Joint Budget Committee

sees a quorum. Members we do have a report from the rules committee I'm not sure who's going to present that is that Senator Flippo or. Okay represent Johnson into a major Mike. He's not in here not in here or not. Lipo you get to. German you're recognized thank you Mr chairman the rule review subcommittee met on Wednesday February the sixteenth the subcommittee adopted it subcommittee rules will for rules of the Arkansas racing commission were reviewed and approved do the time constraints to subcommittee recess until Thursday February the seventeenth at eight AM to continue our discussion of the Commission rule twenty move adoption of the report. When the questions on the report seeing none I've got a motion to adopt and second all those in favor signify by saying aye those opposed motion carries all right members C. one. Okay thank you Mr chairman I don't see one that's on page one this is an amendment to Senate bill fifty four permitted Human Services medical services by representative Ladyman it has special language. US language. Hold on one second of Sir Chesterfield you have questions. We'll. It's the the one affixed to look at right now Division higher ed. Okay. Okay. That's over that all right so they're gonna pass oversee to now see three. Thank you Mr chairman in your packet the C. packet that's on page eleven. This is an amendment by representative ray two Senate bill sixty three for department of education it does have special in which special language. Mr chairman we are on page fifteen item C. four is amended by Senator Solomon and it does have special language on special language. On C. five page twenty one this is an amendment by representative Bentley to Senate bill fifty eight division of higher education this is for a new appropriation for nursing program expansion expansion grants. This is for institutions of higher a higher education to create a nursing program expansion program for grants of three million dollars thank you I rested Bentley would you active to make any comments on your amendment or see if we have any members any questions. You're fine right there thank you as we all know we have had a nursing shortage for quite sometime an hour and a nursing crisis and many of your where how much what happens spend on travel nurses and such so we a number of US representative a Vaught and eleven and senator Hammer folks have been visiting for awhile trying to come up with a program service on the very broad that is the school need something different expand so this is just an opportunity for our nursing schools that are currently there LPNs RN's whatever to get a hundred fifty thousand dollars to expand the program to open up new ones thank you thank you Senator flowers. Thank you Mr I wanted to know if this is related to what I saw on the news this morning about expanding the nursing program at alliance college. Would this be available for private colleges such as lions. This bill for any higher it institutions state four hundred fifty thousand dollars. So for whatever it some schools need for instructor some need for equipment seventy for classroom so it to be feel even with those that are training and plans as well it says expansion grants. Yep so those that are adding we were really want to focus we are very short so we want to add those that are expanding their their current program to add more nurses to the State of start in the yeah this is not the and all that the answer to every problem we have this is just one solution one help to move things forward and and I think to clarify this is not tied to the lines college announcmenet this is some correct details law schools and was completely independent of whatever happened licensing story correct thank you. All right members so that that is when I need a motion to adopt a listers any other discussion we've got a motion to adopt the amendment of got a second all those in favor signify by saying aye those opposed motion carries that's adoption of the amendment by representative Bentley to Senate bill fifty eight C. six. Yes Sir C. six is on page twenty five. This is an amendment by representative Cavenaugh Senate bill fifty nine university of Arkansas Fayetteville this is to reduce conference and travel and also to read it I'm sorry this is just to reduce costs and travel to better match actual expenditures. All right in and just real quick I'm gonna Senator Chesterfield first thank you Mister chair I am trying to find out its mission and Warren and her group are here today. If they're not I'm gonna have to go to a few moments chair but if they come in these are children who are have been an alternative learning and we we worry about that a lot but these are some bright stars that may be visiting with us later this morning so if they do come in I would appreciate it if the chamber would recognize them and thank them for being the fine young people that they are and thank their teacher as well I will be on the lookout thank you thank you so much. I represent Cavenaugh recognized by your moment thank you Mr chair this is just a simple amendments going to be reducing conference a travel by five point six million dollars and it's agreed upon with the U. of I fail I members have any questions on the amendment seeing none I've got a motion to adopt the amendment I've got a second all those in favor signify by saying aye those opposed motion carry C. seven. Thank you Mr chairman one page twenty nine for C. seven this is also by representative Cavenaugh office amendment senate bill eighteen UAMS this is a very similar to the last amendment to get actual appropriation authority in line with actual expenditures. I members of the anything else