House Rules

Representable you're recognized to present your amendment thank you Mr chair thank you Committee. This amendment happened after we spoke with the liquor store shareholders they brought out some ideas that could be an issue for them so we went ahead and made some adjustments to the bill and that's what this does actually the adjustments to the bill actually made the Bill much shorter and that's why you see it presented the way it does so basically when we look at the amendment you're going to be looking at the bill of sale. So basically the amendment is taking out territorial subdivision anywhere it's referenced and it is going and administer palette the definition as city of the first class the second or incorporated area. It takes out the option for the city council or the quorum court to actually put it on the ballot for election and. That is the biggest thing that the actual amendment changes on the original bill that I filed the other thing it does do is it takes the threshold to get on the ballot to thirty eight percent of the election of the amount of people that voted for the office of governor in the last general election. And thirty eight percent is what is in statute now that thirty eight percent certain statute at this point though is of registered voters. And you may ask yourself why did I change it from registered voters to that of the election well if you take a look at what that really means thirty eight percent of registered voters you need to multiply that number by two possibly three times to get how many signatures you're going to have to get based on the last election so you're looking at seventy six percent that you would have to get signatures that voted in the last election. That's extremely high threshold to mate on top of that any referendum that really it's going to go to a local issue is that it fifteen percent urgent Cavenaugh but let's let's adopt the amendment bill and then let you go ahead and sign on for the we have a motion to adopt this amendment. Motion all those in favor adopt the amendment the I. opposed are the ayes have the amendment is adopted you can continue on that presentation so thirty eight percent is why we went to the Matt of the election verses the way that it is a current statute this bill simply. Has one goal it's not really about liquor for me about local control this allows cities to vote for themselves if they wish to go wet or dry. And that's really the gist of the bill it does some other things because of the election it goes through how the election can be certified how can be contested and that's already all instead she pretty much that this is just be an added because we're adding the level for the cities to vote for themselves. We ask. Why cities should have the right to vote for themselves whether draft for me as I said before it's local control I don't think that a business and IT another county. Should be able to make a decision. And stop the voice of the local citizens from being heard. And that's currently what's happening. This is just a simple attempt to elect the city's and the people in those cities to make a choice for their city. In this the county election would not override the city that cannot happen at the same time they have to have separate elections. And the city can only have an election one time every four years so it's not election can happen continually so it is stepped in there so we can only happen once every four years and that's the gist of the bill and I would be glad to take any questions. Our members with any questions I see you're gonna have to help me with this on this new system as the. Six seventy seven. Or six five was try that. Who is this me. All right members I don't I don't have any questions and in the queue at this point so we do have several guests signed up to speak for against the bill so the first one that we have to speak against the bill would be Mr Jason Pohl. Come on down. Yeah you're probably gonna have to give you a seat there and then you can come back when it's time to finish for your bill. Yeah. From the center introduce yourself because we with we can proceed with your testimony all. Thank you Mr chairman and committee is your is your microphone on. Yes Thank you Mr chairman. I family has operated the same liquor store in the same location for the last fifty five years I'm here today to ask you to vote against H. B. eleven forty eight. Alcohol is a very divisive issue always has been always will be many people prefer to live in the community free of alcohol for others they won't live anywhere that they cannot attract. In nineteen thirty three when prohibition ended the entire state went went. And then in nineteen thirty five the legislature were. Past statewide laws governing alcohol sales requirements thirty five percent of the registered voters signed a petition in order for county to hold an election to vote themselves back drive. After over eighty years of trial and error we come back to number the very close represents an original percentage. Thanks for the nineteen ninety three almost thirty years ago the legislature change the threshold of thirty percent of registered voters this bar was set in order to ensure that adequate committee support existed before election or such divisive issue was held. Given the signatures of thirty percent of the registered voters is not or too high in the last fourteen years Jim Kelly said follow the roadmap they currently exist in the voted to go with. Most recently Van Buren County but to go with twenty twenty with an all volunteer citizen group no monetary donations and after losing months a signature collection because the code they manage not only get thirty percent Russian fighters but they were able to exceed that number. This bill will also allow a small community to override the will county players an example two thousand fourteen White