Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development - Senate

Hi thank you members of the committee I appreciate being with you today what this bill does is it just codifies with the executive order by the governor put in place to create the buffalo river conservation committee I worked with the governor's office and we included that county judges from Newton County in Searcy county on there there has been since the creation of the we held public health committee meetings up in Searcy County and Newton County so that the people of the buffalo river could have the Anders could be a part of this and that resulted in a great great participation into that conservation committee and we have probably close to forty stakeholders I believe and I call them stakeholders but it's just really people that are in interested in and that live in the area and from all different kinds of aspects that are participating in those calls we have been meeting the as soon because of covid but before that we were having our meetings up in Searcy County ending county which I think is also critically important some of the great work that has been done on this conservation committee is highlighting the need for and pay for roads and the funding for and pay for it and let me be more specific these counties it falls on them and their county road departments to maintain a lot of those roads and access points that go into the buffalo river. And even private citizens have put a ton of their own money into fixing those roads Because of the tremendous amount of tourism and people that want to go and flow of the buffalo river but that infrastructure costs is really landed on those counties in Newton County and on Searcy County and the unpaved roads and those issues that are Roshen is really polluting the buffalo river if they're not maintained properly and built properly so we identified a couple of key projects that we were able to find in those two counties as it relates to the amount of tourism and travel on those unpaved roads so that was a huge thing that we did the other wonderful thing that we did was we helps the city of Jasper with their water system. And there is a tremendous amount of tourism that comes you know three Jasper and not just with the buffalo river but also with the The peak what's with the name of it. Okay you know that still correct if you're there with hawksbill crag not hiking trail there's a ton of traffic and visitor centers on there there's no place to park these these cars and so we're working through those issues and so this conservation committee has really highlighted those like particular needs an infrastructure needs particularly that haven't been met by the federal government and that we've just relied on these County folks and city folks to fix with the water system you have a tremendous amount of tourism coming through there and their water system seriously just could not handle it there's not enough restrooms there's not enough infrastructure to support the terrorism that's coming through so. This conservation committee has been led by Wes what ward are secretary of agriculture he's done a phenomenal job of really leading this effort and I couldn't be more proud of the work that he Stacy Hurst Becky Keogh and Dr Mullins. With the health department has also served on here and it's just it's just been awesome so we need to keep it going that's the bottom line because we have more work to do and we have dug in and it's really important to the people that area so I know it's a long long presentation on a very short senate bill but I wanted to highlight the good good work that's been going on. I'll have to I'll be happy to answer any questions. Any any questions from the committee. Senator Irvin I can't let you off that easy. What what what is the projected expense on this. Well and so that the governor initially put towards a million dollars towards this conservation committee for those efforts I'm not sure going forward I can bring up west wards to answer that question but I think the cost of meeting has been absorbed by those different agency. So they are absorbing that within their budgets but the money the million dollars has literally been to just find you know these additional needs that have been highlighted for that area so but the administrative cost is been absorbed by those different agencies so it's it's very minimal I mean as far as I'm I knowing concerned I mean they've spent a lot of time and efforts but honestly the subcommittees of people that aren't getting paid in that are volunteers and they've done a tremendous amount of the work as well which is really cool the other thing too is the highlighting the need for the different Farm farm management programs that are available through the federal government and connecting those folks with those different programs that are that are available at the federal level for grant funding and and those types of opportunities as well so there's been a lot of work in that arena as well thank you in nineteen funds to be able to assist and incentivizing people. Any other questions. Anyone here to speak for against the bill. Seeing none was will of committee. Motion motion Senator Leding second Senator Wallace. All in favor. Congradulations center thank you thank you members of the committee Mister chair. Next S. B. five four one Senator Teague. Mr chairman I would never presume to come back here without my paperwork she didn't have the paperwork. There's a reason for that. It is is. The trials are about the Buffalo remember reminded me of my first trip we were afraid we do them to flotation so we phone or six packs on the