Senate Convenes

Flippo flowers full for Garner Gilmore hammer Hendren Hester Hickey Hill Ingram Irvin Blake Johnson Mark Johnson Leding Pitsch Rapert Rice sample Stubblefield Sturch Sullivan Teague Tucker Wallace everyone please stand colluding those in the gallery Senator Bledsoe is gonna lead us in prayer. Name of Jesus and we just thank you for the blessings of this day and especially for the for the blessings of good health and fathers we go from this place I ask that you would put ahead to phones in a wall of protection around each member and their family each staff member and their family and that that heads would include father a a desire to get even closer to you. And father we thank you for the opportunity in the premises privilege of serving in this great please be with our governor and all of his staff and we just again provision thank you for all you've done for us in the name of cheese some. A plus. One. In the. Any announcements. Thank you for that. Yesterday Mr President this is to inform you that on March seventh twenty twenty two I reviewed and approved the following measures from the fiscal session of the ninety third General Assembly. Senate bill forty one ACT one fifty two Senate bill eighty nine ACT one fifty three Senate bill ninety ACT one fifty four Senate bill ninety one ACT one fifty five Senate bill ninety two ACT one fifty six Senate bill ninety three ACT one fifty seven Senate bill ninety four ACT one fifty eight Senate bill ninety five ACT one fifty nine Senate bill ninety six ACT one sixty Senate bill ninety seven ACT one sixty one Senate bill ninety eight ACT one sixty two Senate bill ninety nine ACT one sixty three Senate bill one hundred ACT one sixty four Senate bill seven ACT one sixty five Senate bill thirteen ACT one sixty six Senate bill fifteen ACT one sixty seven Senate bill sixteen ACT one sixty eight Senate bill seventeen ACT one sixty nine Senate bill eighteen ACT one seventy Senate bill twenty ACT one seventy one Senate bill twenty four ACT one seventy two Senate bill twenty six acts act one seventy three senate thirty three ACT one seventy four Senate bill thirty five ACT one seventy five Senate bill thirty eight ACT one seventy six Senate bill forty three ACT one seventy seven Senate bill forty six ACT one seventy eight Senate bill forty seven ACT one seventy nine Senate bill forty eight ACT one eighty Senate bill forty nine ACT one eighty one Senate bill fifty nine ACT one eighty today Senate bill sixty ACT one eighty three Senate bill sixty one ACT one eighty four Senate bill sixty two ACT one eighty five senate sixty six ACT one eighty six Senate bill one O. two ACT one eighty seven Senate bill one O. four ACT one eighty eight Senate bill one O. five ACT one eighty nine. Follow. Any other. Senator. It's moved to the. Business agenda. Senator Irvin. Irvine is not here we'll pass over that. Senator Ballinger. Okay Senator Hickey is going to run the. HC OR one thousand and two hundred. Yes members what this is is this was passed out rules yesterday this is a joint rules for the house and Senate which is going to governing govern when EBD bills can be filed the best I remember they have to be filed by the. I think the fifteenth day fifteen day of the session there match it was like the retirement there is a there is a way that we can get around that it's like two thirds of the membership work board to allow it however what that's going to do is allow those bills to be filed and then also if we need actuary they'll be able to look at that to see what the cost is going to be on that program. We appreciate a good vote on this question. House concurrent resolution ten O. two by representative Dotson and Senator Irvin to amend the joint rules of the house of representatives in the Senate at the ninety third General Assembly all those in favor say aye. Close as happens the resolution is adopted. to the house Senator Ballinger. Senate resolution thirty six by Senator Ballinger to strongly urge the president the United States to support policies and measures to ensure the United States long term energy affordability security leadership but we finished really really strong and I hate to kind of feel like we're we're going out on a negative note the to some extent we are you know we're all going home in our people right now are facing the very real possibility of paying five dollars a gallon in the very near future for gasoline and that's if that's if we don't cut off Russian oil and we're in a position as a country right now where maybe the best thing to do morally the end right to try to help Ukrainians is to cut off Russian oil is for Europe and in the United States not to buy anymore but but if we were to do that that we're talking about really squeezing further the our people our citizens I think that right now real close to it and that's about five dollars a gallon for diesel here I saw a picture words like nine dollars a gallon some places in California for diesel. Your people and my people are already hurting with inflation thirty suffering the expense of folks on a fixed income the really everybody are faced with the the by and lesser dipping into their savings are doing something to be able to to buy food and pay for energy the other already suffering under that that heavy hand and now diesel is going up to five dollars a gallon and more. SO what is that going to do to all the rest the goods that are being shipped and we're talking a little bit this morning I've been racking my head like what can we do about it Academy effect to get the price of gas how can we help with with inflation is very little that we can do that obviously this resolution doesn't really do anything but it is the thing that we can do we get back the ministration honestly what we can do is make the mistake because there isn't even anything the president can do right now to fix that. But what the president can do start policies that will fix it months and years from now give the result of what we have now obviously is a lot of. Market factors and so forth they go into it but also to result of making bad decisions a year ago that that is resulting from this and and so if as a country we're going to be strong. And we're going to be be successful one as our people are not going to pay you know extraordinary prices for energy they're not gonna takes Fortner prices for goods but it but also we need to be able to be independent enough that if we have bad guys throughout the world but we can come off a quick pay in funding their bad acts and and honestly that's where we're at today but we're in such a position that we really can't do that so it was one of you all have a solution rather than the resolution to fix of this that I'm I'm all ears but otherwise the best thing we do pass a resolution urging president too to go back and open up off the drill and open up pipelines do everything we can to get the energy to the people so that we are looking at gas prices at ten dollars a gallon at some point in the future and and frankly it it could be that they would cripple our I'll be happy to answer any questions question. All appreciate a good vote. All the favor say aye. Is haven't resolutions adopted this thirty six dollars to. Individual within the budget calendar. There are three bills that we handled individually. House bill ten thirty four by joint budget and that the department of corrections division of corrections corporation for the twenty twenty to twenty twenty three fiscal year. Senator that is mine at the check any questions. Question. The objection on the vote. Yes And Thank you governor my comments are gonna be directed entirely on the expansion of the calico rock prison it's been a little bit of an educational process for me obviously this is ATC budget as a whole the calico rock expansion was a House amendment to to a budget bill and I'm a little frustrated because that amendment never made it to the Senate floor it's nobody's fault that's just how the process works so I learned but I'm not on budget where the amendment came out of I'm not in the house where the amendment went and I know this will be funded eventually through a LC which I'm not on either so this is really my only opportunity offering comments on on the prison expansion I think it's very important to to do so I wanted to to speak against the amendment because of what I'm about to say but also because I really want to get senator full for an opportunity cast a no vote during his career But I was thinking about this issue and I came up with that analogy no analogy is perfect but but an analogy that I came up with