City, County & Local Affairs Committee - Senate

Members of your thank you see we've got to. Thank members here. All. We need to get started thank you. Call a meeting to. City county local of Senate to the. We first have a Senate bill three oh two and Senator Ingram you're recognized you go then the table. And. Present. Here's a person years before the bill. Mr chairman committee I appreciate your hearing this legislation today in sorry that Senator Stubblefield law that is lost not being here today of this bill addresses. All of a long term issue of regarding the training of police officers of the as you know to be certified they have to go to school and during that process it can run twelve to eighteen weeks of and the city pays their salaries and their per diem and that can run anywhere from three thousand to this much is thirteen or fourteen thousand dollars when those officers return to their local sheriff's office or their local municipal office of our city we've had a that we've had some issues with those officers being hired once or certified up the up the chain by either a larger city or another community and the community that has put the money out to get him certified is out the dollars with with no chance for recommence so what this bill does is it sets up of of. a reparation that if. eight city are or if an entity hires a certified officer within two months uh then the the city is completely reimbursed for the cost of the expensive training and then it goes to the six months ten months and it phases out over eighteen months of. You know we want our officers trained certified that's that's a very important process in that you are required. To back state statute to be true Dr a the certified the show Arkansas police chiefs association supports this and the Municipal League is here to answer any questions if somebody has regarding this they support this is well I'll be happy to take questions. Other questions center Johnson in center so after that. Thank you Mr centering rimas it's been a real problem I'm shocked that these municipalities are not taken care this is I mean it's bad enough that we've got a. Basically pool money for their money from the treasury or something. Well yes every number one yes it is going on a long ongoing problem when I was mayor there was never anything more frustrating than to hire new officer which number one of you know you you have to really recruit hard to find officers the they're they're like school teachers that they're just hard to come back then you send them to school say the city West Memphis sends them to school pays for twelve weeks of training per diem and then they come back and then they're hired out from under you within six months yesterday at that so that is a problem so as for poaching your newly minted officers that you paid for your training that's exactly correct okay all right thank you thank you Mister Johnson I hadn't heard that term used for that but that that's in the fifth of recruitment center so when you're recognized for a question thank you isn't this what are centeredness for businesses often do and training employees that there's kind of that step down you were investing in you but you've got to invest in us and over a period of time for licensure as in other things businesses often do that I know we did that we're willing to train you but it will make a commitment but we want to commitment from you too and that's kind of what you're doing resume or yes Sir okay I appreciate it thank you. Any other questions committee we do have a couple people signed up to testify. Okay we have a John Wilkerson with Arkansas Municipal League if you come to the center and to stay where you're at let him go side bill. That'll work. If you will recognize your sale you're recognized speak Sir thank you Mister John workers and general counsel Eunice police I Senator Ingram has explained this bill as well as I could and we really appreciate his efforts on this almost thirty questions that's one of the boys that their municipal leaders voted to endorse this bill support this bill and and with that I want to give you more time this is a question for me. Is there any questions committee that they think they have for this witness. Okay if not centering your recognized of thank you of this year in lesser any further questions I'm closed. I have a motion. I have a motion sensor Flippo for do pass second from center Johnson all in favor say aye. Opposed. Congratulations entering review past your bill thank you committee I appreciate y'all hearing this. Next we have this be one seventy nine Senator Blake Johnson if you. In addition if you are recognized to present. Thank you chairman members Senator Blake Johnson district twenty this bill will help centralize the mapping system for the nine one one center nine one one and the fire protection district and there there is no there's a lot of crossover in that mapping right now and this will help alleviate that and and that way to possible fire districts don't get called out at the same time under the nine one one system Shelby Johnson this is the GIS and shall be Johnson if it be alright with the members come up and and explain a little bit of history of this. Okay the question for senator Johnson or would you like to bring with me Sir. The results in the you will come on up. I can't help but say this is Johnson and Johnson. You are recognized speak. Thank you Mr chair of Shelby Johnson the Director of the Arkansas GIS office were part of the Department of transformation insurance services and as as you of my no the General Assembly and then the state moved in the last session to create the Arkansas nine one board and to move the state toward implementing next generation nine one one on a statewide basis and we should work started in working with and I'm on board on their behalf and were in the process of mapping out all of the emergency services across Arkansas that includes fire ambulance and law enforcement the course of law enforcement's relatively easy that's county and city emergency medical is also somewhat easy because that's administered by our colleagues at the Arkansas department of health fire on the other hand is a little more challenging and such partly due to the sheer volume we have nine hundred and ninety four fire