JBC-Administrative Rule Review Subcommittee

Preciado being here this early this morning we got to. Two rolls on the agenda this morning first is department of commerce Arkansas Economic Development Commission. You'll identify yourself for the record Sir you're the. Recognized to present a rule. Good morning again my name is Steven ports on chief legal counsel for the Arkansas department of commerce as well as the executive broadband manager for ADC. Ma'am may I continue. Today I is a rule. It's the are amended Arkansas rule connect coronavirus rule what we did with this rule was since the. Cares ACT this tension was allowed our loan is to use the charismatic money from my December thirtieth twenty twenty two December thirty first twenty twenty one we just extended out the rule allowing us to spend that money to be harmonizing with the federal guidance that we received and that is the major change that we made a rule. Any questions from the members members reason we've we're seeing this rule today was approved by the executive E. and was going to be expiring before a LC would have a chance to meet so we wanted to get it actually get it taken care of now so. Any questions from the members. Representative spring you're recognized for a question. Good morning thank you Mr chair I'm new to this committee and I'm just trying to understand what do you have like what areas of the state is this being A lot of it for by different communities US school districts or whatever can you tell me that. Yes ma'am this rule is a grant program just rule allows rule areas that don't have a broadband infrastructure to be able to get one of the problem has always been for rule Arkansas for ISPs internet service providers to have a business case to going to these rule areas by according them a grant if they qualify passed technical review and other aspects of the application program they can apply for a grant to get in broadband infrastructure to their area which normally would not have occurred Do without this assistance so we're allowing them to get that we are so far we've done seventy five grants across the state spread out pretty evenly across the state we've was a lot at a hundred in nineteen million dollars in for grant funds we spent a hundred and eighteen point four million of of that money the projects a good the people are responding well to it we've been also encouraging other individuals to reach out to their mayor there County judges tell them that Hey partner up with a local I. S. P. if you don't have good quality broadband so they can apply and we we can review it and when we have the funding go ahead and see if we can get them funding and get the people some broadband services that they need. Follows the chair. Yes go ahead of so can you tell you say you've been look you've issued seventy five grants can you tell me specifically the areas I heard you say is going across the state but spit saliva I'm not sure what that means so can you tell me more specifically what areas of the state these grants have been awarded to. Well I there is a there's a list on the on the website that I that I usually print out and I didn't bring it but I'll be more than happy to submit that to you but it's been areas like Wilmont See certain counties I don't wanna guess is only seventy five of them but I can give you a list of soon as I leave here if that's okay that's fine. Sir if you don't mind if you decide that the staff will make sure everybody on the on the Committee gets that information as well so that might be a benefit for other people. You Mr chairman I have one last question sure is it it did so is that application available to part of. On the website as well for school districts only ever need to a make application for that or is this something that they have to contact your office to secure everything's on a website it's W. W. W. dot broadband dot Arkansas dot gov I'll repeat it one more time I may have gone a little fast it's W. W. W. dot broadband dot Arkansas dot gov. All right thank you. Thank you representative. Senator you're recognized for a question Hey Mister FOR it some way over here to your left. Thank you good to see you I'm not going to belabor the I just wanna thank you for your work and it's been so much fun working with you how much how much how much do we have in the pipeline how much more can we spend out of our funds Dino on are the COVID funds. Will hurt we expended all of that. with the exception of proximate Li five hundred thousand we spend it all okay what we're currently doing now is a we've we put something in our archive re meant that if you do not spend all the cash funds there to be returned and so and so that we could all rededicate those funds to other projects that may need it so far the money that is coming has been a little over four million dollars okay with which to allow for more projects okay so this rule letters re purpose that yes exactly okay that's perfect well I appreciate it I hope we can find more money to put forward on this with with the real ID program and so I just appreciate y'all's cooperation with everybody on both of those grant programs and we thank you for your help and support as long as other key members we appreciate it yes no just it's a great effort on form from the legislature in partnership with you and we appreciate that thank you. Thank you senator. Senator Johnson you're recognized for a question. So that money that was return was that return based on projects being done by the end of December. Yes. Some when the projects are completed we have you a mess monitoring those of those projects making sure that they spend the money according to their application and if they come in under budget on that they are to return that money to us so for those completed projects that were done that's the amount that we have there are still some projects that have not yet been completed by December thirtieth of twenty twenty we're thankful for this tension on that because we had to deal with some COVID issues some supply chain issues and he made a little bit difficult for some of them to get it done but they're getting it done now and and some of the money is coming in I just I just wanna make sure that you know we had an. Before the extension said that you had returned money if you didn't use of by that date so as is making sure there is a project based not the not the database