was let's say that an issue came up and we were faced with the question of the for whether we had to raise a couple hundred million dollars in taxes raise revenue in order to meet a real need. And I was thinking about it I know for certain that if that came up. That we would scour the budget to try to find that two hundred million dollars before we raise taxes and so my thought is why can we not have the same scrutiny for incarcerating our Kansans that we do or that we would for spending our Kansans taxpayer dollars. Now obviously in our sixteen thousand some odd ATC beds there are a lot of people who've committed dangerous crimes and they they belong there. But I wonder. Whether we can come up with four hundred ninety eight beds out of the sixteen thousand beds that we have now you know how many Brooks had ones do we have in prison right now if you seen Shawshank redemption you know what I'm talking about but if you haven't. How many people are over seventy per node danger to society who were just housing and the Arkansas department corrections I don't know the answer that I've asked ATC they're they're looking into it and I'll get back to me how many there are terminally ill I don't know and how many there are there how many are there because of an addiction. Or because of a mental health issue or because of poverty I don't know the answers to those questions and and you may not like it but I also wonder and there's no way to know for sure but I believe there are hundreds of people who were there for a crime related to marijuana that whether you like it or not I think there's a pretty decent chance the people of Arkansas are gonna say November that recreational marijuana is legal in Arkansas but yet we have hundreds of folks in the Arkansas department of corrections who were there because of marijuana now I know it's not an apples to apples comparison because some of the beds I'm talking about maybe different than some of the beds there want to build a calico rock and I also know we have a real problem in our county jails right now but really the main point that I want to make and I'll explain what I mean but the main point I want to make is that we cannot build our way out of this problem. We can only legislate our way out of this problem. And let me just explain what I mean a little bit. One point is let's say we have these four hundred ninety eight beds online tomorrow. Well that solve this problem no and nobody will tell you that it will not hear sheriff's not department of corrections nobody those bills would be filled immediately and we'll be right back where we are and the reason is because our prison population right now grows at one point five percent per year. Our state's population is growing at about point three five percent per year which means that our prison population is growing at four times the rate of our state population so we cannot build our way out of this problem I'll give another example since nineteen eighty three and this is on a proportional basis our prison population has gone up three hundred and eleven percent. At of our region which includes Oklahoma Texas Louisiana Tennessee Mississippi and Alabama our combined incarceration rate between jail and prison is second out of that region it's seventh in the country and it's higher than any other democracy in the world now I absolutely do not believe that our people have gotten three hundred percent more dangerous since nineteen eighty three nor do I believe that our people are the second most dangerous in the region the seventh most dangerous in the country or more dangerous than any other democracy in the world the reason we have those races because of the loss that we have on the books and I'm not talking about us only as in the current legislature the these are policies that have been set going back forty and fifty years and by the way none of this is directed at the department of corrections I have the utmost respect for Secretary graves and Lindsey Wallace and their faithfully executing the laws that we pass if I was secretary of corrections I probably be proposing the same thing because he's charged with administering the laws that are on the books but my point is we have to take a look at these laws. I think it's important to mention this conversation it's been discussed before but in Arkansas the population of folks who are black is about sixteen percent and yet Barker Kansans comprised thirty seven percent of our jail population and forty one percent of our prison population I know no one in here has ever passed the law with the intent of incarcerating more black our Kansans the non black our cans but that is the result of the laws that are on the books and we know that. So if we just create five hundred new prison beds we're just perpetuating more of that. And it's not just a matter of race I want to read these numbers. Because I think. They really make an impression they did on me. Since nineteen eighty the number of women in jail has increased one thousand four hundred and fifty six percent and the number of women in prison has increased one thousand two hundred thirty one percent in nineteen seventy there were forty three women in jail in two thousand fifteen that number was over thirteen hundred and nineteen seventy eight there were ninety eight women in prison and a two thousand seventeen that number was over fourteen hundred I have women have gotten that much more dangerous since the nineteen seventies obviously not but our laws have changed now we've made some progress which I I do want to salute two thousand fifteen we had ACT eight ninety five in two thousand seventeen we had at four twenty three we've had a lot of work and juvenile justice reform which is Senator Irvin has has done a lot of work for and I applaud that leadership seven or eight years ago our incarceration growth rate was three percent now it's one point five percent so we are making progress but we have a lot more work to do that a hypothetical that I raised at the beginning of my remarks about spending a couple hundred million dollars that really is not hypothetical because in this scenario if this is funded eventually through a LC we will spend seventy five million dollars constructing the prison and it's about twenty five thousand dollars a year to House someone in the type of beds that we're creating with this expansion for four hundred ninety eight that's that's about thirteen million dollars a year so over the next decade we will spend a couple hundred million dollars to incarcerate four hundred ninety eight our cans and my question is whether that's the best use of that money particularly when you think about the other costs on top of that after someone gets out which most do there five times as likely to be unemployed they're much much more likely to have a major health issue and so there other burdens on society besides and to families obviously besides just the cost to incarcerate someone. Just one more point before I wrap up but the but this question of. Who we incarcerate and for how long. These are very important questions and we can be smarter about how we answer those questions and the point I want to emphasize is smarter does not mean weaker. It does not mean weaker. For one thing we need to be very prudent with how we spend taxpayer dollars and incarcerating folks is just about the most expensive thing we do. For another thing these people what I'm that I'm referring to. Those with mental health issues those with addictions those in poverty we're just taking better care of them if we address those issues the underlying issues rather than just incarcerating someone else if someone commits a serious or dangerous crime they are to be incarcerated but if we're smarter about how we approach this we actually can improve public safety and I'll just explain that if we treat the underlying issue then the person is much less likely to commit an additional crime in the future much less likely and we also free up beds for people who have committed dangerous crimes and and deserved to be there so if we're smarter about this then we can save taxpayer dollars take better care of our people and improve public safety all at the same time so that's what I'm asking I'm going to vote for this bill that's why I'm speaking on it because it's the Department corrections budget as a whole. but I guess I'm speaking number one to the members on a L. C. and I want to urge you to vote against the the expansion at calico rock on that issue comes before a LC but my second request is for whoever comes back to the next session. let's let's sit down and