Senate Convenes

Senate will be called to order. Are there any requests for leave at this time? Madam Secretary, please call the roll. I don't know what y'all do y'all got it only works over there. Moed Bran Caldwell, Clark, Crowe, Davis, Des, Desma, Dotson, English, Flippo, flowers, Gilmore, Hammer, Hester, Hickey, Hill, Irvin, Blake Johnson, Mark Johnson, King Latin, Love, McKee, Murdoch, Peyton, Penzo. Patty, Bryce, Scott Stone Stubberfield, Sullivan, Tucker, Wallace. Thank you, Madam Secretary. If everyone in the chamber and in the galleries would please rise for a prayer led by Senator Steve Kroll followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, Senator Crow, you're recognized. Dear Lord, we come before you today. Just uh have your hands on us as we do the work for the people of the state of Arkansas. Watch over everybody as they come and go from the Capitol. Let our hearts do right. Thank you for giving your son on the cross to die for us in your name, Lord. Amen. I of the United States of America. You. Thank you, Senator Crow for those. Encouraging words, ladies and gentlemen, in the galleries, welcome to your Arkansas State Senate. It is our expectation that each of you will exercise proper decorum and govern yourselves accordingly during today's proceedings. Without objection, the rules will be suspended and the Senate will dispense with the reading of the journal. The morning hour has now begun. Are there any announcements at this time, Senator Hester, you're recognized. Remembers, if we'd look up to the gallery, we have the Anthony School here and a and a good friend of ours, uh, as we all know, Marty Sullivan is up here with his, with his daughter. Just want us to recognize them this morning. Any other announcements. If not, Madam Secretary, are there atoms at the desk? Hey You're doing something over there with it. OK. Senate Bill 58, my central dismay to remove the prohibition on nonprofit tax-exempt or or governmental funded hospitals holding a licensed pharmacy permit for the sale at retail of drugs. Senate Bill 58, public health sym 59 by Senator Desmay to provide a public school student with one breakfast at no cost each school day upon his or her request without consideration of the public school school students eligibility for a federally funded free or reduced price meals, Senate Bill 59. Education symbol 605 Century Hill to prohibit a digital asset mining business from being located within a 30 mile radius. of a military facility and declare an emergency Senate Bill 60. City, county, local, sym 61 of Central Hill to authorize veterinary telemedicine in the state and to set certain standards for veterinarian telemedicine in the 61. Agriculture. Sam 62 by Centra King. To terminate the Arkansas Health and opportunity for me program to transfer all beneficiaries in the Arkansas Health and opportunity for me program to the traditional Arkansas Medicaid program, 62. Insurance and commerce, Simba 63 by Senator Hickey. in Arkansas law concerning reports by the secretaries of cabinet-level departments of the state of their departments symbol 63. State agencies, 64 by joint budget, and I for the Department of Education, educational television division appropriation for the 2025, 2026 fiscal year and it was 64. Joint budget symbol 65 by joint budget and act for the Department of Parks and Heritage and Tourism Capital zoning District Commission. Appropriation for the 2025, 2026 fiscal year and it was 65 Joint budget 66 by joint budget. An act for the Arkansas Teacher retirement System appropriation for the 2025, 2026 fiscal year and it was 66. Joint budget symbol 67 by joint budget, an Act for the Arkansas Public Defender Commission Appropriation for the 2025, 202667. Joint budget. being That I Yeah, yeah Yeah. Turn it off, turn it back on. There you go. I know now. Senate Resolution 2 by Senator Irving to congratulate the Arkansas Medical Society and to create a 2025 as the year of the Arkansas physician Senate Resolution 2 calendar. OK. There are no further items at the desk. Is there any other business to come before the body in the morning hour, if not the morning hour has expired. We will now begin the business agenda. We are passing over we're gonna take, I would. We will now take up house concurrent resolution 1003. Senator Hester, you're recognized. House concurrent resolution 1003 by Senator Hester and Representative Evans, providing that the House of Representatives and the Senate of the ninety-fifth General Assembly may recess on Thursday, January 16, 2025 and reconvene on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. Thank you, Madam President. Members, as we know, we can recess for 3 days, uh, without having to do a joint resolution with the House, uh, but because we want to recess for 4 days coming up, meaning Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and then Martin Luther King Day, or a few of our members are going to the uh new inauguration. So because we're going to um recess for 4 days. We've got to pass this joint resolution. So that's happy to answer any questions. Any questions for Senator Hester? Say none. All those in favor of House Concurrent resolution 1003. Please signify by saying aye. Any opposed? I have it. Return to the house. in Announcements. Senator Tucker, you're recognized. I just want to say thanks to Senator Hester. He's giving my, my birthday off on Monday. So thanks, uh, thanks to everybody. Now I want to introduce our doctor of the day, Dr. Bala Simon. He's a family and preventive medicine doctor at the Arkansas Department of Health. Welcome Dr. Simon, and then I also, as we all know, are stalwarts are longtime nurses of the day, retired last, last year, and so we have a new nurse who's going to be with us here this session, so we want to extend her a very special welcome as well. Lee Fazio. So thank uh thank you for being here and, and welcome to both of you. Thank you, Senator Tucker. Other announcements. Senator Hill, you're recognized. Thank you. Thank you, Governor. Colleagues, if you look on your desk, you should all have a bulletin for an orientation with Ardo today goes from 2:30 to 4:30. And so if you get a chance to drop by, they will be presenting an orientation or just get in a presentation just to get to, get to know the legislators and you get to know them, so. Thank you, Senator Hill, Senator Urban, you're recognized. Members, if you're on the ethics committee, we're gonna have a meeting upon adjournment down in the old Supreme Court room, so ethics committee members downstairs, old Supreme Courtroom upon adjournment of this session. Thanks. Thank you, Senator. Any other announcements? Senator Caldwell, you're recognized. Madam President, uh, Senate AGro will meet tomorrow at 9:30. It was posted at 10 as conflict, so, uh, make note of that, we changed that to 9:30. Thanks, Senator Caldwell, Senator Flippo, you're recognized. Thank you, Governor. Members of state agencies, we're going to be having our organizational meeting tomorrow morning at 9:30. Looking at you, Senator Peyton. Don't come in with that mumbo jumbo. Thanks, Senator Flippo, Senator Hickey, you're recognized. Again, Reverend Tax is gonna have their organizational meeting tomorrow at 9. Thank you, Senator Hickey. Any other announcements? If no other announcements or business before the body, the Senate will stand an adjournment subject to the clearing of the desk until 10 a.m. January 16, 2025.