State Agencies & Govt'l Affairs-Senate
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Transcript
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Bills discussed (46)
| Bill | Title | Sponsor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
HB1604
Act 943
· 8 mentions in transcript, agenda, chapter
Matched: “…right, well, Billy, y'all running 1352 or 1604. All right. House Bill 1604 members. Y'all introduce yourself, and”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PROHIBITED CONTRACTS BY STATE AGENCIES; AND TO PROHIBIT THE USE … | McAlindon | Notification that HB1604 is now Act 943 |
|
HB1352
Act 937
· 6 mentions in chapter, transcript, agenda
Matched: “HB1352 Beaty Jr. TO AMEND VARIOUS LAWS CONCERNING ACTIONS RELATED…”
|
TO AMEND VARIOUS LAWS CONCERNING ACTIONS RELATED TO CERTAIN FOREIGN ENTITIES. | Beaty Jr. | Notification that HB1352 is now Act 937 |
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SB468
· 5 mentions in agenda, chapter, transcript
Matched: “…TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. SB468 C. Penzo TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING FLUORIDATION OF A PUBL…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING FLUORIDATION OF A PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM; AND TO ALLOWS VOTERS … | C. Penzo | Died on Senate Calendar at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1694
Act 996
· 3 mentions in transcript, chapter, agenda
Matched: “…unning representative again? This is with the amendment for House Bill 1694. Okay. House Bill 1694 has got the amendment. I'll let staf…”
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TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ALTERNATIVES TO ELECTRONIC FILING FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS. | Hawk | Notification that HB1694 is now Act 996 |
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HB1243
Act 994
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…TEERS. SB538 Gilmore TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS PROCUREMENT LAW. HB1243 Underwood TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY REGARDING CAMPAIGN CONTR…”
|
TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY REGARDING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES; TO AMEND CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTING AND PROTECT … | Underwood | Notification that HB1243 is now Act 994 |
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HB1524
Act 939
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…S; AND TO ALLOW A CURE PERIOD FOR INSUFFICIENT SUBMISSIONS. HB1524 Wooldridge TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE BIDDING PROCEDUR…”
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TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE BIDDING PROCEDURE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES. | Wooldridge | Notification that HB1524 is now Act 939 |
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HB1706
Act 829
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…estrictions designating areas as 'Members and Staff Only'. HB1706 McCollum TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ELECTIONS; AND TO PROH…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ELECTIONS; AND TO PROHIBIT RANKED CHOICE VOTING. | McCollum | Notification that HB1706 is now Act 829 |
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HB1707
Act 524
· 2 mentions in transcript
Matched: “…ught to me by the Secretary of State's office, and now that House Bill 1707 has passed, what we're trying to do is get everybody to fil…”
|
TO REQUIRE CERTAIN CANDIDATES TO FILE REPORTS WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE; TO AMEND PORTIONS … | Hawk | Notification that HB1707 is now Act 524 |
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HB1714
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…RNATIVES TO ELECTRONIC FILING FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS. HB1714 Rose TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF PAID CANVASSER. HB1604 McAl…”
|
TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF PAID CANVASSER. | Rose | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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HB1739
Act 814
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…1967; AND TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS. HB1739 M. Brown TO ADOPT THE UNIFORM ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIALS AC…”
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TO ADOPT THE UNIFORM ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIALS ACT. | M. Brown | Notification that HB1739 is now Act 814 |
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HB1774
Act 562
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…NTEGRITY; AND TO AMEND PORTIONS OF INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1996. HB1774 Beaty Jr. TO AMEND THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE ARKANSAS FAIR HOUS…”
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TO AMEND THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE ARKANSAS FAIR HOUSING COMMISSION. | Beaty Jr. | Notification that HB1774 is now Act 562 |
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HB1797
Act 944
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1797 Beaty Jr. TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS DEVELOPM…”
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TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS DEVELOPMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. | Beaty Jr. | Notification that HB1797 is now Act 944 |
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HB1873
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “HB1873 B. McKenzie CONCERNING NOTIFICATION TO PERSONS ELECTED TO S…”
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CONCERNING NOTIFICATION TO PERSONS ELECTED TO SERVE AS A MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF … | B. McKenzie | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1886
Act 823
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…THE LIMITATION ON SERVICE UNDER THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION. HB1886 Pearce TO DESIGNATE THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER AS THE OFFICIAL…”
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TO DESIGNATE THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER AS THE OFFICIAL CANINE OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. | Pearce | Notification that HB1886 is now Act 823 |
|
SB141
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…EN INTERIM COMMITTEES MAY MEET DURING A LEGISLATIVE RECESS. SB141 B. King TO ELIMINATE FUNDING TO THE ARKANSAS CENTER FOR HEA…”
|
TO ELIMINATE FUNDING TO THE ARKANSAS CENTER FOR HEALTH IMPROVEMENT. | B. King | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB212
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…OM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967 CONCERNING PERSONNEL RECORDS. SB212 K. Hammer TO CREATE THE DOCUMENT VALIDITY DIVISION; AND TO…”
|
TO CREATE THE DOCUMENT VALIDITY DIVISION; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. | K. Hammer | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB247
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…NATE FUNDING TO THE ARKANSAS CENTER FOR HEALTH IMPROVEMENT. SB247 C. Tucker TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ABSENTEE VOTER INTEGRITY A…”
|
TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ABSENTEE VOTER INTEGRITY ACT OF 2025; TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING … | C. Tucker | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SB248
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…ND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. SB248 C. Tucker TO AMEND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967;…”
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TO AMEND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967; AND TO AMEND THE PROVISIONS OF … | C. Tucker | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB395
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…E ENFORCEMENT LICENSING BOARD; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. SB395 Hickey TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING STATEMENTS OF FINAN…”
|
TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL INTEREST; AND AMENDING A PORTION OF ARKANSAS … | Hickey | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SB398
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB398 C. Tucker TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING INITIATIVE PETIT…”
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TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING INITIATIVE PETITIONS AND REFERENDUM PETITIONS; AND TO ALLOW A CURE … | C. Tucker | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SB4
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB4 C. Penzo TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS;…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS; AND TO ALLOW VOTERS TO ELECT "FOR" … | C. Penzo | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB434
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB434 J. Dotson TO CREATE THE "PROTECT OUR CONSTITUTION ACT"; TO…”
|
TO CREATE THE "PROTECT OUR CONSTITUTION ACT"; TO AMEND A PORTION OF THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION … | J. Dotson | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB44
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…LLOW VOTERS TO ELECT "FOR" OR "AGAINST" WATER FLUORIDATION. SB44 Hester TO CLARIFY THE LAW CONCERNING WHEN INTERIM COMMITTEE…”
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TO CLARIFY THE LAW CONCERNING WHEN INTERIM COMMITTEES MAY MEET DURING A LEGISLATIVE RECESS. | Hester | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SB453
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB453 B. King TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRIC…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. | B. King | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB476
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB476 J. Scott TO ALLOW LEAVE FOR ORGAN DONATION FOR CERTAIN STAT…”
|
TO ALLOW LEAVE FOR ORGAN DONATION FOR CERTAIN STATE EMPLOYEES; AND TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST … | J. Scott | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB493
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB493 J. Bryant TO TRANSFER AND CONSOLIDATE THE DUTIES OF TRADE-R…”
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TO TRANSFER AND CONSOLIDATE THE DUTIES OF TRADE-RELATED BOARDS TO THE CODE ENFORCEMENT LICENSING BOARD; … | J. Bryant | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB517
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…STATE AGENCIES TO PURCHASE PROMOTIONAL ITEMS MADE IN CHINA. SB517 J. Scott TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS;…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS; AND TO ALLOW A COUNTY BOARD OF … | J. Scott | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB538
Act 782
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB538 Gilmore TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS PROCUREMENT LAW.”
