Judiciary Committee - Senate

Johnson. Senate bill number forty eight. We will come forward and explain that bill Maher. Thank you Mr chairman and for the permission of the chair I'd like to ask Mr Sam sellers with we are the twenty two to join me at the table. Yes and no. Mr Joyce price returning also a former member of the board elected have them join me Yeah you're recognized court thank you Mr chairman of Senate bill forty eight. Is that the title explains exactly what it is I do want Mr sellers I should say major sellers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan to explain what that we are the twenty two dozen why this bill is needed but basically we grant to. Good Samaritan protection to people who reach out and try to help others and to make sure they're not held civilly liable for the actions that they make in good faith and again that's important thing in good faith I want to thank Senator Tucker for co sponsoring the bill we work together on this and Sam and I have been friends for a well over gosh I'm not also while okay but to I would be happy to answer any questions about it I think it's pretty straightforward And I want him to referred to explain the what we are the twenty two is the organization and how this this affects other activities. Mr you're recognized to speak. Yeah thank you thank you for having us some Sam sellers I'm executive director of we are the twenty two and two thousand three I love the small team in Iraq for. Closed eighteen months immediately upon returning I went to Afghanistan recommended all psychological operations in the country. Two thousand five and six came up in a lot of Purple Heart to my guys up all of my guys were attached to us special forces A. teams or with other government agencies been a lot of purple hearts but we all came home within eighteen months of coming home to my guys committed suicide. This is this organization is I I feel it's very personal to me I'm I'm passion about what we doing what we do is we we've got our hotline vote folks will call into a veteran or more typically a girlfriend spouse brand. well let us know what when when there where but that trend suicidal crisis. When we get the call we we immediately dispatch a team to two person team that that are also veterans. They put on the body armor they bring the trauma kit with the nor can in turn getting all the accoutrements of a trauma kit and they go to that veteran we're able to knock on the door and and we're we're not the cops were not there shrinks were not there to judge route we're just fellow veterans to care enough to be there at two o'clock in the morning when they've got the bottle of Jack Daniels in the fist on the table and are ready to they're in a dark place. that's what we do. We looked at this bill because the couple years ago Joe a couple years ago we were like you know we we we know good Samaritan we we're we're not doing anything nefarious where we're going actually at their request we're we're going to do where they are. We couldn't get any insurance. and not no one and I'm talking nobody would ensure the organization I don't want I want for I respond or some we've got about a hundred around the state that as they go on to to meet with the veteran I don't want them in the back of their mind thinking if something goes sideways. Am I gonna be sued. If I bet if if something happens which by the way nothing's ever happened we have had guns drawn we've we've had it crazy things happen but but there's never been an issue we've been a hundred percent successful. the VA recognizes our our procedure at what we do as as a model nationally. But I don't want my guys have in the back of their mind as they as they're going out what's going to happen if something does go sideways. Senate emergency. The. Yes Sir I think you did perfectly salmon and if I could add Mr chairman Anytime we have any kind of good Samaritan type of laws and exemptions is because we have volunteers in this world being something simple as our local volunteer fire departments there volunteers are going out to try to do a good for our citizens we need to to the knowledge that they may be in a questionable position sometime. If we don't protect them in this manner then we won't have those kinds of volunteers they'll just have to say it's not worth the risk to my family and and mass family the state to for me to do this work and so it's important that we we do a protect them from this type of of civil liability again in good faith I mean that this would not protect any bad actors at all I'll be happy to answer any questions I'm sure are the witnesses would. Let me. I may have to first one for two thousand eighteen to two thousand eighteen with that forty one percent increase in the number of suicides. That's correct well first of all the cells thank you for your service. We we appreciate your service thank you because of one for for god's sake we we probably wouldn't be here thank you so thank you. Of. Any questions for members Senator Tucker. Thank you Mr chair I really just want to say it was an honor for me to participate in the debate and the help help draft this legislation I wanna thank you for your service not only when you were in uniform but the service that you provide since you've been out of uniform because that's critically important as well you all are doing the lord's work and I'm I'm grateful they also brought this to our attention and and look forward to passing in the wall so do you agree that's my question. Thank you thank. Are there any other states have laws similar to this on the books. I know a lot of states have good Samaritan laws but not specifically geared towards. Veterans German there are and there are some state I'm Julie price that there are some states that have this protection and the the the federal good Samaritan law would also protect volunteers and and are in our organization so this is really just to fill the gap and state law here in Arkansas force or any other questions for members committee members. Seeing none of. Would you like to close for your bill John I'm closed Mr chairman appreciate a good vote the Committee. Are we have a motion to approve we have second all is in favor say aye All opposed. Thank you senator John to thank you so much for coming today. Your bill passed Senator Clark you had a. One of special privilege I believe. Thank you Mr I wanted to introduce of my shadow for the day a pastor Bruno Sanchez of signal here behind me. Thank you good to have your researchers. Projection being. All right thanks of the agenda is a. House bill ten twenty eight. Representa five. This is. We do have a hand that with this bill so if you wait just a second we get this passed out. I want to take just a second three that. All right represent fight you're recognized to present to House bills. Thank you Mr chairman and I have with me the Senate sponsor jim Patty. According to the national center for missing and exploited children in twenty twenty one alone the last year for which we have statistics there were more than twenty nine million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation reported by online platforms several months ago I was invited to a meeting with the Morgan Nick foundation in alma and a local attorney regarding changing the terms used in Arkansas Code to match what used by national groups that work to eradicate child sexual abuse currently we use the term child **** it is a much more accurate term to call it what it is child sexual abuse material it is evidence of a crime sexual abuse of a minor a child cannot consent therefore the printer online depiction is evidence of a crime child sexual abuse materials or sees C. Sam is the term used by the national center for missing