Public Transportation- House

Share sees a quorum member please use your Max was speaking of those here to speak for against the bill please be sure and sign in. Without objection we're going to move to House Bill thirteen fifty one Dalby she chairs judicial and she needs to get back to that so president calendar if you identify yourself present your bill C.. Thank you Mr chairman members of the committee on Carol Dalby state representative for district one hundred House Bill thirteen fifty one really is one of those very simple bills all its allowing or changing is allowing for a city or county who leases a vehicle for twelve months or more to to be able to put a special license plate on that vehicle that's all this bill does And that the statute itself allows special license plates and we're just saying if you lease one for more than twelve months you have that option I'll be happy to answer any questions okay any questions from committee. Seeing none anyone here to speak for against the bill. Okay read close I'm close for a bill I would appreciate a good vote on the motion. President Carter you're recognized. A wrecker I have a motion do pass any discussion all in favor say aye opposed same accent hearing none graduations your bill passed thank you Mr chair thank you members of the committee thank you. President Cozart. House bill thirteen thirty two. In addition self you might see. Thank you Mr chairman representative Bruce Cozart district ninety one I have some with me from the highway department and crystal woods the head of human resources with or not okay so I have a hard question. Whatever you're ready you're ready you're going all right this house bill thirteen thirty two is an alteration rousing stopping for the Arkansas department transportation interns what this bill does it just allows a five Arkansas how would and Transportation they might pay an intern a housing stopping in a maximum out authorized by the State Highway Commission from the department's appropriation act approval Wallace. Yeah okay I'll take any questions okay in the bill is. Questions from committee. Eleven bring you're recognized. Good morning thank you Mr chair what is that amount that amount is forty five thousand dollars per year purposes for summer in three months time thank. Your question. Okay thank you question okay. Any other questions. President Donald you're recognized question thank you Mr why is this type unnecessary where wasn't in the past. It was what it was or is there just or just within the right now we've not had you have not they have not had a stop on that I think our two reasoning for that they're in need of about seventy civil engineers and highway department so this is a way to get him to come in and work during the summer time to look at those positions and see if that's something they like to do and if it isn't product keep them there and when they get out of school they can come back and serve in that position it's a hiring top of the. Of the situation is anybody knows it's got a business you have a hard time finding people that want to come to work for you so this is a good way to get a man get some of the training and again I'm sure what's going on I'm going to be a part of it. That an answer you want better ones follow follow up measure thank you. so in the past in terms of not been paid so my question again there is why would we go ahead and start this means a recruitment that difficult nowadays for the engineering because there's I got a house that's an engineering and and there's a tone in his class so I just wanna be good stewards of of this money and and not see it your way past so. I wish you luck yes she will use much energy. We have there's several can you hear me yes correct there are several reasons that I jotted down in preparation for the hearing today stipends are just one of the many strategies we've developed to attract more talent some of the reasons we think a stop and would help we do hire Thirty to fifty interns every year and they work in various offices throughout the state. As He referred to we need to hire about seventy full times. based on the most recent data we have available there only about two hundred and seventeen in state engineering students who graduate each year as you can imagine the competition in the labor market is is pretty The staff also being a state agency there are limits on how much we can Pitsch. We emphasize things like job security benefits great retirement system and the satisfaction that comes from serving the public in a meaningful way but our intern program is also an important part of our strategy we find that if we can get a student to work for us for one summer as an intern committee will come back up for subsequent summers and then come back to work for us full time after graduation. So our goal is to expand the intern program by attracting more in state as well as out of state students I one of the ways we can expand the program is to make it easier for them to come make it affordable for them to stay in Arkansas for the summer I went challenges that we have engineering needs and locations that are hard to fail because they're in cities and towns that don't offer much in terms of entertainment for restaurants or you know things of that nature so it's not only difficult to fill out hire full time engineers in those locations it's also difficult to find interns to work there in the summer unless they have a family member who happens to live in town they can't afford to. To stay there without a housing stipend. So we think if we can make it easier financially for them to work in these locations for the summer then they might see something about the town or the people that makes them want to return when they graduate. Another challenge is that we have many engineering students who want to gain more well rounded work experience in the roadway or bridge design a lot of our engineering interns work out in the field in the construction but in order to come to little rock to learn more about design you know they can't afford to stay in Little Rock all summer so this type and would help help us give them a more well rounded experience while they're in college again with the hopes of attracting them to come to work for us when they graduate. Thank you for your time you're welcome. Thank you all know it's very expensive to rent something anywhere especially when you're coming in from out of town so for these kids that's just a way to help them be able to do that I I remember my days of the in the in between school years of high school going to somewhere work and trying it out of you know