State Agencies & Govt'l Affairs- House

One of the bill is on the day's agenda there's a sign up. She just outside the door be sure to sign up let us know which bill it is you're here to speak for against also committee members Our committee photo. Right now we have it we have is scheduled for next Wednesday at ten AM right here in this committee road that'll be January the twenty failed and if for some reason that changes Carly will send out an email let you know and if we have to change that would just move it to the following Following Wednesday which will be February the first of for those of you in attendance if you're here for certain bill just to go in and make you aware that Representative Collins has called in his house bill one zero nine that will not be heard today we will have that on the agenda for next week and will be heard at that time and. So does stand that does a the other questions from me anyone on the Committee or let's go ahead and get started with the agenda so first up is representative Porter and we'll hear house bill one zero two three representative Fortner. You are recognized to present your bill. Thank you Mr Speaker a representative Jack Fortner. Representative Stetson painter District three. I appreciate your indulgence to I wasn't able to be here last week but. This is that an easy bill it is a good bill is something that we should probably should have done sooner all it says literally is that if taxpayer funds are spent on the purchase of flags in the State of Arkansas they must be made in the United States and that is simply what it does and I'll I'll take any questions. Any questions from committee members. Representative. Gonzales you're recognized for a question thing Mr do you know where our flags that we currently give out our constituents or made in the United States okay thank you yeah if you it yeah I checked if you look in that box there's a little tag on each and everyone has little American flag and it says probably made in the United States that's good news thank you very much. Any further questions from committee members and I I have one comment Mr chairman you will do that during closing. I will do it anytime you all day of the girl and make you comment. I don't have a flag business. Okay Of saying no one signed up to speak for or against the bill no further questions from committee members representative Fortner you ready to close when you mail I am representative borders close with the bill representative Gonzalez you have a we have a motion of do pass any discussion on the motion. Saying none all in favor say aye All opposed say no graduation representative Porter your bill is passed thank you chairman and committee members thank you. Next up on today's agenda representative Dr that represent you right I has decided to put his bill in the interim study but he's going to make a brief comment and in regards to that represent you right I would you just you're recognized explained that the committee what your intentions are with house bill ten thirty nine and why your put that in the interim study thank you chairman Tosh all this is two times and I've worked on this bill two sessions I got a little closer I thought this time than it was last but I just spoke with congressman Crawford yesterday and he was telling me the situation in Washington DC for this to take place and to become law that it would you know it in his words it would come through it would come through the federal government so I ask him what was where the the bill was in the situation with that bill and he said well now Johnny's it basically it's been voted on in the Senate in the past but it's going to have to go through again because there's been no time this lapse so it's it's going to be redoing and this is what he told me he said basically the what the situation is if center at this present time that if something like this did pass and you had to include the states around you which would be very very important like Missouri Eleanor's Kentucky Oklahoma and so for Tennessee. What you would have to do in a situation like that is make sure that your line that what's the space around you. And he said that anything in the state of Illinois is and anything in the state of Missouri if it used this daylight saving time schedule that what you're actually seeing is in the curvature of the earth the sun shines less and northern of Missouri and northern Illinois's so those children in those areas if it was put on the same. Frame as what we would very it would be nine thirty in the morning for those children actually got school so basically I pull this bill down a representative Tosh and we're putting in an interim study and I hold it if something happens and and I hope the very best for for representative Scott when something happens we're going to study this out between now and next time we're gonna come back with something that's gonna be right and good. Thank you representative or and so your request to this today is just to move this building room studies so which so noted and that's that's where your bill will be moved to we appreciate your peer before this committee thanks for your comment. Committee members next item on today's agenda is H. C. R. one zero zero one representative right. If your brother you're recognized present your bill thank you Mr chairman I'm glad representative for I was able to shed some light on that topic. Sorry Okay I'll I'll be very brief in presenting H. C. R. one zero zero one this is a simple resolution that would urge the Congress of the United States to extend the the provisions of the tax cut and jobs act of twenty seventeen that are exposed set to expire. At the end of twenty twenty five and obviously there's hundreds of thousands of our Kansans that would be facing at a tax increase if those tax cuts were allowed to expire and especially paired with all of the inflation that families are having to deal with in the current economic climate that would just be a double a double whammy on a lot of our families in this state on a lot of our constituents and so that's basically what the resolution is if you're a fan of the tax cuts and jobs act of twenty seventeen you're probably good with the resolution and and