Arkansas Civic Leadership Institute Meeting
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I have this oh thank you good afternoon ladies have you enjoyed the day so far are you ready to have some fun
because this is the fun part okay so
just so you kind of know how things are going to go just in case you've got questions about how you're going to
present and all of that I know that representative Childress is going to present a bill in a minute
the clerk will say house no ACL I one two three or four okay because we're doing four bills so that's what they'll call out alright and the Senate bills will be the same
way okay yeah pay attention to the caption that's up there and that'll let you know if it's your bill that you're
presenting I know this morning mr. vines told you you know if you want to speak for a bill you'll stand up and do your finger up if you want to speak against a bill finger down okay and and you can't just come to the well he has heard the speaker representative parks please take your position she will
have to invite you to the well okay when you come to the well and you're recognized you always
say thank you madam speaker okay because they don't have
to let you come to the well so we always are appreciative that we got to come to the well you don't have to be in the committee to come speak against a bill or for a bill that's being presented all right so say Representative Dalby's bill from her committee is being presented but you're not in that committee room but you're listening to the bill and you've got some questions about it or some concerns about it you can come to the well or you can stand up at your desk hold up your
microphone and they will say representative Beatty you're recognized and they would say recognize I want to do a question you're recognized for your question okay you don't have to come here to ask a question unless I present my bill and i get out of the well and i just take any questions okay i will warn you i've seen people
stand in this well too long and kill their own bills that is a thing it really does happen
you can see drop boats drop off very quickly okay so um anything else
representatives that you can think of that I didn't touch on we'll wing it but we're going to have fun winging it all right judiciary is ready
Speaker 24
4:05
is education here ready all right is city county local ready all right we're ready public health is public health ready
yes yes yes there we go there we go all right well
Ladies, we're going to start like we would any day. They're going to tap the thing like I tapped earlier. On the third tap, make sure that you stand
up and you're ready for business, all right? Let's have fun. Representative Vaughn, if we send those
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
4:51
delegations to the Senate and the governor's office, are we going to do that?
the house of representatives for arkansas civics leadership institute will come to order i invite the members staff press and guests in the galleries to stand and be led in prayer by the girls state chaplain mccullough and to remain standing for the pledge of allegiance to be led by representative emmett thank you
Speaker 40
6:20
madam speaker may y'all all bow your heads please dear lord we thank you for this day
we thank you for allowing us to be here today and i just pray that everyone can come up here and present their bill to the best of their ability and we all have a good discussion and may this all go as planned and well as it can. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Members, please indicate your presence
by pushing your yellow present button. Prepare the machine, Madam Clerk.
Speaker 43
7:34
Has everyone pressed the button? With 53 members... Cast up the ballot, Madam Clerk. With 53 members present, the chair sees a quorum.
Madam Clerk, please read ACLI number one.
Chair
Unverified
8:13
To create an enhanced penalty for certain offenses against a child based on Acts 976 of 2025. Representative Steele, you
are recognized to present your bill. Thank you Madam Speaker.
Speaker 55
8:54
Madam Speaker and members present, I am here
Representative Tracy Steele
Unverified
8:58
to present ACL-1, the bill ACL-1, an act to create enhanced penalty for certain offenses against a child and for other purposes. This bill outlines that a person who is 18 years of age or older commits a felony offense against a, offense committed against a child or offense committed against a child. So with this,
it is a is that the penalty should be enhanced and for things such as homicides and kidnapping that are related to children um and within this we have we have a decided that it should be that we should make the enhanced imprisonment to increase it by five years for classes Y through C.
So, oh, class Y would be 35 and so on. And within this, we have also added information about the age of consent, Meaning that if a minor is of the age of 16 or older and there's proof of a dating relationship that it cannot be as easily charged.
So parents cannot come in and try and charge someone just because they don't like a boyfriend or girlfriend that is over the age of 18. And we have added a section on line 18 of page two that anyone convicted under this section must register as a sex offender.
Representative Ennett, for what purpose? Question. You are
Speaker 60
11:15
recognized. How much will this bill cost us with
Representative Tracy Steele
Unverified
11:27
the enhanced sentencing? At the moment, I do not have the information for cost, but I don't believe that cost should matter because children are of the utmost priority in our communities,
And they are often the ones that cannot speak for themselves. And that is why it's so important for us to protect them by any means necessary.
Representative Steele has explained the bill, would anyone like to speak against the bill?
Representative Gonzales-Werthen, you are recognized to speak against the bill.
Representative Justin Gonzales
Unverified
12:49
While I do like this bill, I would like to raise a concern. So why doesn't the Class D felony on page 2, line 11, line along with the rest of them? I believe that it needs to be raised five years. So it will end up being six years for Class D felony.
Representative Gonzales, Worthen has spoken against the bill. Would anyone like to speak for the bill? Representative Hudson, you are recognized to speak for the bill. I'd like to
Representative Ashley Hudson
Unverified
13:42
speak for the bill because I think it's important that we recognize kids and we protect them to the best of our ability because they are so vulnerable. and I know this is especially important in my community,
and I just encourage you to vote for it because it's important to
protect them. Thank you. - Representative Hudson has explained the bill, has spoken for the bill. Would
anyone like to speak against the bill?
For the bill? Representative Richardson, you are recognized to speak for the bill.
Speaker 78
14:28
Honestly, I believe I can speak for this bill just because minors don't specifically have a voice. I mean, we do, but they're not valued or heard. So I feel like if all of us members stand up and vote for this, then we can be their voice. Representative Richardson has spoken for
the bill. Would anyone like to speak against the bill? For the bill?
Representative Steele, do you wish to close for your bill? You are
Representative Tracy Steele
Unverified
15:10
recognized. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Members, I would again like to ask you to vote for this bill that will help the future of our country become, be able to continue on with their lives because often this can make the difference in someone that will be a good citizen or a bad citizen.
Since I was last up here, I've received an update that cost will be minimal. And so just for everyone to keep in mind, please vote
for a good bill. Representative Steele has closed for the bill. The question before the House is
passage of ACLI number one. Prepare the machine, Madam Clerk.
Is everyone voting? Has everyone voted? has everyone voted cast up the ballot madam clerk
By a vote of 51 yeas and 0 nays and 0 present, the bill has passed. And then, Madam Clerk, please
read ACLI number 2. ACLI number two, to
Chair
Unverified
17:04
amend the time of permissible sales of fireworks in this state.
