and counties sometimes the. Our help even a little more than they would have to be because the highway department does a good job with with those and I've noted noted that in in one that I drive through they got extra widening because is needed to be done so I thank Highway Department as good with those but again I'm not opposed to this but the highway bill that we ran the I was aware of that thank you. Thank you senator rice any other questions. He won the audience like to speak for against the bill. If not. Sir calling you Mr house I would appreciate a good vote I'm close. Motion to pass by Senator Rice second by Senator English any discussion all in favor say aye opposed bills passed congratulations center call will thank you. City. House bill thirteen thirty two. Represent Cozart for. Are you handling that was Senator English thank you. Senator English you're recognized president house bill thirteen thirty two. Thank you Mr chairman and committee so what the bill right here is to basically allow the transportation department to pay for housing for your internet. Interns have a very hard time recruiting interns which. I'm sad because we need places for young people to go to be able to get those internships but in many cases there are available places for them to stay with family and so they have turned these internships down simply because they're it's too expensive for them to. Pay the rent. So that's what this does is it gives. that department the ability to pay housing for internships. Asked about forty five thousand dollars a year. Senator English assume these many these are engineering students so all our engineering only engineer existence but and we're obviously needing more engineers and society but we certainly need them at our dot so this is sort of a A pipeline for new blood to come to work for art one important pipeline important pipeline I would agree with that any questions for Senator English centreboard. Thank you thank you Mr chair so Senator English is this one of those scenarios where maybe we could spend a few cents and save a lot of dollars down the road yes and then just are you do you have any concerns that this is suddenly in a virgin into all state agencies are going to want to be able to do this and it's going to be kind of a runaway freight train or anything I don't I don't believe that I I personally would like to see state agencies do a lot of internships but I don't see this right now is that is a problem. Okay so the Highway Commission would set the amount of light okay. That figure it out for the number of internships that they have available and not everybody would qualify so there are some qualifications in their okay Senator Clark give a question. Is it possible to hear more from our daughter about this intern program. Certainly. The tutor here we'd like to send us I. Okay. Please come. Please. Push a button on your mac and introduce yourself for the record. When that red lights on your mac is hot good morning I'm crystal it's the head of human resources that are. Okay. So do you have any specific questions or just in general about the internship program if it's okay with the Turkey tells about it in general first sure certainly okay please proceed as part of our recruitment efforts we make available paid positions each summer for civil engineering students we typically. Try to hire eighty or so if possible not all of them are our seniors so they're not a potentially you know Graduates in the next year but we try to get him to come back every year. And stay with us while they're in college so We need about seventy full time engineers to be considered fully staffed. And the state of Arkansas according to our recent data only graduates about a hundred and seventeen each year and so the competition with the private sector is very strong we can't possibly expect to hire all one hundred and seventeen graduates this year or even seventy also the University of Arkansas. Tells us that of I can't remember the percentage but a large percentage of their students are from out of state. And it's very difficult for those out of state students to stay in Arkansas four four summer internship unless they have some housing assistance and so. The real goal of this is to expand our intern program to attract more out of state engineering students and also of course in state students. But our intern program is that the essential part of our recruitment strategy overall for engineers. What thank you Mr of thank you of. Are there any other states doing this offering but both to pay and the of housing stopping. The page as far as paid internships yes I don't know of any off the top of my head who are doing a housing stipend at this time I know some engineering companies do that Private sector companies offer housing assistance for in terms of. Or other who. It says owner handout we projected to cost about a thousand dollars per month printer for the House and stopping of if we green light this are there any limits. For the House commission will establish what our limits are. So there are no limits. Once this if this bill passes and becomes law then we will establishments. Okay the highway commercial establishment yes but there are no one. Of. And. Then the next part in the handout says. Builds the eligibility criteria is not yet been developed but not all interns will be eligible and so my question is what are the rules and the answer is we don't know. What you just said well for example if a student's family lives and if the students from again their family lives there we have an office in the key and that's one of our very difficult offices to staff for full time engineers and interns so if a if a student's families from McGee then they would not qualify for the housing stipends. And the projected cost is. We estimate ten or fifteen students what would qualify for the stabbing each year so three thousand dollars multiplied by fifteen would be about forty five thousand dollars per year. So are estimated cost that we're talking about approving this forty five thousand yes and so we want expected to be three times that. Five years from now. I don't know what the future holds as far as interest in the housing site and one of the the variables that is that's unknown is once the word gets out to the interns that this is available a lot of the students would like to come to little rock to work in one of our design offices and they can't do that in the field where their families from and so it's possible that we could have more interest from our interns to come to little rock or to northwest Arkansas and learn the design aspect of civil engineering while they're in college because most of the opportunities for interns are out in the field and those are construction positions Senator English I realize this is represented would rest representative Cozart bill. Of so I don't know if you know the answer to this question but was there any thought put into put any