to add personal all right members we have any questions any comments C. nine in the most adopt a motion dropped amendment of got a second all those in favor signify by saying aye those opposed motion carries and that's the amendment by representative Cavenaugh Senate bill eighteen S. C. eight. C. eight is on page thirty three is amended by representative ride this does have special language special language. C. nice on page thirty seven amendment by representative Dotson it has special language special language. Or C. ten H. forty one this is amended Senate bill fifty eight by representative eleven it does have special language special language. C. eleven on page forty seven by representative gene it has special language special language. C. twelve on page fifty one amendment by representative gene has special language special language. Mr chairman the last one in the packet is C. thirteen on page fifty seven it also has special language by Senator Solomon our special language. That's gonna bring us to the governor's letters governor's letter number two. Okay. All right you're recognized president governor's letter number two of thank you Mr Robert Breck with the office state budget the governor's letter number two deals with reallocation thirty thousand dollars the imparted ACT seven hundred of the two thousand twenty one that transfers the funding to the agro for funding program the thirty thousand dollars right reallocated to the Arkansas Forster's or future scholarship program I thank you members you've heard an explanation of the letter of any questions. Any comments. I've got a motion to adopt amendment I've got a second all those in favor signify by saying aye those opposed motion carries governor's letter number three. Number three deals with the Department corrections of their over time appropriation is your short and they've actually expended all their overtime and then they also expended most of her time that we had to the FAA this would this would allow them to get through the rest of the fiscal year the with their overtime I thank you members of any questions on the letter. Seeing none I've got a motion to adopt the amendment I've got a second all those in favor signify by saying aye those opposed motion carries governor's letter number four. Number fill for deals with the Division of career and technical education at simply allows them to the experts to spend funds over carry forward from two thousand twenty one ACT members very explain explanation of the letter any questions or comments. Seeing none of the the motion to adopt the amendment good motion adopt amendment I've got a second all those in favor signify by saying aye those opposed motion carries members house bill ten sixty seven is ready to go with that amendment unless there's any discussion or any questions or someone wanting to hold would like to go and get that out I've got a motion do pass as amended I've got a second all those in favor signify by saying aye those opposed motion carries and then right governor's letter number five. Number five deals with the Division workforce services that they currently have special language dealing with promotional items this would remove the special language and and place promotional items for that entity under the nineteen four five twenty five be consistent with other state agencies all right members we have any questions on the letter seeing none I've got a motion to adopt the amendment of got a second all those in favor signify by saying aye those opposed motion carries. And then governor's letter number six number six or the Department of Parks artisan tourism they actually have more funds due to the real property transfer tax the. Of being larger than what they the what that expended in the past this allows them to spend the an extra nine million dollars that they expect to get from the tax hi good deal members who heard an explanation of letters any questions or comments. Seeing none of got a motion to adopt the amendment I've got a second all those in favor signify by saying aye All opposed motion carries governor's letter number seven number seven as part of the Division of energy and environment actually there's of armor quality and this would allow them to of up to five million dollars for grants for electrical vehicle infrastructure grants okay. Members any questions on letter any comments. Represent Wardlaw you're recognized thank you Mr. Mr breaking you tell us what. Approximate locations of these charges stations were they all be in central Arkansas northwest or they be scattered amongst state. I have no ideas are you do you would have to ask the bar Marmont Vaught I have no information on Mr let's hold this governor's letter doing give us an answer when you charge stations be located please. You wanna see if there's somebody here to answer. Thirty one hold instead well this sensor let's give a shot. I make sure my people in south Arkansas have access. If you could just go and recognize yourself of the committee and I will have a representative Wardlaw restate his question. You might send me. My name is April golden I'm chief of staff at the department of energy and environment. But my name's here Blackham the director of compliance with the department of energy and environment. Thank you Mr can you all tell us where these a majority the stations be located and will they be located around the state or just where the population sits in the center. Representative Wardlaw my understanding is they will be located around the state we don't have the exact plan finalized but our team is working on a plan in particular with the Arkansas department of transportation to make sure that the charging stations are