Representative Nazarenko, you are recognized to explain the bill. you are
Representative Jason Nazarenko
Unverified
17:36
recognized. Thank you, Madam Speaker. So, for the bill, ACL 2, I had a constituent of mine come to me and explain that due to the economy, they need more time in order to sell fireworks throughout the period. So, we compromised and amended this bill in working with the fireworks
administration, local fire departments, and local residents. So, we asked that instead of starting at June 20th in order for the sale of fireworks we start at the sale of June 13th to the 20th and during that time here of June 13th to 20th there is no fireworks above 150 feet will be sold to people and then from the dates of June 21st to July 6th there's no regulation on what types of fireworks can or cannot be sold but an overall rule we set in place from the dates of June 13th to July 6th is that you must be 21 years or older and you have to make you have to
provide a valid form of ID in order to buy or
purchase a firework? Representative Nazarenko has explained the
bill. Would anyone like to speak
against the bill? Representative Ladyman, you i recognize you to speak against the bill
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
19:04
you are recognized i personally am against this bill because i have talked to my constituents who own firework stands and we have recognized that the cost of having these stands open for an extra week will be obviously more expensive for them and it's common knowledge that most people don't
start buying their fireworks until very very late before the holiday we just believe that this would be too expensive with the additional with the addition of an extra week renting out parking lots and the space for it and that is why i am against this bill representative ladyman has spoken
against the bill would anyone like to speak for the bill representative shepherd
you are recognized to speak for the bill you are recognized thank you madam speaker um seeing as
Representative Matthew J. Shepherd
Unverified
20:20
which we have talked to the National Firework Association it is presented that children by the ages of
18 or 21 and younger have been buying these fireworks knowing as they are adolescents they are more likely to spend money on these fireworks initially making them getting hurt from this more I mean fireworks are gunpowder in a can so I mean you have 16 year olds running around buying them, then it becomes harder to regulate who is all getting hurt.
So this is why we are placing the amendment of 21 years or older because of the fact that we do not want young kids to come
Representative Roger D. Lynch
Unverified
21:06
and find fireworks and then admittedly getting hurt. Thank you. Representative
Shepard has spoken for the bill. Would anyone like to speak against the bill? Representative Garner you are recognized to speak against the bill you are
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
21:29
recognized I vote against this bill because there is no
Speaker 113
21:35
age restriction and fireworks are dangerous and we don't want young kids running around and buying fireworks. Representative Garner has spoken
against the bill. Would anyone like to speak for the bill? Representative Lynch
you are recognized to speak for the
Representative Roger D. Lynch
Unverified
22:00
bill you are recognized thank you madam speaker
Speaker 101
22:13
very important because i have a concern for the safety of our young citizens there's kids buying it and it leads to if we have this restriction of 21 plus it will lead to a decrease in er visits
and less firefighter trips our first responders are working hard fourth of july but i think we should take off a little bit of stress and this would really help them and our community so i I understand there's a concern for the expense and cost, but would you put, like, the life as a cost? No, life, you can't add a value to life.
Representative Burks, you are recognized to speak against the bill. While she's coming
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
23:19
down, I'm going to interject. We had someone that wanted to ask a question. If the presenter doesn't stay in the well, they don't have to take the question. In that case, the speaker in that case left, so the question doesn't get asked. So that's what happened right there.
Speaker 122
23:39
You are recognized. I am against this bill because why would y'all add another week of noise pollution? Nobody wants
to hear that every day and all night. Thank you Representative Burks
has spoken against the bill Representative Oh representative McCollum
Speaker 127
24:10
Question There's no one to take the questions I
Representative Austin McCollum
Unverified
24:24
have a question for the bill sponsor when she comes back.
So my question regarding this bill is if the age limit they said is 21 plus to be able to buy fireworks, would they be able to allow students who are just younger, sorry, people of younger age to purchase these fireworks as long as they're not dangerous or as large?
Representative McCollum has spoken for the bill. Anyone who wishes to speak against the bill? Representative Unger, you are recognized to speak against the bill.
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
25:48
you are recognized. Thank you, Madam Speaker. For this bill has talked about the age limit. Both sides have talked about the age limit a lot, but the affirmation has yet to address the negations point of there being no reason to be open for an extra week. Therefore, I stand in negation, And until the affirmation can address this, I will stay in negation.
Representative Unger has spoken against the bill. Anyone who wishes to speak for
the bill? Representative Birx, you are recognized to speak
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
26:44
for the bill. You are recognized. speakers and members. I support this bill because it gives fireworks businesses and customers additional time to legally purchase fireworks before major holidays. Many vendors
are forced to rent places for a week early, which creates financial pressure when they are not yet allowed to begin sales in addition the limit the limited sales period often prevent this often prevents businesses for selling from selling all them their inventory causing unnecessary economy
losses for local vendors the bill also preserves important safety measures such as restricting purchases to individuals who are at least the age of 21 years or older limiting fireworks above 150 feet overall the amendment creates a fair compromise by supporting small businesses while still maintaining responsibility responsible public safety regulations I'm sorry guys
Representative Burks has spoken for the bill. Would anyone like to speak against the bill? Representative McClure, you are recognized to speak against
Representative Rick McClure
Unverified
28:31
the bill. You are recognized. I speak against the bill because 21-year-olds could just give it to a younger person.
I mean, anybody above the age could just give it to a younger person, or they could just sell it. They could go buy it and go sell it to a younger person. So that's why I'm
against the bill. - Representative McClure has spoken against the bill. Would anyone like to speak for the bill? Representative Duffield, for what purpose?
Speaker 152
29:20
I hear your motion for... - Motion? - I will hear your motion.
Representative Roger D. Lynch
Unverified
29:32
motion for immediate consideration that's a proper motion
that is not debatable all in favor say aye all opposed say nay motion failed
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
30:00
Is everybody wondering what just happened? Okay, that's a motion we use when, to paraphrase, when everything's been said but everyone hasn't said it, and that's a phrase you'll hear sometimes up here. When the comments, when the for and against just becomes redundant, it's a motion to end debate. It's similar to previous question, if you're familiar with Robert's Rules in your parliamentary teams and certain organizations you'll have a previous question it's it ours is
immediate consideration it's not debatable but the kicker on it is it takes two-thirds of the body to pass it so in that case there was no way that voice vote was two-thirds so it failed if you really want it to end and you've had enough you want to get all your friends and everybody on your road
Speaker 158
30:53
to voice that concern because otherwise debate will continue and that's that
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
30:59
that's the other thing about the media consideration is that the bill sponsor can't close for his or her bill in this case her bill so it's kind
of a it's it's an immediate exit off the interstate so you want to use it strategically this one was probably a good point because y'all got a bunch of bills you're trying to get through but just keep that in mind
as you go forward good try representative howell howell you are um recognized to speak for the bill you
Representative Steve Hollowell
Unverified
31:43
are recognized thank you madam speaker while um representative mcclure does have a point about
the age restriction um the reason why we are trying to implement the 21 year old um to be able to sell is because um that's just an extra precaution we're trying to take because after the we sell these fireworks it's no longer on the firework stands rather when it was if you sell it to a minor it's going to like eventually fall back on who sold it so it's just an extra precaution
thank you representative howell has spoken for the bill would anyone like
to speak against the bill?