departments in Arkansas added that about three hundred fifty seven of those are municipal that means the rest are either rule volunteer or fire protection district status and about sixty nine seventy of those fire departments are in more than one county and that affects or impacts forty nine counties and so as we started working on this we realized part of the challenge is that we do not have a really great mechanism for that information being fed into the central system and that is really the primary driver for wide we would like to try to get this bill passed and put this into into code and I answer any questions if there any questions. Thank you. Committees question for. Mr tributos. If not is there anyone here to speak for or against her we don't have signed up okay Senator Blake Johnson you're recognized this thank you chairman members of the this will help centralize and there's gaps in these maps as we have on so not just overlaps so this will help fill in those gaps and take care of the overlaps and and make a make a good nine one one service so we have to serve more efficiently and we don't want to drop anybody out of the system and possibility of loss of life because of because of these gaps and appreciate a good vote. Thank you the center fires we will need your own scoring. The I have a motion for depression center Sullivan second center Johnson. All in favor I. Imposed. Graduations Senator Blake Johnson you passed your bill. Thank you Mr Shelby Johnson for being here today. We now have Senator Flippo was the Senate bill two ninety four. You're recognized to present. Thank you Mr chairman thank members. Senate bill two ninety four was brought to me by the department of corrections it's a very straightforward bill and simply all it does is it combines duplicate code sections to allow the board and the secretary to work service weapons to people that retire after twenty years of service or retiring due to injury obtained in the line of duty. We have an answer any questions and also have Secretary grazed with the. Here to help answer any questions well correct committee the question for center Flippo or would you like to hear from. I have a question Senator flowers you're recognized for a question. Yes I don't have the bill in front of me Senator Flippo but when you say give the service revolver to anybody that's injured in the line of duty or service did you say no ma'am I said if the if the employee was injured in the line of duty in the capacity of their job and retired the the board the secretary could award in their service weapon as a sign to be really taught me tired and injured injured and retired otherwise just retirement after twenty years. Wrecked that is correct senator. So we we would expect that. I mean what do you need the injury and there have to also be retired is because they could do it. They're injury no ma'am there's an or agency don't have to be injured it just says after twenty years of service or retires due to an injury obtained in the line of duty. Okay. So that it I mean somebody that's just on the force and get injured. The after a month or even a week I don't understand you you don't talk about the seriousness of the injury I didn't hear that but who explained does that include a person that is recently hired that may become injured in the line of duty and have to retire surplus I'm asking secretary grades to come up in sector grows you go to the. Side table or in the you're recognized Senator far as questions. Good morning ms Mr members of the committee senator flowers to your question if I have an officer who yes Is been with me for a year and is shot in the line of duty or is and some other catastrophic incident while in the line of duty and has to take a a disability retirement they cannot continue there's service yes this bill would allow us to award as a total gain of our appreciation for their service there of the department issued service weapon. Okay so what I did here and that like I said I don't have the bill right in front of me but so it's a catastrophic injury and disability. The retirement would be due to disability yes yes ma'am traffic injury I didn't hear him say catastrophic the and that was my very busy Senate senator to for an individual to take a early due to disability retirement be able to draw their social security related benefits there are certain produce derive certain us standards that must be met for that individual to meet that threat shall. So that's already in your rules well that's not in our rules but that's the requirement for an individual who is who for them to be able to claim SSI dues disability. That's what this applies to. Yes I'm disability that it couldn't be social security disability I'm sorry yes yes ma'am that was that was the reference I was making I apologize for using the wrong terminology. So if somebody. Is this for the department of corrections yes ma'am this would cover sworn officers within my division of correction and in my division of community correction along with the sworn staff we have assigned to the board of corrections compliance division. Okay I think I have another question Mister chairman if you want me to stop and let somebody else ask question that's fine yes a party back in the queue have the center shall one then center your option. When you're recognized for a question. Thank you yes as I read the bill on page two it said that if the employee with the Department retires from service with at least twenty years of a been with you for awhile it's not a necessarily a new employee in the first part yes Sir yeah and then it says if they retire due to the injury so the injury would have had to have been significant enough to cause retirement because that would be on there I'm retiring because of you are correct so that and that's what the bill says and you know don't you all have a hard I'm sure it's hard to recruit employees there it is unfortunately is in this time just a little bit of a benefit hi this is really not worth not a minor ticket didn't have a lot of monetary value but it does have some recognition value in it And as I'm sure is not a recruiting tool but it's just a way to honor people that have been with you for twenty years now they've got to retire because of an injury significant enough that cost them to retire