County voted overwhelmingly against sold alcohol and even though the county clearly expresses opposition to the alcohol sales this bill would allow cities such as a class two CDS Higginson don't have together eighty signatures to trigger a vote for a withdrawal election and could change alcohol status of the county was seventy thousand residents that clearly expressed will guess it's all about all. One thing does not change since over these years is that these elections happen at the county level this is the bedrock of the wall the legislature chose the county is the most appropriate place for these elections to be held in title three chapter eight it's actually called the local option. Your predecessors of this body realized statewide elections cast too broad of an act like one some municipalities hold few residents that an extreme in order to determine policy professionals nearly without even. Fifty determined for thousands of with people for a different feelings for this reason legislative term the county is the most appropriate place for citizens to shorter local control over our own decisions. The responsibilities for alcohol lection spoke clearly when the county Clerk nightmares today along with my father in law brother in law wife and host of amazing employees working or individual family business this is our livelihood. This bill was trying to fix something that is not broken even the twenty twenty cemex Moscow that the county was able to do this and succeed and is been done ten times over the last fourteen years the rules are not broken some folks just don't want to put in work takes to make the change they don't have the discipline to the all the rules we want to change the so we ask you please vote against a bill in forty eight. Mr chairman you have any questions. I thank you test my member Jenny questions. Of six. No questions are thank you for your testimony we have a the next person speak for the bill would be Mr Gary Baxter. Mr back you can make your way up your. Mr back you could introduce yourself then we'll get on with your testimony thank you Mr chairman of the general counsel John Wilkerson from the Arkansas municipal league with me I'm Gary Baxter I am currently the president of the Arkansas municipal league in the merit the city of mulberry a little bit about me I spent twenty seven years active duty in the Air Force retired from the military in the last minute to fifteen years in church business on the yacht. Ordained a licensed minister then after the fifteen years I've been the mayor of all there for the last ten years and the I'm here to speak of for the for this bill because as president Arkansas Municipal League I'm speaking for all cities and towns in Arkansas we have a lot of cities and towns in Arkansas especially a lot of small ones in those small cities are need to be able to determine for themselves what they wishing what their line this bill is totally about economics for somebody like to the city of mulberry which we live in Crawford County we've got Franklin county to our east some question County over to our west both are wet and so we don't have the opportunity to get to the economic benefit of the people that consume alcohol in our area are you looking are recycle bins we have thirty on yard recycle bins here and they're full of whiskey bottles of beer bottles and wine bottles and then we have the chance to our people are drinking but they're having to spend their money outside of a hurry so therefore we're not getting compensated for in our people would like to be able to use that tax money within our city so we're not here about hurting other cities are taken away from other places but we feel like that local control the local people ought to be able to determine that it would decisions are made of the lowest denominator we know they're the most effective decisions in her your calories you know yes they could be out in the can vote but those people have chosen to live inside the city limits they will make those decisions for themselves I feel like this is a good bill and I'm pleased for the sake of small cities all over Arkansas vote for this bill. Mr Baxter as thank you for that members any questions. Acting on thank you for your testimony. All right moving to the guess wants to speak against the bill would be Mr Jimmy street. Mr street if you introduce yourself and you can continue with your tests on. Thank you Mr chairman and committee members my name is Jimmy street operate the street law firm in Russellville my father nights of family practice been there for many many decades and like my father before me we did. I believe more local option work both for what interests dry interest over the last forty fifty years that I would venture to say most most legal practitioners in the state and I would ask him speak to you a after review in this proposed bill on the process without regard to the outcome at I agree to after reviewing it for two reasons but one of which I'd like to primarily rates for you because it hasn't been discussed and all this has been put before you is simply a a way to make what the legislature previously established as the mechanism for local control over the wet dry issue which was a election at the county level and make a hyper local and provide a municipality within a county to exercise that same process on the premise that we want to provide some sort of local control over whether a community or a county either is allowed to sell alcohol and not allowed to sell alcohol but lost in that discussion. For the first time in eighty five years this as I read this and I think it's fairly explicit it actually removes that the dry option altogether if you look at the bill as it's written all over section one it misses as amended this morning This is an amendment to three eight one oh two so most you'll find most of the most of the local options