|
TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS PROCUREMENT LAW. | Gilmore | Notification that SB538 is now Act 782 |
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SB569
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…END THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE ARKANSAS FAIR HOUSING COMMISSION. SB569 M. Johnson AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION CONCER…”
|
AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION CONCERNING BALLOT TITLES OF PROPOSED MEASURES; AND AMENDING THE … | M. Johnson | Died on House Calendar at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB579
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…E AUTHORITY OF ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 5, SECTION 1. SB579 M. McKee TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EM…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES; AND TO PROHIBIT A PUBLIC EMPLOYER … | M. McKee | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SB608
Act 991
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…RETRIEVER AS THE OFFICIAL CANINE OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS. SB608 M. Johnson TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING RUNOFF ELECTIONS FOR…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING RUNOFF ELECTIONS FOR COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL OFFICERS. | M. Johnson | Notification that SB608 is now Act 991 |
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SB614
Act 992
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SB614 C. Tucker TO AMEND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967;…”
|
TO AMEND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967; AND TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING … | C. Tucker | Notification that SB614 is now Act 992 |
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SB617
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “AGENDA (Revised 4/3/2025 @ 2:15 PM) Added SB617 Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs…”
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TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE CAPITOL ZONING DISTRICT; AND TO AMEND THE ZONING AUTHORITY … | M. Johnson | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SJR11
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SJR11 J. Payton A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO AMEND ARKANSAS CONS…”
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A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO AMEND ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 2, § 5, TO PROTECT THE RIGHT … | J. Payton | Approved by the Governor. |
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SJR12
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…ARTICLE 2, § 5, TO PROTECT THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. SJR12 C. Tucker AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION REQUIRI…”
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AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION REQUIRING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO ESTABLISH BY LAW A … | C. Tucker | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SJR13
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…AL ASSEMBLY TO ESTABLISH BY LAW A REVISED ELECTION PROCESS. SJR13 J. Dotson A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ALLOW A CANDIDATE F…”
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A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ALLOW A CANDIDATE FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, … | J. Dotson | Died on Senate Calendar at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SJR14
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…ION OR INDEPENDENT STATUS WHEN RUNNING FOR JUDICIAL OFFICE. SJR14 J. Dotson A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING THE DETERMI…”
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A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING THE DETERMINATION OF THE TRUE VALUE IN MONEY OF REAL PROPERTY … | J. Dotson | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SJR15
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…UE VALUE IN MONEY OF REAL PROPERTY FOR ASSESSMENT PURPOSES. SJR15 J. Dismang A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING ECONOMIC D…”
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A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS; AND AUTHORIZING THE GENERAL … | J. Dismang | Approved by the Governor. |
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SJR17
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…ENT DISTRICTS TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Page 2 of 3 SJR17 J. Dotson AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION TO CREA…”
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AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS TAXPAYER BILL OF RIGHTS. | J. Dotson | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SJR18
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…ONSTITUTION TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS TAXPAYER BILL OF RIGHTS. SJR18 J. Payton THE CITIZENS ONLY VOTING AMENDMENT. SJR22 G. Ledi…”
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THE CITIZENS ONLY VOTING AMENDMENT. | J. Payton | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SJR2
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…MMISSION. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS Number Sponsor Subtitle SJR2 B. King A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS A…”
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A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS APPORTIONMENT COMMISSION TO APPORTION DISTRICTS FOR THE HOUSE … | B. King | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SJR22
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…RIGHTS. SJR18 J. Payton THE CITIZENS ONLY VOTING AMENDMENT. SJR22 G. Leding A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING THE QUALIFI…”
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A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING THE QUALIFICATIONS TO VOTE IN AN ELECTION. | G. Leding | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SJR24
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…DMENT CONCERNING THE QUALIFICATIONS TO VOTE IN AN ELECTION. SJR24 M. Johnson AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION CONCER…”
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AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION CONCERNING INITIATIVES, REFERENDA, AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS REFERRED TO VOTERS. | M. Johnson | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SJR3
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “SJR3 B. King A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING THE MEMBERSHI…”
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A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION. | B. King | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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SJR6
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…CONCERNING THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION. SJR6 B. King A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN…”
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A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND … | B. King | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SJR9
· 2 mentions in agenda, chapter
Matched: “…GRAMS AND ASSISTANCE FOR POST-RELEASE SUPERVISION SERVICES. SJR9 B. King A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PERMITTING THE STATE OF…”
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A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PERMITTING THE STATE OF ARKANSAS TO BE SUED AS A DEFENDANT IN … | B. King | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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So I got a uh motion from Senator Senator Dodson, second from Senator Payton. All in favor say aye, opposed? All right, votes been expunged, then we need to Carly, what's the next motion by So I got a uh motion from Senator Senator Dodson, second from Senator Payton. All in favor say aye,
Speaker 3
0:25
opposed? All right, votes been expunged, then we need to Carly, what's the next
motion the verbal amendment passed. I need to expunge the vote by which the verbal amendment passed. Let'swear I can't leave here for 2 minutes. Got a motion for Senator Dodson. 2 from Sarah Clarke, all in
favor, say I opposed? All right, vote has been expunged now we've got a new amendment here. I'll let staff hand that out. Members take a look. Senator Penzo, you want to briefly explain the, uh, it's pretty self-explanatory. The county clerk substitute circuit clerk. 468 senator.
Speaker 14
1:17
All right, we'll take a motion to adopt the proper
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
1:27
time. Question, sir Dotson. Thank you, Mr. Chair, just for clarity, this amendment um Only replaces page 1
line 33, that is correct because it needs to, it is supposed to be county clerk on the other because it has to do Yeah, well, no, I think we did the wrong one the first time, yeah.
So page 2 line 20 needs to be county clerk. And then page 33 is circuit clerk. That's great. OK. The, the, the circuit clerks when they were here, stated that's how it should be right. I'm make a motion to adopt at the proper time. OK, now
it's part time. I've got a motion to adopt, seconded by Senator Payton, all in favor.
Say aye opposed. All right, it's been adopted. All right, now. Senator, you are recognized to present Senate Bill 468 as
Senator Clint Penzo
Unverified
2:22
amended, OK, as for a good vote, and I'm closed for my
bill. All right, Senators closed. So. I got a motion do pass as amended. A second from Senator
Chair
Unverified
2:37
Payton, in a discussion on the motion, not hearing any, all in favor say aye.
Speaker 32
2:43
I opposed. Congratulations, Senator, as amended. All right, I did
Speaker 33
2:48
have a discussion I just Senator Johnson, Representative
Speaker 34
2:53
McClendon, y'all want to come? I thought we were supposed to be the
hell. All right, well, Billy, y'all running 1352 or 1604. All right. House Bill 1604 members. Y'all introduce yourself, and
you'll be recognized to proceed with your bill, Senator Blake Johnson,
Representative Rick McClure
Unverified
3:19
District 21. Representative Mindy McAlina District 10.
All right, y'all go ahead. I'm going to defer to Representative Macinon. Is that OK? All
Representative Mindy McAlindon
Unverified
3:46
right, you're making sure. All right, this is House Bill 1604. It is straightforward common sense measure that prohibit state agencies from buying promotional items that are made in China.
This bill aligns perfectly with a strong stance that Governor Sanders has taken against the Chinese Communist Party. We've already enacted policies to prevent Chinese government linked companies from buying our farmland. We've also had prohibited state agencies from purchasing drones made in China. So now it's time to take the next step and make sure that our public dollars are not funding a regime. that opposes our values. Let me be clear, this bill is not anti-free market. As a strong conservative, I believe in the power of the free market. Competition drives innovation. It strengthens businesses, and
it can lift communities. Private citizens and businesses will still be free to purchase products from wherever they choose. This bill does not infringe on anyone's rights. However, when it comes to taxpayer dollars, we have a responsibility to protect Arkansas and Arkansans. Public funds should serve our interests, not those of a foreign adversary. The Chinese media called America, a paper tiger, a nation that is rotting from within. Every dollar that we send to China strengthens their future, not ours. And I don't believe that that's a wise use of Arkansas taxpayer money.