limits. S. the. In the south. Our thank you both. I would follow up on that the. Highway Commission would set such limits that correct. Right okay thank you Sir Senator Rice. Pardon me if I missed it of people with hearing aids truckload business room of. Return on investment retention. The goal of what this is and I'm part of but can you address that is or anything much many times we see higher it in some of the things we're getting people good education and they go to the states making good money I'm I'm proud form but I'd like to see it here in Arkansas yes that's the that's part of our strategy we we find that if we can get a student to common intern with us even just one summer a lot of them want to come back for subsequent summers in a lot of them will come to work for us full time and so we consider this a and very good investment in our future many of us including myself worked for the department when we were in college and we're still still there today so it's definitely a good investment for our future thank you. Other questions. Anyone signed up to speak for against the bill when the audience not signed up like to speak for against. I might note that I do know that Director tutor well she might not have been it specifically an intern I know she worked summers at the highway department when she was a student and you can see that obviously there is definitely an upward mobility within the department so I'm I'm grateful for that Senator English you like claims closed for the bill and I make a motion passed. Second by Senator sinks Senator English moved to pass Senator Rice seconded in discussion Sir Clark. Yes and I don't think the. You need to anyone as recalcitrant as me to this to vote for it I think it'd probably pass with flying colors it will take us to the floor but. I don't have a concern about current management. Of and I locked the program but I do have a concern about a screen lighting something that that we have absolutely no control over how much it cost and how big it gets over time. Sir Clark I think I could probably go along with you having some kind of statutory cap that could be adjusted or or some kind of. As you said future limit when you like like you I trust the current administration are not to do this right but I agree it's I don't like writing blank cheques even to state agencies that I appreciate it so I think we might look at that in the future any other comments. Okay we have a motion to pass a second what is this are the committee all in favor say aye aye opposed. The motion passed congratulations senator. We will revisit the limits in the future. Representative makes a house bill thirteen twenty eight. The morning colleagues. My first visit to the Senate Senate this session so we're glad to be here this morning well that are thank you thank you this bill's pretty simple and straightforward back in the early two thousands the General Assembly commission the geographic information office to develop a statewide mapping database they were faithful to their call they completed that database now some ten years ago but as part of the initial set up the General Assembly had requested a annual progress report so we could see how they were coming towards completion I as I stated that database has been completed and signed our joint committee every year gets a progress report from GIS saying the project has been completed the project has been completed the project has been completed it's becomes a purpose at this point and so what they're asking is that we just eliminate that that annual report that's no longer needed so long or short this gets rid of unnecessary report and with that I'm happy to entertain any questions and Director Johnson is here to handle the hard ones. Okay any questions for representative makes or director Johnson. From the Committee. I don't even have to come up shall. The audience like to speak for against the bill. If not you're. Welcome to close representative makes now we are closed in would appreciate to do pass phase what's the sire Committee Senator English moved to pass. Second by Senator board a discussion all in favor say aye hi posed. Thank you congratulations no longer have to that report very good health thank you colleagues. Of. Sir right are you for thirteen sixty eight okay please come forward Right you're recognized to present. Eighteen sixty eight by representative Hodges and yourself and representative call. Thank you Mr chair Joshua Bryant district thirty two this bill is a is a state a adjustment bill it does three separate things. since the first section increases the the the estate aid allotment up to twenty thousand a state aid miles currently in the system there's about eleven thousand five hundred so we're not up to that cap because of how they did divided amongst the county's about seven counties are hitting that limits so in order to comply with with state law we need to adjust that up that way those seven counties don't get constrained by the by the measure. The second piece of it on section two that raises that bid amount for those counties to participate in state contracts from two hundred thousand of five hundred thousand as we can probably all know that the cost of a of a highway mile has increased dramatically and so the smaller counties that would like to bid on these projects can't do it because it's capped at two hundred thousand so what they're forced to do the to get no bids for a project or get a bid from a contractor that is fairly far away and then you know they're they're costs the bill goes up because they're having to travel to get that work and so this will allow counties to bid on these projects that are up to five hundred thousand versus the limit of two hundred thousand and the last part in section three. This is going to adjust the language so our our goal is to get to a paving surface and the language while maybe wasn't restricted it wasn't as successful involved is the new language that gives they make and do all sorts of different payment processes to get towards the hard surface requirement. Okay of this when it when you see a different cancers like chip and seal and some of the yes thanks other approved methods that the state allows. All right any questions Senator board. Okay you want the audience like to speak for against the bill. Surfboard you can close. Senator Rice. Is there any. In back to own his card under anybody involved in any. Part of this yes yes our daughters in the house this is just a regular here in the audience if we have anything in its detail I thought that. DO you need someone from our up to come to the table center right okay all right now you can close I'm closed okay. Senator boys moved do pass second by. Senator Hill any discussion by the committee. All favour say aye aye opposed no. Is haven't bills passed. Thank you senator Clark. Okay of. See I don't see representive car reserve acre you ready to bring twelve forty four. there's and there's