that you just contained in in three eight one I want to thank retail dealer that held a valid license at the time of the local option election and then what is crossed out there's the the local option structures always contained a sixty day cooling off period. So if a county exercised a the right to go dry during the election to be sixty days for folks who are currently. The licenses to dispose of their stock before the the license became an operative. That's that's deleted and in three four words it now reads may retain their license even if a majority of the electors vote against the sale of alcohol so I know this is being pitched is simply a way to take the existing structure and take it out of the municipality level that but it's I would respectfully submitted somebody who's done this for a long time and my father this is this removes the option if you if you can find is the route if you go to the section five of the bill as amended is an amendment to three eighty two oh wait subsection B. if you look at the remainder of it in its current form it reads and this is what happens if somebody exercises this process in a county or in this case municipality to vote drive the licenses are immediately cancelled I am the owner part of a license and permit fees returned and thereafter it's unlawful for any person firm or corporation to sell alcohol deleted and two words remain valid. So and I would and I could I can give you examples but that's continues throughout this it creates a system it's not expanding the local option Dennis level it's creating a local mandate if you wish to use this process about whether we want to make it as easy as possible if you wish to exercise the option to go dry you can have your election but if you vote drive nothing happens and all the liquor licenses remain valid and explicitly state anybody who hold held one can continue to use that license in the same way they used it as if the election never happened so I I just. I will say I realize this is a discussion about taking the existing structure and and the merits or the problems with expanding it to the municipal level but. That is secondary to the fact that this this takes away the option may becomes not a revolving door but a one way street and I will tell you somebody who is. Use the existing system and watched it grow you know for decades legislatively judicially as it's been refined and tweaked and challenged yeah this wasn't created overnight it is a it is a very refined system that have grown the same concern about the way to best handle the local control aspect has evolved into what we see here today and whether you regardless of the outcome that the prime directive is always been to provide that choice. And kind of dressed up in this idea of expanding choice it takes away one of the choices all together and I can't I don't know why that is other than to say it is very consistent in a manner which it does it the only other thing I would say and I think Mr poket on it in other words it a statement about the real the real drive for this is the smaller communities. But you know you write bill like this it is truly going to apply to all communities you know first class second class incorporated towns but somebody obviously than Russellville I can give you an example for every thirty thousand person town there's a hundred more three thousand person town two hundred more three hundred people towns and when you apply this rubric below with the the county level you're gonna end up with a cascade absurd results were in in some circumstances an exceptionally small towns you're gonna have a couple dozen people you can put something on the ballot in between fifteen hundred people who can basically for geographic area authorized the sale of the of the very large liquor store where the force is gonna swallow the trees and I understand. Your legislation always written with an eye towards a particular example exemplar whether it's mulberry or any other town did you know if your respect in your respective districts that. They apply to everyone and if you take this one size fits all approach in applied to the very small communities this math is going to create a cascade of absurd results and and I say that because this isn't the first time this discussion is occurred before this body there's been eighty five years of this thing being brought up over and over and over building court and before you know this body and there's a reason why it got fixed initially the county level one white stayed there because I agree the goal is to provide local control or what is a very divisive issue the going beyond the county level for everyone problem you solve you created more that swallow the system so the only other thing I would leave you is because this is such an old system it affects vast areas of the Arkansas Code this bill touches on some of them but I'll give you an example If you look at fourteen forty three six oh five which is not addressed by this bill. I will tell you that the title of that. Is alcoholic beverages lack of authority and it's a one sentence that you to reach no municipality may authorize the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages it's been on the books for seventy years. I would point that out because this is a huge system that is spent eighty five years in the making permeating the Arkansas Code this bill touches aspects of it but if you are seriously can overhaul the entire system in a bit of a statutory structure this magnitude their whole other portions of the Arkansas Code that being a prime example that this would be an explicit derogation unless it was a much more comprehensive approach so. I very much appreciate you let me talk today to get in it's not about a particular outcome on that advisability the sale but just about the process and the danger this poses to it in my opinion if somebody's practice