State Agencies & Govt'l Affairs-Senate

When action for that. It's it's not yet finished and staff of the love for you to inform us if we have any news of this as we proceed but but right now just to make sure members understand we don't have that counterpart bill what we do have and I've always tried to extend curtesy in the committee Senator Irvin has a bill it she filed she just wanted to speak to the bill and with no objection I'd like to give that courtesy. You're recognized center thank you Mr chair and members really when I was looking at the the mass late yesterday afternoon and I've been a little preoccupied and to be fair and when I was looking at the maps yesterday to me it I I wanted to just be a matter of public records of math that I think that I lights based on based on the work that we've been doing with the buffalo river conservation committee and we have worked with a lot of local landowners business owners state agencies locally elected officials and a lot of stakeholders to bring focus to the bath buffalo national river area and to the watershed area it's complicated because we're working with the National Park Service and director files is doing a phenomenal job we've just gotten the okay to proceed with a national river plan which is going to involve a lot of details planning information and currently the way that the buffalo national river is it's divided into three different congressional districts and so what I did was follow map and to be fair was done this morning I filed it this morning so I don't think it's fair to ask you to take action on it and since it's so quickly filed but I just wanted to be a matter of public record and it just it came to me yesterday but I think consolidating that area into one congressional district will really help us with our efforts and what we're trying to do their with the buffalo national river and working on this river plan that's very very expensive and the reason why I moved it to the first district is because our congressman Rick Crawford has done a tremendous job working with our fish hatcheries which are national fish hatcheries we have state and federal fish hatcheries as well as winter springs. Conferences a federal park and so he's very familiar with that process with those individuals that deal with those types of issues and so that is the reason why I presented this man primarily is because trying to put the buffalo national river into one congressional district I can answer any questions you can look at the TV and at the bottom of the page and further more just to be clear representative John Payton and filed this math and this map also includes an amendment because of a school district that was split over and Sebastian County And at this also. Moves Cleburne County back into the first inputs low no county in the second and it does look classy county but only in two congressional districts verses three and those are just things that I would point out to you and it does take a little portion of Conway County in order to meet the deviations and with that I'll answer any questions. Okay. Senator Tucker. Thank you Mister senator the same questions I've asked of Senator Davison and Senator English just if you know because we don't have a zoomed in version of Pulaski County if you know where the line is drawn Pulaski County. And then if you know what apportioned population is in Pulaski County is moved into the fourth district those are my questions so now I do not have that information I think we try to follow the lines based on a little bit like what Senator English had in her math instead of but instead of it being and three congressional districts we just moved it into one for I mean from two into one. Right. Members any other questions. Skews me. I see no no other questions Senator I know you said you're gonna pull bill now we do have one person here that wanted to speak on this bill I'd be happy for yes I would like I heard of these I also represent Cleburne County and so my constituents are interested in keeping Cleburne County and to the first district and so on their behalf as another reason I filed this. and I appreciate that everyone have an opportunity missed Martin if you would if you just come and make your comments and and then I don't see anyone else and given the. Situation on a seven to come back this afternoon we should wrap up relatively quickly. What I what I will tell everyone that given the dynamics here. Whether or not whether or not you can stay or not we're we may be at the call of the chair here because we have this counter bill that Senator English is. Opinion bill from the house that is got to make it if we're going to take care of that too. Hi good morning ms Martin up I wanted to go was because of a first name ms Martin and you be recognized Jackie Martin correct right thank you I live in Hebrew springs Cleveland County. And I have lived there for almost twenty years my family has been from that area since eighteen sixty seven. So I have deep deep deep roots there but it's not just me there's many other people in our community have the same rates. For very very long time and even back to two thousand and nine it was predicted that we could never ever elect a Republican first congressional district we prove them to be wrong since then Crawford has increased his percentages. In that first congressional district in Cleburne County was very much a part of that movement very much a part of that movement and because of that or county committee grew to be a very