shall. Thank you Sir. Thank you. Thank you Senator any other questions for members. Seeing none without objection this rule is reviewed and approved thank you Sir thank you. Our last rule Department of Health vision of pharmacy services and drug control. Please identify yourself the record and you are recognized to present your rule. Thank you Mr chair members of the committee on large to the general counsel for the department of health. Your present a rule dealing with the controlled substances list today and we have the department of health has a unit called pharmacy services and we have publish controlled substances list annually pursuant to our authority it's actually been about twice a year lately because of the amount of drugs that need to be scheduled either pursuant to for federal law or our state concerns and we last revise the controlled substances list in twenty nineteen in the final rule was filed in June of twenty twenty we're here today to bring further revisions we've added some at that no drives to schedule one because there's no recognized medical use for them we've also added some drugs to schedule too because the DEA and federal law has scheduled them there and so we're following along with federal law there are a few drug scheduled in for because the FDA has approved to certain drugs for a prescription for medical use and we've added a couple of drugs to schedule five to follow along with the FDA in their approval there is one drug that is been D. scheduled and to in order to follow the DEA and FDA recommendations we are asking for that drug to be D. scheduled from the list there are a few drugs and Senate sent that it can always that have been added to schedule six we had a public hearing on this revision back in December there were no public comments received a pursuant to the administrative procedure act and we have authority to do that promulgate this list under five sixty four to a one and there's no known opposition to this rule at this time and I'm happy to answer any questions. Thank you senator Ervin your recognized for a question. Thank you thank you for the rule and I'm gonna take a little bit of latitude machine I'm over here with the department of health yesterday there was an announcmenet that we are going to do vaccination clinics and banks I have repeatedly asked the department of health. For the ability for doctors to give vaccines to their patients. And nurses to give vaccines to their patients inside their clinics. I want to know specifically what the department of health is not allowing for that to occur. And I want you to take that message back to Dr Romero and I want an answer because I have been told and told and told yes we how you doctors and nurses yes we need them to help us give vaccines to their patients. And we're doing it and banks. I am I am not happy about this and I deserve a straight forward answer and I would just appreciate if you would take that back to your thanks to the department of health. Yes senator will do. Thank you senator representative Jett you're recognized. Yes name is German us one second what the senator and just said as will find it appalling that we have. Clinics or we're not we're not when doctors on staff of a doctor on the Poconos Arkansas thank you to ask you what backstage about the certified person of the people in the county with the staff in two week period and yet once again he cannot get to drugs to the so as one echo what the senator said and I'm on board with or. Representative Jett and Senator Irvin and we'll make sure that your concerns are heard and addressed immediately thank you representative of any other questions representative Fortner you're recognized for a question. I'd like to join with them as well and I think this is a problem especially in the rural areas of that for a period of time Marion County. Had one harps with one chair. It was doing ten vaccines week. So I agree with them with the date they need to look at these. Rural counties and when I read in the paper that there's vaccines laughed at clinics. Senate Marion County and then notify don't let me find out with a notice on the door which happened to two weeks ago. They said there was a notice on the door of the local hardware store that there was going to be a clinic I had not heard a word. So I'm frustrated as well thank you for your time. Representative garner recognition. Our apologized but it's not just the rural areas his fate will to we've got healthcare clinics that have not had had healthcare positions that are seeing still many COVID patients who can't get you can't get vaccines for their patients so it's not just the rural areas it's stable and some of the other areas too so thank you. Understood we hear you and we appreciate your input and we will follow up immediately. Representative spring you're recognized for a question thank you Mr chair issue of. I'm over here. Are you in a meeting with the with a group the other day that I participated in can you just share with the committee the different areas that you are doing the vaccines in input your plans or and and and how that process takes place because it's my understanding that you know things are taking place in different parts of the state and in certain communities in particular I think you all told talk to us about rule areas so if you would you can would you share that information as to what was communicated on let this past Monday. Thank you represent Springer for your question I was prepared today to present the rules on the controlled substances list I was not prepared to do an extensive vaccine update obviously a doctor Romero and colonel a tour or vaccine administrator would be the best people to be here today to provide you with the most up to date information I would prefer that we get you the most up to date information because anything that I would say would be something that was known to me probably yesterday and it changes on an hourly basis it is based on supply and demand and I know that colonel a tour and his team are doing the best they can with the demands and we can follow up and and get more information to you as soon as possible. Thank you representative of any other questions on this rule from the members. Seeing none without objection this rule is reviewed and approved thank you issue. Members that's all the that we have on our agenda for today with that we are adjourned.