For the bill? Representative Nezarenko, you are recognized to close. You are recognized. Thank you,
Representative Jason Nazarenko
Unverified
32:42
Madam Speaker. So I just got a statistic that 65% of children receive second to third degree burns from fireworks every year from misuse and I think that this bill while it does talk about
restrictions to what you can and can't sell for the weeks it also just really focuses on protecting children which we should be aiming and striving to do every day but also I heard somebody asked that why do we want to have it a week early and why do we not make it just a shorter time span of sell fireworks and we discussed that in our committee and we decided that since if we shorten the time span it's not really safe for the majority with how fireworks stands are set up close to the highway or like close to the interstate and with
a bunch of people trying to go one place at one time it's really not that safe so giving people more time to purchase will allow people to be able to make that purchase and do it in a safe matter and yeah
thank you so much and I hope for a good vote
representative Nazarenko has closed the bill the question before the house is passage of acli number two prepare the machine madame clerk
Has everyone voted? Has everyone voted? Cast
a vote of 27 yays, 31 yays, 36 nays, and zero present, the bill has passed.
Speaker 32
34:51
All right. Your quorum was 53. We lied to you. There
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
34:58
is math today. Half of 53 is, give or take, 26 and a half, which makes it 27. So in this chamber today, passages with 27 votes, even though we had people punching the machines that may not have registered their attendance earlier today. So the number you're going to want to watch today is the green number. Everything is an affirmative vote.
You can vote no present, really has no consequence in here. If you want something to pass, it's got to have the green votes. In this case going forward, 27 is a magic number. If we do get into a situation where we have two-thirds, Dare I ask any more math? 36. Don't check me on that. So, anyway, that's why. Typically, we have 190. Typically, to pass a bill in this chamber is 51 votes on most anything,
unless it isn't, as we say. Some require two-thirds vote, which requires 67 votes. That counts with emergency clauses. And then appropriations, the money we spend, our taxpayer money, It's 75 votes, so be mindful. There are different thresholds, but today, 2736 are
your magic numbers. Madam Clerk, please read ACLI number 3.
Chair
Unverified
36:22
ACLI number 3, to prohibit over-the-counter diet pills from being sold, transferred, or otherwise furnished to a person who is under 18 years
of age. Representative Childress, you are
Chair
Unverified
36:39
recognized to explain the bill. You are recognized. Thank
Representative Paul Childress
Unverified
36:46
you, Madam Speaker. Hello, everyone. Today, I'm presenting ACLI 3,
Speaker 173
36:51
an act to prohibit over-the-counter diet pills from being sold,
transferred, or otherwise furnished to a person who is under 18 years of age and for other purposes. So, before I get into the nitty-gritty of this act, let me tell you why this matters to our constituents and the people of Arkansas. So, one of my constituents that lives in my region was recently
Speaker 174
37:22
hospitalized for overconsumption of diet pills.
This girl, she was 16 years old, and she had been overweight the majority of her life, but she was terrified to ask for help, to talk to her parents about it, or to do anything. So she saw her only way out is going to the store, such as Walgreens, I believe. Yes, it was Walgreens. She went to Walgreens, and she got these pills. Unbeknownst to her, she took too many. In her mind, she thought she could speed up the diet process by taking as many as possible. That's not how it works. Due to this, she was severely hospitalized,
and her parents had no idea until she got sick that she had even purchased these pills. So,
Speaker 173
38:04
our bill, or my bill, which I'm hoping you will all vote on, yay, will be protecting our kids so that instances like this will never happen again. So, let's get into the bill. Over-the-counter diet pills is defined as a class of drugs that is labeled and marketed under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 21 U.S.C. Section 301, et cetera, as existing
on January 1, 2025 for the purpose of achieving weight loss that is lawfully sold, transferred, or otherwise furnished without a prescription. So in our bill, we are specifically talking about pills that are over the counter. So, diet pills that are prescribed to children, or people under 18, I should say, are not affected by this bill whatsoever, and then if parents buy these pills, or guardians,
and they end up giving them to the children, that's not affected by this bill. We are specifically talking about retail establishments, so we define that as a vendor that in the regular course of business sells over-the-counter diet pills at a retail directly to the public, including without limitation, a pharmacy, grocery store, or other retail store, or online. So we are specifically talking about retail establishments selling these to
underaged people, so under 18. The punishment for if this is passed and retail establishments are found in violation of this, is a violation of this section is deceptive and unconseeable trade practice under section 4-88-107 and is subject to the penalties, remedies, and enforcement provisions under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, section 4-88-101,
etc. In addition to the penalties under subvision E1 of this section the department shall impose a fine not to exceed two thousand dollars upon a retail establishment that violates this section. So, giving all this, this is the bill and I urge your vote for affirmation. I open the floor for questions? See, no questions. I will. Representative Shepard. Perfect.
recognized? For what purpose? Question. Recognized. How exactly do you plan on regulating online
Speaker 179
40:44
sales seeing as what you can say it's in a different state? I'm so sorry. Could you. So like if you're online as a child in the state of Arkansas and you said like you lived in a different state on your account how would you regulate it well if
Speaker 174
41:02
you said you were in another state if they were to send you the pills you would have to put an address so it would be obvious that you
were living in arkansas thank you representative burks for what purpose question you are recognized
Speaker 183
41:19
you mentioned something about no what is your solution
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
41:27
for a kid that's under 18 that's severely unhealthy and overweight what do you have a solution for that yes of course so
Speaker 174
41:39
is of course it starts with education um in the household but specifically in school systems um so hopefully kids are begin to be more educated about this but also um if kids
do need to be on medication like this um we push prescriptions and seeing doctors like i stated
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
42:04
follow up um you also mentioned something about um not being comfortable enough to tell or express something like that to other people so do you think that would work out and which
Speaker 184
42:16
your solution will are so excuse me we
Speaker 174
42:20
are hoping that I shouldn't say hoping with more education and with students having access to counselors and
safe people at school and in home hopefully and at least at school hopefully these problems will be eradicated and we
won't have to worry about that. Representative Unger, purpose four. Question. You are recognized. Thank
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
42:49
you, Madam Speaker. Kind of going off of Representative Burke's question, what if the child that is
Speaker 192
42:56
under 18 years old doesn't have a relationship with their parents or guardian? They
Speaker 184
43:03
would they are able to go talk to their counselors and the people at school trusted adults about
this issue okay thank you of course representative ennit for what purpose question you are
Chair
Unverified
43:19
recognized how do you plan to kind of find the medications and things that are being sold over the counter that are for weight loss just as kids learn how to get high off of things
like Benadryl, how do you plan to scope out every single
Speaker 195
43:37
medication that could be used for weight loss that might have a
Speaker 173
43:43
different main purpose? Yeah, of course. So in our bill outlined on page one, section B, so we state over-the-counter diet pills includes a product marketed with drug facts panel under federal regulations that contains either approved drug ingredients or ingredients deemed adulterated under 21 usc section 342 as existing on january 1st 2025
Chair
Unverified
44:06
follow up you are recognized what happens if that weight that happens and it's a drug
Speaker 195
44:18
for a completely different main problem like let's say Tylenol made you lose weight How would you take that off the shelves if that were
Speaker 173
44:30
to happen? Tylenol and other, theoretically, other medications like that are not included in this bill. This bill is specifically talking about the ones that are defined under the FDA and things like that that are defined under this.