Um, from a financial impact, this bill does not have a financial impact because it does not increase costs. The financial impact report came back unknown. We know there are many countries, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mexico, uh, that produce promotional items that comparable prices. So state agencies should be able to purchase these items through those companies. Um, so House Bill 1604 is very simple. State agencies should not use public funds to buy promotional items made in China. Our dollars should be spent wisely strengthening our state and our
country and not funding those who stand against us. And with that, I'll take any questions. All
right, Ms, you've heard an explanation of the bill. Any questions from the committee? Uh, Sarah Clark or Senator Tucker, that that. So I just
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
5:41
want, I just want to make sure I understand these promotional items, they're not promoting China. They're they're like, for example, just pick
uh parks and tourism. The bumper stickers would be promoting. Parks and tourism just made in China. No promotional items can be purchased from Chinese
Representative Mindy McAlindon
Unverified
5:58
companies. So hats, pins, t-shirts that you give away, all those not uniforms, those are not included in this bill. OK, so why the distinction? Um, just in terms of the scope of the bill and what we thought we would be able to accomplish in the right amount of time was this and also a lot of times the um like at our dot they may buy their own uniform or their own shirt, and so we
Speaker 64
6:18
didn't want to put that burden on the employees. OK. All right,
Speaker 65
6:21
thank you very much. Thank you, Senator. Are there any other questions from the
committee, Senator Sullivan. So if a private vendor buys them. And then
Senator Dan Sullivan
Unverified
6:33
sells them to the state agencies if that's OK. No, the vendor is so if the state
Speaker 45
6:39
agency is using public dollars, then it shouldn't come
Representative Mindy McAlindon
Unverified
6:42
from China, even if so whether they buy it themselves from a Chinese company or through a vendor. Yes, OK. All right. Any other questions? All right,
let's see any other questions. Anybody sign up to
speak for or against, don't see anybody representative you're working that's close to your bill. I would just ask
Chair
Unverified
7:04
for a good vote and I'm closed for my bill. All
right, Representatives closed. What's the will of the committee? I got a motion to pass Senator O'Sullivan. Second center
Hammer in discussion on the motion saying none. All in favor say aye. Boast congratulations, your bill passes. Thank you so much. All right, Senator
Representative Rick McClure
Unverified
7:22
John, stay there. You got another bill, don't you? Do you think, do you think I could
get her to come to the well with me. Probably not. Are you going to
do 1352. It's a Representative Beatty. OK, come
Speaker 76
7:35
on down. Representative Beatty, come on down. I didn't know y'all were meeting, so I
Representative Rick McClure
Unverified
7:41
saw y'all on the camera whenever I was coming down and uh I understand and I was going to be stuck in traffic anyway, so you too. OK. All right. I'll take a motion to adopt the amendment. We all get
Speaker 81
8:02
it pretty simple. Representative motion to
Chair
Unverified
8:06
adopt by Senator Sullivan. noticed these second by me all in
favor say aye, opposed. All right, have been adopted. You're recognized to proceed with House Bill 1352 as amended, introduce yourselves and proceed with your testimony, Senator Blake Johnson, District
Representative Rick McClure
Unverified
8:23
21, Senate. State Representative Howard Bailey
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
8:27
District 95. All right, Representative Beatty, kick it off. OK
Members of the committee, Mr. Chair, here to present House Bill 1352, uh, which is basically um combating the hostile foreign influence of China in in Arkansas. Right now, the states are facing increasing pressure from foreign actors, some of which are acting on behalf of hostile foreign governments to enact policies to serve the interests of the government or seek to sow division among Americans. This bill takes a step to combat the influence of
China and other hostile adversaries, especially in the area of limiting the manipulation of our state institutions. Section one of the bill preventing Chinese Communist Party influence on higher education system. The FBI has reported that Chinese governments engaged in an ongoing pattern of stealing intellectual property from US universities and companies. Uh, engaged in spying on their students here and funding campus programs such as Confucius Institute's Chinese students and scholars association and similar
organizations designed to spread the Chinese Marxist philosophy on campuses. These are organizations also serve China's ongoing efforts to suppress dissent among students studying abroad. So section one of the bill, page one, line 21, page through page 2 of line 8 requires state support. institutions of higher education to ensure no such organizations are recognized by campus officials and that any such existing organizations be
disbanded. Failure to do so would result in withholding the state institution funding. The remainder of section one of page 2 address the investments in Chinese companies by higher, higher education institutions. Section 2 of the bill limiting Chinese and other hostile foreign influence on Arkansas municipal governments, while having a sister city agreement with municipality in a foreign land may seem like an innocent fun arrangement. Uh, this
section of the bill recognizes that such agreements when entered into with governments that are hostile to the United States. Uh, they can be used by that foreign government as cover for some of their human rights abuses and also as a way to gain a foothold with local public officials to advance their causes. We've had some examples of that in New York City with the um with the governor, I think Linda Sun, one of the staffs there, was accused by federal prosecutors of being, um, paid by the Chinese authorities to push their agenda
and interest over the state of New York. Section 3 of the bill to um Focus on divesting from Chinese companies deemed to be a threat to state security, continually despite warnings from the FBI and others as well as advisors to retirement system, majority of our US pensions continue to be invested in China and Hong Kong, um, moving through this bill. Um, each dollar invested in
China supports the the regime that actively oppresses and jails to sinners, um, and uh clamps down on free speech around the world. A number of our state pensions and others, uh, have divested from China. We need to, we need to move that forward. Section 3 of this bill, page 5 line 5 through 14 requires that public investment entities in public. Pension and investment funds at the state county municipal level other than those of
self-directed plans refrain from investing in Chinese companies and investment vehicles in China that are known to be controlled by the Chinese government. Each public entity must identify and report, uh, any existing investments as page 5, and divest from such holdings reasonably unless they constituted a minimis investment, and there's no harm to financial harm to the state. Um, And with that, I'll entertain any questions. All
Speaker 85
12:42
right, Mercy for an explanation. Any
questions for the committee, Senator Tucker, you're
Chair
Unverified
12:48
recognized your question. Thank you, Mr.
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
12:52
Chair. I'm just asking about section one. What is a Confucius Institute.
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
13:02
My basic understanding of Confucian Institute is a um I guess it's kind
of like a club or an organization on campus that provokes the ideologies
and, and uh the beliefs of of Confucius and, and the Chinese um Communist Party. OK, that's not
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
13:28
was defined in a previous act that had banned these, I think Senator Mark Johnson passed a bill maybe in 2021. Uh, that ban Confucius Institutes in the state, but this part of this bill was to go back in and withhold funding if they still have those, those institutes. So I, I think it's
pretty defined in previous statute. OK. That same subsection,
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
13:55
page 21 4. Chinese cultural Center in in your remarks, I, I think I heard you say, uh Chinese Student Association. Did I hear you say that? I'll go back and look exactly at what I had
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
14:10
in my notes. I don't, I don't think I had student association. I mentioned students in those opening
remarks that, that they use, um, some of those organizations, the Confucius Institute and Chinese students and scholar associations along the same lines to spread their, their philosophy on campuses. OK. I mean, I just Uh, my concern is, I
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
14:38
mean, if I hear about a Chinese student association. I think of Americans with Chinese heritage who You know, former student
association to be to be with each other, but they're not. Promoting I, I,
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
14:55
I think in response to your question, I, I think the focus of the bill is not Chinese Americans that are are trying to tie back to there. I think these are focused strictly on the organizations that are out promoting the policies of the communist Chinese Party. I know that's not the intent. I'm
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
15:13
just trying to make sure the language in the bill matches the intent, and if you're banning a Chinese
cultural center, I mean, to me that also again um a center is not the same thing as a propaganda machine. So, anyway, I'm, I'm just not sure that language. Is the best fit for for what you're trying to do. I was, I was reading from
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
15:42
my notes. I want to go back and and make certain that within the the language of the bill in section one, I mean, I think those are just some of the notes that I had placed in.
Um But I'm looking at it now when I, when I ran down, if you've got a copy of it, I'd, I'd be glad. I ran down. I just grabbed my notes and printed those off before I came down. Yeah, I, I, I, the, the Chinese Cultural Center, I don't, I don't think in, in the actual bill that it mentioned anything on student. Associations, those were just some of my notes.
All right. Thank you, Senator Tucker. Are there other questions to the committee? Senator Sullivan, you're recognized
Senator Dan Sullivan
Unverified
16:32
for our question. I'm just I'm blanking on the name. The UFA has a separate facility that's being funded by a foreign organization, foreign country. I
don't remember the name of it. Do y'all? I do not know if it's or not. Right now all the institutions
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
16:46
say they do not have these organizations on campus. OK, thank you. Alright. Thank you, Senator. Are there any questions?
Not seeing up for questions. We don't have anybody set up to speak for against this Representative Beatty, you
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
17:02
recognize to close for your bill. Members, I, I am. I appreciate y'all giving the opportunity. Basically this bill just um aims to regulate and restrict the actions and financial investments related to entities associated with the People's Republic of China and the state of Arkansas. With that, I'd appreciate a motion do pass and a good vote on the bill. Alright, members, what's the will of the committee a motion to pass as amended by
Senator Payton. Second by Senator Hammer in discussion, saying none, all in favor say aye, opposed. All
Speaker 107
17:34
right, congratulations. Your bill passes as amended. Thank you committee. Do
Speaker 110
17:43
have the uh. The housing Fair housing Can you
Speaker 111
17:48
Yeah 144. 17 Senator Peyton wants to look at that one for you. OK.
