Senate Convenes

All. The Senate will be called to order at this time there any requests for leave Senator Leding you're recognized. Senator Flippo you're recognized. Any others. Madam secretary if you would please call the roll Boyd Bryant's Caldwell Chesterfield Clark Kroll Davis DES dismaying Dotson English Flippo flowers Gilmore Hammer Hester Hickey Hill Irvine Blake Johnson Mark Johnson King Leding Love Me key Murdock Payton Penzo Petty rice stones Stubblefield Sullivan Tucker Wallace. Thank you and everyone in the chamber in the galleries would please rise for public prayer land by a single Gilmore followed by the pledge of allegiance. But with the members only follower just thank you for your many blessings we thank you for all that you do for us we thank you for your grace for loving your mercy that you shared each of us lord we pray for wisdom today as we do the people's business I pray that you would just grant us the words that you would have a say I pray that you give us discernment as we go throughout the remainder of the day lord we pray also specifically for an Cornwell or that you would just touch her right now and and whatever she's experiencing more that you'd bring peace to her give comfort to her give um G. of healing if if needed lord and grace as she is going through this lord I pray that you just touch her and again we thank you for all that you're going to do interesting we pray amen. For all. Ladies and gentlemen the gallery's welcomes the Arkansas state Senate it is our expectation that each of you will exercise proper decorum govern yourselves accordingly during today's proceedings without objection. The rules were resuspended in the Senate will dispense of the reading of the Journal for the morning hour has now begun. Are there any announcements or introductions at this time Senator Hester you're recognized. It members thank you for being flexible on on schedule today and possible we'll leave from here we're going to committees at ten o'clock if you're chairman the committee chooses to allow members as they mention they need to that's up to each committee and we'll make a decision on tomorrow this afternoon it's it's looking like doom and gloom so it's not looking favorable but will make a decision on that after we have some real facts thank you. Thanks enter any other announcements. Madam secretary or other items at the desk yes madam president. Your madam president will your committee on engrossed bills to whom was referred Senate bill one eighteen by Senator Dotson report that we have correctly compared the engrossed copy with the original and find the same correctly engrossed. Judiciary. Senate bill one eighty four by Senator Johnson to clarify the effective date of filing by mail with the tax appeals commission and to declare an emergency Senate bill one eighty four Revenue and Tax Senate bill one eighty five by Senator Johnson two men the appointment procedure for the tax appeals commission to provide for the filing of a concealed in the commission to clear emergency Senate bill one eighty five Revenue and Tax. Sir any further business to come before the body in the morning hour. Senate minority now has expired we will now start business agenda. Amendment one Senate bill fifty nine. Senator you're recognized This Is Senator Chesterfield building or amendment. For are there any other questions on the amendment. See see none all those in favor please signify by saying aye. The opposed. Amendment passes during gross. House bill eleven twenty five by Senator Hill to prohibit a registered sex offender for purchasing owning possessing using or operating an unmanned aircraft for private use. Senator Hill you're recognized. This is a pretty simple bill colleagues said representative eleven passed on the house side ninety five to four and one one of staining from voting this is the approved in a sexual. Class three and class for from operating a drone. And for purchasing a drone. Using operating an unmanned and manned aircraft. It they've already been convicted so this one should. Well now that we I do know we have some form to resume laws out here this does not affect them what so ever this just adds to it but we have of an instance in Cabot we're they were flying over the drone an individual's he was a class four sexual offender and crashes on the backyard with some ways laying out there they grab it to the police station there was nothing they could do about it because it was a loophole with the laws we're trying to tighten it down just to make it were itself. It's a crime that they've been doing that they've all been convicted of one. One a one day on this and so this is going to add to it if they get out and they continue to. To act the way these they shouldn't have any questions I'll be glad to answer. Anyone had questions for Senator Hill. Questions anyone to speak for or against. Senator Tucker wishes to speak on the bill. Thank you madam president I'll be brief and I've I've discussed this with Senator Hill and representative eleven the conduct that happening Cabot that they describe is reprehensible and I believe it ought to be illegal I think we ought to do it a little bit different way than one this particular bill does as senator hill said it makes it illegal for someone who's of. At level three or four sex