really work on this because we're just kicking the can down the road with this president expansion we are not solving the problem and no one will tell you that we are we cannot build our way out of this problem we can only legislate our way out of that brought out of this problem and it's hard work and we can only do it together so that's those are my remarks thank you governor. Senator Johnson speaking in favor and then we've got some work. Senator Elliot. Center city centre Leding. Sir John. Thank you Mr president. Of. I don't like to follow my friend Senator Tucker he's always has great reasoning and he's he's a caring person and my friend. But I don't know if we can build our way out of the situation or not and believe me the statistics that he quoted really are troublesome to me because yes I think people have gotten worse I think all of us all races all sexes have gotten worse I think women are more violent than they used to be I think society is more violent than it used to be. About thirty years ago when I'm not don't hold me to that date we had a sheriff in Pulaski County and Randy Johnson good guy and we community came together and we expanded bill to the U. Cholesky county jail and when it opened the crime rate in this community drop precipitously and I called him up and I said is that just due to the jail he said PCGS marking so that's that's because all the professional criminals have been out on the street within that room for their locked up now. Now early check governor has spoken to me about an issue where. Perpetrators in my sheriff in Faulkner County corroborated this I spoke to him earlier this week. Our last week he said yes when we arrest someone the first thing they ask is this is federal or state charges because they know that if it's federal. They're going to see if there's Senate circle spend eighty five percent of their sentence in prison if they're convicted it's if it's a state situation they know that if you get twenty years they may be out and. Two years three years eighteen months depending on how bad the crowding situation is. Now I agree with senator Tucker we can we need to do things to rehabilitate people and there's some great programs and we need to touch their hearts but we also have to remember the admonition of senator pitches constituent many years ago judge Parker up in Fort Smith who said it is not the threat of punishment that is a deterrent to crime it's a certainty of punishment that's a deterrent to crime. And that's where we are right now as a society now we've got people that are just incorrigible criminals and they need to be locked up and to protect the rest of us to protect the law abiding citizens those that live out in the state I know you talk to your constituents about you know they say well I you know I don't know if I go Little Rock I don't I don't feel safer from Little Rock that bothers me that people from around the state wouldn't feel safe in our capital city. When I was a kid I would wander downtown all by myself go to places go to movies go get a hamburger at the Walgreens to get capital in mind and I felt perfectly safe in my parents felt that way that is not where we are right now as a society and that saddens me now it's four hundred ninety eight new beds in calico rock going to solve this problem no but it'll help and most importantly it'll stop us from putting an unfunded mandate owners counties to have to take care of state prisoners people who have already been convicted and should be the department of correction because that's our responsibility so I appreciate the governor coming forward with this partial solution we all know it's not a full solution but let's take the burden off our locals let them lock up the misdemeanors people that are awaiting trial and when someone's convicted to the greatest extent we can let's get him in the department of corrections and that start looking at our parole system I'm not blaming a parole board they're good people certainly not blaming a secretary graves he's doing the best he can in a difficult situation but systemically the problem falls on us and you can guarantee we're going to be back here in January having to deal with so first I want to thank our lieutenant governor for bringing this issue to my attention especially the fact that. I believe that everyone has the soul and that we can reach their hearts and they can become good Sadly we have to lock him up just to protect our children our families and the general public thank you Mr president madam president. With. Senator Elliot I have been Elliott is under Clark consider letting. Senator Elliot you're recognized. Get madam chair and members I guess the thing that is it seems most important to me a lot of what senator Clark said I totally agree with I was a part of the task force where we did a long study without CSG and to try to a charitable trust and they have worked with several states much like Arkansas like Texas and Georgia and then some very much not like Arkansas and New Jersey And they had found a way through careful study to do something about their overcrowded prison situations I'm gonna always like to bring to this kind of conversation is is not to be too simplistic about we just lock them up because they're bad people that just have to be locked up. That is that is a reading of truth that I think is given far more credence than it deserves but he definitely deserves a lot of credence because there are some bad people. A long time ago when we there was a book that was really when I see a long time ago I would say maybe about twenty five years or so there's a book that was really an appointment lesson on how to change things systemically the title of that book was the shape of the river and that's kind of where we find ourselves now what's the shape of the river when it comes to prisons right now and the shape obviously is is overcrowded. And about ten years later that was the fall and that book was was highly touted I'm really informed a lot of people crosses the river and some of you know about this metaphor. The kids keep coming down the river drowns and what is wrong with this river what are all these people in this river not able to swim and save themselves. So that was shape of the river and about ten years later we got a little bit smarter and a second person wrote a book called the source of the river. Which is where I think we ought to be and the idea behind the source of the river west why is this happening. What's the source of all these people been in jail other than the simplicity of are just simply saying they committed crimes quantidade did they commit crimes why did committed the crime you could argue in many cases even end up with somebody being in jail for an extraordinarily long amount of time. So I would pass it to you. So we need to be looking at the source of the river and not be so quick to say because somebody made a mistake that we should use tax payers money locking them up for years and years and years unless they are of course those really dangerous people that deserve to be locked up I think we a little too fast sial with assuming that just because Joyce Elliott did something that was against the law that are laws or even just because some of you know you've had to sit through our discussion in my offering this bill for three sessions in a row about racial impact statements we have yet to get that passed through the house and to the good grace on the good common sense I think of this Senate we finally passed in here it did not pass in the House despite are trying. All it means is kind of like Senator Clark was suggesting let's stop and take a look at what we are doing. Is it possible that we have so many people in jail because the policies we have that we have assumed that the shape of the river is the only thing we should take a look at. So. My major reason though is this talk to is to say to the public what this bill actually does this budget bill. We're not actually in this budget bill today as west I'm needed to buy some a Clark Is Senator Tucker we are not in this bill suggesting that there is going to be the money there without further oversight because what I want the public to understand when this bill passes today if you're the person and it seems like feels like it's been most of Arkansas if you're the person who's been contacted me about can we not do something better than the knee jerk quote unquote that's those in their words reaction of locking people up. Can we not do anything better you're going to see this bill passed and you think it's over please understand members of the