Thank you. Representative Brown, for what purpose? There's a
Speaker 163
44:53
question. I cannot accept that because she left the well.
Representative Childress has explained the bill. Would anyone like to speak against the bill? For the bill? We're going to do against the bill first.
So Representative Burks, you were recognized to speak against the bill.
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
45:35
I'm against the bill because how do you know like the
Speaker 122
45:40
difference and what do you do when like nobody have the outlet of somebody they can trust enough to ask for the pills or talk
to somebody about the pills or wanting the pills or wanting to
lose weight and people you know representative burks
has spoken against the bill representative richardson you are recognized to speak for the bill you are recognized
Speaker 78
46:14
honestly i speak for the bill because personally it says you know under anybody under the age of
team, which is a minor, they shouldn't have the responsibility of choosing whether they want or need weight loss in general. I do feel like we need to add in there by parent or guardian signature because like somebody said, I lost her, obviously they need to have somebody to talk to and that's why it says parent or guardian because not everybody has technically a parent. It could be an aunt or an uncle or a guardian that they trust or live with thank you representative
representative lady man you are recognized to speak against the
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
47:13
bill you are recognized i'm speaking against this bill because i believe that it has the opportunity to lead to more intense ways of dieting. If we are to take away diet pills to minors for what is available to them, I can only lead to believe that they will find worse, more hurtful ways to
go towards this weight loss, things like anorexia or eating
Representative Jimmy Gazaway
Unverified
47:40
disorders, which are ultimately worse than diet
pills representative unger for what purpose you
are recognized representative representative ladyman has
spoken against the bill is anyone for the bill representative
pierce you are recognized to speak for the bill
Representative Shad Pearce
Unverified
48:13
you are recognized I would just like to point out that this bill could actually help people who have eating disorders as access to these pills without identification or being underneath the age limit could actually worsen or enhance existing eating disorders or it could based on like social media and stuff, it could actually encourage people to have eating disorders. Thank you.
Representative Pierce has spoken for the bill. Would anyone like to speak
against the bill? Representative Burks, you are recognized to speak against the bill.
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
49:08
you're recognized I am speaking against this bill because back to the overdose situation even though it's an over-the-counter medicine and we trying
to fix it with prescriptions what's stopping them from overdosing with the prescriptions what's stopping them from taking too many pills to try to speed up the process with the prescribed medication. Representative Unger, for
what purpose? Question. You are recognized. Would you agree with me that by
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
49:40
passing this bill, we are, if not fixing the problem, at least improving and helping it?
No. I don't agree. Representative, oh. Representative Perry, you are recognized
Representative Mark Perry
Unverified
50:07
to speak for the bill. Thank
Speaker 219
50:09
you, Madam Speaker. I would like to point out that this bill is particularly applying to the sale of over the counter diet pills. I think that the question of overdoses is another matter entirely and I would also like
to point out that these particularly when being sold to children these have these over-the-counter diet pills have more issues than it would be if you kept them it also opens potential like representative children said for education in schools on diet and health I if anyone has a question
Speaker 222
50:51
no awesome thanks oh wait sorry um representative burks representative burks for what purpose
Speaker 122
50:58
sorry sorry you are recognized oh my bad all good but what if schools don't offer it like education about pills education about
Speaker 219
51:15
weight loss audit so in this bill it is proposed that funding is provided to schools specifically to educate on diet in replacement of underage children being able to buy over-the-counter diet
Speaker 122
51:28
pills okay with that high school children are under the age until senior year potentially
turning 18 most turn 18 after after senior year so how would you go about that
Speaker 226
51:41
if they are over the age of 18 they are allowed to buy over-the-counter diet pills i was saying
Speaker 122
51:46
i'm saying with them being school-aged how would you go about that like i wait i forgot what i said at first basically i'm saying like how would you go about
dealing with the kids who want to get it like get the diet pills under the age of 18
Speaker 219
52:13
without sorry it would be illegal for them to be sold to them however with parental consent they are able to it is specifically about the sale of over-the-counter drug pills to minors representative shepherd
for what purpose question you are recognized i guess i'm confused because
Representative Matthew J. Shepherd
Unverified
52:38
with the opening statement of the bill it was stated that you came to us because of
Speaker 179
52:45
an overdose so i guess i was led to believe that the bill was brought
Speaker 226
52:50
to the attention because of an overdose so i believe the overdose was the reasoning
Speaker 219
52:56
for this bill to be drafted however this bill does not address the taking of over-the-counter diet pills it instead addresses the sale of over-the-counter diet pills to minors thank you
Speaker 229
53:07
of course representative burks for what purpose
motion she's still in the well so i cannot accept that representative richardson for
Speaker 78
53:24
what purpose you are recognized is it on okay so i just wanted to ask you we're specifically asking about the sales not about overdosing not about like anybody else's like what could happen we're just talking about the sales like if you're not 21 or sorry if you're
not 18 years or older in other words if you're a minor then you cannot buy these pills that's That's what we're asking, correct? - Correct,
thank you. - Representative Perry has spoken for the bill. Representative Burks, for
what purpose? - Motion. - You are recognized. - Immediate consideration.
- That's a proper motion and it is not debatable. The question before the house is immediate consideration of. All those in favor say
Speaker 43
54:32
aye. All opposed say no. Aye. All opposed say no.
