House Rules

First up we're gonna hear house bill ten ninety eight and a representative Dotson. Going once. Our representative Dotson house bill ten ninety eight welcome back thank you Mr chair members the committee house bill ten ninety eight this is part of the employee benefits division bill packet that we were representative Wardlaw. represented all the resolutions and that the the house in the Senate to allow us to file these bills This particular one deals with the fiscal impact statements required for future changes to the plans so if in the future a a Leding needs to have some type of a change the bills have to be filed within the first fifteen days of a regular session. I have fiscal impact statement has to be done actual statements and and that sort of thing on the proposed changes to the plan in increases cost new new cost proposal that sort of thing so everybody has a clear understanding what the cost of the plans will be if it's outside of the first fifteen days of a regular session that a bill needs to be filed whether it be like a special session or a fiscal session it will require a two thirds vote of both chambers to allow such a bill to come up and will have that fiscal will require that fiscal impact statement as well so just for for any future legislation dealing with health benefits plans that's what this legislation will requiring statute in the future. more than happy for a. Try to answer any questions you might have. All right thank you represented represented Ferguson you're recognized Deborah Ferguson. Thank you Mr chair of I read the bill and I I just wanted to get some clarification from you I don't I wasn't clear in the bill if it was just limited to health benefit plans that are paid for by the state I mean I wouldn't want it to have to be on every bill that involved all health benefit plans. A. I'm pretty sure that it's only for the school and the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance program that we're talking about. but I would have to re scan the bill real quick to say that it. It's an exclusive if anything else I haven't contemplated the question before yeah I was I was told it was limited to that but I was just low unclear reading a bill that I didn't know if ever who wrote the bill might explain it to me. The representative Wardlaw you're recognized. It is limited to the health and life public school and state employees insurance plans but I will say that most of the things that impact other health plans end up impacting those plans so the way the bills written is so that any bill can be analyzed to see if it impacts the health public health for state employees and public school employees. S. the follow represented Ferguson okay so I guess representative Wardlaw it will. The. The fiscal impact will only be done if it specifically I know it would involve other healthcare plans but only specifically if it involves health state health care plans right if it if it is a bill that affects the health. Plans for public school employees our state in life it will require a fiscal impact and will require a bill to be followed by the bill filing deadline. That I guess the actuarial will be done just on the state plans not on all health care plus the actuaries only on the state plan okay yes I an actuary there was a question is in the years that I guess I need to clarify that the House members is who will perform that actuary and they asked if the SNA or anybody else the answer that is the bureau bureau hires an actuary for the retirements committees today in a bureau hire an actuary to see and give those non bias impact statements on this as well. Okay thank you. Thank you resented Wardlaw and Ferguson represent Dotson you want to continue. but it hi I am if there's other questions I'm closed for the bill and just we appreciate a motion a good vote I members other any other questions representative Dotson. Seeing none anyone the audit like speak for against this bill. Seeing none representative Dotson is close for his bills or what are the wishes of the committee. The promotion that the motion to pass are we a motion to pass all those in favor signify by saying aye. Closed the eyes at congradulations. Members without objection we're gonna also run house bill ten ninety nine representative Wardlaw you're recognized. You're recognized thank you Mister chairman is everybody met representive Lane Jean. So this bill is to create the oversight committee for Legislative Council as I explained in a well yesterday this is our way of gaining access to those reports so that when EBT comes forward and they're looking for more money we will know in the past of why that's happening of in the past few years they come to us and ask for more money we ask him what happened and they just tell us claims one of we don't see any reports we don't see any of the financial statements this will give us the ability to look into that it will also be the mechanism for any changes to the planned with that be a premium increase premium decrease our planet just but will also come to this committee before it will go to rules and before we go to the full council with that Mister chairman I'll be happy to take any questions there's also a diabetic study into this bill as I explained on the floor yesterday and that's where will study the diabetic management plan and the savings from that over the next two years. All right thank you Senate members any questions. Seeing no questions anyone in the audience like to speak for or against this bill. Singham representative or what would you like to close for your bill I'm close Mr all right I make a motion to pass all right representative Wardlaw close first building we have a motion do pass. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed I said congratulations. America going back to the top of the agenda we have a house resolution ten twenty four robin representative Robin Lundstrum. You're recognized present your resolution. Thank you chairman that. I know we've all slept since last session but I want to re familiarize you with this bill this is about the reboot bill that passed the house by ninety three votes this is a bill to help inmates find jobs and why is this important. Well if you remember back to Monday afternoon when the governor smoke. He talked about forty five million dollars to help law enforcement get a five thousand dollar one time payment because law enforcement's worn out he talked about ten million dollars for public statement safety equipment because law enforcement needs that he also talked about a state surplus going to create four hundred ninety eight new beds for the prison governor was completely right. IBM is redressing the problem after the fact we have a recidivism rate right now in Arkansas forty seven to fifty two percent and it is costing our budget a fortune is also costing our state and our people a fortune these forgotten our Kansans when a recidivism rate is between forty seven and fifty two percent our prisons are becoming a revolving door and our budget is paying for it are people are paying for it. This reboot bill didn't indict and Senate Revenue and Tax because of one vote and what I would like to see us look at is addressing this now in budget session. And hopefully recouping a whole lot of money this is a pilot programs that this is important if it is fifty percent successful will save the state forty eight million dollars the revenue impact is two point three million dollars over a three year period that means the day this person gets a job businesses get a three thousand dollar tax credit but they have to work a year first so if they quit the job and eleven months and twenty nine days that business doesn't get the tax credit the three thousand dollar tax credit