offender to own a drone and I think there is behavior that we want to make sure is illegal but the way this bill goes about it in and one senses too broad in another sense it's not broad enough and I'll explain what I mean. There's nothing inherently wrong with having a drone there's a lot of legitimate purposes they have a drone and we're making it illegal for such a category of people to own a drone so in that sense it's too broad the in the sense that it's not broad enough what he described as what at what happened in cabin I want to make sure that that kind of conduct is illegal for everybody in society not just level three or four sex offender so if this bill passes that kind of conduct as it's written now could go on you know forever. From someone who is just not a level three for sex offender and someone has a level three or four sex offender could get their friend who is not a registered sex offender to get a drone and and do whatever they want so I Senator Hill mention there are four years in laws on the books they do directly deal with unmanned aircraft which is the legal term for drones. And my suggestion would be let's take a look at the voyeurism law make sure that what happened in this particular case is a crime it is illegal moving forward and and that were actually criminalizing the conduct that we want to prevent because I don't think this bill really does that I try to come up with that analogy no analogy is perfect but it's like if your former baseball player and you beat someone up with a baseball bat what this bill does is says if your former baseball player you can on baseball bats when instead we should have a law that says you can't beat someone up with a baseball bat we need conduct I mean the law to be narrowly tailored to the conduct they want to criminalize so that's it you know we pass laws here I've done it with their based on one circumstance you know one example of something that happened one person I think when that happens we need to be particularly careful that the law that we write doesn't solve for just this one instance but actually all instances moving forward and that we need to be particularly thoughtful when we're creating crimes which we obviously have the capacity to do but we're creating felonies here and so that's that's those are my suggestions I think it would be a better way to move forward I totally support what they're trying to do I think the conduct ought to be illegal so I understand they're gonna run the bill in its final probably pass but but I'm gonna go present for those reasons. Thank you senator any other. Is there any objection rowing the boat. I apologize senate bill. The problems thank thank you for those comments Senator Tucker I greatly encourage you to look forward into what you just discussed as far as trying to tighten up or expand whatever you need to on those other law schools a very good idea and I would encourage you to do that and I will help support you. I appreciate a good vote. Close now is there any objection rowing the boat. C. nine madam secretary please roll about. Well I. Boyd right Caldwell Chesterfield Clark Kroll Davis DES dismaying Dotson English Flippo flowers Gilmore Hammer Hester Hickey Hill Irvine Blake Johnson Mark Johnson came Leding Love Me key Murdock Payton Penzo Petty rice stones Stubblefield Sullivan Tucker Wallace. Any senators not voted wish to vote or change press. Senator Tucker. Is president. Madam secretary please cast a ballot. But thirty eight. Zero nine. One president. It passes please return to the House. Or any other business for the body. Any announcements at this time. Senator Irvin you're recognized. Members I'd not sure I don't think public health is going to have our joint meeting this afternoon because of the weather so just will postpone that and just thank you everybody and our ours our secretary is on her way to get an X. ray so she's in good hands thank you. Senator Hester did you have any announcements. I think I'm just going to reiterate what I said earlier it's not looking good for tomorrow at all but but the plan is we're we're gonna wait until we have some real facts but it looks like this is the reason we're in this morning this is a looks like this afternoon weather's gonna get going to get really really bad so anyway that's what I know. No we're not gonna take appointments today because Senator Penzo is not here and have not heard from an. Thank. All right we will have our committees at ten o'clock we will have a committees at ten o'clock plan to be here at one o'clock tomorrow you will receive a text from me or from Sabrina if that changes and we'll make a decision as quickly as possible Senator. Under mark Johnson you're recognized. House committees this morning some of the same bill schedule in half are they going to meet the the house is having their committees this morning they are still planning to meet at one thirty this afternoon they have not made a decision to cancel at one thirty this afternoon World War mobile in them that's what it was easier for us to have an early meeting this morning thank you thank you yes if you got something going on in House committee they are they are meeting. I see no further business the Senate was staying in German subject to clear the desk until one o'clock tomorrow February first.