Motion carries. The question before the house is
passage of ACLI number three. Prepare the machine, Madam Clerk. Has everyone voted? Has
Speaker 45
55:11
everyone voted? Cast up the ballot, Madam Clerk.
By a vote of 34 yeas, 15 nays, and 4 present, the bill is passed. All right, that
Speaker 119
55:36
was a successful immediate consideration. What that does, though, is it
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
55:40
cuts off Representative Childress wasn't able to come back and close, and I know she had a killer close prepared for us. So be mindful of that if you're, it's a balance, it's a balancing test.
Are you ready for it to be done or do you need to let your, if you're for the bill, do you need to let your sponsor come back up and close for the bill? So it's kind of a six and one half dozen of the other depending on where you land. It can be strategic or it can work against you. In that case, it worked for you, you were able to pass the bill. But be mindful when you do that, it stops. we move direct the immediate consideration is the motion passes we move immediately into the vote on the underlying bill with no more discussion no more questions uh no close so just be mindful of that not saying good or bad just you have to be mindful of that when you're um handling these
this type of legislation madame clerk please read acli number four acli number
Chair
Unverified
56:39
four to create the bell to bell no cell act representative
unger you are recognized to explain the bill you are recognized
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
56:53
thank you madam speaker okay today i am here to present bill acli
i4 a bill to create the bell to bell no cell act and to amend the requirements for public school discipline policies with regard to students use of personal electronic devices i know everybody in here is aware of this bill due to it being enacted in the year in the school year of 2025-2026 and i'm here to kind of explain it so the legislative findings and intent of this
bill is that there were many students that were having um uh that were uh utilizing their phones and not the best way. It was hurting their academics, hurting them academically and mentally. It hurt the young people in these public schools. And so we would like to pass this bill to protect the students' safety, well-being, and to make the learning environment better.
So Section 3 explains the use of this personal electronic devices and the exceptions, so you are allowed to use devices in emergencies, which it means a serious, unexpected, and dangerous situation that requires immediate action. Some examples is just an active fighter or active tornado in medical emergencies. Some personal electronic devices include cellular
telephones paging devices beepers etc so these devices these personal devices are prohibited during the use of the school day and the school day is from start to finish no matter if there's extracurriculars during the day or not I'm just going to go through some of the exceptions so you have exceptions through for health reasons and these are with 504 plans and
just all different disabilities that are talked to with this school prior and for medical emergencies they are exempt during after a school day for extracurricular activities they are exempt in our committee we talked about lower end schools who don't get as much funding therefore they have to use their personal devices for their classes and with this bill it says that personal
electronic devices if issued to a student by the public schools are allowed and then another exemptions we talked about oh during pep rallies or these different school special events they are allowed to use these devices as well um and then these each school will publish the requirements um so it'll be school to school whether they use yonder pouches the little pouches on the wall or if they just have to power it off
in their backpack and with that i am open to questions representative
richardson for what purpose question you are recognized so
Speaker 78
1:00:23
I have two questions but the first one is what made you want to do this
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:00:33
what made me want to do this bill yeah um we were seeing decline in students academics and we were seeing an increase in fights and such through the use of social media so we thought by
taking away the phones that it'll reduce the time spent on social media helping to reduce fights and increase academics and that's okay during pep rallies whenever all the students are together what's okay to
Speaker 78
1:00:52
have your phone uh if issued by the school do what i was
going to tell you you are recognized for follow-up oh okay thank you what sorry
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:01:10
can you repeat that um they are allowed to use them during pep rallies and such if
Speaker 204
1:01:15
issued by the school um follow-up um no because
you only get one follow-up. But we will put you
back in the queue. Representative McCollum, for
Representative Austin McCollum
Unverified
1:01:30
what purpose? You are recognized. So just to clarify, this bill is like strictly for students, correct? Yes.
Speaker 127
1:01:37
Follow-up? You are recognized. Would you
Representative Austin McCollum
Unverified
1:01:42
consider adding an amendment that would also um that this bill would also affect teachers because for example let's say
the teachers like they put a test on or it's quiet reading time and they would have like nothing to do like nothing to teach would they have to sorry i see
Speaker 138
1:02:06
your question like basically having uh requiring the teachers as well yes um we
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:02:11
i don't think that's the best idea just because of in times of emergencies, if schools have the yonder pouches, I think it's best for the adult to have it. Maybe the schools need to talk to their teachers, but this bill is
specifically for the students. Thank you. Representative Eves, for what purpose? You are recognized. How will you make sure that all
Representative Les D. Eaves
Unverified
1:02:37
teachers follow this rule, not just some teachers teachers follow what rule um the cell phone
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:02:49
act uh how will we ensure that teachers okay um we are going to really have to trust our teachers and make sure that they will do their job thank you
representative in it uh for what purpose question you are recognized as one of my
Chair
Unverified
1:03:10
house members um stated since this bill is only for students and not for teachers what could a teacher do on their phone that like in times of emergency a student could also contact somebody in times of emergency so what can a teacher do with their phone that a student
Speaker 138
1:03:33
can't um some schools have yonder pouches therefore their students aren't allowed to access their
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:03:39
phones unless they go to like the main office to um like open the yonder pouches so for schools
Speaker 250
1:03:46
that uh require that um for those teachers to
Chair
Unverified
1:03:55
have it follow up you are recognized most of the online presence of students and others is not during school a lot of the
fights that you'll see or bullying or conflicts that are happening online they're not happening right in your classroom when they get home they're also going to do the same things that they are going to do on their phone at school so how does this bill protect the students and stop fights and get up any type of education if they can do the same things at home that will lead to
Speaker 242
1:04:29
a fight at school good question so this bill will stop that like um will stop all that stuff happening
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:04:35
specifically at school because we can't control out of the school but this will at least make sure that we can contain and not like I guess regulate or we'll make sure we can regulate the students while they're in the classroom thank
you representative burks for what purpose you are recognized
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
1:04:59
question you're recognized um for an emergency like a act of shooting and as many would
Speaker 183
1:05:06
many would flee if students are in the building they don't have
their phones what would be your suggestion to help them out that situation
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:05:16
um students are allowed to have their phone in that case with this bill. So they will be allowed to use it because it says they're allowed to use it in emergencies such as active shooters. But also statistically when so many people have their phone out it can disrupt cellular like connection which can honestly hurt more than it helps. Follow up. You are recognized.