Speaker 13
18:00
We need to study that. Perfect. All right. All right. Representative
Speaker 117
18:23
Hawk. What are you going to be running representative again?
Chair
Unverified
18:26
This is the with the amendment for House Bill 16949 the amendment.
stuff pass that out. All right. Take a motion at
the proper time to if you want to explain the really quickly, Representative
Representative RJ Hawk
Unverified
19:01
RJ Hawk District 81, colleagues, I appreciate you allowing me to come back twice in one day. This is the amendment we talked about earlier this morning that allows for an emergency for a candidate to to be able to file via email, fax, or delivery to the Secretary of State's office, and it's it outlines it in the bill with the amendment. All right, members her
Chair
Unverified
19:20
explanation of the amendment. Take a motion.
Got a motion to adopt by Senator Dodson, seconded by Senator Hammer, all in favor say aye, opposed. All right, then it's been adopted.
Chair
Unverified
19:32
Senator or Representative Hawke, you recognize to
Representative RJ Hawk
Unverified
19:36
proceed as adopted, yeah, as we talked about today, senators, this was a bill that was brought to me by the Secretary of State's office, and now that House Bill 1707 has passed, what we're trying to do is get everybody to file online, uh, but after the conversation that we had in committee earlier this morning that sometimes there's cases where it's just not possible for some people and so uh with the amendment, we are now allowing for if there's an emergency that is addressed, like let's say a
candidate comes and says, my computer quit working. I had a baby or dog ate my homework, whatever it might be, uh, they can now email their contribution for their campaign. That report by email, fax, or they can actually come up with a paper copy to the Secretary of State's. office. One thing I failed to mention this morning, the Secretary of State's office has let me know that they're going to put kiosk in the Secretary of State's office. So if somebody does come up here, they will be able to upload those forms onto
that kiosk. They've got a facility here in Little Rock downstairs, and they also have one in Northwest Arkansas currently, so that's what the bill
does. All right, members, explanation, Senator Payton, you're already for a question. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So you just reminded me of something with the
other bill that passed. It's going, if it becomes law, it's going to cause all local candidates to file with the Secretary of State's office. Yes, sir. So they're going to be under the same. Requirement. Do we know how
many? Uh, Fowlers that's going to be and that the system is
can handle the volume. It can't handle the volume, according to the Secretary of State's office. The
Representative RJ Hawk
Unverified
21:14
last time we checked, it was going to be about between 60 and 6000 to 6500 new filers to the system. That was according to the Secretary of State's office. So this will
affect, so currently we have 135 House and Senate members. We have the 7 constitutional officers, I, I guess currently do we have like judges and things that they're
not. They don't file on this
Representative RJ Hawk
Unverified
21:36
because they do their own thing
with ethics from what I'm told and so yes, to your point, for for the state, we have our reps and senators. We've got the constitutional officers that file with the state currently. So we're going from less
than 200 to how many,000 to about 6500. Yes, sir.
Representative RJ Hawk
Unverified
21:55
OK. And that that bill passed today on the Senate floor 1707, um, and this was, that was a bill that was brought to us by
constituents essentially because they wanted to be able to see their, their local candidates, and so what that what
this would entail do, um, we're gonna make them file online as well, right? Um, but then this would be in place as well for them to,
if there's an emergency, they would be able to send an email. or bring a copy to the SOS. OK, thank you, Senator Hammer, a simple head nod. Secretary of State sit back
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
22:33
there. You guys able to handle what this bill is going to do, OK, with the
current system and what's coming with the improvements. OK, thank you. That's for those that didn't see that, OK. You are questions for the members
of the committee. All right, see you no further questions, don't have everybody sign
up to speak for against this. Representative, you'll recognize the close for your bill. I would appreciate a good vote and do pass. All right, Representatives close. What's the the committee? Got a motion to pass as amended by Senator Hammer. Second from Senator Sullivan. any discussion on the motion saying none, all in favor say
aye, opposed. Congratulations, Representative. Your bill passes. Thank you, Senators. All right, Senator Hammer, you will and
Ron. So here 1714. I All right, Senator, you're running House Bill 1714. Sometimes you Mr.
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
23:33
Chairman, this bill has been amended. It was engrossed, so what you're seeing in your packet is the bill as it was amended. I did it members own.
So when it came in, it'd come in clean, removed all the itemized list and it now simply states that receives anything of value. This, by the way, Kim Hammer, state senator District 16, sorry, presenting House Bill 1714. Thank you. Uh, receive anything of value before or after the signature on a local option election petition is solicited, so this is just bringing a uh definition of what is a paid chemistry.
All right, members, you've heard an explanation of the bill. Are there questions from the committee? Uh, Sarah Tuckner, you're working for a
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
24:22
question. So I hadn't seen this amendment. I'm just trying to.
catch up here. But my recollection is, you know, there was a list of 8 things before. And could you say, I couldn't he hear the echo. My recollection is that there was a list of 8 items. It was, it was a list like that includes without limitation or whatever, and then there were 8 things that were listed.
And Senator Dodson made the point that 44 of them or so, he was good with and 4 of them or so he was not good with and Um, so again, I'm just trying to understand, but the uh I guess my impression was that maybe we were going to remove the 4 things that we didn't like from the bill and keep the other four, but the way this amendment reads, It's still including. Everything that was listed before just without listing them. So
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
25:17
I think the issue that was brought up and the reason we removed everything is if you're going to remove 4, just remove them all and have it just be a clean definition as defined in the amended bill. Uh, uh, OK. Fair enough,
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
25:30
but I, I still think this presents the same problems that we had before because Um I mean, I think it's still the problem as we talked about before, is Uh, what if you get a bottle of water or what if you get reimbursed for your gas?
Uh, you know, for driving somewhere to solicit the signatures. And those are That would qualify as anything of value, so Well I'm reading this and I'm, I've been familiar with it
for about 90 seconds now is that it's, I still have the
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
26:06
same concerns that I did before. OK, and I think part of the discussion was this would help alleviate. What might be regarded as minor infections. The water, the situations that were brought up.
And you know, I just go back to the argument that if you start, and this was something that was pointed out after, you know, discussions if you start listing. How thorough do you make that list all the way down the line, or do you make it broad like this so that and we all know that if something's brought up, it's probably going to end up in litigation and this allows that broad interpretation in the event it ends up in litigation would a judge or someone interpret giving a bottled water
the same value as paying for somebody coming from out of state and paying for their motel and for their gas and all those kind of things. And I, and I understand this was Um, but I think this gets us To what at least it's intended to do.
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
27:10
OK. I, I guess it's just my, you
know, obviously you can write the bill as you deem fit, but to my thinking. Narrow was better. And anything of value still includes.
A bottle of water or a piece of pizza or the things that we were discussing before, um, and I think it would be better to exclude some of those things or or have a narrow definition for payments,
bonuses, you know, the other things that were listed in the stipends allowances, awards that were listed in the previous bill. So anyway, that's just, that's my thought. Thank you. Sure, thank you.
Speaker 149
27:44
Alright, Senator Dodson. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I don't
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
27:49
know, as I'm, as I read the bill, I'm not.
I don't necessarily Share the same concerns I had before on it. I think it's tremendously better, um. But I don't know that it really does anything, so what, what exactly does as I'm reading it, the only thing it really does is inserts exchange for or as a reward. Those words are added to it. Um, is still Saying anything of value. So is
there How is that, I mean, it's kind of maintaining the status quo is why I'm reading it and that. I may just be Reading it But it doesn't have a list of anything in there, so it's still very broad. It doesn't change anything of value, so I I appreciate you. Amending it and I'm supportive of it as as it
is now, but I don't know that it actually changes anything. I think what
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
28:55
it does is it creates the opportunity that if in the event Someone is being rewarded and some of this is going to be left up. I get it. Some of this is going to be left up to interpretation that is probably going to maybe come as a result of litigation, and there would have to a standard of interpretation. It may be rendered by the court that at least You could have some Rail guards that would give at
least some direction as to does a bottle of water rise to the same level as paying for motel room or reimbursement, of course we've done other things as far as like domicile, resident, but, but I think this at least brings it to the forefront where that can be determined, whereas before I think it left a little open ended.
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
29:48
I'm saying just As far as the status quo where before when it said food when it said travel, when it said all
those other things. It was incredibly restrictive and and I felt as if it would make any volunteer, a paid canvasser by definition. This Doesn't change that. I mean this, this changes that in that it's not that specific, um, but it doesn't change existing law we're on like page is this page one, page 1 line 24 where it says anything of value is just repeating anything of value later on, so I, I don't know that it changes.