side bottom to get more flotation and I also turned out to stakeholders that way but anyway anyway I have Senate bill five forty one two years ago sure we passed a bill to set up parity sites for with parks and tourism and We we did the Senator Hickey and Is Senator Garner did the the. Doing that redid the bill is not protected by the ninth the the not make a school over to wash it away from the college of text can engage in hope of college and As part of that the legislation just said that the highway department would put a sign up are not would put a sign up they haven't yet ran into conversations. They were. Maybe less than cooperative and so this just says it will put one up kinda gives a lot of the how we would do it. I'd answering questions. It looks like we have some questions here Senator Leding. Sixty. A. Go ahead senator Wallace please go ahead Sir. I was gonna ask so I assume that there is I was talking about the community of Washington Arkansas not the county Washington County where I'm from but I assume both places were named for the same Washington so does everyone like is it possible for us to get some signage somewhere down as well I'll take care of it. Senator Wallace. Search Teague you appear to be. Very free with the signs it's been long rumored. Let that the blueprints for the book and I was actually loss of them all. In jim can you make a comment on that. I have no idea but we made it in Washington that's our story we're sticking to it. Senator Beckham you have a ninety. Syria more. Sixty S. C. here you describe this site can you describe what the sun looks like in the two. I thought I did that we just read it to you. The side shall be erected cover by sign shall contain common design for Arkansas Code decides and that's one of the issues we don't come I don't think we had the signed the heritage site thing because finish at circular shape with a blue background white border in quiet lettering and the words Arkansas area the size. Yes the rectangle to. What what shade of blue is that determined not. Mendelblit. Do you know the color make up half that. Senate bekommt. Would you consider changing the color from blue to red I would consider it. But let's just pass it this way and I could always just ignore it. Any other Senator Leding I assume that this is a standard sign that we already have the might be some cost of changing the colors you know that would due to the cost of this we don't have a standard size we don't have to do is we're trying to do. And we know how much this is going to cost to erect the signs highway department who cares. Sure you more you have no one. Okay. Seeing no other questions there anyone here to speak for against the bill. What the will of committee. We are gonna hurt my feelings. Senator Sturch well what's your motion do pass. We do have a second senator Wallace. All in favor I have. That being said congradulations Senator Teague you've got your sign thank you thank you members I appreciate it. SB six thirteen Senator Sturch. Thank you Mr James Sturch state senator district nineteen I would choose permission because I have Secretary ward come and also offer testimony. Yes Sir. Yes Sir west for from the Arkansas department builder. Thank you Mr thank you colleagues and I just want to say I appreciate the Secretary ward we've been working on this for several weeks now trying to get a fair funding more streamlined across the state and all of these various buckets put into one I will say this we have strived to write a perfect bill I know there is no such thing but the bill since it does four things we're eliminating to taxes and fees we're getting rid of state bureaucracy returning the decision making to local control and local counties and then the final thing we're trying to make sure that we have on going funding without raising anything without asking for more G. R. but on going funding that's consistent from year to year for a county fairs and that's essentially what the bill does you'll see a lot of repeal language in that and we spent the first few pages as you can see kind of consolidating things and putting things together but essentially what we're doing is we're limiting of four and a half percent admission surcharge that every county fair was post report and pay to livestock and poultry were eliminating that allowing them to keep that we also had a horse fee of two dollars per horse sold in the state and I'm going to speak out of turn Secretary ward but no one seems to know why that was in fair language but it was it was in fair language but it didn't go to the county fairs and so we just eliminated it I checked with the the horse expert in the Senate president Senator Stubblefield and he told me that he only thought that it amounted to about six thousand dollars a year and a so I think that the department agreed that we could absorb that internally and then you'll see that basically we've allowed in a county fairs determine on their own two or more joining counties to have a district fair or another livestock show I don't know how familiar are but county fairs usually young people can show a county fair and then go straight to the state fair there is no need for a district fair as far as to show but a lot of district fairs is to opt. Reading and to give another opportunity to show before the state fair so we don't want to take that away from young people but we do want counties to be able to do that on their own to decide where to have it when they have it and all that and so you'll see that language is still intact in the bill and then of course of the probation process you'll see that several these funds that we've had construction