in coming to try this job as as as if they like that there were quite a few that I tried it out and like so it's a good way if they get in there and they like it they're gonna come back and try and and this is still so that they're not out that expense to will have to do that so Preciado you know the question would be proper in spring you're recognized for a question thank you Mr chairman a follow up to the question at S. but missed a representative stable stable of would respect to the number of interns and for the poor they be located this all across the state or will they all be located in the little rock area no it's all across the state we have a construction engineering offices and We think twenty seven I think locations around the state and then we have of those design divisions in little rock and then we have a satellite office in Northwest Arkansas also to try to attract more engineers thank you you're welcome any other questions Committee saying none of giving. Represent your ear and have you been able to feel all year internships prior to this every year. I'm not we have a it varies on the number of weeks we have more engineering intern positions authorized then we. Well now sometimes we do feel them all and then sometimes we don't. And follow up please follow up with are these guys what are we paying them now we're there it's unpaid position correct no it's a paid position this type and is strictly to help them with housing what are we paying them now it depends on their how many hours toward an engineering degree that have it ranges from slightly above minimum wage for your students who only have about thirty hours under their belt in college and it goes up each summer that day as they gain more hours toward an engineering degree and if they come back to our dot in subsequent summers they get. Thank you you're welcome. Any other questions okay. Senator. I thank Mr Ansari I walked in late service repeating in this on this type and is there you'll just have a check so go find housing or you trying to do like a public private partnership to find local people in the area for four thousand just or maybe just off the record and stuff like that well to be honest we haven't had a stop in before so we haven't develop the exact rules and regulations. Until we find out if we get approval for the funding okay. Any other questions for me. Good question I think a representative Andrews S. my question because I wanted to inquire regarding how they were going to utilize the stock we will be going to be directly to the place or the individual we responsible so that she's indicated that there needs to be rules promulgated thank you. Any other questions. Anyone who speak for against the bill skewed me. Yes. We you're recognized you're recognized I'm sorry care group so we don't you don't have a plan in place on how your. Later if you're going to hate. Somebody close or if you're just going. Well we have we have had discussions about some of the parameters for instance if an employee if a if an intern has a family member in the area then obviously they would not be eligible for this type and because they can stay with a family member if they are attending school part time say there and pay a bill and they're gonna work for us in Northwest Arkansas office they would not be able. They're there to attend school but as far as the direct payment to the. Say the landlord for lack of a better term or direct payment to the employee to the intern I don't have an answer to that question we will. some of the some of those on my staff may have already talked to some other deities or other employers of interns who offers type in to find out you know best practices on how those payments are made at but I don't have an answer to that is today okay thank you I think it's like any other agency you just gotta set out to build rules for for that when you're doing something new they're gonna do rules or export so I just haven't got to that process yet so as a gift if the money is appropriated for that are are this is allow the or have the appropriation if it's allowed the new bill the rules for just like we do an education. Any other questions. You want to speak for against the bill. Represent Cozart red clothes we're close appreciate a good vote thank you resentment rule you're recognized the Bill pass a motion do pass in discussion. You saying none all in favor say aye all right the opposing like sign hearing none congratulations your bill passed thank you Mr chair thank you Committee. Alright. Representative Whitaker is a senior member he's going to. J. committee when I run the. House bill thirty fifty four. Mr chairman. You're recognized to present your bill thank you Mr committee of this is a pretty simple bill. And I'm not sure. If everyone knows how we how we collect revenue for the highway department the state. All of our all my highway funding in the state comes from from fuels from fees and from some casino money. we passed a major bill a couple of sessions ago And all the money that goes to the highway department is a there's what we call a seventy thirty split or seventy fifteen fifteen split in other words that the highway department deal to keep seventy percent of that money and then that fifteen percent goes to the county's fifteen percent goes to the municipals However when we ran the fee bill. We forgot to add the seventy thirty feet to the split to the the bill so I want to I want to remind you there's this is not a new fee it is not a new tax is not an increase in fees or anything like that all it is is this distribution of the fees it's going to master what we do with all of the collection to go to the go to the highway department so that's the bill I'll be glad to answer any questions. Are there any questions from the committee. Seeing none is there okay. Representative Kerr you're recognized thank you Mr chair up moved for a do pass when appropriate. Recognized. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak for against this bill. Seeing none Mr Germany ready to close up I'm close I appreciate. We have a motion do pass is there any discussion on the motion. Seeing none all those in favor say aye. All those opposed no. The ayes have it you passed your bill. reserve actor would. Your bill of represents Pilkington out of the city of representative Hodges will run up when I read your number in your bill to next week not sure what committee whether we're gonna meet used or not. We only have one bill in its. Any other business come before the committee the. Thank you committee I appreciate the patience and time in your questions we send John.