The problem that that Senator Tucker kind of sees in there that it's still would potentially bottle of water or pizza party or something like that could be defined as some or seen as something of value or anything of value, but it's kind of opened up, it's vague open up to interpretation, so, um. I wouldn't necessarily see a bottle of water or a pizza party as anything of value. Or something in exchange or a
reward necessarily. Somebody else might, but I don't know that it rises to the level of, of someone filing a lawsuit probably for somebody getting pizza. Now if they're going out for steak every night. 30 nights putting up in a hotel, paying them, you know, those things would be more rewarding, I would say, and that might rise to a level where somebody actually starts to challenge it and and then get a definition by a court that's open to interpretation, and I
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
31:32
would go up to line 21 to 22 paid canvasser means a person who, and this is new language in exchange for or as a reward for listing or obtaining a signature on a petition, um. As far as like Is somebody giving him a bottle of water or somebody giving them a, you know, pizza or or or something and I'm just going to use the phrase low level for distinction purposes equivalent
to, hey, you come here and we are going to Pay for your motel room. We're going to pay for your gas. We're going to do all those things, I think the one thing this bill does is add a little bit of clarity for the purpose of what rises to
the level of reward versus what is human compassion. Yeah, well, I mean, I
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
32:23
I agree. I'm fine with the bill as it is now, like I, I just, I don't know that it necessarily changes.
A whole lot of what the existing law is to what it's going to be if this passes all the way through the process, but um. But I appreciate you. Amending it and taking out some of the other language that I did find problematic. OK. Right, Senator
Speaker 110
32:57
Clark, you reckon that's your question? Tucker, I thought we were taking out. Three things probably.
Senator Alan Clark
Unverified
33:05
And now it says receives anything of value before after signature and I don't think it's better. I disagree with. Central dotson because we're back to a t-shirt. We're back to pizza has value. A shirt has value a bottled water has value and receives anything of value. goes from vague to Um to absolutely You could be in trouble for
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
33:37
anything. Am I wrong? I tell you what I'd like to do, reading the room.
Don't want to waste the time. Appreciate that, but I think I can find a pathway forward based on conversation today instead of sitting here and drilling down, I think I've figured out a way to get forward, but it's not going to be during this meeting. Let me pull
down and I'll be back first next week. We will meet again. Thank you. All right. Senator Johnson, represent Beatty. I'm gonna
Speaker 117
34:34
right, I feel, what, what are y'all gonna run? Bill number. 7
Speaker 79
34:40
177574 members House Bill 1774. If you go
ahead and introduce yourself, Senator Blake Johnson, District 21. Representative Howard Beatty,
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
34:52
District 95. You are recognized present House Bill 1774. Mr. Chair, committee, it's House Bill 1774 is to me the membership of the Arkansas Fair Housing Commission, uh, currently the commission has um if you look at the bill starting on page one and extending down through, I think um the middle page 3, those are all the requirements of the board. They have a 13 currently they have a 13 member board of directors and
and basically what this bill would do is uh We would, it would change the composition of the board to a seven-member board with 4-year terms, uh, 5 members would be appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. 5 members would have to have knowledge in the fields of real estate, home building, mortgage lending, banking, or other, other related field. One member would be appointed by the pro tem of the Senate, and this member, one member who would have demonstrated active
involvement or interest in fair housing issues. And then there'd also be one member appointed by the Speaker of the House, who has demonstrated active involvement in or interest in housing, fair housing issues, justification for the changes, uh, that currently statutory requirements for appointments are so specific and you can see that in that language is struck out, that it's difficult to um to comply. It's also difficult to find candidates who are willing to serve and also meet the narrowly
defined requirements is burdensome for the appointing authorities and the citizens interested in serving or even anyone making recommendations. So broadening those requirements allows a much greater pool of candidates to fill these positions for appointment and will give more opportunity, more people opportunity to participate. It will result in a much more active and engaged board of directors, and with that, I'll entertain any questions. members, you've heard an explanation. Senator Tucker,
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
36:55
you're recognized for a question. You may have mentioned this. Do the current folks get grandfathered in?
What happens with the current folks? Are there I I
Speaker 172
37:05
what happens to the current members of the of the commission I read it, they all serve out their terms. So they're grandfathered in until
Speaker 173
37:12
the end of their terms and then then it updates correct. All right. Other other questions from
members of the committee? All right. See, no further questions? You don't have anybody son speak
for against this bill, Representative, you are what has a close your bill, Mr. Chairman, again, I appreciate
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
37:30
y'all's time this evening, uh, this afternoon. I'm closed for my bill. Alright, members, what's the will of the committee? We got a
motion due passed by Senator Tucker, seconded by Senator Dodson, in discussion on the motion, saying none all in favor say aye, opposed. Congratulations, your
Speaker 107
37:48
bill passes. Thank you again. Y'all have a good
evening. I've seen come oh you got one?
Uh. OK. 1797 members. Yeah, they, they want you to hang back. You're welcome. Yes, sir.
Speaker 9
38:27
All right, there is an amendment on this. We're gonna let staff get that out
Speaker 181
38:31
real quickly. Yeah, it's. I got one. All right, uh, Senator Tucker, you wanna?
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
38:59
Go through your amendment really quickly, just a brief explanation. Yes, Mr. Chair, and just for clarity for Senator Hammer was out of the room this morning. I had what I call the Gilmore agenda, and this is the final bill on the Gilmore agenda that we
didn't get to, um. Oh I, I'll discuss the amendment. I'd like to, I'd like to invite Mark Conan from ADFA to come up. Mark, come on up. We, since we have the house sponsor here in the room, please join us at the table, Mr. Representative Beatty. All the amendment does is there was a concern that there was some
language in the bill that would have meant an initiated act which raises the vote threshold, as you all know from simple majority to 2/3, and the amendment. clarifies that there's nothing in the bill that will amend an initiated act to take the voting threshold from 2/3 back
down to a simple majority. So that's the amendment I move to pass on the
Speaker 17
39:53
amendment to adopt the amendment, Senator Tucker, uh, second from Senator Sullivan, all in favor
say aye. I post, right, and it's been adopted. You were recognized to proceed with House Bill 17. 97 as amended. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
40:08
With that, I'm going to invite Mr. Conan to identify himself, and he's, he's, I can, I'm happy to take questions and whatnot, again, we have Representative Betty here as well, but Mr. Conan is the expert, and he will do an excellent job describing what the bill does. Mark Conan, president of Arkansas
Speaker 193
40:25
Development Finance Authority. Great. All right, Mark, go ahead.