funds and premium funds we've got so convoluted with our premium funds to where we were making counties who are usually made up of volunteers these are paid professionals county fair people they're just volunteers we have been reporting you know every can of green beans that they paid premiums on or how much they're paying for courses and how much they're paying for caps and everything else to wear the formula itself I got so convoluted to where I even I am trying to understand it couldn't understand how in the world we're paying the same amount of money in premiums for green beans as we are count when they don't cost the same to maintain as you will know so we're getting rid of that allowing them the counties to make those decisions as far as you know based on their local needs if they have more and the livestock arena or more and the educational building they can make their own decisions as far as that goes with regard to premium finds this still be reporting it to the department and it's still be under lake audit just as it always has been to where they're reporting their financial records every year they still have continuing education that they currently do for the firemen's association guidance by the department and so we're still keeping everything the same we just trying to clean up some that bureaucracy as I mentioned earlier so I won't bore you anymore but I'll be happy to take any questions. Senator what do you have an eye on add to that. Yes when and I'll be brief I I appreciated Senator Sturch and and all his all his work on this and I think he makes a very excellent point so just a couple additional things I would have allowed you know took the dump to off his comments your from from the Department standpoint we have spent you know I think last year two thousand nineteen the last year there was normal regular fares we've got livestock inspectors throughout the state that are involved in fair checking animals they spent about three thousand seven fifty hours tracking down records said you're trying to you know to do all the administrative burdensome requirements so so this this does a couple things one it is eliminates a lot of that your extra administrative burdensome bureaucracy from the Department standpoint of having to run all over the state contract in doubt it lets our livestock inspectors do what they need to be doing into as Senator Sturch mention eliminate set emission surcharge fee which we have found was hadn't had pretty broad scribd broad brush for discrepancies across the state on who was complying with that so so really to Senator Sturch is pointed it streamlines it takes hold takes a lot of the red tape out and and gives the control back to the counties in the recipients to make the decisions that they they see fit without all the unfunded and unnecessary government Brock's involved with the. Senate questions Senator Beckham. Yes Sir search on page twelve. story line twelve or actually all page twelve it says that repair fund shall be used by the department of agriculture for personal services operating expenses of the department. Where they currently. It looks like we're we're adding another fund for the department of. Of agriculture use however they seem fit. Well actually Senator Beckham we're trying to put it all in the aggrastat Fund so currently it's appropriate and so many different places that live that surcharge that we're talking about this one half percent surcharge basically was to fund livestock and poultry and all their auditors and inspectors and so what we've asked then is for this very fun to have an appropriation line for administration expenses so the Department can absorb that without charging the fares anymore so part of the fair fund will have personal you know operating expenses for the livestock and poultry because they still have inspectors that will go out to county fairs but that that's what that line is full. Follows. Page three. The lines sixteen through twenty can you explain what we deleted that. I I can just and amber general terms Sir just to say that that We we've never we've never once and and Patrick may could professor Lawson voter director could also come on this as well Sturch knowledge this is this is never been years never happened certainly we were you know we are we appreciate the sentiment of having that piece in and the code section there but to our knowledge no one's ever had any any of these or materials at a fair and if they did it's never been reported or sent to a prosecuting attorney. And most times center back and I can only speak for our county fair but most of the county fairs would have that decision making authority at the local level so when they sale like a table Randor booth rent and educational building whatever they're already filtering out what they seem to be as obscene or lewd or whatever so just making sure that that's done at the local level so all all county fairs have the authority or the ability to restrict what's being sold there. As far as I know that would be right yeah as far as who they sell those to anything and that's kinda where this sector ward emphasize snow said having in state statute you know it's still local control if we leave it to be. I just wonder what we're going backwards on morality against the state. Any other questions. Senator Sturch are you close what a waste back up anyone here to speak for against the bill. Seeing none center for you close. Yes Sir I'm close I appreciate a good vote and move to pass. Second by. Senator Wallace. All in favor. All opposed. Seeing none as having. Looks like that's all we have on the agenda for today. We stand adjourned. Yes please.