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
1:05:48
if their phones are in the office how would they have access to their phones if they're in the
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:05:55
classroom um this bill doesn't control where the phones are this bill says that each school will publish their phone requirements so if they're in the office that's out of that's up to the school that's not up to us thank you
representative shepherd for what purpose you are recognized i think i'm confused
Representative Matthew J. Shepherd
Unverified
1:06:19
on how you plan on regulating it
Speaker 179
1:06:21
from each school district because it's kind of just giving all the school districts free
Speaker 242
1:06:28
will to do it as they as they please well that's how this bill is set
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:06:34
up Each, it says in, let me see, section, section three, let's see, CF says that each public school district and open enrollment public charter school shall publish on its website its personal electronic device policy.
So, we're just requiring the students to not have their phone. We don't have to control and regulate it. The
Representative Roger D. Lynch
Unverified
1:07:04
schools will. Follow up. You are recognized. Then how exactly are
Speaker 256
1:07:07
you regulating phones in the first place? We are
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:07:12
regulating phones in the first place because we are regulating it by just saying they're not
Speaker 138
1:07:17
allowed to be accessed or used. And the schools are the ones that will be regulating
Speaker 229
1:07:22
them. Thank you. Representative Richardson, for what purpose?
Speaker 78
1:07:29
Question? You are recognized. Why is this applied to all schools? Because some schools are 1A, and yes, they have their issues, but it's not always based off of cellular
Speaker 138
1:07:43
phones or cellular devices at all. So are you saying we shouldn't have a one-size-fits-all kind
Speaker 78
1:07:48
of? Yeah, well, and also, like, jumping kind of off of that is, like, If you do this, since you're doing this, since you're wanting to do this for all schools, why can't you make a fine instead of just cutting it all off?
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:08:02
Well, if they do go against this, there will be punishments. But with that, this isn't a one-size-fits-all. It is up to each school district to decide what they want to do. Therefore, they can make their own rules. They can regulate it themselves depending on what they see. They just are not allowed to have the phones in the schools. So each school can decide whether they want the yonder pouches, if they want them just powered off in their backpacks, or if they want the on-the-wall pouches.
Speaker 261
1:08:33
Follow-up. You are recognized. I want to make a motion. You can... Okay, thank you. Okay, Representative Childress, for what purpose? Question.
Speaker 173
1:08:55
you are recognized thank you so speaking about yonder pouches are you requiring schools to do this we are not requiring schools to
Speaker 138
1:09:01
have yonder pouches okay so they don't have to have that they
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:09:06
don't have to that's the part that's up to this school each school can decide oh i want the yonder pouch oh i just want it turned off in their backpack that's what's up to the schools we're just saying that they
Representative John P. Carr
Unverified
1:09:24
cannot be in the classrooms like accessible i guess okay thank you representative car question you
Speaker 264
1:09:31
are recognized earlier you said that the school can decide if they can have their
phones out during pep rallies but what stops them from allowing them to have it
Speaker 253
1:09:43
all throughout the school day um well that
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:09:46
was just one uh that was just one amendment made because people talked about oh what if there's fun activities the students want to take pictures and so we implemented d1 a policy adopted and implemented under this section may include an exception of the possession or use of personal electronic device by a student during a special event that occurs during the
school day so that's it's that's just saying for
Speaker 233
1:10:12
the specific special event not all day
thank you representative hawk um for what oh never mind would anyone like to speak against the bill representative burks you
are recognized to speak against the bill
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
1:10:37
you are recognized I am honestly against this bill because well I'm speaking for the bill that's already in
Speaker 202
1:10:47
place that took place 2025 to 2026 of my junior year I feel like it really wasn't beneficial because why would y'all lock up our phones like we have to lock them in yonder pouches we'll be piling up at the end of day to unlock them with the middle thing they aren't as accessible as it was advertised that they would be. Also, also it's not really effective like
people still sneak their phones, like people still get their phones took and it don't affect nobody like we get suspended for it but they come back and do the same thing. It's not really effective and also nobody will use their phones for AI use if we was being taught the right way, like taught to actually know the material rather than to pass a test or to say y'all the teachers taught it to us so i am honestly against it because it really doesn't improve anything it hasn't yet in my school thank
you anyone else want to speak oh oh representative burks has spoken against the bill would anyone like to speak for the bill representative pierce you are recognized thank you madam speaker so when
Representative Shad Pearce
Unverified
1:12:12
i read over this bill i found that it was very well worded and when we talked about it in the committee most of the concerns were explained in the bill
and it's also shown that schools that have implemented stricter policies for phones other than the bell to bell no cell have shown improvements in both grades and student behavior. The bill does support school programs and activities like journalism or like other online programs and stuff like media. Although the specific methods of confiscation and methods of confiscation are up to the
schools to define um it does still support a lot of the school and
Speaker 268
1:13:02
there are regulations in place that prevent the school from just having
total free will representative pierce has spoken for the bill um representative gasway would you like to speak against
representative gas you are recognized to speak against the bill
Representative Jimmy Gazaway
Unverified
1:13:27
although this bill may promote better grades and test scores in the classroom there are many concerns that parents and other people have one of them students who have to use the pouches want to get them out during emergencies and as it states here they are allowed to but if they are stuck in the yonder patches, students have to walk to the office to get those unlocked. During emergencies, you're either outside, you're in a classroom locked down, or you're in your FEMA buildings for tornadoes. You can't go to the office and get those unlocked
to message your parents or your guardians to let them know you're okay or what's going on with this school. It also talks about digital media cameras and videos. This faces challenges for yearbook and media. So I'm in yearbook myself, and having to ask the teacher for her phone constantly because that's the only one we can use, we get backed up. We get behind. We don't get to get our pictures through.
We don't get to post on our social media as much as we like to. So having some type of exception there for yearbook and media for students would be implemented. It also talks about how students are exempt if they have health issues. Although you might get a note in from the doctor, this doesn't help them in the way that they can abuse it. So students may have access to their phones and say they're using it for their health problems, but could go to the bathroom, get on their social media, Snapchat, TikTok, whatever.
But what they told the teacher is not what they're doing. So students can abuse this really easy. There either needs to be an exception for all or an exception for none. A lot of these policies also aren't clear for schools. It talks about how the school can make their decision on what they want to do. But technology and work is something we will face in the real world. Having phones in school helps us with our responsibilities when we need to manage our work
and when we need to have social time and be out in the real world. Banning phones should also not be the main concern for schools with all the nationwide shootings. I feel like if we are going to implement a phone ban, we also need to implement ways to help with school shootings and vaping and kids getting high in school. I also think that parents are very concerned about their kids at school, and I know many students at our school don't get the announcements set out in school status.