located along the. Turning or of course yes third lane corridors as well as some of the more rural areas. What assurance do we have that these things will be spread out I mean work hasn't approved this letter you guys are going to move forward Niners gone be where they're going to be wanna make sure that there's access to all people the state not just the main corridors as you reference. Sir the appropriations in the budget today this is cleaning up the language the headline of the appropriation to match senator Johnson's bill in twenty twenty one that allowed for the for that added the appropriation in and it is in partnership with our dot and I'm I'm presuming we will be back before the legislature before that plates finalized. Okay thank you Mr I thank you representive for me you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chair of. As as this is still in the talking stages when you're talking would you consider Tying that into tourist location like us the White River the buffalo so that that terrorist good to know they can get their charges to cars charged in our areas as well. Yes Sir I believe that the team that is working on this like I said at our department as well as at the Arkansas department of transportation is considering the fact that these different level charges Chargers take a different amount of time and so some of them but will be located in areas where people would spend a lot more time say at a park or you know overnight camping so they'd be able to charge their vehicle overnight and summer are faster Chargers so those would be things that maybe people would be spending as much time at but yes we are considering all of the tourism affects of of this legislation as well as how to encourage economic development in the state okay would you keep me in the loop or have someone hit me in the loop because I certainly like to make some recommendations for absolutely thank you all right Senator Irvin you're recognized for. Question representa Fortner really ask my question I'm over here hi ever hear way over here and represent a Fortner really ask my question because you have areas of the state where you have lots of tourism like my area in his area we get forgotten about all the time when it comes to economic development opportunities and and so you know it I'm hoping that your department of Arkansas heritage parks and tourism is also involved in this plan because I would not recommend that you just work with the department of transportation but that you work with Secretary Hearst and her entire department M. as you proceed with us because that's a very valid point the representative Fortner is making and and represent Wardlaw and that that needs to be highly considered and you'll need to keep us all in the late. I thank you a representative arms are Senator Hickey. Yes thank you Mr minds magis ties back in with what to what you said Sir on the overall my or over on the left of in regards to a work represented Wardlaw you said that you would assume it would be coming back before before the legislature some point does the language that was in the statute that we've we've already passage alluded to does that require rules to be brought before before sars is supposed to come before AOC appear or something of that nature. I just wanna know what the statue requires. This. Thank you Senator it was Senate bill six hundred and thirty two and twenty twenty one any created the electronic vehicle infrastructure grant program in anticipation of federal funds and with the infrastructure bill that has come out of Washington I think we're still unknown frankly if if we will receive the funds of the sponsor of funds all be spent out of our dot so this is more of an opportunity if the funds come to our department but that they may not hit our books they may be all that are not or they may do it in a partnership between our dot in any or all rounders I understand what you're saying here but what I want to know for sure is the question and concern is is this going to be brought before the legislature unconditionally and normally I know that that would be done as a the rules so that we approve those rules or possibly some type of approval through AOC probably to peers where would come I make an assumption on that but to is it are we saying that is unconditionally going to be done that way. If it's controlled by the bill of six thirty two I don't it refers that that the secretary of the department of environment has the authority to issue these grants out and it doesn't include any review at the moment. I would to. Mister chairman I'm I'm I'm sure all this is gonna be fine in the end but I would like for us to study this just a little bit longer I'd like to kind revert back to what representative Wardlaw said again I think you know I want to do things like this I just wanna make sure that the structure the structure is inclusive enough that we can make sure that those are located all over the state thank you yeah and then I think. For that for what you're looking for this amendment we can pass the amendment amendments tied back to the preparation from a center Johnson and then I think there needs to be we cannot pass out the bill today for that further discussion if there's any other amendments need to be made okay or guidelines whatever it is you know maybe looking to do that I sense well if I may. If that makes that makes perfect sense my only thing was is is a. If we needed to add anything to this amendment I thought well instead of just passing out this one amendment maybe we can just add that wider two in in here so it's all inclusive of one another. Then we get there either way I'm I'm fine with passing over this with members