an amendment you're welcome come for. All let's step pass at the amendment. Representative Baker I'm not going to recognize well or either of the sponsors I will recognize you all to explain the amendment represented by. Thank you Mr chairman the Amendment helps clarify effective date for the bill that was brought forth by law enforcement. Okay so we went from The whole thing being effective on February one twenty twenty five to sections two three and four. So so basically. It's so. Postponing the date points which that could be presented is that pretty well sum up what the amendment does yes Sir that's correct okay. Is there a motion to adopt the amendment Senator void second by Senator English all in favor say aye aye opposed amendment is adopted Representative Baker center board at all or recognized to present the bill as amended. Thank you Mr chairman senators I appreciate the opportunity to be down here for my inaugural trip to the Senate alongside my fellow pharmacist here senator Boyd I'm excited to present the opportunity for the state to joined a host of other states and providing digitized driver's license as a complementary option to the current hard copy driver's licenses. This is a constituent initiated bill that mirrors efforts from the FNA and has had tremendous support and encouragement and input from various law enforcement agencies including the sheriffs association the association of chiefs of police and the Arkansas state police association. M. the first section the bill is intended to provide clarity to the general public law enforcement and state agencies that a hard copy driver's license is not intended to be replaced by this bill that it is still the ruling law of the land the remaining sectors of the bill what they do is they provide definitions mechanism of use and consumer protections once that product is produced this bill. And commissions DFM eighty two actually bit out and produce a digitized driver's license product as far as the different sectors being required to accept that product that is at their own discretion that includes law enforcement public and private sectors as I mentioned it's had a lot of great input from DF a law enforcement and currently I do mia and I do mean is the current Arkansas vendor who produces are hard copy licenses they are a credentialing security and authenticating firm who currently in addition to present to producing hardcopy licenses does produce the digitized license for Oklahoma Arizona and Mississippi other states that touches that have this product or Louisiana. I do me also is the vendor of choice for TSA when it comes to producing the software required to authenticate people in airports all that to say that we have a lot of real great in house talent here that has been working on this project FOR D. FNA to lean on and did out this process so with that I will welcome any questions you guys have. All I want to start with I assume the what you just said Clarifies the fact that these these are not something that to my genius computer science daughter can go create something on her computer and have it on her phone I assume that is the case that is correct a way that for example a state trooper pulls someone over they flash their phone adding he can or she can. Verify that it's not something that they cooked up with Photoshop that is correct and if the officer does perceive that there's some issue they're not confer with they have the current law authority to request a hard copy license at any time okay so after the. And I guess you're not with the amendment you're not doing this you're you're keeping that in place at least indefinitely you mean it may be once everyone gets used to the digital version we could change that but but this particular bill wouldn't even as amended would not change that that is correct withdrawal are more legislation yes Sir that is correct law enforcement has the ability to use their discretion on how they would implement it other agencies so whether it's the state agency or a private entity can typically invest and train their staff a little bit more easily without as much concern breast law enforcement we want to give them the discretion that when it comes to the equipment they carry and how they operate that the training they would have full discretion on how they implement okay I have looked over and seen the FNA here I've wonder if they had any comment Mr hammers here always trust whatever he did he would say but this is the F. may okay I'm not I would even be. Mr Gerry gave me a thumbs up which is not. Thank you Is Senator Rice you're recognized. Thank you. Look through your and I didn't see give me this scenario. Dalby homework. somebody stop they say my phone locked up the phone with the admin phone malfunction same thank you have a last but not having it on your person yes and in that case they can go ahead and get a ticket for. No license advocate. He pulled up and then I I think there's a provision where they can. Can go back and ask for the presenter license and get that part taken all project yes Sir that's correct it's my understanding law enforcement has a method to bring the individual into their vehicle if they do that there is no officer safety threat and authenticate through a thumb print. Verification system but again yes it would be viewed as being on license or not having a license on your person thank you. Centering so I'm wondering Many of us have the new expanded ID how will how will that that go on here so the beauty of a digitized driver's license in the definitions that restricted to use is it would have to prove provide a real time verification connection to the office of Dr or services so when it comes to all the information that is currently presented in its full form on your hard copy license in order for this bill and referred yesterday to meet the requirements of this bill the product would have to provide all the same verification. So at some point I know people use their or their phones when they're going through TSA at some point when we're all required to have these. Expended ID thanks all that would be is the same as well but this would would cover yes and so in order to get the mobile driver's license you have to first apply for an ID except for your hard copy so this mirrors and complements what your hard copy produces. Okay thank you okay other questions. Anyone from the audience like to speak for against the bill. We don't have it once and duties. Okay we'll make sense all the questions seem to be exhausted you Joan you are. Welcome to close. I'm close for the bill Sir thank you representative. I'd. The motion do pass as amended by Senator board and seconded by Senator Hill any discussion. If not all in favor say aye aye opposed bills passed regulations jim I look forward to getting my license unlawful. Trying to keep my phone charged. I will keep the other one my pocket. Just in case it's. Okay of. The representative car made it