the inverse of that would be true as well so thank you for allowing me to present that and be happy to answer any questions the questions from committee members. But will you have a question okay. Any questions from committee members saying does anyone signed up to speak for against resolution saying none we have a motion of a do pass representative Wardlaw all in favor say aye All opposed say no regulation resolutions passed representative right thank you Mr chairman. Thank you committee members. Next item on today's agenda is what I mentioned to start represented colleges called and that the that bill will be moved to next week agenda so next up is representative Richardson house bill one one zero four. Represent your register have stayed in the table and you are recognized to present your bill. Thank you Mr chair so my bill is so similar to the bill you've already heard de. Representative rob pull down a little different in in substance a little different in and approach. Essentially right now just for background and to to continue to push for we do have the bill that was passed through the Senate at the federal level providing for the option that was a unanimous pass in the Senate and that to me kind of surprising we we we rarely get a unanimous pass that happens at that level but that would be and the reason that it did was because there are a lot of good reasons and get studies that suggest that daylight savings time provides a a much much better atmosphere for not on the economy because people are out longer in the afternoons and and going and doing chores and heading out to shop and what not but also for health health is a big piece of it be adding time the evenings afternoons for individuals to get outside go for walks take dogs out play with the kids it's a great opportunity for that there's a so so that passed unanimously it was sent to the house and has as often happens it sort of got bogged down so they're gonna have to do a little bit more work to get that be allowed but I do have some some hope that it will get through my bill is a simply trigger bill as of right now it will not change anything and I think there's been some confusion on that we we at the state level that do not have the authority under state law to change to permanently adopt daylight savings time we could go to the standard time but we cannot go to daylight savings time however the majority vote for of US citizens do not like Senator time as a as a permanent option only about of people who said they want to stop swapping only about fifteen to twenty percent would prefer daylight savings time the rest are overwhelmingly in in in favor skews me would that like does standard time the I. rester overwhelmingly in favor of daylight savings time this bill would provide for the option for us she's me the mandate for us as a as a state government to move immediately as soon as a federal. It allows whether that's with the current bill sets they're working their way through or if it's a future a law that's passed by the the federal government to actually move all ourselves over permanently to daylight savings time as a state providing for those great benefits for our citizens so with that happy take any questions. Any questions from committee members represent to make sure recognized for a question. Thank you representative so let me ask this question of you if we were to adopt a permanent daylight savings time do you know what time the sun rise would be in Northwest Arkansas in early January. I would give the gas somewhere around that at eight thirty time frame since at seven thirty now you're exactly right so the sun wouldn't rise in Northwest Arkansas until eight thirty so that means our kids would be going to school on the dark and so you'd be okay with that well we have that situation now representative makes and that's I think that's one of the big pieces of this right now you have kids to get on the bus in the dark and they get home when it's dark pretty much at we have individuals that go to work in the dark and then have to come home in the dark with movie to daylight savings time at least we would provide them the opportunity in the evenings to have a little bit of daylight and that's that's one of the drivers for not only here at the at the state level but the states around us three of the states around us have already adopted this type of trigger method mechanism that includes Tennessee Mississippi in Louisiana we've also seen legislation attempts in Missouri and Oklahoma Texas has yet to take that up those attempts failed for a variety of reasons but we do expect I I do expect that most states are going to move as a matter of fact pull up my numbers right quick weeks we've seen states all across not only in the in the southern hemisphere southern section of the U. S. but also in the northern portions of the U. S. total of five. Six yes nineteen states have already passed legislation that would trigger loss that would provide for an immediate move and those do include member states that are further much further north than us. Thanks to the cloud you have a recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chair and representative Richardson can you I've heard concerns from Texarkana for instance right you mentioned Texas is not yet taken the step and we've got one town that would be split into two time zones where your answers to people who have concerns from that part of the state thank you for the question representative so it yes and we have situations across the US we're we're a little unique here that we sit in the middle of our current time zone but that's a that's a normal function for a lot of states and you have to see that actually has I guess to different time zones in there and they they have the same kind of challenges so yes there there may be some challenges although Texarkana isn't in Arkansas so it would be on Arkansas time if they had to travel over into Texas it would be an hour's difference for them to to to start work potentially or they potentially could I start work at an earlier hour that would obviously be up to them and their employers but this is not a a unique function across the US is a something that's fairly normal in a variety of