of like to do today and we can always come back in this be Amendment number one there be Amendment number two the only difference so it's if it's however having members like proceeds time with me I would I would like to do that if all possible thank the the first version right or yes or the first version where we just try to be inclusive with one amendment that when we will lead to vote once sign. Senator. Mark Johnson. Thank you Mr chairman First of all appreciate what Senator Hickey said of. We have time to get this right too often we find ourselves we can't I'm certainly okay with the solution that you outlined Mr chairman I'm a sponsor of the bill and when we drafted it things were a lot different we didn't know we knew we were gonna get some federal assistance we didn't even know was at our dot was it energy and environment and I've spoken both with the Director tutor and with the Secretary Keogh and her staff both of their staffs and there's there's still a lot of unknowns for example the Director tutor told me that they expect again nothing's final that federal guidelines will require that the interstate highways be done first and that that would include that there be some kind of charger every fifty miles on the interstates and when I ask about for example sixty seven one sixty seven and our other freeways that aren't yet designated as interstates how about them because they're very important and she said of we think they will include those in that fifty mile thing you're not and I appreciate that but we have S. R. what I would call our tourism quarters the thing that brought the this whole thing to a head for me and many of you all know I have an electric card so I've dealt with the range exact and anxiety and all that I was in Springfield Missouri and I had to get back to little rock and it was a close thing and highway sixty five is basically a tourism quarter between all of our. Tourism things into in Arkansas and course Branson Missouri which is yet another tourism site and and so I think the priorities can be set properly when we passed six thirty two it was just we were guessing a lot of ways it what kind of federal money that would be but Mister chairman I'll go along with whatever the body wants to do it and uh represent Wardlaw Senator Hickey as far as hold it long enough let's leave ourselves some flexibility just in case because we don't know exactly what will be dealing. All right so members I'm not sure if you if you want to continue on we can my understanding is going to pass over this governor's letter today but we bring it up later with potentially having some additional changes provide oversight that I think members or requesting so again if you if you want to we want to keep on we can we can move on through the agenda through some other items I see sixteen. Thank you Mr chairman ma'am can you refresh us just a little bit on this act that was passed during the legislature seems like that there was a price tag that the feds we're going to help us with that one it was either ninety million or one oh five does that sound right. Yes the the federal bill actually with the the five million that is in the appropriation we fully expect that that amount will be different and and more expensive then we'll be back here to to amend this out we didn't know like Senator Johnson said when when we did the the substantive bill what the amount was going to be I think originally it was a little higher and then we reduced it to the five million sort of as a place holder and we're still kind of trying to to to determine details but it will be probably at a different amount and so what will have to come back. Thank you representative Payton. Thank you Mr chair maybe this isn't the proper time but If if if you can just make it brief who's going to own the stations is it like the natural gas stations where there's grants available for people that want to put a man and and you know the grant is a portion of the initial investment who's going on the station if if the government's gonna go put a man what's the charge is going to be who's going to determine what it costs to recharge and who's going to run the vending machines in the parking lot so if you could just quickly tell me are those answers out there. They are they are and I will attempt to answer the questions the best I can I'm not the program director so I apologize if I don't have all the details my understanding is the government will not own the charging stations so it's set up to be a grant program so people will be a and. To an extent we don't know exactly if it will be all grants or there will be a different type of funding mechanism but our understanding now is it will be a grant program the grant will people will climb will set up an application process people apply for the grant and then we will have kind of a map of the areas that have to be filled in in phases and people apply with in that area to put them in in their location but the charging station itself the maintenance on it will be done by the person who. won the grant is my understanding okay and so for the sake of brevity brevity of could you forward me information on the utilization of the natural gas stations that we did this to are they being utilized you know are they just fallen by the wayside because I hate to invest all this money on something's gonna fall by the wayside. I'll. I'll look into that I'm not sure that was our department but I'll find out which department was and and and get you that information thank you thank you Mr. All right thank you C. nineteen not sure who that is. Every representative would. Other questions about the. So what's the status on Cologne we're just going in the