Speaker 195
40:31
OK. Before you house Bill 1797, um. The, the gist of the bill is trying to provide ADFA with some flexibility. We do business in the private market on behalf of the state. We do not receive state tax dollars. We do not receive special revenue, general revenue, no penny of any kind, but we have a public mission and so we are essentially a bank or a finance company on behalf of the state. And so what we're
trying to do here is to provide ourselves with a little flexibility. to attract investment. We're trying to adapt to market demands and so a lot of the partnerships that we have are banks. They are developers, they are venture capitalists, they're people that play in the private market and so a lot of times there's some state constraints that keep us from partnering with some of them and meeting their timing of their market needs as you guys know a lot of times there are opportunities
present themselves out there in the market and they want us to partner with them, and we miss those opportunities because maybe it's procurement delays or budgeting delays or something to that effect and so 42 of the other 49 states are structured this way. We feel like the original intent was for us to kind of operate this way. It's a good model. Other states have been successful with it, and when we do well, when we grow, your constituents in Arkansas businesses do well, so we want
to do more. And so as we do more they benefit and so I kind of look at this as kind of being at the on a drag strip and you know we're ready to go and just need the green light and again when we do more, your constituents, they benefit, and that's kind of how it works, so I'll take any questions. membership for an explanation. Are any questions from members of the committee, Senator Payton,
you're recognized for a question. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And number one, I think I
Be greatly by having this amendment engrossed. Because I'm having a hard time. Flipping back and forth and figuring this out. I know I spoke to one of y'all out in the hall a day or two ago, and I promised I'd read it and study it. I didn't get a chance to do that. So this afternoon when I realized it might come up thanks to Senator Dodson. I tried real quickly to get a couple of Opinions from people that know more about it than I do. And their opinions being negative. caused me to definitely need to
read and study the bill, and the fact that it's not engrossed is complicating that. I do have a couple of questions though, so. On page 2, section 2. I mean, basically it's a real simple statement there. He says this chapter is intended. To aid the state by creating an independent instrumentality of the state. That term is reused again a couple of times. I've already seen below this. Do we have a definition or can you define for me what an independent
Speaker 195
43:37
instrumentality of the state is. That's a great question. Um, we spent a lot of time talking to other states on this as well, and you know, what we've come up with is essentially is the structure that we're presenting here that other states use, and I like to say it's kind of a dotted line on like I say a state or. versus a straight line, so it would be where creation of the General Assembly, and we have a public mission with public oversight, same board appointed
by the governor oversight doesn't change, but you just, you have increased flexibility over what I would call a traditional state agency, and that seems to be the structure that I see across the country and that we're presenting here. So when you say oversight doesn't change, can I add into that
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
44:26
the response on that. I think part of the issue is that ADFA is unique within the state government and The bills are really taking a shot at defining what
independent instrumentality means in terms of ADFA, and so that's, that's what the bill is really fleshing out, and there has to be some word for uh for ADFA other than agency because they're they're not an agency. There has to be another word, and that's, that's the word that was identified, but it wasn't identified by the drafter of this bill, Mr. Bli, just let me know that it's been in the code since 1985, so we do have Maybe not definition, but we have used the term. Yes sir,
since 1985. OK. So they're close to the bottom of page 2, line 32 and 33. You said the oversight really doesn't change. But the rules adopted by the authority are going to be exempt. From the administrative procedures Act is, are
Speaker 195
45:28
there already exempt? Well, there are, we have, so first volume cap, which is for private activity bonds that would continue to be under APA, the state low income housing tax credit would continue to be, and
what we're trying to address here is on a daily basis we set mortgage rate rates, and every day we violate the APA. And then when we're doing other things, when we have to change building standards because international building standards change or there's something out in the market. war with the federal guidelines. Now we package those up and send them over, but by the time they get over and go through the process, we've changed them 1012 more times, so what we're trying to do is say we'll follow the
APA where it makes sense and where we can apply, but there are other times when we're out there mixing up in the private market and we're not able to meet the definition of APA. We're not able to do that. And so we thought it would be best to pull back on that constraint. We do publish these things. We have manuals that we give our stakeholders. We publish them on our website and those types of things, but we're just not able to meet that standard. OK. And so I'm trying to find it again.
I know it's here on page 3, somewhere in the.
Line 9 to 17 range. I read it a minute ago, but so the employees that are gonna be still employees, are they no longer going to be under any uh pay plan that the are they currently under a state pay plan. Yes, they are. They would not
Speaker 200
46:59
be under this bill, so this would take them out of that. That's right. And one and one of the reasons for that is
Speaker 195
47:07
on a structure when we're doing loan processing, we're we're wanting
to hire anywhere from 40 to 60 people. These would be private. sector jobs and so they would move out of kind of a state class and comp and one of the things we're wanting to do is now when we're doing collections or we're doing loan servicing, we might pay someone say $60,000 a year, and they don't have a lot of incentive to go out there and collect and meet our goals and do different things. So one of the things we would like to do is maybe we pay them $50,000 and say you can make $75,000 if
you meet these particular goals or if you keep default at a certain rate or you keep, you know, and give some incentive, right, because we want to make sure that, you know, we're keeping our balance sheet, you know,
solid and so all those decisions and that authority would just rest. In
Speaker 204
47:59
your board. That's correct. That's correct. OK,
so close to the bottom of page 3 when it says to appoint an employee officers, agents, employees, prescribed duties. That's what you're talking about, so.
I guess an easier way to ask my questions. What oversight and what authority does the state maintain? Beyond this question. If so
Speaker 195
48:24
one would be the governor appointed board, OK? Number 2 was we didn't remove if you look through here, any reporting requirements, so a lot of the activity reports that we still file with the legislature, the governor's office. We filed quite a few. We didn't address those in here. We just, we left them in here and then I would say secondly we have the
Secretary of DFNA on our board, the state treasurer on our board and the Secretary of Commerce on our board. as well as with the other governor appointees, so it would come through that mechanism plus in the public finance sector that we kind of play in, especially for bond issuance, you know, we are under so much regulation, and I like to say they call it public finance for a reason because it's, it's in the public, you know. Well, in
one way it's been described to me is as a deregulated bank that you're not under as much regulation as other banks.
Speaker 195
49:22
probably under more. Um, we have so many federal guidelines and compliance requirements. It's a little overwhelming, to be honest, so there are a lot of not only the board, but there's a lot of checks and
Speaker 196
49:34
balances in the programs we administer the IRS. So one
last question. Um If this passes and we grant you autonomy to this, to whatever level of autonomy this is. What clawback would we have?
If we need if we found out this was
Speaker 195
49:54
a big mistake. And you know, 2027, you run a bill to reverse
it. OK, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, yeah,
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
50:01
we would have 100% clawback of whatever we want. The other thing I to me in discussing this with Mr. Conan and others is he mentioned this in his presentation, but Aford has not spent a single taxpayer dollar, not one, and they also have no regulatory authority over anyone. So they're not passing rules that people have to
live by and they're not spending people's tax dollars, so.
Speaker 195
50:26
That one quick comment, um, we don't do any regulation. We don't do any licensing. You have to make a conscious decision, business decision to come to us and do business with us. We don't have any authority over anyone unless they choose to partner with us. Thank you. Senator Sullivan, do you have a question. Yeah, a
Senator Dan Sullivan
Unverified
50:45
few years ago when we talked, I had a lot of problems with AA and I just heard you say that you'll get to choose what regulations you're under, what oversight regulations you're under, that
Speaker 211
50:56
bothers me. I'm sorry if that came across, I was,
Speaker 59
51:02
I did not mean that that's exactly what
Speaker 195
51:04
you said. No, no, no, no, no, the federal regulations of
Speaker 219
51:08
the housing programs that we run or the mortgage programs rerun of the public finance, we don't have any say over
Senator Dan Sullivan
Unverified
51:14
those. If I said that that was incorrect and Senator Payton was trying to get there, asking this question. I just want to hear it very clearly. So the legislature
Again, what oversight do we not have over you.
Speaker 205
51:28
Procurement And appropriation. Unless the funds like
Speaker 195
51:35
CARES Act money or American rescue Plan if those come to us because we have several of those programs that were appropriated thus, those still go through the legislature, and we have to get appropriation for those federal funds. Didn't the Fed just pull
Speaker 205
51:52
no, currently not. They pulled back a small piece of a technical assistance piece of
Senator Dan Sullivan
Unverified
51:59
about a couple million dollars. I'm OK with the bill. I'm just very concerned when uh that we've been fighting hard to have oversight over agencies that don't think they need
our oversight. If you task us with doing a federal
Speaker 195
52:12
program or there's some type of that's coming from the federal government like CARES or ARPA or something, we still have to get appropriation for it. OK. Thank you, Senator. Any other questions from the committee? Senator Dodson.
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
52:29
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So in this new amendment that we've just got on page 2 of 3, it says. That In that new section 6 and again section 7 that it's exempt from Section 194802. Of the code, um. On
that line number 2 there. So
cash fund appropriations, you're exempt from I guess walk me through how that what That's new into that'll be
inserted into this bill overall, but Why is that being inserted into it and I see Mr. Bleed is chomping at the bit. You, you would ask these questions. Uh, the original Mr. B, if you just want to go up here and grab a microphone real
fast, you said Senator Tucker's des if you want to. That'd
Speaker 229
53:41
There you go. The original bill dealt with exemptions to 19,480. To 194803 was the exemption
Speaker 231
53:48
just introduce yourself Jake Bleed with the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, and my apologies.
Speaker 229
53:52
That section had been also amended by the initiated act, so in the people who drafted the bill's opinion, that meant that we were amending the initiated act.