different time zones we already have a state Arizona that's a that's selected standard time permanently and so all the states around them continue to adjust and swap back and forth while they stay permanently and it's worked out fine for their citizens. Representative you're recognized for a question thank you Mr chair representative Richard Richardson thanks for presenting this bill and as you have spoken many times you're a big duck hunter is it is am I myself I'm not a main concern for this bill would be in my district district sixty one East Arkansas we have a lot of duck hunters that hunt midweek and make it into the office by nine AM. But that's with shooting time starting around you know six forty six forty five AM kind of that range if you would push it back to around seven forty two or thereabouts these guys are gonna be able to duck in the middle of the week and still make to the office by nine AM and that would take a take off a lot of my rifle and producers and all my all my guys in that I'm buddies with and then conversely in the evenings you know the deer hunters can go and. Shooting time stops around five shortly after five or five twenty before good will between five and five thirty and they can often times make it to evening events or suffer with the family by six thirty or seven but if this law were enacted in and the trigger law would be triggered they would be able to make it until the evening plans until you know eight o'clock no that's those are my two biggest concerns and I just wanted to voice for you I appreciate that may representative more in your question to that to representative Richardson is. You have a question I know you made a statement but your question is it what how would that affect the time with that affect how would that affect those individuals I'm talking about that thank you representative thank you represented more so my my at my statement to that is that that I'm so my best accounts have been in the evenings and have an extra hour in the evening to hunt ducks what would provide me some of that opportunity after work to get out and it's still daylight and do those things and I will tell you that to happen bow hunted during that stay light savings time early in the season when it's still on it gets dark Leighton you come in late so yes but also speak to it to farmers and I know there's there's different kinds of farmer's in in East Arkansas you have row crop farmers that as you know sun up to sun down full time farmers and had a Northwest Arkansas we have a lot of part time farmers and as most of our members know I spent a lot of time knocking doors as most of you have and and it's overwhelming the number of farmers that tell me that they go to work in the mornings they have to feed they have to take care of the animals in the morning it's dark then they get home at night to start the into giving them a little extra time to handle some of the things like checking their cattle while it's still daylight instead of under spotlight might provide them some some some freedom to do some other things as well so I think it would be helpful overall. Thank you. The card you're recognized for a question thank you Mr chairman so what things I'm hearing today is that you know we have potential change on the horizon potential non change you would mentioned earlier that there were some states have already adopted trigger laws so in the event that we were not to adopt your bill then wouldn't we still have to make changes in Arkansas. It depends on the legislation thank you I represent court and it depends on the legislation that comes out of the federal government's enactment of the of the wording so the reality is eventually we will this this is going to be approached again and at that time we're going to we're going to need to address it I think that the the climate is such at this point and it continues to show in a variety of different polls that the overwhelming majority of Americans want stop swapping back and forth they either want to be on standard time or they want to be permanently on daylight savings time and so it some point we're going to have to address that as a state this simply addresses it now gets it out of the way it puts us in a position to take on what the majority of our citizens currently want anyway thank you. Recognized for a follow up. Thank you so basically what would happen is if we didn't have a trigger law but they did we would still have to adjust our times to come to the other states right. it depends on the language that comes out of the federal government but yes that's a potential. The representative because they brings up a good point you know we're running this as a trigger law without really knowing the provisions it's going to be provided by the federal government so if they pass something that the federal level we really don't know what this legislation is going online with that whether we what we can opt in or opt out so all we can to get a hit of the game by going ahead and pass the legislation before we know all the provisions that could come from the federal government if they make that change. thank you and Mister chairman if that's a good question I'll I'll approach it this way I would not suggest that we're getting ahead of the game and if we are getting ahead of the game we're Arkansas and it's okay for us to be out there and lead I'm I'm all for us Leding as a as a state as far as what could come out we we've got two options it's standard time or daylight savings time at some point we're either going to continue to stay in the swap mode which I think there's no one in this in this group that hasn't heard least someone say that they're tired of swapping back and forth from a time perspective and so we're going to need to select from from a state perspective something the standard and something that's that disagreeable for the majority of our citizens at this stage that's obviously daylight savings time. Okay thank you any further questions from committee members. Se number to have the someone signed up to speak. Against the bill Luke's story. Represent your Richmond wretched digestion if you just. Thank you senator to the side what Mr story. Takes his seat at the end of the