public there is a second step to this before this money is spent it will have to be voted on by the Legislative Council. This is where you need to be in contact not just with me or two or three others this is where you need to be in contact with your senators on Legislative Council to have that final say and have some final influence about whether or not we spend this money and how much we spend I want the public to be really clear about that because I don't want you to leave here dejected and saying that we just passed the money that we're going to spend right now on prisons that second step. We're we're going to be a lot more careful. Is what you need to be thinking about this both for your house member and your Senate member. I once we do this I think the time will come when we will take some time I hope I look at the source and not just be concerned about the state because I guarantee you right now if you have a vehicle and the shape of your vehicle is not what it should be you're going to go try to find the source and you're going to fix the source. God knows we should be able to that for our own people. This. I appreciate appreciated the remarks of senator. The other Senator Clark. Senator Tucker. And I truly appreciate those remarks center because I agree with almost all of them and I would probably only slightly agree with anything that you said. As the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. We had a meeting just a couple weeks before the session. And we had two subjects on the agenda one was whether folks were getting adequate opportunity to be represented by public defender which under our constitution is a very serious question. And the other was about reimbursements to county jails for state prisoners and how that and how the backup of state prisoners in county jails was affecting them. We heard testimony and you can go back and watch that testimony. That we have. Twenty three hundred state prisoners in county jails continuing. I don't know how that compares to ten years ago exactly but it's very similar to what it was one. When I came into the state Senate it's a problem we never saw I don't know how that compares to nineteen ninety two to ninety six when I was on the garland county quorum court and that was a huge problem for us. Having those prisoners in our jail when we were stacking people on the floor and we're getting trouble for having our jail overcrowded. But it's very similar. And so qual I have seen the good that the garlic that the drug courts have done in garland county and I want to expand them as rapidly as we can I've seen the good that the juvenile justice reform has done and I. So all the things that we tried to do under my predecessors the fact is we have twenty three hundred state prisoners in county jails. That's a fact. Because I haven't been crusading for prison beds we just had a meeting and found out that that was a problem should have already known it was a problem. But the service also testified. That crime was growing. At alarming rate that serious crime was growing at alarming rate that gangs were growing. And the one of the reasons not the only reason but one of the major reasons they felt locked. The crime was growing. In their areas in your areas and that people your constituents are being hurt and becoming victims. Or that they can't keep people in jail because they have state prisoners in their jails and are overcrowded because of state prisoners they have to let people go as soon as a restaurant and less is extremely service and sometimes even when it's serious. Not to mention the fact that we're releasing people at the state prison early all the time and I agree with Senator Tucker there are people that if he and I sat down we would probably say well let's let these go and we're one of our next dish your committee meetings is going to be on that subject of so Senator Tucker I invite you to come join me on the Judiciary Committee because this is this is a topic that I think we really need to look at seriously I remember years ago on my first visit to New York City I was on a tour and they pointed this is no longer the case by the way but they pointed at this this tall building that was a jail multistory buildings a jail and that it was empty under of mayor Giuliani because of the things that they had done as crime deterrence that they had actually lower crime and lowering crime lowered the number of people in jail and so I believe that it can be done I don't know how to do it and we heard we also heard testimony in this Judiciary Committee meeting that there was a task force years ago and that we did part of what. The task force recommended but we didn't do the other part I didn't build I was out selling building material and flooring during that you know what they were running that task force I was in in the state Senate and so I asked him to bring us that information because we need to fight we need to search for the solution so I'm very serious when I say I agree with you we shouldn't have more people but we do. and because we do we're Leding we're putting people back out on the streets now. And so the governor I have never talked about this problem but I very much appreciate the fact that he has attempted. A mandate at least. Until we get something else not. And I think it's the right thing to do I think that let's cut I appreciate it Senator Tucker got to preach grace and I have to pre toll in this they both come together the is everything almost everything he said was rock we do we've got to do all those things we got people shouldn't be there we shouldn't have so many people but in the meantime we're leading real criminals back out on the street and they're committing real crime against our citizens and so we've got to make haste to do the things you talked about qualit the same time this bandaid of some extra beds need to be done to keep to take some of this load off of our county jails thank you. Thank you I'm gonna skip a lot of what I was going to say just not to repeat some of my colleagues but no other country incarcerate more people than the United States there are two million sixty eight thousand eight hundred Americans behind bars China's number two which is one point six nine million we talk a lot about China in this room and yet we incarcerate more people than they do when you think about the gap in our populations that makes that number all the more staggering we're number one in the number of people in prison and we're number one when it comes to our incarceration rate China and Iran to crack the top fifty brushes incarceration rate is only good for twenty second place we incarcerate people at a rate of two hundred sorry six hundred and twenty nine per capita nobody can compete with us when it comes to putting people in prison to the point that one out of every five people in the world in prison is in prison in the United States of America we have twenty percent of the world's prison population. When you look at the states that are driving some of those numbers we're near the top only Louisiana Mississippi and Oklahoma have higher incarceration rates than we do that's not something to be proud of in the center Tucker said I don't think it's because our Kansans are naturally more violence or more dangerous just because of the policies that we have put in place we know that we can reduce our prison population there was a study done in twenty nineteen it might be the same on the Senator Elliot reference but they look at that prison populations in every state in twenty nineteen compared to the populations when the states at their peak population some of the people back in the nineties and early two thousands we had our P. prison population and twenty seventeen of twenty seventeen to twenty nineteen we were able to reduce our prison population by just under two percent but only six states did worse than that in your thinking well it's just a two year gap we don't have that much time Missouri at their peak population of twenty seventeen and and by twenty nineteen they have reduced their prison population by over twenty percent Oklahoma remember they were higher than us so they're incarceration rate that the peak and twenty sixteen and in those three years they were able to reduce the prison population by fourteen percent we know how to reduce our prison population within the policies like just a couple years ago thanks to the leadership of Senator Irvin we banned life without parole here in Arkansas and One quick story to wrap to tie into that yeah I have been a calico rock presented one of the few that I've visited I actually