House Convenes

I am by the member staff present guests in the gallery says can be led in prayer by representative Ryan road and to remain standing for the pledge of allegiance to be led by representative Lane Jean. Let us pray. Where we thank you for the incredible opportunity that we have today in this year to be about your business in our state capital. A I prayed for blessings and protection in favor of the legislature the staff. And all that we do in and out of business pray that will be a sexual efficient and more that most of all that you would be glorified through all that we do we pray these things in Jesus name amen. Members please indicate your presence by hitting your yellow present but. Where the machine Madam Clark. Cast a ballot madam Clerk. With ninety eight members present The chair sees a quorum are there any requests for leave represent Gazaway for what purpose leave you're recognized plead to representative Mayberry is leave grant represent Mayberry. Some noted represent Eubanks for what purpose. You're recognized leave for representative Wardlaw leave grant represent Wardlaw. noted. Representative Jon Eubanks moves we dispense the reading the previous day's Journal without objections so ordered. Are there Reports from select committees. Read the reports Clark Mr Speaker we your committee on state agencies and government affairs house to whom was referred house concurrent resolution number one thousand two by representative Eubanks beg leave to report that we have had the same under consideration in here with return the same with recommendation that it do pass Mr Speaker we your committee on ageing Children and Youth Legislative and Military Affairs to whom was referred house concurrent resolution number one thousand five I representative Bentley beg leave to report that we have to have the same under consideration here with return the same with the recommendation that it do pass. Represent we. You're recognized. Thank you Mr Speaker. I have a special group that is visiting with us in the east gallery and if they know who they are if you wouldn't mind just kind of make your way over to this area here we can all see you what happened last year was a very unique situation that we had a simple task force of people from government agencies and from the private sector to address a problem which was elder fraud our elders our seniors are being scammed to the tune of thirty seven billion dollars every year and this is a. Major financial loss for everyone when this happens and so a group of concerned citizens got together and formulated what is called the safer Arkansas actin safer as an acronym safeguarding against financial exploitation of retirees it's amazing how that lined up Shannon Holly on is right there she came up with that acronym for us and she was at the time with the attorney general's office we had a wide group of people that came together to pass this legislation and not only has it helped people and help our seniors protect their accounts. But Simmons bank an Arkansas institution applied for a national award and received an honor from the American bankers association for their efforts to repeat to protect our retirees and so I wanted I've got a citation here to honor Simmons bank for their work in protecting our retirees but I also wanted to let everyone know who all is here because this is a group of citizens who got together and made something happen. And we will read the citation but I do want these individuals to be noted because each played a very key part from Simmons bank we have Steve way to Tina grows Charmaine Hines Barbara Peck at Bilik and my neighbor Ashley Lee obelus from the Arkansas bankers association we have Laurie Trogdon from the Arkansas securities department commissioner McLaurin Karen Tierney and former commissioner Eric Munson who was on our task force from DHS we have mark white from the Arkansas community bankers we have Chris Padgett we have a representative from the FBI and I know agents Stokes who was on our Task Force wasn't able to make it but somebody is here they're from the Arkansas credit union association Vicky Salkeld Hendren we have Shannon Holly on from the attorney general's office from add to that we also have for the Arkansas bank department commissioner sesenta Marshall and deputy commissioner John Allen and jim Taylor with first security bank let's give them a round of applause please. Members our doctor the day today's doctor not being Patil of Little Rock. Our nurses the day are misprinted Hewitt image Sherri Bernard. Our Arkansas state troopers with this today or trooper Kevin grounds a trooper Ross Allen. Morning hour is in. I'm Clerk please read house bill one thousand one. House Bill one thousand one. By House Management an act for the Arkansas house of representatives of the ninety fourth General Assembly appropriation for the twenty twenty to twenty twenty three fiscal year. President when you're recognized explain the bill. Hello colleagues this is a typically the first bill that we hear this is just gives us our appropriation for our expenses for this session I just a couple of key notices as we've kept the appropriation the same as it has been since two thousand seventeen and in fact when we started this current level of where we are which is one point nine seven five million and change we actually had cut that from the two thousand fifteen so we've been able to do it with less for several sessions in a row we appreciate a good vote to be able to continue here twenty twenty three. Resembling is explain the building would like to speak against the bill. Would anyone like to speak for the bill. Represent wing is closed for the bill the question before the House is the passage of house bill one thousand one prepared machines madam Clerk. Voting on the bill and the emergency clause. Has everyone voted. Has everyone voted cast a ballot madam Clark. With the vote of ninety six Yeas zero nine one present the bill emergency clause are passed. Members remove the yell of budget calendar represent gene you're recognized. Thank you Mr Speaker calling this is house bill ten fifty one this the general appropriation act. In our constitution