table. This story if you will just identify yourself for the committee members and you represent and I understand you're speaking against the bill. Good morning everyone my name is Luke story president of the Arkansas broadcasters association thank you Mr chairman and distinguished committee members for allowing me some time to speak on the bill I'll keep it brief but I really think I mean sticking point is the border city provision that is painfully absent from this from this bill I mean there's I'm looking at my notes here but there are a few that I mean West Memphis elder radio Fay Advil Texarkana those are all border city so that would be steeply impacted by this particular from from a marketing a business standpoint when it comes to media broadcast and we have I've spoke to representative about this but we have an A. M. radio concern as well there's probably a hundred and thirty eight AM radio stations in the state of Arkansas and they are all required by the FCC to power down at sunset and power back up at sunrise in so if this bill were to be passed as is it would cost those one hundred thirty eight radio stations. Valuable drive time moving that drive time our back an hour would cost them that substantial revenue and it would be a potentially catastrophic as far as some of the stations to be able to remain operational. I think all of us here I mean I am very affection towards sports and so you're looking at it from a live sports perspective those to be impacted and in particular the very lucrative television broadcast rights that a lot of our brought me a lot of our university sports depend on to help fund their their programs that could be that could be potentially lost because of the programming adjustments that would have to be made that have to move up the start times and they have to just all of that and that is applied to all sporting prove all sports programming Olympics and everything those or anything structures that have been set in place for a very long time and as we've all been made aware I mean none of this will take effect without congressional approval of Rubio's bill did pass last session but as far as all the insight I have there's been no reintroduction of any bill in this new session I just I ask for your consideration of these concerns happy to share. Any of our insights and units in the literature that you might need to gain some further understanding and happy to take questions. The representative Richmond has a question for you Mr record recognized for your question thank you Mr chair concerning the. The loss of revenue potential loss of revenue if this time changes the eventually. Because. What happens now when we go back to daylight savings time in the early part. You know what I don't know when we're changing this time March or something like that in the early part of the of the of the church you know trying change we're the station's very very well still be in that federal requirement of powering down do you lose revenue then or or how's that affected or or what impact does that have because. Early on when you do daylight savings time. It's still dark. So. Thank you representative for the question I understand correctly that those adjustments have been set in place since the nineteen sixties when the the amendments to the uniform time to time that were passed so that's been set in place for a while but it's all based on sunrise sunset so when the sun rises there they they are legally permitted to power up moving that sunrise backed me the people are still expected to show up at work at the same time but sunrise would change so that's our concern I mean people would be commuting at the same time but then the sun rise would change the sun would rise an hour later people would still be expected to report back and drive to their to their work at the same time for Mr. Recognized. I the I don't think that that when you say sunrise will change I don't think the sun rise change but the the the time frame that we control changes and again the question is you know you power down when it's dark when you do the change daylight savings time change. Early on in the spring then it's still dark does that have an adverse effect upon the revenue of the different AM stations and things that are out there at that particular point in time during that early time change. Currently no. And that's because of the infrastructure that's been set in place. A few decades ago but our concern is that that infrastructure would have to be adjusted because Most of the stations are already well equipped to. parade what might be lost. One more follow up Mr you're recognized. Federal government goes and pass legislation it does change. You're talking about infrastructure probably that the protocol that that is but you currently follow you're going to have to go in and change that in order to accommodate that correct so if if the federal government does change. And it is adopted. Then you're going to have to go in and change the protocol about powering up and down and all of those steps to accommodate so. You know. The question is how hard is that going to be for you today. Thank you representative and to be quite honest that is. That is a part of the reason that senator Rubio's congressional bill did not pass initially is because of all the infrastructure adjustments that would have to be done it became apparently clear that that was going to be very time consuming it would cross industries a lot of industries would have to make the similar adjustments and it was just it didn't make sense that's one of the reasons that that building moved to the house. Thank you Sir thank you Mr thank you represent the representative back you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chair of so this is isn't it true that the reason the AM stations turn off his so that other stations can go what they call I think the terms clear channel so they they boost up when they start to cover multiple states were under frequency that might collide with the others so my question is this. They have to stay on the same time frame is that not correct the the small stations in Arkansas would have to shut down to allow the clear stations to come to boost up the powers that not