encourage you to to represent the state if you haven't but I've also been to the women's unit at Newport at the invitation of a friend and she wasn't allowed back with the prisoners to assist me in a garden we're going through anyone point we're outside and I can see some construction B. on the perimeter and so I ask the guards at what are the building right there it was a marijuana cultivation facility and I thought they were joking but there are literally about to build a medical marijuana cultivation facility right next to a prison. And now that that facilities not there and we can say that there aren't that many people in prison strictly because of marijuana possession charges how many people end up in the system because of some minor marijuana possession charge either a lot of things that we can reevaluate and change policies to help reduce the populations by the way the woman that invited me to that prison had been an inmate there she was sentenced to life without parole as a juvenile she was told by many people including the warden that she would die in prison but again thanks to the bill the senator of impasse in twenty seventeen she was able to walk out a free woman that year she now advocates on behalf of other are incarcerated Kansans shall the management position at a billion dollar company in this state and I got to go to her wedding last summer so we know how to reduce our prison population effectively save taxpayer money to improve lives and to do it without committing ourselves two hundred million dollars an ongoing expense thank you. You know members. Good points made today. We knew do need to do a better job with our mental health issues with the prisoners and with those that are looking at going to prison but you know who we've not talked about today we've not talked about the victims of the crimes. They get committed by these folks that need to be increased. My small home to my small towns when they call me. Don't talk about prison beds they talk about individuals that have stolen and have broad that are habitual criminals. Ten twenty thirty cases. And there's no room to put these individuals. Our citizens deserve the right. To not be afraid to walk out the door and walked to the downtown's. Our fellow citizens deserve the right. Do not have to lock down their property every night to or about somebody coming in this still in their tools equipment breaking into the even chains. Our fellow citizens deserve to be protected and that's not what we're talking about. And if I have the ability to put four hundred ninety eight. Of these individuals that are arbitral criminals. In the presence. The let them think about what they did wrong. I will vote for this and I am grateful for this thank you. All the. For. I'll make this speech the shores my tenure here in the Senate so that we can all go home I do want to say this appreciate Senator Tucker is offer for me to vote against something in the session if we have a special session all see if you have a billing committee that can vote against so let me say this Washington County has had a tremendous issue with a county jail recently we had an officer that was killed in P. ridge officer apple the person that allegedly killed him has not had their trial date yet but they had been released from the Washington County jail just Washington County jail eight times in three years and the word hypotheticals brought up earlier and that's when something that's hypothetical turns into a reality there are some people that do need to be in our county jails there's also people that I think could go through rehabilitation I think this isn't a and or situation I think it's a both and and I think we need a two pronged approach to this the preamble to constitution mandates five things of people who are elected to office and that run our government whether it's federal state or local in order to form a more perfect union one of the things we are required to do is to ensure the domestic tranquility and that can't happen if we don't have a system where people end up paying a price for the things that they do that's not to say that everyone there is deserving of of the sentence that they've had we need to have a two pronged approach for that and we do that in order to form a more perfect union and we also want to ensure that our children it talks about our posterity will enjoy the blessings of liberty and that's the only way that those things happen and I do I do encourage everyone to support this and I hope will also look for other opportunities in the future as well to help those who can benefit from alternative programs. This year ladies and gentlemen of the Senate I had to have been extremely reluctant about even speaking on this issue because I know I'm a no vote however I do believe that we ought to establish justice as we go forward with whatever it is we do. It is amazing to me that in this great country of ours we have not found a way. To deal with the mental illnesses that are so prevalent in our children and in our adults it is amazing to me that we insist that we need more cages for the individuals in our society I will not be supporting this or anything else that talks about building or cages for human beings and that's what president is but I will also fight for the rights of people to be free in their homes on the islands I think we we can do both I would urge a no vote thank you. Thank you Mr chairman of the Senate I won't prolong this but I do want to talk about some of the efforts that are ongoing that have been created one of those was a task force to really look at the fines and the fees that people that are incarcerated and what they have encouraged and their ability or inability to pay those fines and fees so we started a task force with legislation and Senator Tucker Senator Ballinger myself representive Robin Lundstrum we are working diligently on that issue and I think it's important for us to state the policies that are ongoing and the efforts that this body has continued to make I appreciate the comments from my colleagues about the juvenile justice reform issues in the policies that we've put forward and I just wanna speaks quickly about that this section you as a body supported increasing our reimbursement to the counties for our juvenile probation officers that's a huge big deal they had not been raised since nineteen eighty nine and the turnover in those juvenile probation officers has been tremendous and you all those are the folks that are on the front lines working with our juveniles that are in a terrible situation perhaps and they're trying to get them back on course that goes to our recidivism rate it keeps our juveniles out of prison it's incredibly important that we support as juvenile probation officers and those juvenile judges and the juvenile courts and the efforts that we are doing through the juvenile justice reform and the risk assessments that are ongoing with not only those offenders but also their families so you all have we as a body have done a lot but there is a lot still to do as Senator Clark talked about as Senator Tucker talked about as Senator Leding talked about I just wanted to be able to say for the benefit of the people that are listening to us today. I'm thankful for this dialogue on this very important issue I know everybody wants to vote but I'm really thankful that we're having this conversation because we do need to do both like Senator full force that we can do both things but it is important to maintain the safety of our citizens it is important to remember the victims and I would be remiss if I didn't say my good friend to Rebecca Petty representative Rebecca Petty was and a victim because of what happened to her daughter but she engaged on excellent policy FOR the issue that Senator Leding spoke about and I'm just so proud of her I'm proud of her advocacy on both sides of this issue and I think she's an example of how we all need to go forwards and deal with this policy when it comes to our prisons incarceration and the victim's aspect of it thank you and I appreciate a good vote for the bill. The members I just wanna remind you that again we are voting on the entire preparation there's a a lot other components in that and to you know senator Tuckers point you know there was a time for us to really debate this and we've debated some things in amendments over in joint budget they're actually defeated being about various means maybe that splitting of the you know the vote between the chambers that did not happen on this particular amendment thing I'd remind you is that this is an appropriation