Parents would like to have that reassurance from their kids that they are okay and that they are safe during any
emergencies. Thank you. Representative Gassaway has spoken for the bill,
against the bill. Sorry, would anyone like, okay, Representative Richardson, you are recognized to speak for the bill. while some
Speaker 78
1:16:43
of you may be disagreeing with this bill because obviously we're in school
um i do think that we all need to take a moment and think about the real big question what does it hurt with us not being able to have our phones in school and what does it help and weigh it out i mean genuinely think about all the suicides committed because of people who's had their phones at school and then think about all of these emergencies that have happened whenever you haven't had your phone the bill is not saying that you can't have your phone at school and that's not going to be accessible instead of charging them out here maybe
you need to be charging your school board and asking them where they're keeping their phones do we want a transferable pack to put your phone in whenever you do go outside or whenever you do go in the classroom. Whoever you're around should be carrying your phone, I guess. But I don't think that we should be attacking them out because there has been multiple incidents where phones have been more of a harm than good. I mean, if you're in a pep rally and you have your phone, what are you going to do? You're going to go make fun of people with your phone in the bathroom or you're going to
video each other in the bathroom, whether you're smoking pot, snorting salt. I mean, you know, There's no telling what kids do at school nowadays. I mean, at my school, there was literally a kid that snorted salt and videoed it. And I believe 100% that phones are going to be taken away because, if anything, that's an influence. I mean, I don't know why because that'd be, like, that'd burn. But, like, kids are influencing other people to do things, whether it's good or bad.
Yes, you may not like your phone being taken away because you can't snap your boyfriend. You can't text your mama. this girl said this about me, buckle down, you don't need your phone, you can live without it, I promise you, if you need to check your makeup to see if it's running, go look in the bathroom mirror, because honey, you look fine, okay? So, you don't need your phones, there's no point in charging them out, if you're so worried about where your phones are, where you're at here in school, then have your teacher put a fanny pack, and hold all your phones on her, and follow you around,
but your resource officer, and your school district should be the ones taking care of you at school and keeping a hold of
all of that. Thank you. Representative Richardson has spoken for the bill. Representative Mayberry, you are recognized to speak against the bill. You are recognized. Okay,
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
1:19:13
I am against this bill because I think the least our schools need to be worried about is phones. I think they need to be worried about our safety, especially in this time
and age of the world. I think this world is getting worse with school shootings and with vapes and stuff. Kids are more worried about vaping and mainly their safety at school. School shootings are getting really bad and obviously fights are getting really bad, but like someone else said, fighting can happen anywhere, not just in school. People can video fights anywhere but not but school and if i want to contact my parent i'm like i need to contact my parent i don't want
to have to rely on a teacher to contact a parent because like it's none of a teacher's business of what i'm saying to my parent i feel like especially if it's like family or personal thank you
Speaker 261
1:20:07
representative for what purpose i was going to ask a question but
it's okay Representative Mayberry has spoken against the bill. Is there anyone that wants to speak for the bill?
Representative Hawk, you are recognized to speak for the bill. I speak
Representative RJ Hawk
Unverified
1:20:35
for this bill because not only is it great to get away from the distractions of cell phones, I've noticed in our
Speaker 275
1:20:41
daily schools, even at like lunch tables and everything, I feel so much more connected to my peers than I would have ever if they would have been able to have their phones. They would have all been distracted. I feel that our mental health has been getting better, increasing too.
It is really cutting the stress and anxiety that students have coming from all these mean social media posts and just discretion against them. So stand with me in favor of this bill. Representative Hawke
has spoken for the bill. Anyone like to speak against
the bill? Representative Shepard, you are recognized to speak against the bill.
Representative Matthew J. Shepherd
Unverified
1:21:36
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm not necessarily speaking against the bill itself. I'm speaking against the amendments being made because there's a complete fallaway between the original bill being that we don't have cell phones in school and the amendments are saying that kids are allowed to have them in school. It's just completely opposite sides trying to make it the exact same thing, and I just don't agree with the fact of giving them those phones because they're just going to sneak it anyways.
If they're going to sneak it anyway, then what is the point of trying to make these amendments? I don't really understand what we are really arguing for when there's already a bill taking away the phones. Representative Richardson, for
what purpose? Okay. Representative Shepard has spoken against
the bill. Is there anyone who wants to speak for the bill?
Representative Springer, you are recognized to speak for the bill.
Representative Joy Springer
Unverified
1:22:44
you're recognized I'm speaking for this bill because as we know the biggest reason for this bill
Chair
Unverified
1:22:52
being set in place is we're worried about our children's safety and it's been mentioned multiple times about school shootings they're worried about getting in contact with their parents but the instructors will also have their phones on them and I would like to clarify with this bill
children are allowed to bring their phones to school but they just won't have access to them it's explained that the school district will determine the method in which the phones are taken care of as the presenter mentioned they are either supposed to put it away in their phones or put in a yonder pouch but they can still have it at school just not access it until after the day my biggest reason for supporting this bill is the mental health we live in a crisis right now where a lot of young girls especially are greatly influenced by social
media, especially when they see their peers on social media promoting whatever. And a lot of it is done in schools. I can speak personally. A lot of school fights would happen at my school between 9th and 10th grade year. And the rumors would start, group chats were started about oh let's meet up here we're gonna fight um in this section of the school and so everyone would be waiting and then here everyone goes pulling out their phones so um overall that's
why i'm in favor of this bill thank you representative gazaway um for what purpose question
you are recognized although we're stopping it from happening in
Representative Jimmy Gazaway
Unverified
1:24:26
school whether You're in first period, and it's going to happen sixth period. This bill still doesn't stop people from doing it outside of school, doing it after the day's over, ready for the next day. It just doesn't add up. And I know people are wanting to try and stop that and help our students and give them the safety that they need,
but it's just not going to happen if we can also do it outside of school. So what is your idea for
Chair
Unverified
1:24:56
that? I agree with your point. That's a fair point. but this bill applies to school. And if we limit cell phone uses within school, then it decreases outside of school as well. It's still, your point, I feel, doesn't justify why they would need phones in school. Again, I can only go off personal experience.
