House Convenes

The galleries to stand to be led in prayer by the house chaplain Dr rex Warren and remain standing for the pledge of allegiance to be led by representative Lane Jean. Let's pray. Father thank you for a new day and for the opportunities of this day holes thank you for friendships thank you for those who served from all over the state. Or operated day for those whose terms are being completed and this session most likely and and they move on to other things in order we just thank you for men and women who take their time who put themselves forward to serve the public good in the public interest. We pray for those will return in January that you'll be with them as they think about business that you have unfinished and what is best for the citizens of Arkansas bless them guide them. In order for all of us we pray that we might be faithful in the race that's set before us that we may run it with patients that we may recognize that all of life is a stewardship. And in the words of the great passer Dr levy hill who reminded us often everything we have above nothing you gave it to us and we're grateful in Jesus name amen. Members please indicate your presence by pushing yellow present button prepared machine Mr Clerk. Cast about Mr Clark. With ninety five members present the chair sees a quorum are there any request for leave. Represent Jean for what purpose leave a representative Jett is leave granted by representative Jett. So noted representative Allen for what purpose leave is legal representative Ferguson is leave ramp representative Ken Ferguson. So noted represent love for what purpose the you're recognized leave a representative Murdock is leave grant represent Ardagh. Represent Fredrick Love moves we dispense with the reading of previous day's Journal without objections so ordered are there Reports from select committees are the reports from standing committees is there any unfinished business are there any Executive communications. Represent Crawford for what purpose. No privilege you're recognized for point of personal privilege. Good morning friends. I would like to invite General berry and. Representative Pilkington to come up here with me please. Good morning everyone I hope that sure. We are in debt to our law enforcement in Arkansas every day. And I know today that Johnson County. They are watching online. On Saturday July thirty at the Johnson County sheriff's department went to investigate a possible that and to serve a felony warrant. What deputies were trying to speak to the female resident she fired one round one round from inside the trailer nearly striking the head of a deputy. Other law enforcement arrived in a perimeter was established during this time the suspect fired another round and struck Lieutenant bring Scott my nephew. Brint said I heard the shot there is no doubt I have been hit because of the burning pain in my hips and how my body jerked. Another deputy chairman Bennett grabbed a ballistic shield and ran toward brand. He led the team that covered his retreat. This kind of courage is our law enforcement. After inspecting Lieutenant Scott's bullet proof vests he had also been hit in the chest praise god the best worked. There is only a scratch and bruising close to his heart. The shot is hit with through the left growing and lodged in the right femur. The bullet could cause life altering damage had it hit just a fraction in a different direction. Upon examination the doctor said removing the bullet could cause more damage than leaving at. Now Brent has an imperishable badge of honor. Two days after being shot lieutenant Brent Scott walked into the Johnson County sheriff's office reporting for duty. He was given a temporary desk job until the doctors release him to go back into the field. Brandt will return to the job he loves. Lieutenant Scott tomorrow. Is the world is a better place because I'm here and to that we say thank you. Thank you. The morning hour is indeed. Mr Clark. Please read Senate bill one. Senate bill one by representative gene to reduce Arkansas income taxes to doctoral low depreciation expensing of property to create an income tax credit for certain taxpayers and to declare emergency. President Jean you're recognized to explain the bill thank you Mr Speaker calling this is the identical bill that representative Jett had yesterday House Bill thousand two this is Senate bill one Senator Dismang has been pretty well vetted of. Any questions. Create a good vote. Represent genes explain the bill would anyone like to speak against the bill. Would anyone like to speak for the bill. Representative gene is closed for the bill the question before the House. Is the passage of Senate bill one prepared machine Mr Clerk. Voting on the bill at the emergency clause has everyone voted. As everyone voted. Asked about Mr Clark. By a vote of seventy nine yeas fourteen A. zero present the bill emergency clause or pass. Members going to go back I forgot to make some introductions when we got started this morning in the west gallery we have is the guest of representative Howard Beatty Christian and Gabrielle summers who were the nephews of senator Gilmore. And then in the north gallery as the guest of representative Lundstrum we have care of dower says regional vice president Primerica and board member of fellowship of Christian athletes Elizabeth wanting pastor of Bethel church in Redding California co founder the change movement Jessica Owens and fill up and sherry block founders and directors of love unity ministries in Arkansas weakening. Represent rate for what purpose Mr Speaker earlier I neglected to request leave for representative McCollum would like to do so. Is leave