we have to pass this appropriation before we can pass any other corporations used to be a big bill years ago the only changes in this bill is there's a sixty five thousand dollar of district judge travel expense that was forty five thousand the previous year they spent fifty three thousand on travel for district judges any questions. Appreciate a good vote on the bill. Madam Clerk please read house bill ten fifty one. House bill ten fifty one. Represent Jean it's explained the bill would anyone like to speak against the bill. Would anyone like to speak for the bill. Represent Jean is close for the bill the question before the House is the passage of house bill ten fifty one prepared machine madam Clerk. Voting on the bill and the emergency clause. As everyone voted. As everyone voted. Cast about madam Clark. With a vote of ninety five Yeas zero Nays and one present the bill an emergency clause our past. President makes what purpose motion place let's hear your motion after the announcmenet spring of the bills transferring the bill's place in the counters on the desk members amending their own bills with their own amendments. Finalizing resolutions ready communications and any remaining committee reports that's the first time I've done that she here. I move we adjourn until eleven o'clock tomorrow morning. That's a proper motion. It's not debatable all in favor say aye. Any opposed. The motion is adopted. Are there any announcements. Representative Holcomb for what purpose announcmenet you're recognized. Public transportation will meet in the morning at ten AM and may be for an organizational meeting. Represent Richmond for what purpose announcmenet you're recognized the Republican caucus the majority caucus will be meeting at the R. P. A.. At two twenty. Dalby for what purpose announcmenet you're recognized house judiciary will meet at ten AM in the morning room one forty nine organizational meeting president wing for purpose announcmenet you're recognized we have the offices are all assigned you may have gotten an email with your new office if you have a key left over from last session that key is already coated to your new office if you are one of our new members you will need to pick up a key from amber right through that door right there she will have your key for you if you need a map to know kind of where to go to find your office come see me I'm happy to help with that and one final thing it for those of you who have been assigned an office and probably will not use that real estate is at a premium this year temporarily so for this session but if you would like to share or relinquished that please let me know because we do have a few members who would like that. That makes sense. Representatives for what purpose announcmenet you're recognized revenue and taxation committee will meet tomorrow ten AM in room one fifty one for organizational meeting represent eleven for what purpose announcmenet recognized House education will be ten AM tomorrow morning room one thirty eight for an organizational meeting represent Johnson for what purpose announcmenet you're recognized a public health meet tomorrow at ten AM from organization meeting in room one. All right members you've heard these announcements all the a committees are going to meet tomorrow morning at ten AM to at least have an organizational meeting and then we'll meet here on the house floor at eleven AM the plan is that after that will be done for the week that would be off on Friday and then as you recall we also passed a resolution to be off on Monday as well so assuming that that gets passed on the other end then we ought likewise do not plan to be here on Monday as well so the for the rest of week ten AM tomorrow with your a committee and then eleven o'clock here on the floor and I just continue its always important watcher email watch the ark leg website for scheduling and to us hope everybody has a good rest of the afternoon. Any other now. Represent wing for what purpose. May I approach the well for a point of personal privilege you're recognized. Colleagues I want to talk to you about a matter that I think is going to be one of the more important things that we'll discuss throughout the entire session. If our averages hold. What is traditional statistical about two thousand bills will be filed in the session roughly about a thousand of those will end up becoming law of those thousand the vast majority will pass without any dissent at all completely non confrontational. There will be a small number of bills that will generate some comment. And then there will be a small group of bills that will generate a lot of comments some conflict and even some contention. What I ask as we start this session is that we not let contention over an issue spill into contention over the character of a colleague. Everybody in this house has earned the right to be sitting in these seats by winning an election in representing the people and with that right comes the respect that is due that position. When we show disrespect for a colleague who show disrespect for a system of government that has proven the test of time since the seventeen hundreds. And has brought more prosperity and more happiness. To more people than any other system of government. Our founders laid their lives on the line for us to have this precious gift of self government and they expected to be the expected even vigorous debate that is all okay but when we showed disrespect to a colleague especially in the press and social media. We're also setting a poor example for our constituents who may feel that they have a license to follow that for example and do the same. I think that we can all agree that the level of political discourse in this country is as low as it ever has been at least in my lifetime and probably even gyms. It's a. So let's let's statesmanship be the order of the day from this state capitol and if we do so we might just be the means of bringing our communities together again so with that let's go out and have a great session thank you. The desk for main open is needed for the reading of the bills and upon completion the items named in the joint resolution house to