influential committee in the first congressional district within the Republican Party. We do not want to lose that influence and we are concerned that being pulled into the second congressional district which really doesn't align with our community quite honestly yes we do drive to Conway and do business there yes we do drop to Little Rock do business there but we do not live there. And our community is very rule is based on the lake there are the river there or industries very tourist oriented it's not at all like a metropolitan area or district like this so I just feel that it would be best for Cleburne county to stay in the first congressional district because of our history there we have been in the first congressional district since nineteen eighty the last map I could find where we would put the first congressional district in a really really really would appreciate your consideration of my concerns because some of you sitting here today benefit from our work. So I I just We're still willing to work but we just don't want to have our influence within the Republican Party diminished at all. Excellent thank you members you have any questions for ms Martin. I just want to publicly thank you have never got to do this in a setting like this but opportunity allows that the very first time I ever gave a political speech in my whole life was almost forty that's right was on a stop in front of the Cleveland County courthouse and so I am just I enjoy that love the people up there unfortunately right now. Even though I love everybody I don't have the ability to make all these changes and but I appreciate the advocacy that you've had Senator Irvin the map that you brought his or anything that you have further today. No I just I mean I would reflect those comments and that it is a rule community and that's why to me lone oak and have it is more of a bedroom community so to speak Little Rock and more centralized which is why I think it just makes more sense to me and systems others and so again I know I know this is filed or try to follow it last night that we couldn't get the staff couldn't get it done until this morning so because of that I don't think it's fair to take action on it right now because it was just filed this morning but the center will I appreciate the committee I appreciate this Martin being here on short notice and I appreciate the ability just to states you know the reasons why I've putting for this math and for all of those various reasons but particularly because of what we're trying to do with the buffalo national river and the conservation committee and that river plan is going to be really really important and it would be nice to have one congressman to be able to work with on that thank you I understand definitely respect all of the concerns all right thank you very much intervene nothing further on that members you have anything further to bring before the committee at this moment or any questions do we have an update on the posture of the House Bill. With that being said it's eleven twenty and since they've called us back into session it to I'd like to have an adjourn it so people can go have some lunch do whatever you need to do if we do get a bill we could feasibly come back I've been communicating with all of you including senator Tucker to make sure that's public to about the ability to come back so I want to make sure that everybody understands it it be looking for text message if we need to come back and to handle this okay thank you very much for that were germs recess to that we we recess pending call the chair. Come to order. Members we have the bill from the house senator English are you going to present this bill. Members bring attention to House Bill nineteen eighty two Senator English as the Senate sponsor will present the bill. Thank you senator Jane English district thirty four and house bill nineteen eighty two is the exact replica of the bill we just passed out of the Senate S. B. seven forty three. All right for a good vote. All members. Members you have questions. Thanks any questions Senator English I have one person signed up that wants to speak on the bill. you have anything further before a call in okay we have a mis eleven. In the room. Ms eleven you're the only one signed up so if you'd like to come up and say what you like to say on this bill will be less area. Thank you my name is Laurie Evans I'm here today representing indivisible Little Rock in central Arkansas we are voting rights advocacy organization which is my mission to get just a little closer yeah. Certainly so I'm here today because of our interest in every person having one equal vote and would you restate who you represent I don't think anybody hurt your lorry Athens with indivisible Little Rock Central Arkansas I'm a resident here in Pulaski County little rock thank you. so at I and I'd like to make three points in a it in turn to the record with regard to H. B. in nineteen eighty two if I may one transparency in public notices first one I'm literally still. Because I was rushing here to get here to be able to enter in some of the information I have into the public record and it was I it I have had been texting all day long with a number of people about when this bill might be heard so that I might have an opportunity to enter and comments on the public record I don't if you don't if you didn't have that kind of flexibility that I had today which most people don't Mr if you're not in the Little Rock region you are do not have an opportunity