grant represent a call. So noted. Members removed the yellow budget calendar. Mr Clark please read Senate bill two Senate bill two. Senate gene you're recognized explain the bill. Thank you Mr Speaker calling just come from the senator Irvin if you will I guess we had about a thirty or forty minute debate on it and budget. Of a couple days ago all this does. Is is provide school safety grant is going to park fifty million dollars out of last year's surplus. Of the. The task force for school safety has not completed its work there will be a recommendation and in October. The department of education and the governor will review it and can make any changes to it so we don't know the whole plan yet but we will know what sometime after October. Of this is a grant. So a grant means it people can apply or not apply. And will fifty million dollars to do it no but there will be more money come annexation of to provide security for our schools. Of this was pretty well edited Joint Budget but I'll take any questions right now if there are any. Seeing none. I need a good vote on the bill emergency calls your Speaker the Clerk read the bill for the third time. Mr Clark read the bill for the third time Senate bill two. Represent Jane as present the bill would anyone like to speak against the bill. For the bill. Representative Jane is closed for the bill the question before the House is the passage of Senate bill two. The machine Mr Clerk. The voting on the bill and the emergency clause. As everyone voted. Cass about Mr Clark. Ninety forty eight zero nine zero president. The bill in the emergency clause has passed. Members run take a brief recess The with the sentence down and hopefully to just be a few minutes here will be. Back in session hopefully. We're in recess. House come to order. Members having completed the items on the governor's call we have handed out a supplemental calendar Mr Clark reed House resolution one thousand one. Houses of the resolution one thousand one by representative Shepherd to provide the study die adjournment of the third extraordinary session of the ninety third General Assembly of the State of Arkansas. Figure Shepherd you're recognized president resolution. Thank you. Mr chairman of members before I bring to you today house resolution one thousand one. This is the resolution that I filed early this week to provide for the signing die adjournment of the third extraordinary session. And just as a kind of a. Refresher on how we've handled this and and why filed this previously it. Maybe in both previous special sessions by now at least in one other when there was discussion about would weeks then the session or otherwise in order to try to provide some structure this process in the past we've filed a joint resolutions but we fight instead we filed an individual resolution on the house and the Senate has a similar resolution I know that there are other resolutions on the calendar to extend the session and you know my view on that would be that if there's enough support to extend the session then there would be enough support to defeat this resolution but it stands to reason that we would take up the resolution referred providing for the adjournment and certainly it's my hope we passed a resolution but if that fails then we would move on to consider the other resolutions have been filed. So you're Shepherd as presented the resolution would anyone like to speak against resolution. Representive love you're recognized to speak against the resolution. Thank you Mr Speaker. Good morning colleagues. I take this very seriously to rise wants to speak as a resolution. But I take it very seriously that we have some unfinished business here. And that's to make sure that our public education system is strong gone will. As you know through the through the years. Teacher pay has been an issue. We still have yet to address. Our teachers again post. N. as in our face. Colleagues we must deal with this issue and we must deal with that now. Once again I do take it very seriously to comment speak against the speakers resolution and he knows that I have yet to do that in my twelve years man with. But this is something this serious this is something that must be addressed now. I would ask that you vote against this resolution thank you. Representive love has spoke against the resolution would anyone like to speak for the resolution. Against the resolution. Represent McCauley you're recognized to speak against the resolution. Thank you Mr Speaker I'd echo what representative love said about speak against speakers resolution there are many issues that I would come down here for to vote and ask you to vote against adjournment and special sessions but we're here knowing we completed the actions put forth by the governor to call for this legislative session I'm here to say it's not enough I'm speaking against the motion day because I believe we've got urgent business we need to address and that is to teacher and support staff increases. We passed funds for schools to fortify their door secure their campus campuses and more but we've chosen not to fund our educators and staff who work inside those very buildings it's our job to make sure children have the best education our state can afford other people often people think that because they've attended school they know what it's like to be a teacher they can imagine what it's like but they cannot know what it's like in today's world reading writing arithmetic is still there. There are many challenges mental health hunger phone addiction kids who must grow up earlier. The pandemic thank god for bid fear of shootings the teachers I know are passionate about what they teach preparing