in this field for a long time I'd be happy to take any questions. Our members are there any questions. Okay single questions thank you for your testimony thank you very much were moved to the for the bill we have missed or. All snap. Mr separate introduce yourself and you can see with your testimony yes Sir I'm Charles my upon the Meyer Walnut Ridge Walnut Ridge is the county say the Lawrence county with a population of just over fifty three hundred people might represents thirty percent of the county's population. But I'm not here just to talk about Walnut Ridge I'm here to talk about the local options and local control with representing thirty percent of the population of an entire county in the burden of being. S. together thirty eight percent of the registered voters in the county signet tour. Makes it almost impossible for a small community will gather the signatories for the petition without seeking some sort outside help in not many places have the mega super box stores or other places that can offer that type of help a larger population municipal population might have better control but I'm here for all the small communities and I am proud to be a small community but it is about economics it's about local choice and all local options all I would appreciate your consideration in favor of this bill move it out of committee on to the house floor all by the way Walnut Ridge even with the thirty percent population manages to supply fifty to fifty five percent of the sales tax breaks for the entire county. Thank you Mr that thank you members or any questions. I see no questions thank you for testimony Mr snap. All right moved against the bill we have Mister Larry page. Mr Bayview would go when you get seated introduce yourself you may continue with your or starter testing like you. Okay all right my name's Larry page director of the Arkansas place and that this council Mr German members of the committee thank you for the time all try to be as brief as possible I will tell you that there's nothing broken that this bill needs to fix a your term. Some badly needed the the state is not entirely with yet there are some dry counties will what's wrong with that is there something wrong with people wanting to live in a dry county some people are living in which county is one Lasky and Jefferson some people like living in dry counties like former in cricket an inmate but really is the essence of local control local control in this issue needs to be kept at the county level it has been that way traditionally it is work that way best and we need to leave it alone but it broke don't fix it. The truth is there are people who value the quality of life in the dry counties but I like the pace of one we like the buildings that are specialized in that community and I would like to leave it is as it is and I don't see how alcohol sales are going to enhance their way of life and so I think we need to recognize that spect data on up to what would be so persistent in trying to change their way of life what is the problem with it make no mistake about it there's no huge appeal not to call a local election they're called quite frequently in in almost every case certainly rich in history the county has gone with the proponents of what should we sometimes don't want to do the work paper and and gather the resources necessary to do it but please believe me it is done they want to come in here and get relief from the what they consider their draconian rules that I have to me personally to same rules if you want to go from wet to dry as it is to go from dry to wet and so it's a level playing field at the county level. It's not easy to call a local election bear in mind is just as hard to go both ways it takes forever to do it it takes a lot of work. The I think people need to be willing to do that they will make the change why should be hard to call elections local elections or divisive or polarizing the contentious of Arsene calmer and more peaceful Baptist business meetings and local elections they are in need of contagious and that's what this legislature has stabilised before your cooling off period between elections for that very reason your support in order to call the election there should be a significant portion of the county's voters that wish to call the election that brings us to some specific objections the bill and I will finish after a number of the measures quickly as I can. The Amendment changes the number registered voter signatures on petitions to call election or perspective under the current law which there is we know it's thirty eight percent of registered voters in the county the initial draft of the bill call for only fifteen percent of registered voters in the amendment requires a number equal to thirty eight percent of the voters in the last governor's race now. That change probably is distinction without a difference I suppose is supposed to look after her Christian but all likelihood is not now The Amendment was eleventh hour meant we didn't know what was in it we have a crunch numbers but we feel confident in saying that the number has been even reduced more in order to call the election and that's probably not a good idea. There is a matter of a shitty going we're not going to direction on who thought that was a good idea listen like it or hate it the local option lection has served its purpose well in one of its bedrock fundamentals of that is on the county must be entirely without any alcohol sales to be permitted in that county hi in any political subdivision this bill allows cities in dry counties to hold elections and occur votes then I have read County is created a sense of county Sir because obtained second class status and in that way in this because the whole local option which will only to deal with these funds for you know three decades on challenges the system we got it right perfect but