So we, we had to address the issue we're trying to address, but just in a different section. The way that I had originally addressed it was what's before you now, which is to say we are exempt from that section in particular. And so you're exempt from the Obligation
Speaker 233
54:23
to be to for our cash fund to be appropriated. So right now the cash funds
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
54:29
are appropriated. Yes. And right now the funds that you use are subject to the Arkansas
procurement law, 1911 201. Some of them are. Because I guess That seems to to grant you a lot more flexibility. what you currently have. And I'm, you're. Obviously not a state agency by definition. Or you won't be if I'm looking on page 5 of the bill, we're adding you in as not a state agency, but currently you are a
state agency. We're a cash fund by corporate, so obviously quasi-governmental entity that's created by the General Assembly currently with regulations and subject to that, but this would completely Make you free of the general assembly I disagree with that. And Well, free of some of the restrictions, I guess, as far as exempt from. Appropriation requirements so we wouldn't vote on anything
related to cash funds or Uh, Arkansas procurement law restrictions and things like that, but you would still have So you basically kind of become a private entity competing with banks. Let me, I can just so massive advantages on the on
Speaker 219
55:57
the on the procurement side. So currently if it's like a bond issue, like if we're issuing bonds because we do that
Speaker 195
56:04
a lot, you know, we don't follow procurement and the reason is because those who are paid for out of the bond
issuance by some other party, OK, so we don't use procurement a lot under the procurement laws, you know, and what, what happens is, is when a bank or some type Company or philanthropic organization or developer comes to us. It's usually they need to go now like it's a it's an opportunity they want to partner with us and they want us to help them to do something in the state. And so when we say, um, give us 4 or 5 months to go
through the procurement and score and all that, and it's usually we're not talking a lot of money usually, but um and they're like, we're
Speaker 207
56:48
out, you know, we don't have that time, you know, so when you're saying you issue bonds. Mhm. Is
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
56:56
that You go out and you take out a bond, and then you loan that money to for that particular project or you are, you have the, the cash in the bank, so to speak, and you're issuing a bond to the entity that you're loaning money to, so what we do
is we work in really quickly. I'm gonna join us in 15 minutes so we can wrap this bill up next week if we're not going to get there in 15 minutes, then, or there's not the votes here to pass this bill, and I do not want to chew up this time clock right here, so 15 minutes we're going wrap this thing up or we can pull it back and we can run it
Speaker 207
57:33
again next week. So yeah, so when we're issuing bonds, there's usually someone else out
Speaker 195
57:37
there that we are issuing for so it can be a private business like a hospital. We did Big River Steel and US Steel and high bar, it
can be a charter school, right? And so we're just the issuer and so they're out there issuing bonds. We issue them in the private market. We partner with Stevens and Cruz and, you know, Raymond James and all the, all the big boys, and they will get that money and then go build their project and we're just the issuer. For them is what we do, kind of the middle man, and we do that for on behalf of the state. I mean, If
Speaker 207
58:05
I don't want to chew up a whole lot of time, Mr. Chair, so I, I would just.
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
58:16
I would kind of suggest trying to get the bill, the amendment engrossed in the bill so we can see everything all together and. Maybe
coming back next week but that would be my suggestion. Thank you. OK, if we want to
engross with the expunge a vote on the amendment and take it to the member's own
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
58:36
calendar, so may I, may I as I said at the start of the presentation. The amendment does not change the bill substantively much at
all, if any, what it does is the concern was by the bill at BLR is that there were some code sections that were amended that had been part of an initiated act and, and that raises the voting threshold, as you know, from simple majority to 2/3, and they kind of move things around but substantively it's basically the same, correct? So that's what it is. The reason I bring it up is because just because right now it's too late to get this amendment on the his own calendar for Monday. And the only way we could have it engrossed by a committee on Tuesday as if it were on the members' own calendar on Monday, but the desk is closed.
We, it's too late to get it on the numbers on calendar for Monday.
So if we come back on Tuesday, At this point it's going to be the exact same as it is
Speaker 229
59:31
now. It's going to be an engrossed amendment. Can, can I also respond to a couple of comments you made earlier, Senator, as far as procurement goes, procurement is, is limited to public funds, and that's all defined in the code, OK, the funds we're talking about are not in treasury. They're not generated by taxes. They're not generated by any power of the state. They're generated through our
activities as a lending institution. So Procurement sometimes applies in that we have public funds from, say, the federal funds that Mark mentioned that are in Treasury that we get, there are definitely have to go through procurement, but then there's others like funds that are lent that we have access to or that run through ADFA but never come anywhere close to Treasury because they're in effect a private market transaction. They're using the IRS code that we have access to that the
General Assembly has given us access to to make that transaction. happen. And as far as advantages we might have with the private sector. The IRS gives us advantages in terms of borrowing. We can borrow at lower costs, and that's a huge advantage, but then they turn around and say that any money you borrow for that is very strictly limited to what we can use it for low income housing, student loans, certain types of industrial development like those steel mills in East Arkansas. We can't
go build a gas station. We can't go build a real estate development. If somebody wants to go build low income housing. They're free to do it. We would love to help them. We're not going to
Speaker 236
1:01:05
run them out of competition, believe me. Um, so, I'm representative
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
1:01:11
Beatty Howard Beatty District 95 just to respond to Senator Dodson's question and comment is that I think one of the key parts about ADFA is they're not in competition with the banks. I mean, I think they're more a
partnering organization with banks to to promote affordable housing, uh, low income housing development, student loans and things along those lines. They're not in the, in the sphere of competing against Arkansas banks. They are, they are partners with Arkansas banks and, and, and banks throughout the nation. So it's not a competitive competitive role that they have that they compete against Arkansas banks for for loans. Chambers support OK, hammer, I ask for a
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
1:01:54
question. Real quick, Jake, you said some while ago you thought that in response to, you know, us not giving up any authority in 30 seconds less. Why'd you say that? Why you don't think we're giving up authority? What's the control? We are
Speaker 227
1:02:08
a creature of state law, a creature of state law, so as was mentioned earlier, if something happens, if
Speaker 229
1:02:13
you get calls from your constituents saying, hey, I don't like what ADFA is doing. Um, we have to respond to that question on the other end that came up on floor debate was,
well, is this going to create another game and fish commission, and our response is absolutely not. We don't have a constitutional amendment that we're going to hide behind. We have to keep the Arkansas General Assembly happy and satisfied with what we're doing, and if we don't do that, we know what happens, so to my mind, the General Assembly is in complete control over what we do and and don't do. And then
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
1:02:46
the other question is, if this doesn't pass, what can't you do? Real short, sweet.
Speaker 195
1:02:55
The, the housing kind of affordable housing crisis that we have now with the cost of construction, we're going to be limited in what we do because we need more investment, more philanthropic support. Number 2 is we're going to have a hard time, you know, growing our mortgage program and specifically our down payment assistance that we use, and that's why banks love our product because they can't help people that don't have a particular down payment and then we come in with the down payment assistance, so we're wanting to expand that, so it's really just about attracting investment and
about reaching more Arkansans, more first-time homebuyers, and build more affordable housing and then the last thing would be people from a student loan rate at half the national rate. The national rate's about 11% now. We're about 5.5, and what we would like to do is make loans to contiguous states and then subsidize the Arkansas borrowers so we can go out and loan student loan to the University of Memphis, University of Tennessee, Texas, Baylor, whoever, and they might
pay 8%, but we can loan that money to an Arkansas student for 4%, and so, so that's chambers for
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
1:04:02
where's the Banking Association We have not, I do not know of any
Speaker 195
1:04:08
opposition because of we partner with the banks on all of our mortgage programs. We pay them a fee and it gives them a product they can serve their customer. It's their customer, not ours. We're in the background. So they have all the customer contact, so they love this program because they can meet a borrower that ordinary couldn't
get a mortgage. All right, thanks. Senator Payton.
I thought you all said a couple of times that it has no taxpayer money in it, and then you were talking about.
American rescue plan funds and stuff like that. Do you not realize that that's taxpayer money? No, yes, when, when we
Speaker 195
1:04:49
got a call from, say, the governor's office saying, hey, we have these American rescue plan funds. We want you to administer
that program, this program, we say, you know, yes, we can administer that program on behalf of the state. That would be like on the federal tax dollar side, yes, I totally recognize
Speaker 207
1:05:05
that on that we were talking about state tax dollars. I was talking about state tax dollars. There
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
1:05:10
have been where we've sent them federal dollars, but again, that was a decision that the legislature made. To send them, but they don't spend a single there's no state tax dollar that they they have authority to spend when you say down payment assistance, what are
you talking about? You loan them the down payment or you
Speaker 205
1:05:27
give it to them? So what we do is we come in and they say, you know, the number
Speaker 195
1:05:33
one impediment is a down payment in Arkansas and so we come in and say we'll give you a down payment assistance loan, OK, so yeah, it's long. That it's not a grant. Yeah, it's a
Speaker 211
1:05:43
loan. All right. Any questions from the committee. Alright,
no, don't speak for or against this. All right. Senator, we recognize closer bill. We just need to free them up to do their work. I'm closed
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
1:05:57
for the bill. I'm do pass appreciate a good motion to pass by
a motion to pass as amended by Senator Tucker. Let's see a second, seconded by Senator Hammer in the discussion on the motion, CNN on on paper, say I opposed. Congratulations, your bill passes. We are adjourned.