to speak on this bill so that includes Mostar Kansans and so I just wish that there were and means available for more citizens and voters to have been able to give comments and feedback public comments and feedback on all of these redistricting bills it was really almost impossible to do that because there was no online means that we're no online hearings and then the notice was sometime this would be you know these bills were filed at eight forty five AM being heard the next day going to speak for against the bill itself ma'am yes so I just want to entered into the public record that know that any kind of lack of public testimony against ma'am look. Please speak on the bill any lack of public testimony against H. B. nineteen eighty two is not evidence of opposition to it it's that possibly evidence that people just did not get notice or not able to make it here for the record as well you may not be aware we had several weeks schedule for people three different times meetings where we had people that came in some of them came to every meeting and spoke against various maps including these very maps that we're talking about. Thank you this bill was scheduled in the house I don't argue with you but I'm not gonna let you disparage the process without at least giving a response okay so now at this time you can speak to the bill or I will be done with you and we'll just go voted well that I'll speak to the bill Sir thank you Mister chair. done right redistricting would produce an exact portrait in miniature of the people as a whole per words of John Adams one of the framers of the US constitution done poorly it towards the will of the voters that makes districts less competitive so with regard specifically to HB in nineteen eighty two I would like to enter into the record I do have a map of my community of interest which is the Little Rock metropolitan region which includes Little Rock north rock Jacksonville Maumelle sure would Wrightsville some of the areas that have been of course carved out of the second congressional district has largely in urban reason each region with busy rush hour public transparency patient crosses the region commuters that drive form from some of these communities across the county to others school communities that stretch across the county Pulaski County is a distinct capital city thus the community inside R. as in this case distinct capital community and it is a community of interest. All of the all of the communities within the county and it's in the best economic development and interest of the state for its citizens workers commuters students most of whom utilize services that rely upon the services across the county for them to be represented together I would argue that actually serves the interests of the state as a whole to maintain Pulaski County AS one single community of interest and not divided so I will submit my map into the record and the other thing that I would like to mention with regard to H. B. nineteen eighty two is. Again here I'm not exactly sure about that I'm thinking as I talk because I know that there have been amendments to the bill since these notes and malice notices were made per the bill last night and I know something of been some amendments made since then so I'm not necessarily I know these notes may not be exactly accurate as of this moment but I think they still or permanent. So. With regard to splitting up counties why would the legislature choose to pass a map that breaks a large community of interest into three separate congressional districts when the many proposals have been made which keep counties whole. So with regard to as it was last night H. B. nineteen eighty two. The car about the cards up thirteen precincts thirty those precincts contain thirty nine seven thousand five hundred and ninety nine central AR Kansans who live in the metropolitan region that's almost forty thousand Arkansans who will be directly impacted little rock north little rock voters by being carved out of the second district having their capital region votes diluted. Pulaski County as a whole is fifty six percent white the thirteen precincts that were carved out of the district two of the classic County. In this particular bill is thirty nine percent white and seventy one percent minority. So and again I have here data that schooled from the this is the includes the nineteen twenty I mean the twenty twenty Senate. US census data and includes information statistics on the minority carve out so which would of course in the impact of the bill whatever the intent was the impact will be racial gerrymandering so just want that to be entered into the data And I have a few more comments here but. All just let it rest there all right thank you for your comments thank you for being here Senator English. Yes I'm close to the bill okay members do you have any other questions or comments I have a motion on this bill hi. I have a motion to passion Senator Hester and second from senator garner all those of favour say aye aye All opposed no. The Bill pass thank you senator English this bill will be Calendared be transmitted to the floor the Senate be Calendared my assumption is will be for tomorrow when we come in at nine AM thank you very much Committee at I'm unless there's a unforeseen circumstance now think we truly are done thank you for your patience thank you for your work Senator yes how quickly I think I have another map I want to enter into the record Hey. Will run that sucker aka you know what so. All right we're Jr.