the second year the same thing in the third year the same thing with that three year recidivism rate a job will make all the difference plus the state's going to make money the day they get a paycheck and buy a gallon of gas we get the taxes the renter I rent to people that have been formally incarcerated and the first thing they ask the first thing I have to ask is a landlord is do you have a job. That is the key to people having success and I want to see those folks have a success rate in this state and a job makes all the difference and it makes a difference in our budget. So with that I would close with this thought. We're wearing loss law enforcement out we're increasing our budget every year the victims pay for this the recidivism rate means that victim there's a new victim to go with that the victim's family pay for law enforcement pays for it. Our law enforcement system our court systems pay for this that cost is incalculable our state budget is paying for it. I would ask that we stop the system and try to break that system with a job and this review program is only for a thousand inmates coming out of prison it's only for the state prisoners and it's only four thousand people so that we can first get the program perfected before we opened up the rest of them anytime you can say the state forty eight million dollars is a good day and we need to take advantage of that situation health for a question. And it yes all right members any questions. Representative Slape you have a question thank you Mr of one thing representative Lundstrum of looking with and and since the last general session when it failed over in the Senate so you got the honorable senator Davis with you yes Is fund up to the what was the hold up is a sign language or we're going language it was a personality conflict between two senators. Okay for Mr right of luck this senator Davis do you feel like that issue has been taking care of the Senate or would be just to be wasting our time on this again. I think there's enough support in the Senate and that it should not be a problem at this time. Okay thank you. Thank you Mr. Thank you represent members any other questions. Representative Deborah Ferguson you're recognized thank you Mr at I guess you know the biggest concern I think they're buying a fiscal session is you don't want to open the floodgates to a lot of bills being introduced it really should be special session or should be regular session bills I guess why do you feel like this qualifies as an appropriation bill I'm. First of all it is gonna take money Sturch second is going to take time to start because this is a start up program this is a pilot program but I would challenge any person coming before this committee if they can save the state millions of dollars in impact our budget this is a budget issue it's costing our state millions and millions of dollars I ask B. L. R. the department of correction just exactly what the actual spending cost for just the state penitentiaries four hundred and ten million seven hundred eleven thousand nine hundred fifty dollars then there was an additional three hundred and fifty million seven hundred eighty one thousand four hundred sixty dollars that's just for care and custody. It goes on and on and on so this is a budget issue there is a direct impact by the revolving door of constantly having prisoners so I struggle with this and then I went back and look at the math and thought this is worthy of coming before this committee. I'm also I'd like to add we had ninety three this was a Republican and Democrat issue we all agreed that this was an issue that needed to be addressed. All right thank you members any other questions. All right saying none of hang on we have one just popped up represent representative Dalby let's over here a. I don't know how to S. this approach the escape earlier of you. Division do you have any financial interest in this does your business have these individuals come and work for them and we is there anything that needs to be disclosed I guess is my question now now but what I have seen is I've watched inmates try to get rental property and it's been heartbreaking if you don't have a job you can't get rental property so it I'm in the front row witness to what goes on out of the real world if you don't have a job you can't get a car you can't get rental property it's just a vicious cycle some now I don't. But that's a legitimate question to ask. Right thank you senator members any other questions. All right seeing on we do have someone signed up to speak for the bill we have Mister William larue. You can come on down and. Have a seat introduce yourself for the record and you begin your testimony for this bill actually this resolution. The. Hang on try to push that button one more time. All right now we're good okay thank you all for having me my name is William larue I service the business development officer TFC ink in my mail I am living calmly working Maumelle we're a small family owned business. My in my role I oversee all the hiring all of the human resources Rations of our business and over the past year and a half we know that has been a particular challenge for everyone you know finding workers and finding good workers at one stage This with everything that's been going on in our saving grace that I came into just through personal passion interest was reentry programs I've worked with a few I would like to expand my reach into these into these programs but we've had great success with these people from what I found these people just need a chance they just need a chance it all starts employment like representative Lundstrum said housing's transportation all that kind of stuff it all starts with employment the first thing I get asked with all of my reentry programs or what charges I don't accept. Because this is a personal passion interest of mine I always say I don't I don't really pay attention to the charges are higher almost anyone and that always refer back to quote from Bryan Stevenson the we're all more than the worst thing we've ever done. I do this like I said out of a personal passion but I know this would be that this bill would help expand the reach of this program to so many more businesses and it would help my own business expand our reach provide great incentive for us to participate in this I really believe that it would help save the state money it would help these people get a good start in life. All right thank you for that testimony members are there any questions of this gentleman. Ninety nine thank you for coming down Sir. Right no one else signed up to speak for against the bill. Representative Lundstrum your clothes for your bill yes Sir. Resolution rather all the above okay. I'm bottom line this is a budget issue this is a people issue the longer we wait. The more it costs people and the more it costs the state of Arkansas and I come before you now to ask that we start it is going to take time to start a pilot program it's going to take start up time. We can't wait anymore and I would ask for a good vote. All right thank you representative. She's closed her bill where the wishes of the committee. We have a motion do pass a representative slate all those in favor signify by saying aye. All those opposed. I'm a rule the nose have it. Bills remove on to House resolution ten twenty five representative Gonzalez. Members hang hang tight we'll try to see if we can locate Mr Gonzalez. Members of Sgt giving downed House resolution ten twenty six we are we are not going to hear that resolution today he wants to keep it on the agenda I think at least for the time being and saying aye representative Gonzalez is not here we're also going to get that bill so we have no further business we are joined.