Agenda
RECONVENE/CALL TO ORDER - Senator Scott Flippo
REGULAR AGENDA
SB453 B. King TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
SB468 C. Penzo TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING FLUORIDATION OF A PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM; AND TO ALLOWS VOTERS TO ELECT "FOR" OR "AGAINST" WATER FLUORIDATION IN THE COUNTY.
SB476 J. Scott TO ALLOW LEAVE FOR ORGAN DONATION FOR CERTAIN STATE EMPLOYEES; AND TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST INDIVIDUALS APPLYING FOR LIFE INSURANCE WHO ARE ORGAN DONORS.
HB1352 Beaty Jr. TO AMEND VARIOUS LAWS CONCERNING ACTIONS RELATED TO CERTAIN FOREIGN ENTITIES.
HB1694 Hawk TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ALTERNATIVES TO ELECTRONIC FILING FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS.
HB1714 Rose TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF PAID CANVASSER.
HB1604 McAlindon TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PROHIBITED CONTRACTS BY STATE AGENCIES; AND TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS BY STATE AGENCIES TO PURCHASE PROMOTIONAL ITEMS MADE IN CHINA.
SB517 J. Scott TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS; AND TO ALLOW A COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS TO DESIGNATE A RESTROOM FOR CAMPAIGN WORKERS AND VOLUNTEERS.
SB538 Gilmore TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS PROCUREMENT LAW.
HB1243 Underwood TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY REGARDING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES; TO AMEND CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTING AND PROTECT ELECTION INTEGRITY; AND TO AMEND PORTIONS OF INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1996.
HB1774 Beaty Jr. TO AMEND THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE ARKANSAS FAIR HOUSING COMMISSION.
SB569 M. Johnson AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION CONCERNING BALLOT TITLES OF PROPOSED MEASURES; AND AMENDING THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 5, SECTION 1.
SB579 M. McKee TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES; AND TO PROHIBIT A PUBLIC EMPLOYER FROM DEDUCTING LABOR ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP DUES FROM THE COMPENSATION OF A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE.
HB1706 McCollum TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ELECTIONS; AND TO PROHIBIT RANKED CHOICE VOTING.
HB1797 Beaty Jr. TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS DEVELOPMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY; TO AMEND A PORTION OF THE ARKANSAS CODE THAT RESULTED FROM INITIATED ACT 1 OF 2000; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.
HB1873 B. McKenzie CONCERNING NOTIFICATION TO PERSONS ELECTED TO SERVE AS A MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE YEARS OF SERVICE REMAINING BEFORE REACHING THE LIMITATION ON SERVICE UNDER THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION.
HB1886 Pearce TO DESIGNATE THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER AS THE OFFICIAL CANINE OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS.
SB608 M. Johnson TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING RUNOFF ELECTIONS FOR COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL OFFICERS.
SB614 C. Tucker TO AMEND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967; AND TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS.
HB1739 M. Brown TO ADOPT THE UNIFORM ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIALS ACT.
SB617 M. Johnson TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE CAPITOL ZONING DISTRICT; AND TO AMEND THE ZONING AUTHORITY OF THE CAPITOL ZONING DISTRICT COMMISSION.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
SJR2 B. King A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS APPORTIONMENT COMMISSION TO APPORTION DISTRICTS FOR THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE SENATE, AND THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
SJR3 B. King A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION.
SJR6 B. King A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND CASINO GAMING SHALL BE USED FOR CRIME REDUCTION AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS AND ASSISTANCE FOR POST-RELEASE SUPERVISION SERVICES.
SJR9 B. King A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PERMITTING THE STATE OF ARKANSAS TO BE SUED AS A DEFENDANT IN STATE COURT TO ENFORCE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OR AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY LAW.
SJR11 J. Payton A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO AMEND ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 2, § 5, TO PROTECT THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS.
SJR12 C. Tucker AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION REQUIRING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO ESTABLISH BY LAW A REVISED ELECTION PROCESS.
SJR13 J. Dotson A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ALLOW A CANDIDATE FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, CIRCUIT JUDGE, OR DISTRICT JUDGE TO DECLARE HIS OR HER PARTY AFFILIATION OR INDEPENDENT STATUS WHEN RUNNING FOR JUDICIAL OFFICE.
SJR14 J. Dotson A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING THE DETERMINATION OF THE TRUE VALUE IN MONEY OF REAL PROPERTY FOR ASSESSMENT PURPOSES.
SJR15 J. Dismang A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN
THE STATE OF ARKANSAS; AND AUTHORIZING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO PROVIDE FOR THE CREATION OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SJR17 J. Dotson AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS TAXPAYER BILL OF RIGHTS.
SJR18 J. Payton THE CITIZENS ONLY VOTING AMENDMENT.
SJR22 G. Leding A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING THE QUALIFICATIONS TO VOTE IN AN ELECTION.
SJR24 M. Johnson AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION CONCERNING INITIATIVES, REFERENDA, AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS REFERRED TO VOTERS.
DEFERRED BILLS
SB4 C. Penzo TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS; AND TO ALLOW VOTERS TO ELECT "FOR" OR "AGAINST" WATER FLUORIDATION.
SB44 Hester TO CLARIFY THE LAW CONCERNING WHEN INTERIM COMMITTEES MAY MEET DURING A LEGISLATIVE RECESS.
SB141 B. King TO ELIMINATE FUNDING TO THE ARKANSAS CENTER FOR HEALTH IMPROVEMENT.
SB247 C. Tucker TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS ABSENTEE VOTER INTEGRITY ACT OF 2025; TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING COUNTING ABSENTEE BALLOTS; TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ELECTIONS; AND TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
SB248 C. Tucker TO AMEND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967; AND TO AMEND THE
PROVISIONS OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT OF 1967 CONCERNING PERSONNEL RECORDS.
SB212 K. Hammer TO CREATE THE DOCUMENT VALIDITY DIVISION; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.
SB398 C. Tucker TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING INITIATIVE PETITIONS AND REFERENDUM PETITIONS; AND TO ALLOW A CURE PERIOD FOR INSUFFICIENT SUBMISSIONS.
HB1524 Wooldridge TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE BIDDING PROCEDURE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES.
SB434 J. Dotson TO CREATE THE "PROTECT OUR CONSTITUTION ACT"; TO AMEND A PORTION OF THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION AS AUTHORIZED BY ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 5, § 1; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.
SB493 J. Bryant TO TRANSFER AND CONSOLIDATE THE DUTIES OF TRADE-RELATED BOARDS TO THE CODE ENFORCEMENT LICENSING BOARD; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.
SB395 Hickey TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL INTEREST; AND AMENDING A PORTION OF ARKANSAS LAW RESULTING FROM INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1988.
ADJOURNMENT
Documents
| Title | Type | Pages | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agenda — STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE, Apr 3, 2025 | Agenda | 3 | Official source ↗ |
Speakers
Senator Scott Flippo Chair
Unverified
Speaker 3
Speaker 14
Senator Jim Dotson
Unverified
Senator Clint Penzo
Unverified
Chair
Unverified
Speaker 32
Speaker 33
Speaker 34
Representative Rick McClure
Unverified
Representative Mindy McAlindon
Unverified
Senator Clarke Tucker
Unverified
Speaker 64
Speaker 65
Senator Dan Sullivan
Unverified
Speaker 45
Speaker 76
Speaker 81
Representative Howard M. Beaty, Jr.
Unverified
Speaker 85
Speaker 90
Speaker 107
Speaker 109
Speaker 110
Speaker 111
Speaker 13
Speaker 117
Representative RJ Hawk
Unverified
Senator John Payton Chair
Unverified
Senator Kim Hammer
Unverified
Speaker 149
Senator Alan Clark
Unverified
Speaker 167
Speaker 79
Speaker 172
Speaker 173
Speaker 9
Speaker 181
Speaker 17
Speaker 193
Speaker 195
Speaker 200
Speaker 204
Speaker 211
Speaker 196
Speaker 59
Speaker 219
Speaker 205
Speaker 223
Speaker 227
Speaker 229
Speaker 231
Speaker 233
Speaker 207
Speaker 236