it works pretty darn good the last point only this is a very serious one is about the disenfranchisement of voters yes this bill has the potential to disenfranchise voters if I have a retail license in the wake county and in the subsequent election the county goes dry. Motions remains valid an operator or nothing changes business as usual the voters in the county have affected really been canceled and I guess that appropriate and cancel culture that we ran into the air NO one has been that's not good jurisdiction for such a voter has always resided with county voters and it should remain that way a. We just went through a nightmare of a federal election they wish for actress it was divisive and contentious and a principal we heard over and over again because every vote should count I agree but if H. B. one forty eight passes I'm not sure we can say with conviction. Any longer that every vote every vote counts because in this area that are set up for you it will not kill the the voters in the general shape would be Rick written off and ignored and neglected and that is just simply wrong. So as a close limited knowledge that. No one is completely satisfied with the local option law no one on either side. But I will tell you. They work pretty well and it will continue to work it will work up a call to resolve energy doing another funds go back right of making extreme radical changes workers doesn't often result in improvements are for rest I believe were wack right where we are to be not everybody's happy but it's worked it's worked for decades and it will continue to work I'll be glad to take any questions. Our members or any questions. We have no questions every testimony. All right we're going to speak for the bill I have no idea what this is the city of Crossett mayor. Marshall. You have to help me with either your name or your hand writing. Hi there sorry about that payment has never been my strong suit my name is crystal Marshall and I served the great city of Crossett Arkansas as mayor and I'm here just to tell you a little bit about the call that I received in my office first of all I can't tell you whether the city of Crossett believes that alcohol a is needed in their city or not what I can tell you is the calls that I get and my belief that I do think that the people of the people across that know best what they need in the city of Crossett I'm I received numerous calls from business owners pleading with me if there's anything that that I can do as they watched at the Facebook and down the streets and they watch the people drive south to spend their tax dollars in Louisiana on alcohol purchases they want to keep their business is thriving never more than in these challenging times of covert you we've got a beautiful hotel but we've got people who choose not to stay there because you know in with their business meetings they want to have a drink their drinks are being had the the costs are being incurred the benefit is just not reaching my citizens I'm again I just like for you to consider allowing the people across it to make this decision for themselves geographically you can drive closer you can drive just as close if not closer to go get a drink then to a place within our county that is also dry so I do I do respect the people who speak in opposition and I hear where they're coming from but I would just ask for you to allow the final decision for the for the people of Crossett this affects their everyday life thank you for the opportunity to speak. All right thank you members any questions see no questions thank you for your testimony thank you. We're moving to against the bill we have a Robbie bubble. Mr bill we're the and other members were running up a little bit of a time crunch here so if you could just be assisting as possible try to get everybody an opportunity to speak for against the bill Sir I'll be very quick. Read together just introduce yourself and you can begin yes my name's Robbie Vogel I'm a permittee for the wholesale side of things are companies do about twenty percent of the small business in the state of Arkansas from the middle tier the of the three tier system and. We also do business in Texas through our Texarkana operation in this is very similar to what Texas law is and as result in Texas there are thousands of elections. Every year based on the municipality level and as a result is very logistically cumbersome for many cities and. The people in the cities to. Have this local option every. Year Senate I understand a lot of people spoken for and against this I am reiterating from wholesale perspective that we are not in favor of this amendment but definitely understand the rationale of what comes to be so that's all I have to say help answer any questions if there are any. I will take that is no. Our members any questions sing none thank you for your testimony thank you. All right speaking for the bill we have a Catherine cook. Yeah I get that right. By. There you go thank you all so much for allowing us to be here today you see a group of us have come up on them several of you and you get home safe you could introduce yourself because we are and then we can begin yes Sir I'm Catherine cook I'm from the city of hope and I've been an hope now for many years and the we recently just finished up a strategic planning process for our community in which one of the goals as noted by our citizens was to go dropped to go wet from being drive for so long. And so it is something that we started looking into in one of the things that we found out is again yes the majority of the elections are positive if you're able to have an election I believe nine out of the last ten elections have had a county go where. But I would also tell you that visiting with our of. County level officials who've done that recently those elections cost between a hundred a hundred and fifty thousand dollars