and exploited children that's the Adam Walsh center rain and other national groups states are now moving to use the same terms this broadens the term to be more applicability criminal activities. Numerous prosecuting attorney said tell me that they really like using this term because it puts the emphasis on the crime against the minor rather than on the term **** which can be misconstrued by juries. I had placed this bill an interim study back in the fall and presented it to the a joint Judiciary Committee and it passed easily I pre filed it and there is no non opposition it passed the house with one hundred percent in favor so I would appreciate a good vote today. March committee members you've heard an explanation of the bill. Any discussion. A center pretty do you have anything to add. I can always talk but representative five did a great job and I've two would appreciate a good vote. Our. No question for members. Saying under we have a motion I have a motion do pass as seconds. Senator Tucker all those in favor all opposed. Graduation bill passed sure thank you Mr chair thank you Committee thank you for bringing this. Senator Tucker. Thank you Mr I just want to raise. An issue with the committee a visit with with chairman Stubblefield about this session to raise this when we passed the committee rules last week. but I wasn't as far along in my thinking but as we all know one of bills filed it's automatically assigned to committee which is the way it should work then once a sign of the committee it's automatically placed on the active agenda. And that's the way that's always been a couple years ago during COVID we did a better job of managing. Which bills were actually going to be heard that particular day and that's something that I thought was helpful both to the public and to members and for a committee like Judiciary where I know we're gonna be having a whole lot of bills assigned to this committee we're going to end up with an active agenda of dozens of bills and. Speaking for myself only out I want to I want to be prepared to analyze the bills that are gonna be on the active agenda and if it's going to be six instead of twenty I would like to know which six it's going to be and honestly it's it's harder on the public to because I'm gonna be here either way but for the public they have to take off work drive to the capital whatever the case might be to testify in support of or against the bill in the it's impossible for them to have notice about what bills are going to be on the active agenda so that's that that's the problem I don't have a perfect solution that's why I want to raise it with the committee and get you all starts to the best solution that I've been able to come up with which I think our collective minds can improve is. One it's a sign of the committee it's automatically placed on an an active agenda and then all you have to do I want to very low threshold because I want to give members a lot of two that they need all you have to do is notify the Senator Stubblefield as a chair or notifies staff and say I would like S. B. one oh two or whatever the number is placed on the active agenda for the committee and then and then it gets moved over and then the active agenda for that meeting are the bills that are actually going to be run that meeting so that's my concern in my thought but as I say I'm not sure that's the best solution necessarily and so I'm I welcome other people's thoughts and opinions but but that's the issue. It. That is the way we operated during the code. Yes Sir for the committees I was on yes Sir right I remember that. And I are just as I totally agree with you it's just it is there are times. When someone cancels at the very last minute when they come you know they will call. Five minutes before the committee me in that and that's going to happen there's no way to avoid that so I don't think there's any way around that but. Just to use the numbers I used earlier let's say I prepare and I'm gonna miss use myself as an example applies everybody let's say a prepare for six bills that turns out to be five instead of six because someone canceled last minute that's a lot better than having prepared for twenty bills and then ended up only having five run well if we're going to do that then why don't we just we could notify have a staff notify the next to and say are you prepared to present your bill today and fill the gap in with one of those two should they be able to come and present their bill that may not happen it's toward the end of the session because right is if we are but yeah that is what me and I could go fast. And I'm not I'm not proposing to put a limit on the number of bills are on the active agenda just the ones that the members are the sponsors are prepared to run right so I have opened up to. Senator Clark. Senator Hester. What if if I wanted off all I have to do is notify staff or a center Stubblefield but that would that be the day before thank you is that is that with with the can be the understanding that I think so yes yeah that like I woke up that morning in some of the committee canceled I could just move it over right. I think that and I don't know what the process would be it would be to amend the committee rules and and so if we were to do that perhaps we would put in the amended rule that you have to notify the committee chair the staff at the day before the scheduled committee meeting. Senator Clark. Thank you Senator still full I think there's a lot of things that we could do better you're and I appreciate a center Tucker's suggestions I mean all the committee's meeting at the same time and you have to leave your committee to go run a bill that. But that's gone on as long as I've been here and I'm assuming way before the end of the I think a lot of that model to be studied the problem that I see of. Is that up until the last two sessions the judicial Senate Judiciary Committee while I've been here never finished getting through bills until the last two sessions and at the end you were begging for them to sign out your bills. Of public never got to testify on and then everybody had this Russia running bills at the end which we also have complaints about and so you don't know how long sometimes a bill you think will take an hour takes five minutes and sometimes a bill you think will take five minutes takes an hour and so. Trying to have that schedule that everybody knows is an impossibility at an action and still get the work done in this committee by the time we get to the end of session so I think we should I think everything that that Senator Tucker said was valid but we also need to be careful that we get bills run of and we have a better opportunity of people being here for that then we do have a big budget bills at the end. Well I I certainly agree with Senator Tucker of there's no perfect process as far as that goes but this is probably as close as it gets so. We need to vote on this. Is a process for for me to move to amend the. The rules for the. Committee to say that when a bill is assigned to Senate Judiciary it's automatically placed on the an active agenda and all a bill sponsor needs to do is to notify their staff or the committee chair the day before the committee meeting is set to request that the bill be placed on the active agenda. So I'm I make a motion to. Put that in the rules for the committee okay. Okay we've got a motion and a second I have a second Senator Hester in discussion. All those in favor say aye All opposed. Our the the Bill pass is. That's right that's right we change anytime okay okay it is part will mean these rules and get your copy of those so. Anyone else here this for per to run a bill. Well. Anyone have anything to say. Two beautiful day.