students for the world when they leave after graduating and they're happiest when they're in their classroom doing those things. But most do not want to delve into politics. And urge us and try to convince us that they need more from us but we seem to be at that point my purpose here today is me merely talk about priorities I believe education is the key to success and the promise of Arkansas. It always has been and it always will be our educators are the key to making sure our students learn dreaming or say that has to be a priority for us today and everyday. We've lagged behind other states for far too long and I'm not blaming anyone today I know that no one in here is against teachers most of you have children who have had a love teachers. Who have taught them and made them realize their worth in intelligence I'm simply asking you to be for teachers today make them in the profession a priority and it will follow that our students will benefit as well as our state. I also know that all staff its schools are important as a teacher. You would be wise early on in your career to get to know the people in maintenance custodian's the administrative assistants in office cafeteria workers bus drivers the more they keep the schools running. They provide another layer. To see and hear things others don't and they care about our students and we must care for them also. Educators and school should support staff. Should be paid a professional living wage and we should not wait even one more year to lead our region and nation I don't want to gavel out of school is about to start go another year without addressing this issue we have the funds in a sustainable plan we just need the vote so I'm asking for a no vote to adjourn so we can take a teacher and staff pay in the special session and make it our number one priority thank you. Representative because spoke against the resolution would anyone like to speak for the resolution. Against the resolution representative calendar you're recognized to speak against the resolution. I wasn't planning on coming down here I just want to point out a couple things. one of the things that is. When I became a legislator I was told let processes play out. In other words let the process of adequacy play out that whatever process take place play out before we make appropriations yeah we just voted pretty much unanimously to approve fifteen million dollars. For school safety that's not going to go to every school. Without letting the process play out. Which means that we can do what we want to do. In saying that. We can approve. Finding out of a surplus to pay for the first round and I understand it's not. There's not a sustainable plan in place yet from the adequacy committee but to pay for the first round of teacher raises and said our teacher salaries higher. Or at a competitive rate at least of the states that are around us. We falling behind you don't have to look at adequacy you report to sh C. that the other state starting salaries are higher than Arkansas. Whether we do it now. Order we wait. I hope that this body will make the commitment to not just give teachers raises but to put teacher salaries at a competitive level. With the state's at around us because this state borders a lot of other states and for those schools that sit on the border. We are losing teachers across state lines every single day. We have over a thousand teachers. That we need right now. So. Vote however you're going to vote I'm sure nothing I've said or will be said from this well will change anybody's mind but I hope that that will be taken into consideration as we move forward thank you. Represent to let his spoke against resolution would anyone like to speak for the resolution. Against the resolution. Because Shepherd would you like to close for your resolution. Thank you Mr chairman of members again just simple resolution to adjourn if their support to extend the rest to extend the session and then they should be the votes to vote down this resolution I would just make a couple of points. Long before anybody this summer mention teacher raises before the governor ever proposed anything our education committees were already starting to work on educational adequacy which includes teacher pay and it's unfortunate that a just a year ago in twenty twenty one. Could somebody correct me if I'm wrong we passed the the largest percentage increase in educational funding in the past fifteen years and we've increase that funding every year at least in the last number of years and so I know that there's there's obviously more to be done and that if we see a study is ongoing I respect everybody's decision as they decide how they vote on this resolution as for me I would appreciate a good vote thank you. Speaker Shepherd is close for the resolution the question before the House is the passage of house resolution one thousand one all in favor say aye. Opposed nay. Is haven't. I see five hands. The machine Mr Clerk. As everyone voted. Casts up the ballot Mr Clark. Sixty one yeas thirty three nays and zero present the resolutions passed. Members we're about to adjourn sine die after that represent wing has a point of personal privilege but we'll do that after adjournment. With the passage of house resolution one thousand one we are adjourned. Represent love for what purpose I wasn't I was afraid you were going recognized Mister Speaker appoint a personal privilege. Let. I could do it after this parliamentarian tells me we need to go ahead and adjourn and then will recognize your point of personal privilege all right thank you. All right where was that with the passage of house resolution one thousand one we are adjourned sine die.