It's only led to negative outcomes. Have I answered your question, or are
you wanting more? - Representative McCollum, for what purpose? - Question. - You
Representative Austin McCollum
Unverified
1:25:32
are recognized. - So this is about the fights. I feel that from personal or like from observation, if phones are to be taken away, like as they have been taken away, this will lead to like more personal confrontation, which will be like more fights,
more likely more fights basically. - All right, so you're arguing that... What again, please restate your question. - Sorry, although, well, this is kind of not in control, like, sorry, yeah, like, incontrollable, like not, I don't think the bill really can help this, but if phones are being taken away, it's still not gonna decrease the fights because they'll just happen more personal,
more confrontation instead of like oh meet me here they're just gonna like go straight away
Chair
Unverified
1:26:30
well the statistics that we found go against your statement it showed an improvement in students behavior when they don't have access to their phones at
school thank you representative richardson for what purpose question you are recognized here's
Speaker 78
1:26:50
my question to you are we asking about like do you agree with me that faculty is
the state is paying for faculty to be trained on behalf of emergencies correct i would agree with that statement
Speaker 204
1:27:06
yes okay follow up um you are recognized would you also agree that if there's
Speaker 78
1:27:12
more conflict personal conflict then that would be better than cyber security or that would be better than cyber bullying because more people would rather say it behind a phone than come to your face and say it so y'all can duke it out in the parking lot.
Speaker 282
1:27:28
You're saying that phones produce more conflict, is that it?
Speaker 231
1:27:33
Yes, because people are scared, or yes, because people are scared to say it
Speaker 282
1:27:38
to people's faces. Yes, I do. I think social media limits accountability because they can hide behind the
screen. Yes, I do. Thank you. Representative Garner. Garner, for what purpose question you are recognized
Speaker 113
1:27:52
how does this affect and apply to private schools um
Speaker 282
1:28:02
it it only applies to public schools and charter schools so i don't know how
Chair
Unverified
1:28:08
would it would affect um private schools i believe that's simply up to their jurisdiction of how they want to handle phones if they allow them or not We're specifically referring to public schools. Thank you. Representative
Springer has spoken for the bill.
Does anyone want to speak against the bill? Representative Ennett, you are recognized to speak against the bill. you
Chair
Unverified
1:28:54
are recognized thank you thank you madam speaker honestly i'm against this bill because banning phones in school is not going to do anything for the fights and it's just gonna
make kids more likely to sneak their phones and get on their phones if you tell a kid that is school age not to do something they're going to want to do it more they're not going to want to listen to a teacher who I know we've all heard you're not my mama you don't pay my phone bill we're going to hear more of that it's going to be more arguing with teachers it's going to be more conflicts in the long run because if you let the student and you actually teach and you have a
good curriculum the kids will be interested I'm not saying that oh if school is boring get on your phone I'm saying you need a better curriculum to get your kids engaged why do they want to be on your phone in your class that's what you should be thinking about and also if the kid does get on their phone you can take that student's phone and teach them a lesson what about the kids who don't get on their phones in class and it's just in their backpack but they have a family member
in the hospital and they just want it in their backpack or on in their pocket so that they know when something happens it's little things like that that you have to think about when passing a bill like this because a lot of kids just want to feel secure and have their phone in their pocket sometimes yes it's annoying when they're like oh it's just my phone and they just want it all the time, but some kids really just want it as a source of comfort. Knowing what's going on is something that a lot of people need.
Representative Denise Jones Ennett
Unverified
1:30:42
I know a lot of you want to know what's going on in your
personal life. Representative Ennett has spoken against the
bill. representative young younger okay thank you madam speaker
Speaker 137
1:31:18
um i will now just go over the bill and the
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
1:31:24
main things that were discussed today so again this bill is this bill is to prohibit the use of personal electronic devices during this school day so many of the people who oppose this bill some of their points were that yonder pouches can't take phones during um when you have yonder pouches you can't take your phones during
emergencies like fires but what I'd like to say to that is that's why we are allowing the teachers have phones to be able to contact parents. The negation talked about how we can't use digital cameras for school extracurriculars like yearbook, but this bill states that personal electronic devices is issued to students by a public school district or an open enrollment public charter
school for the use during the school day. So that is one exception that is allowed, therefore, you can use digital cameras for school extracurriculars during the school day. Representatives talked about how students can abuse health issues and emergencies, but for that issue, I believe that these students, it would be better for them to have their phones during emergencies and for us to have full faith in them that they will follow the rules
And maybe the schools can regulate the medical emergencies, make sure that they are using it properly. They talked about how phones, when phones are present, it teaches responsibility, but clearly they've had time and we've shown that academics are hurting and there are continued fights. therefore with these phones taken away it'll help we've seen help increase in academics and in that
so some other some other things that were talked about were that there were other issues we need to focus on like school shooters and vaping but this bill is not talking about that we are directly trying to just work on the phones and I would be more than happy to talk to those representatives about legislation to target those issues um and with all of
Speaker 152
1:33:51
that i would appreciate a good vote thank
you the question before the house is passage of acl um i number four prepare the machine madame
clerk. Has everyone voted? Okay. By vote of 20 yeas, 30 nays, and two present, the bill has failed meeting adjourned representative vought are recognized thank you madam speaker have you
had fun yeah awesome um reps if y'all come up here um militia militia this is
what I want y'all to do I want y'all to stand
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Speakers
Speaker 1
Speaker 7
Representative DeAnn Vaught Chair
Unverified
Speaker 24
Representative Rebecca Burkes
Unverified
Speaker 35
Representative R. Scott Richardson Chair
Unverified
Speaker 40
Speaker 43
Chair
Unverified
Speaker 55
Representative Tracy Steele
Unverified
Speaker 60
Representative Justin Gonzales
Unverified
Representative Ashley Hudson
Unverified
Speaker 78
Representative Jason Nazarenko
Unverified
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
Representative Matthew J. Shepherd
Unverified
Representative Roger D. Lynch
Unverified
Representative Denise Garner
Unverified
Speaker 113
Speaker 107
Speaker 101
Speaker 122
Speaker 127
Representative Austin McCollum
Unverified
Representative Steve Unger
Unverified
Representative Rick McClure
Unverified
Speaker 152
Speaker 158
Representative Steve Hollowell
Unverified
Speaker 163
Speaker 32
Representative Paul Childress
Unverified
Speaker 173
Speaker 174
Speaker 179
Speaker 183
Speaker 184
Speaker 192
Speaker 195
Representative Jimmy Gazaway
Unverified
Representative Shad Pearce
Unverified
Representative Mark Perry
Unverified
Speaker 219
Speaker 222
Speaker 226
Speaker 229
Speaker 45
Speaker 119
Speaker 204
Speaker 138
Representative Les D. Eaves
Unverified
Speaker 250
Speaker 242
Speaker 256
Speaker 261
Representative John P. Carr
Unverified
Speaker 264
Speaker 253
Speaker 233
Speaker 202
Speaker 268
Representative Julie Mayberry
Unverified
Representative RJ Hawk
Unverified
Speaker 275
Representative Joy Springer
Unverified
Speaker 282
Speaker 231
Speaker 133
Representative Denise Jones Ennett
Unverified
Speaker 137