it may be we've been told this morning can be done completely with the volunteer staff but the reality is most of the time it takes paid canvassers. So right now. For him to the county to think about going away at. They would have to come up probably with a six figure sum to do that. The reality there is we're in a business where if you've got money you can probably get this past if you just want people to have a chance to get a vote. That's very hard right now so we've been looking at it for about five years and without the support of a large someone with a large pocket but it's just very difficult so we know that you all are in the business of our. Looking at legislation about this and we appreciate the fact that maybe it does it is time to look at a little bit more thank you thank you members any questions aren't saying that thank you very testimony we have no one else signed up to speak against the bill will continue with those that would like to speak for the bill we have Mister John Baca thank you from. You mean. These these documents he's done I could hear you concerning the subject that everybody said everybody would say all right what about the the number Blake gory for you but Gary I signed up for on behalf municipally and and and I'm asking to convert any questions because he's done a lot more that specific research on this I'm John Wilkerson general counsel the municipal league and I can tell you this is an issue for us for many many years and we've been focused obviously on local control that's our main goal is to ensure that local control is protected in exist and this is one of those issues that is very important to us to have the that local control that mayor Marshall Crossett said to give the member of the citizens across of the option to go with it if they'd like to and so we appreciate a frat resent Cavenaugh coming to us with this bill we fully support of course and as you heard from all the mayors of something that's very important for our membership again this is not about liquor this is not local control and I still that represent Cavenaugh but it is this is about giving the option for the citizens to go wet or dry and if there is a moral objection and the city to go dry against against going without make a vote to go drop and we support the citizens decision to do this I'm we study this we've we've talked to all sides that are better part of this and we've come to this would to support represent Kavanaugh's bill is amended to try to deal with many of those issues as we can and try to try to push this forward this idea of local control in these elections with trying not to rock the boat too much and doing as much as we can't compromise on this particular issue so we really appreciate represented Cavenaugh and your your consideration of this of this legislation so thank you. All right in the in one add to that yes Sir thank you Mister chair but Gareth Arkansas municipal league and just sit back there listening they're just a two or three quick points one to make out as many are familiar with article five section one Arkansas constitution grants or reserves the powers of the initiative and referendum to the cities and counties in Arkansas that petition threshold to have a referendum is set at fifteen percent of those who voted in the last me oral election last year election and so this isn't a novel and just to further off that the alcohol or the alcohol laws actually give us some control in the cities for example total three chapter nine section two oh six allows a city to actually referred to the voters adoption of resolution or upon petition signed by fifteen percent of those who cast ballots in the curatorial race the ability to grant permits to restaurants and not nonprofits for on premise consumption so that an ability we already have at that fifty percent threshold on top of that three three to ten. Allows us to have a referendum for the sale of alcohol on Sundays and it's at that same petition personal the city council can't for it but instead of that fifty percent Senate those who cast ballots in the last general election. So going. Or skis me so right so cities already have that power and we have seen with this excellent county is a good example of that the registered voters and those who cast ballots can be pretty significant I think it's when county in twenty twelve the number of signatures it would required under normal referendum law would just spend five thousand however under the current statute or structure the law it took twenty five thousand to get on there get on the ballot and finally there's this. The statement made that city should have the right to override vote the county they can already do that that is another power granted to cities currently right now if a county goes well at a city on their own accord can have an election to go drive that's how the law stands right now it's also at that thirty percent of registered voters so not only does this bill may get a little bit easier for cities of the county does go it to go drop but all this bill does is do the inverse of what's already lacked. John I think that is thank you we have all right thank you the members any questions. Single questions thank you for your testimony we have one more signed up to speak up for the bill Mr Seth Smith. You make your way down. Mister twenty would introduce yourself you can begin with your testimony just keep in mind time is getting short. Assessment and I represent the city of man as their mayor tourism plays a major economic role in Maine after constantly asking where to buy alcohol we always had sent in Oklahoma it's eighteen miles to the Oklahoma land we're sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to Oklahoma specifically the curtain will floor County. Senator cross the state line their borders all three collecting our tax revenue. Current legislation requires