grants. Hi how are you gonna make the selection this a three three page three locations and epicycle Bills study property but yet they're requiring it to be on the interstate how are you going to make that selection process if you've got three people same manner change that won't won't station. So. Part of the issue here is we are still awaiting guidance from the federal government about the particulars for the plan so exactly what will be Required to receive the money from the federal government like what our plan has to look like so that we are eligible and so it's hard to answer some of the the real particular questions like like your question representative wouldn't because we don't yet know what they're going to require us to do and have in the grant program to receive the money. Follow follow survey. On the I guess I still I still understand why we're getting involved in all this even the federal the federal level I mean you know I was in all business I've got a bias I mean I think we're making some big mistakes environmentally wise but that's neither here nor there but my question is what are we investing in that what's what's the back what's the need for a if it's such a good deal why and enter J. and the co ops and other people just going out and build on like I go out and build station of convenience store truck stop or amount can you shed any light on the. I'm not sure I have a good answer for you We're not this is not a From our perspective the money is coming to us because the federal. Our government is sending in our way I can speak to the fact that the states around Arkansas have developed Evey infrastructure and they are there in their economies in their tourism has gone up because people can plug in there you'd be easily and travel like Senator Johnson said from Springfield to little rock and currently Arkansas's what we call the doughnut hole so we don't have a lot of easy infrastructure and we're missing out on some of those dollars and so this package from the federal government this grant program would allow us to fill in that donut so that we can actually get some of those travelers and as well as you know there are a lot of big companies like Amazon and. We'll Amazon's when it comes to mind who are changing their fleet to electric vehicles and one of the things that could help us with with some of that infrastructure is is building the so they can easily plug in and do that kind of thing I will be you know it. Twitter's trying we're just trying to take the money that is being given and build up that infrastructure for Arkansas well I appreciate my I have one of my constituents that's a absolutely totally opposed to these charging stations because of the fact that his mother low toner she lives in Oklahoma she won't be back in Arkansas into the Gillam so he's against. Thank you. Representive right I would recommend trying to to follow that one up. You represent right you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chairman this is kind of a back up to Commission working you know let's just say that in northeast Arkansas you have five places that is determined it's got to be within those five areas but in each one you have say three one yep five one you have. Two that are actually wanting to get in on that station in their particular area I just wonder how that's going to determine who's going to get grant that I'm going to go ahead and I'm is gonna jump in real quick because we're asking them to answer questions that they do not yet know the answer to that I'm sure they'd love to speculate with written people they probably rather you know factual answers and I understand where we are right now in the committee so it's I think it's best if we can rather than asking these folks to answer questions my understanding is been a general agreement that you know any of the of this program would come before A. L. C. we're gonna know what it looks like we will provide that input be able to you know make certain that the you know represent Wardlaw is going to be the you know station right close to his house and all those sorts so that I think they'll be plenty of time to work that out to have a plan to basically try to keep everyone out of the the president would. but with that I think we would like to do is go ahead refer this governor's letter special language and with the understanding that we some additional language added in that meeting on Thursday but with that appreciate your time and I appreciate the members. moving on so we're going to Passover. We PM all right so now rate the governor's letter eight governors under seven good special language. Of this covers letter deals with the Department specter General of this mainly deals with an issue that the inspector general's office has with the Arkansas for housing commission the federal government wants that more Thomas within that division so they're having to to move some of the positions around at a to ensure that happens and if they're consistent with what the federal government wants and it also adds one Medicaid fraud investigator all right with them personnel. Then we've got governor's letter nine. Charizard letters nine deals with the park surgeon tourism and the simply completes the shared services transfers that they need to make for that car I also personnel. Members I don't believe we have any other bills that we can consider today do we have any other business. C. nineteen. Representative will Mister will I will send corrected that I said constituent that was one of my colleagues and I will I will give him credit for it was representative Stu Smith at. I appreciate you this morning representative would with that we are adjourned thank you members.