only there is no funding the funding will have to come later whenever a L. C. meets and we would actually have to vote to release funds for this construction project if we do move forward with it but again this is Justin preparation only for that or amongst many other items but that's just one small component of this particular bill and with that I'd appreciate a good vote. Ballinger. Ballinger. Beckham. Bledsoe. Caldwell. Chesterfield. Clark. Davis. DISMANG. Elliott. English. Flippo. Flowers. Flowers. For for. Garner. Garner. Gilmore. Yes. Hammer. Hendren. Hester. Hickey. Hello. Ingram. Irvine. Blake Johnson. Mark Johnson. Leding. Page. Rapert. Rice. Sample. Stubblefield. Sturch Sullivan. Teague. T.. Tucker. Wallace. You know wish to vote or change their vote. So that was. Those are going. As regards I anybody else. Cast up the ballot thirty age three days the bill is passed a return to the House centered design. Bill eleven seventeen by representative gene to amend the revenue stabilization law to create fines and to make transfers to and from funds and fund accounts so it is one of mir's Star City we passed out yesterday appreciate a good vote. In the. Centers closing gesture on the boat please roll the. Ballinger Beckham Bledsoe Caldwell Chesterfield Clark Davis Dismang Eads Elliott English Flippo flowers full for Garner Gilmore hammer Hendren Hester Hickey Hill Ingram Irvin Blake Johnson Mark Johnson Leding Pitsch Rapert Rice sample Stubblefield Sturch Sullivan Teague Tucker Wallace anyone wish to change their vote. Cast a ballot thirty five Yeas zero days the bill is passed mercy clauses Dr Turner the House searches. Ten fifty five by joint budget and I for the Arkansas tech university appropriation for the twenty twenty to twenty twenty three fiscal year. Members Preciado good vote. If any questions injection on the boat these rules. Ballinger Beckham Bledsoe Caldwell Chesterfield Clark Davis Dismang Eads Elliott English Flippo flowers full for Garner Gilmore hammer Hendren Hester Hickey Hill Ingram Irvin Blake Johnson Mark Johnson Leding Pitsch Rapert Rice sample Stubblefield Sturch Sullivan Teague Tucker Wallace anyone was injured vote cast a ballot thirty five Yeas zero nice bill is passed Murchie clauses doctors returned to the house real quickly serving you are recognized someone that I'll go to Senator Sturch. Thank you members that's my distinct honor and pleasure to introduce to you our doctor of the day Dr Shannon swift sees internal medicine pediatrics I'm from here Springs Arkansas and earners is Brenda Hugh it as always we so grateful to have you guys with us today. Thank you for what you do for serving the people of raw Arkansas on providing excellent quality health care we appreciate you thank you thank you Senator Sturch. Mr president can be recognized for motion place of. Right. Is the a rules committee of the Senate met yesterday to review all the appointments you were given a folder packet last week the rules committee moved that we would to approve all those appointments with the exception of one Mr Travis center for the State Plant Board we're going to review that at a later date at another meeting but all of the rest of the deployments are moved for your consideration to be approved today I move that we confirm all appointments any questions. All those of favour say aye. I have a motion to carry it all approved except for one mention. Senator Hickey you wish to be recognized yes Sir. Okay Sir thank you at this time I'd like for Senator Flippo in a center Chesterfield come down here with me. Members. We had a great session However we have a lot of members leaving we have nine members that are not going to be back with us even before the election so with the amount of knowledge that we're about to lose here is unimaginable what they bring the things they've told us and at the very least we just want to recognize them today to give them a plaque. But as we always do we allow them to stand at the well it may not be our last meeting but it is our last scheduling with this fiscal session so we allow them to stand at the wheel as our last time and and to give a few words so at this point we're going to do it. The first one is going to be a senator for for and you say well center for for its a plaque just like everybody else. And your thought about that and you know. that's really we're gonna start off by saying this I ask you a minute ago semi days it's been since you've been sworn in he said fourteen. But the importance of that is this. He's here fourteen days but his vote is just as important as the last one that we will here today and that's it's the same as the president pro tem Majority Leader minority leader and ever other member down here and this this body that is just such a It's just so unique that that's the way it is and it truly is an appointment it truly is an appointment by god so if you would does center full for fuel start us off you come down here and say a few words. You get a job commensurate with how long you been in the chamber. To give you fourteen seconds. Well I didn't have anything prepared for this it's been an honor to get to know everyone that's here at my kids had a great time they think that it's important all the sudden and so I'm gonna be bringing them back it really has been an honor and meet the staff and thank you all for everything that you do as well and it really has been an honor and I remember going to my high school prom before I had hit puberty and I'm just happy to be here just like was the dance that night so. So we. Since we got some of these roles start rolling a little bit Senator Pitsch if you would you come up next Senator pages served four years and four years in the Senate. Four years in the house for eight years of total so service in the legislature and he's looking to stay with us he's running for another office. Thank you Sir. I'm kind of like Senator fall for I don't have anything planned I do think it's very important to say the relationships that have been built many of you in the House first and now down here those are which carry with you for life I mean several of us sat on the same front row so look over here in the House and here we are said in the Senate together I think it's very important to say thank you to these fine folks they have been a very special part of being down here and I thank you for that attend governor you've been in the well ever since I stepped in here so it'll be different with you gonna make on so let's see or go so thank you very much I appreciate all the relationships I have with each and everyone of you. Senator Garner I don't think you could be with us today but Senator Garner is actually served six years in the Senate. Senator Hendren he also couldn't be here today but Senator Hendren and he served ten years in the Senate six years in the house sixteen years total service and he also served as a president pro tem of this body. Senator Ingram. Senator Ingram is our minority leader also has become a great friend of mine he's been here ten years in the Senate four years in the house for a total of fourteen years and always family has a as been involved for many many years. Yes thank you. Some would say probably too low of you know I walked on this floor is a in nineteen sixty three was eight years old and this was what I wanted I wanted to be a senator like my father of and I've had the great honor and pleasure to know so many. Our Kansans in this body that have made such a difference in the lives of of our our our people you know I think back of of of of Bob Harvey Bob Harvey was in the house first and then was in the Senate and he was saying remember married very dapper man own farmlands up at Newport Arkansas but one Bob Harvey was in the house in nineteen forty five he was one of the original sponsors of the revenue stabilization act and to look back and know would meet somebody like Bob Harvey and think about how brief yet those folks were with the revenue stabilization act as we've all said many times of our country had a revenue stabilization act in Washington we'd be far better off than what we have but Max house at their. we're George Elliott was the first woman ever elected to the Arkansas Senate Dorsey Allen from Brinkley her husband had served for twenty years and she said she was elected after he passed away I mean there's so many great memories of this place and obviously being here I sit in the same city my dad did my brother do yet and serving is of great we share these great experiences together and I think the thing that I want to say before I leave is of I've seen the Arkansas