and that would be known to you in that decision yes are we trying to do is say thank you to the men and women who put their lives on the line every every day force thank you thank you Mr. Thank you senator Johnson recognized thank you Mr I'm hi this is kind of follow up to center flowers question I think that senator Solomon covered it but it's. the keyboard I guess on page two line two is or is that right Mr secretary the if someone goes through the regular process twenty years of service retire then you can award them their service weapon yes Sir as a thank you okay or same situation except their retirement was due from an injury in the line of duty yes Sir and cover both those eventualities yes yes yes so in that case the moment of service would not apply because it because of the danger their retirement was forced on them because they're injury yes Sir thank you very much thank you Mr thank you the center prior to do have another question. Well. I guess the answer is he said they have a. As I mean in the line of duty in me and and catastrophic or something serious enough to allow somebody to claim social security disability. I just I don't know I just wonder is though many things are happening that you have a good people serving in the dealsea I know that but you do have some that Cause injury. You know what that that could have been avoided I think Intel may John we hear. When not a lot of time here and know about indiscretions on the part of the employees going into the. different facilities but anyway Yes anything could be in the line of duty means somebody yes negligently doing something that causes harm in their own the job is that in the line of duty disability cover to. I would outputting. Session Kerr center far is for the the Secretary but I'll let me make it plain are I think form for me and maybe for you Is there any you do have opportunities before someone files a claim for disability through social security if you oppose it is that correct. Even if it's on the from the job the injury claim to have occurred in the line of duty. Yes ma'am and I would also say that this language is permissive on the Department if there was a case where the awarding party whether myself one of my division directors or the or or done the chairman of the board feels that the award of a service weapon is not appropriate this language does not bind us to make that awarded only creates the option for us in appropriate circumstances to say thank you to our staff with the award of their service weapon. Thank you okay that answers my question thank you I think Senator flyers are there any other questions from committee. If not the I have a motion that motion center Johnson do pass second center Sullivan. Second central all in favor I. Opposed. A congratulations Senator Flippo you have passed your bill. We now. Thank you sector raised for aging questions Senator English you are recognized to present the bill SB one twenty seven. You're recognized your. Notify yourself and you're recognized speak thank you very much and Senator Jane English in district thirty four and this is definitely a non controversial bill what it will do is allow the libraries to accept credit cards debit and credit cards for payment you know we're getting to that place where we almost have a cashless society and up until this point the only way that libraries could accept overpayment or fines or whatever was by cash but this will allow them to accept credit cards debit cards credit cards. a member's question from the first senator Johnson you're recognized. Thank you Mr chair Senator English I'm all for this except for one thing and I every time I see anything related to government agencies accepting credit cards and debit cards I'm thinking what's the fee and who gets it and it appears that your Your your bill would limit the amount charged to the. Patron of the library To the actual fee that's charged by the by the issuing company which I'm okay with but I've seen cases where you know that somebody gets an inside deal hi and they you know maybe it's like we yes it's it's a three dollar charge but there's a two dollar charge for the you to use a card and course. I don't want you will build don't go down that rabbit hole but but this specifically limits it to the the amount that the the library itself is having to pay for that design okay I will take a I'm a vote for your bill I like it but I'm gonna be watching these in this case libraries and other entities to make sure that those fees are are reasonable and and con and consistent with something you might do if you went into a private business hi and member years ago they forbade the businesses from having a surcharge for using a card that was a for some reason they're trying to encourage people to use electronic but I'm I'm it's a good bill it but you could see the potential for abuse but I'll watch it carefully shell all right thank you very much thank you Mr. To a question from committee. And no one signed up to speak you for anyone the. You were ready for motion. A question for the committee. Center I'm. You're a. The fire go ahead I'm sorry I'm fixing it right here motion do pass I'm okay pass all right Senator English but. I didn't recognize you did you have anything else to call I'm closed okay I got off track here and also skip center reads owner there Bills latch all right to me also that I'm sure center he didn't care for me to go ahead Senator English I have a motion do pass I have a second concentrically po all in favor I. Opposed congratulates centering issue a past your bill even with my love of. Okay we have a Sentries it I've overlooked I'm sorry I had to go down that list of finance to to let you present yours and after that we'll have represented Bryant. You're recognized. Thank you Mr chair Senator Lance seeds and I have a Amendment. To adopt first okay I have a motion to adopt the amendment. Motion yeah motion center fired up the minute second Senator Flippo. The center prior to doing the deal video. Except your motion and a second Senator Flippo and holler paper document say aye. Posed the amendments adopted you're recognized presents and treats thank you Mr chair members this is a bill that scum brought to me by the Department and it's fairly simple and when somebody purchases a convenience