thirty eight percent of registered voters to sign a petition to get local option on the ballot I'm here to get thirty signatures to run for mayor to run the whole town so some of the think about. Twenty eighteen less than fifty percent of the registered voter turnout showed up to the election and cast a ballot I think thirty eight percent as I had extremely high number. This is giving local control to municipalities and counties the petition here has been infected the petition may have been in effect could citizens that would vote for probably will not sign their names on a petition as a public information there entities in town there's a they will make petitions public to discourage people from sending them. On the last election in twenty fourteen the state wide initiative for alcohol on the ballot it did pass and poke and hope County so my people want but are threshold is so high we're asking for it to be lowered. This five restaurants in the city limits the currently serving alcohol on with one microbrewery three entity serving in the county in addition to queen Wilhelmina state park on ridge mount St parking concerning alcohol. I have all this but I'm able to purchase alcohol and take it home to consent we have consume on premises and drive home after being taxed on it twice establishments serving alcohol pay taxes when they purchase a a hole in his text again to sell in their stores. That's all I have an thank you for your time your consideration to vote yes to press for thank you Mister Smith members any questions you are saying thank you. Okay. All right there is no one else signed up to speak for against the bill so Representative Cavenaugh membership any questions represented Cavenaugh at this point. All right saying unrepresented Cavenaugh Jett clothes for your bill. Thank you Mr chair first I want to thank you for allowing us to present this bill I do want to cover some of the stuff that was brought out they brought out about the area about the grandfather clause that if I area that was where it went dry that the licensee that had it could keep their license what they fail to tell you was that licenses not sellable it is not transferable and when that person goes that license does the reason that was put in there as we didn't think it was right that someone who invested their money in their livelihood and their business could in one day and lose it all so this deal gave them the option to be in business. The other thing we have is as of brought out by the Municipal League we already allow them to vote. On whether or not we do liquor by the drink we just don't allow them to vote if we can vote wet or dry that we're trying to get consistent our laws aren't consistent this law was written in nineteen forty two. And it does need to change with the times. We hear a lot about the threshold of what it takes to get it on the ballot just want to bring out that the states around this this is what they date Kentucky allows it for the state each about what twenty five percent the general election South Dakota vote fifteen percent the general election Tennessee is ten percent of those who voted for governor Texas is thirty five of the general election and Mississippi is twenty percent. That voted. Again I will say this is all about who voted in the elections not registered voters registered voters is eighty five already hit. And I do think it tries to silence the voice of the local communities I would ask that you would think about the local communities that are wanting to keep local control at their level. To allow them to make the decision what is best for their community whether it is wet or dry and I would appreciate a good vote thank you. All right thank you Representative Cavenaugh all right what are the wishes of the committee. Represent a great recognized. Thank you Mr chairman motion do pass as amended. Are we have a motion do pass as amended all those in favor signify by saying aye. Those opposed. Right the nose haven't the bills failed. Thank you represented Cavenaugh. All right we're gonna move along pretty quickly here if we can get I guess Representative Lundstrum. We've got about seven minutes. We're going over here Senate bill seventy six. Thank you colleagues on make this faster than seven minutes first of all this bill is to establish luncheon hold on just one second there's members there's a fiscal impact and announces the statement being sent out to you will take a look at that represented loss from the head yes. This is just abolition and scourging trying permit for alcohol so when folks are going on their dinner trying to the beautiful Ozarks they can enjoy a glass of wine there is a permit cost to the train. That set by replied every year and they would be under alcohol control board thank you. Thank members are there any questions on Senate bill seventy six. Okay Representative Dali you're recognized but it represented Lundstrum isn't this what's been going on during the emergency orders at not a party merging sea powers no it's not and I wasn't sure if it was part of it or not. I have a motion. The. You can be good represented all the okay members any other questions represent a bunch from. Axing other questions we don't see anyone signed up to speak for or against the bill represent a bunch of your clothes for you I'm class thank you call all right member she's closed her bill what are the wishes of the committee representatives like there pass with a motion do pass by reference Representative slate all those in favor signify by saying aye those opposed say no. The I. seven congradulations bills passed thank you colleagues members were skipping over Senate bill thirty two there's still some work to be done on that one no other official business except for if you would join with me in wishing Representative the end of all and our parliamentarian Buddy Johnson Happy Birthday. We are.