is staying change so much in how we approach legislation in this body and it has become partisan and it has we've Washington is is created here obviously but I want to say don't forget the journey don't forget this great journey that we've all gone on together that the ones that will remind will continue on I think in these times it is. So difficult to keep that journey and the people that you cross and me during your time of service I think that's the important takeaway at the end of the day you know I last night I mentioned you know I probably most of this group in here I would have not had the honor of knowing or meeting if it wasn't for serving in the Senate when we're out on the campaign we meet remarkable people doing remarkable things in communities because they love their community not because they're a Democrat or Republican because I want to make their communities better so one thing that I would say and leave you with is don't forget the journey don't get caught up in winning at all cost realize that there is a greater good out here there is there are people and people are going to make mistakes people are going to do great things but enjoyed that and embrace that and I think if we can do that then our state is the better for it so thank you very much. Next we have is Senator Rapert Senator Rapert is actually served twelve years in the Senate he's a chair to or insurance and commerce committee in here recently our state agency committees also running for another office and if you would does Senator Rapert if you'd come down he's also given my nickname tricky Hickey that is little social media which that really bother me what we gotta realize down here's is sometimes we may not get along and that's okay because it's not about us and it's about what we how we do the business of the state so Senator Rapert thank you Sir. Thank you senator Hickey it will you know we all know that at some point we come to this time in our journey down here Senator Ingram is right to enjoy the journey. I grew up in a very modest home in northeast Arkansas Randolph County and I learned to work hard and play hard but we also legislate hard as we've done that down there and Senator Hickey is right we get down here we get involved very passionate about things but I'll tell you that when I first ran for office the first officer ever ran for which the state Senate I'd never run for any other political office at any other time. And I was fortunate that time to win a large seven County district actually was instructed later Senator Sturch is actually a partial of eight the real little farm ground in Pulaski County where nobody lives. And so it was my honor to get to know people and just serve them and I've tried to do that to the best of my ability. But I I will tell you that have a mental acted for times of this position we know how important it is that we serve honorably I've poured myself into my district as I know many of you have I know about the phone calls you get late at night. About the emails and now the with all the social media we get messages from everywhere and we do our best to tend to people's needs. What I know about this great state is whether we serve in the state senator not. We still love the people of this state. And for me I just heard Senator just feel say that's right we get to visit the other day my daughters grew up getting to see women. themselves honorably in this body and one of them actually his ended up being my friend senator Chesterfield in those little girls were seven and nine when I got here senator Elliots and now I've got one about to get married and wanted colleges well and I better quit talking about their morale tear up. But they've grown up this is been part of their life. Coming down here standing on the floor seeing you with your families and your husband and your children and it's really been a part of who we are. And so regardless of whether we've been here one term. Or for terms we always take a part of the Arkansas Senate with us. And I will tell you Senator Hickey said and any others that we've had here when we get through these battles we fight it's important to find a way to help each other and shake your hands and move on. And we understand that what we do down here has an effect upon people's life. So as I and my comments for you today is we say we work hard we play hard we legislate hard but I think of it I risk for our. They're good ships and there would chips ships to sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships and may they always be thank you for let me serve with you it's truly been an honor. Okay the next one Senator Teague Senator Teague did not to be with us Senator Teague also a friend of mine he actually is a as you all know he's term limited this resort doing this today he actually somehow give me his district so I'm having to put up with that right now the way he's going around talking about me and things but to. Senator Teague has been in the Senate for fourteen years six years in the House at center to use actually been down here for twenty years. Next one is Senator Elliott Senator Elliot if you'd come on down Senator Elliot to always like the way the media refers to is the liberal wine out thanks when I when I hear. Yes but but that is maybe they're not wrong but I will have to say this as you know this body is a could probably be called somewhat conservative and what I would have to say about Senator Elliot is this. You know she's all of our friends and we may disagree and ever level but there's not a person in here that cannot go and hug her neck and we lover for that we're going to miss her. Thank you Jimmy up answer Senator Hickey I always wondered how I would feel when I come this one let me tell you it's not sad at all because I do know it was such a privilege to do this for all of these years and I've done what I came to Duke my dead level best. And I I was thinking about what this really feels like and what it means to really be here. I don't have these great words of wisdom that I referred you to Don Quixote. I'm most of the time this great book written by Carlos volunteers people talk about Don Quixote almost in a print your to play because he was always tilting at windmills things that were impossible why do you even try. And some of that great book and. The great play musical man of La Mancha we got the song the impossible dream. And that is what I think we need to kind of think about people used the impossible dream looking that you Mr Brummett Who have often said derisively it just tells at windmills. I think. What I supposed to do. If I don't work at those things that are impossible that people say that are impossible we lose our imagination to work hard at the impossible to. To reach for the on reachable star. Compromise is okay. But often times I've been accused of saying it's the lazy way of doing policy I don't mean that in a bad way. What I need is we are to reach for collaboration because that's where we get the impossible dreams realized. And so I would ask you not to make fun of Don Quixote. Because to do so you're likely making fun of one of your former colleagues. just start. It's okay to reach for the impossible dream. Because the dream is about the work. And whenever John Brummett or somebody else. Accuses somebody like me. Of tilting at windmills. Sales please remind them. That's where you find the good in us if we have the courage and that we have that will. To keep Tilton until the dream is realized. It's been an honor serving with you. Keep doing the work. Three enjoys. I was just informed that I didn't there didn't talk about the choices years of service so I'm going to do that she's actually was in the in the Senate for fourteen years six in the house for twenty total years so I did want to miss that. Last one today is Senator Bledsoe Senator Bledsoe she's been in the Senate for fourteen years six years in the House also for a twenty years of doing service down here. What I'd like to say about senator Bledsoe is is what a lot of you all don't know sometimes whatever I get that here for that so many of you all give me a hard time about I'll call senator Bledsoe and she actually helps call me and trying to get me back on the path so she's been a great inspiration to me and to say I'll miss or be an interstate. I just want to say today that twenty years went by fast. In the I am so grateful to the people in my district for continuing to send me to the capital for those twenty years because had they not I would not have been able to to know all of you and it's been such an honor to serve with you and