store Ark a grocery store that has the a permit to be able to sell tobacco products sometimes during the selling process there's an additional thirty days before their new permit is approved and they would could possibly create a gap in their ability to sell so they would have to shut down that part of the store for that period of time so what they've asked us to do is to provide an additional thirty days where with the permission of the previous permit holder and the Department it says tobacco control in the old and the new language in the adoption of the amendment there Division of tobacco control they would be able to operate that part of their business under the previous permit holder for up to thirty days while the new permit is being approved then once they're permit is approved or the thirty days expire than they would have to move to the new permit and that's that's all this bill does. All right over there any questions committee. I have a question question centerfire you're recognized. So senator either I guess with this amendment which adds to that agreement between the the stellar and the new owner. Adding the tobacco or alcohol and tobacco. The time of the whatever you call this agency a department adding that allows them to make sure that if there is any violation within those thirty days. The liability would fall on the seller or the new owner how's the department had many authority over the new owner to hold them liable for any kind of infraction Mr like during the director of IT at A. B. C. to the table and answer that question if that's alright you're recognized Agassi the identify yourself you recognize to question normally channel and director of alcoholic beverage control and tobacco control administration and they would allow that what we do is going to mere similar to what we have done in the past with the alcohol permits is the seller signed a document authorizing the potential purchaser to operate on that permit and that would put it in the liability for any actions inappropriate actions during that thirty day time period on the new purchaser. You would have actually authority over that new purchaser yes they would be put to completing an application and that would be part of the documents that they signed allowing them to operate on that permit during that time period yes ma'am okay and I guess that would be plainly stated in some kind of way written. In that yes we would create as a document that like we have an alcohol side that is an odd document authorizing the continued operation on the permit and it sets out the liability okay thank you. There other questions from committee. If not we have no one. No one signed up to speak a. Centereach you're recognized I'm I'm close for the bills okay we have a motion on the bill. Motion do pass motion up from Do pass as amended senator Jostens motion would you second at center for our yes I second that motion you are seconds all in favor I. Posed. Congratulations to read you have passed your bill thank you Mr chairman thank you Committee. Our next bill is house bill thirteen seventy represented right near. Recognized to identify yourself and present your bill thank you Mr chair thank you committee represent Bryant's District ninety six. this bill before you today is a direct result probably of. Of a hobby became in of becoming a professional line of code there's a. Meadery which Meade is a is a one fermented honey. It is not classified as a one according to the federal rules it is its own product when this company sought to. Sell his wine without a nexus to to the point of sale not having to have visitors to is to is meadery before he could sell within the state of Arkansas he was met with some confusion from the different bureaus from the FNA and from the alcohol sales division of the state and what he come before we found is there is a rule India from a that treats me as one and that's the extent of the classification of meat in the State of Arkansas. so what this bill does is codify that need to can be treated in a small farm winery category which will be tax that way and also produced in a manner can in compliance with the small farm wineries so the gentleman can operate and invest in a business that is based on statute rather than a rule. Okay thank you are there any questions from the committee I have a question central AR you're recognized for a question. So are you saying now with this bill inspections would of Kerr of the meadery. Yes. Yes yes yes ma'am they would treat a meter the same as they would in a place with a small farm winery in the state. Okay and so that would invoke other department I guess health or what. I believe just the alcoholic beverage control would do that they they kind of take compliance with the with that now this just make sure that the rules in the statute. Rules in the statute but it sounds like they were not from what your testimony was before they were inspecting are going through any other processes Senator Clark we have some way. Director here can ensure you're recognized Doorly channel or director of alcoholic beverage control as senator wouldn't previously we had treated made as a wine product but based on the way it was has failed to be defined in those statutes that were not allowed to do direct shipping this is going to allow them to ship their meat product like they would a small farm wine product they would have to have inspections of those facilities when they were attempting their permit they would have to have inspections of the health department would have inspections for the health health IT safety issues and would provide a B. C. with a health certificate and we would then permit them to continue operating but what they would be receiving as a small farm wine permit but with the addition of the made language in the statute that would allow them all the benefits that the small farm winery has. Okay thank you. There other questions from committee. if not we don't have remote signed up or you close for your bill yes but your term closed very rigid right close to have a motion motion Senator Flippo do pass second center Johnson all in favor I. The post. Congratulations represented right you have passed your bill. In the. Okay we have a the last one on there the Senator hammer is B. two sixty three is not running