true. Thank you representative that is a true statement. because there is a M. signals are less impacted by atmospheric pressure at night so they travel I mean a small radio station that may cover a a very limited radius of a small town would certainly be able to travel and covered you know theoretically have to state so that is it interference concerns is why that a provision is in place federally. It further questions from committee members. Say none the one else's signed up to speak for against the bill thank you Mr store I appreciate your time injured to an. Representative Richardson. Representative you're recognized close with your bill thank you Mr at so I do want to kind of talk through just a little bit for some clarity purposes around the AM stations it's my understanding and talking with the Mr story story yes Sir Mr story so we're talking with them in some detail last week that some stations do have to power down completely other stations simply turn back the amount of power associated with their reach and and not get too technical as most of you know I do have technical backgrounds of a study these things both from collegiate perspective and also sent the idea is that because of lack of atmospheric interfere interference the radio stations can travel significantly specifically AM can travel significantly further by reducing that the power that the output you actually can cover almost the same amount of territory and potentially even further because you have less interference so so I appreciate that as far as the as far as specifically addressing the lost revenue up to speed with drive time I know that we have drive time in the evening as well as the morning so that that would be some some opportunity to pick up that additional revenue potentially offset that those challenges right now a lot of that drive time if not most of the drive time would be after dark as well and so it's so one side or the other I I feel like from that perspective Beyond that from a a scheduling challenges and so seated with the with sporting events I always like it when we get a an eastern time zone sporting event that happens before I get off work and have to deal with that that that challenge so I think that's something that's a fairly normal but overall I think this is a good bill it's a good step for Arkansas especially for our citizens health and and overall well being from a mental state so I would appreciate to do pass from the Committee. Committee representative direction is closed for the bill what's pleasure of the Committee. The card. Motion to pass I have a motion of do pass any discussion on the motion representative makes you're recognized for discussion on the motion thank you because I try not to make this too long but I do want to dress a couple points that the representative said and why I am vehemently opposed to this bill first off that senator Rubio did try to pass the sunshine protection act back in twenty twenty two it did pass overwhelmingly on a voice vote however not surprisingly most senators were unaware what they were voting on and afterwards many of them said that they were opposed to this so that's why it but when I got to the house because the house is much more to and what's going on and and and and it didn't go anywhere Another concern that I have is he's he's correct on most medical but people say that we need to stop the back and forth in the vast majority of Americans I think support support that premise that we need to stop the back and forth dispute is always which one do we go to the American academy of sleep medicine holds the position that quote unquote seasonal time changes should be abolished in favor of a national year round standard time and that standard time is the better option than daylight savings time for health mood and well being and many other medical professions hold to that standard time is actually natural time or as daylight savings time is I was tricking ourselves into doing things an hour earlier than we otherwise would so daylight savings time is actually a manipulation of what national time was and some of you that are here that are my age or older may remember that back in the nineteen seventies we did go to a national national year round daylight savings time. Prior to them going to the in its national for year round seventy nine percent of Americans supported permanent daylight savings time but after only one year that support drop in half and they went back to our current situation of back and forth so they tried it back in the seventies and it didn't work and that's how we ended up going back and forth the last point I'll make is this and I think you're the the Mister Tosh Ortiz of spoke on this is I don't think Congress is ever going to allow daylight savings time because especially the more northern states it puts the sunlight rises later and later and later and it could be ten twenty thirty years before this is allowed and I'm of the mind that if Congress at some point in the future does allow it that General Assembly at that time needs to be the one that takes up the issue not us here twenty thirty years looking back and so with that I'm going to be opposed to this bill would ask that you would join me in opposition. Any further comments on the it further comments on the motion of do pass you have a comment on the motion if you made the motion of a do pass representative to call yes I have a motion you have a comment on your own motion I deal with this just a quick thing one of the things that's why I clarified with the we have two states several states right now that have made the the a job they have made the trigger law and Arkansas doesn't so we get in a situation where some of the states around us have daylight savings time and we don't you may have the situation still with us where the border cities and such have to make the adjustment to a county other states. This section on the motion of a do pass. Shane none all in favor say aye. All opposed say no. Your bill has failed thank you representative Richard appropriate before this committee I appreciate your stand thank you can committee members reminder photo next Wednesday at ten AM and the having no further business is meeting is adjourned.