I am just looking forward to all the things that you're going to accomplish from this point on I know it's going to be great I'll be reading the newspaper and I'll be saying you know I serve with those people so thank you so much and god bless. Thank. Members of one if you would give it give all these members on the other hand All right members also but as soon Senator Ingram Senator Flippo to join me here for the last we also have someone else is leaving the lieutenant governor this will be his last session unless we have another one officially the to serve and I'll have to say this whatever we first come in I guess so you can see our personalities maybe didn't quite line up together sender Ingram and I'd actually talked about doing a bit of a bill together to do away with the best position. Seriously dude and I was. I got the floor Sir. Senator Flippo I think would occur together to votes force. What I've learned is this a he he's actually has become a great friend of mine and that's what I've found out in life to sometimes the people that you don't think. You know that you're gonna wind up with is as close as you should they become your best friends and that's the way it is with the this gentleman here. You know there's an old saying about herding cats you are not catching more like Tasmanian devils. And the job the job that he is done although I don't know how many gavels we've had the buyer to Senate that he's broke trying to do that he's got done an extremely. Great job and we wish him all the best from now on we tried to do something and I'll get you that to say covid got us a little bit in the beginning but we do have one on the way I didn't get here well yeah I got him a crystal gavel this coming so whatever you sit at home with his at the table with his wife at the dinner table hopefully he won't the you remember that won't break that one so if you come on down we get your pager if you all would please give me a hand. Thank you all Preciado I'm going to step away for the pro tempore and I'll be right back thank you. Okay members very importantly right now are procedures being that out of the last day of a fiscal session that we that we elect our president pro tem for the next General Assembly so to leave for the ninety fourth General Assembly so at this time. I'd like to open up the floor for nominations. For the pro tem designate a of the ninety four General Assembly. Thank you Mr president members I'd like to nominate Senator bart Hester to serve as the protean designate for the ninety fourth the General Assembly and I'd also like to move that we seize for nomination. Are there any other nominations. You are the motion but all in favor say aye hi. Those. Senator Hester regulations we welcome you. Thank you senator Hickey and member seriously thank you so much I was as I was hearing everybody talk recently or you know the last last few minutes ever saying things I plan to say today and and I think it's because I was going to say things that that matter you know because you all are saying things that truly matter do you it was ten years ago this month that the people of Senate district one thought it was a appropriate to send me down here and I get to stand here with a I had a daughter that was nine years old he is now nineteen she drove in from Washington to see me this morning that makes a that is hard happy yes and you guys have talked about that she grew up here and it it mattered because you can imagine I didn't been doing some thinking of the last few days and I thought back about some of the leaders that we've had since I've been here in center Michael Amaro Senator Jonathan Dismang Senate and jim hammer Senator jim Hendren Senator Jimmy Hickey and how each one of them were uniquely qualified for the time that they were served and I'd like to take just a moment here to thank Jimmy Hickey for being tough enough to handle the very tough issues that we've had in the last few years and I can't imagine anyone would have wanted that job two years ago thank you. But the we all recognize the challenges we've had over the last couple years that we're nine doing of any of our own right for redistricting to COVID to counter governor to everything else that we died but that that we dealt with but certainly Jimmy Hickey was the right man for the job leaders through a difficult difficult time. We don't know what the challenge is gonna be the next two years but we do know this will have a new tenant governor will have a new governor. Proximally third of this body will turn over approximately a third of the House will turn over. And I don't know necessarily what that means for us but change is gonna come. And I hope that I'm uniquely qualified to unify body bring new members in have us all work together and it the in the day when the session closes at the in the ninety fourth General Assembly we can all walk out of here with our heads held high because the way we conduct our business the way that we treat treated each other and we walk out here we're gonna be proud to be Arkansas state senators thank you. Thank you Mr president Senator Hester doesn't say to me that you're also a little short on the great here's and I'm uniquely qualified to help you in your pursuit of those in the ninety four. members I'd also like to introduce the incoming Senate Majority Leader and majority whip Senator Blake Johnson will be our incoming Majority Leader. Senator Ricky Hill will be the incoming Majority with. Please join me in a once in a moment of silence they're gonna need it. And service of the with that I'd like to ask this but in the leave for miss Benita Iverson to come in. Yeah yeah. What. The song would believe. The members you know. Who doesn't love Anita and so I member there's a sign my parents nursing these to say you know your mother doesn't work here pick out yourself and I was sometimes we have that sign here because but it is always going behind to make sure that we have but we have a chamber that looks like it belongs the Senate a quiet room that looks like it's a Senate choir room and only that which brings in a nominal home cooked meals hedge even goes so far to go out of pocket to stop in and buy meals for members. Most of you all know that. The kind of person she is. So. But need to have a low car trouble. They came to some bars attention summer colleagues Senator Hill myself a few others and so we decided that we would like to do something to help you out with that and then it I cannot say this is a rarity in this chamber but when I started looking around asking members Republicans Democrats if the at anything they can help with the seas parted and the checkbooks open the wall and open because you were logged your appreciated and your perspective. So. With that. We hope this helps we love you and appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you. And I cook because I love cooking and that's what I used to do and cater and I just love cricket and I hope you want to work and I love each and everyone of you thank you. As. Okay members but also as we always do but really we mean it. We want to thank our staff for everything they've done for this fiscal session Senator Dismang is your budget year he pushed so hard he almost wore me out so truthfully this was one of those sessions that was we pushed everything through white knights were worked and if you would please tell him thank you right now. As a reminder members are going to have a signing for the law enforcement stopping bill today I know a lot of times a we don't go to those I think it would be good if we do because we would sure like to show the law law enforcement how much we appreciate them I understand it's a stop in but it's more than that it's about the it's about what they do for us and how they protected so if you all can make that I would appreciate it. Mr president the intentions are is that the way we had to pass the resolution is these the Speaker of the house in myself consignor Proclamation for us decided that in our intentions are to do that for next Tuesday so that will seventy that use the March eighteenth at noon that's kind of contingent upon of course if we and we're not expecting any vetoes but that is at the governor's property however because of pushing in everything we do want to give us a little bit of time just to make sure that we didn't have any years our staff will be looking over everything that we've done so that is the intentions so with that that's all I have to use it is a fifteen. Fifteenth correct. I'm just make sure to that. If it's fifteenth apologize a rotating. it'll it'll just happen and so.