Despite another week of snow and ice, it was an eventful week at the Capitol. With Monday’s filing deadline for non-appropriation bills fast approaching, a number of bills are being filed that we are reviewing.
HEALTH: The effort to allow local water systems to set water fluoridation levels rather than follow Department of Health standards came to a halt this week when HB1355 failed in the Senate Public Health Committee.
One other significant piece of health-related legislation, SB391, passed out of the Senate Public Health Committee. This bill advances the Governor’s balanced budget proposal by transferring $2 million from the Tobacco Master Settlement Fund to the Medicaid program.
EDUCATION: HB1515, sponsored by Rep. Greg Leding, would require the Arkansas Department of Education to conduct a public forum for parents and community members when they conduct on-site accreditation reviews. This bill passed out of the House Education Committee this week.
JUVENILE JUSTICE: We are still awaiting final action on legislative efforts to prohibit the imposition of a sentence of life without parole for a crime committed as a minor (HB1197).
We will be watching closely the recently introduced HB1583, which would give school resource officers the power to issue citations for offenses that occur at school to make sure it does not increase the school-to-prison pipeline. A number of bills were filed this week to address a variety of juvenile justice issues.
CHILD WELFARE: Two bills, HB1648 and HB1676, have been filed to prohibit re-homing of a child. Both would make it a criminal offense for an adoptive parent to transfer custody of a child without court involvement except in certain circumstances.
TAX, BUDGET, AND FAMILY ECONOMIC SECURITY: HB1489 passed out of committee on Thursday. This bill would cut funding to unemployment benefits by an estimated $50 million a year and reduce the time that a person could collect unemployment from 25 to 20 weeks.
SB600 would require drug testing for low-income families before they are eligible to receive TANF benefits. This bill has failed in other states because of high cost, ineffectiveness, and questionable constitutionality.
UPCOMING EDUCATION ADVOCACY EVENTS: On Tuesday, March 10, Citizens First Congress and the Arkansas Opportunity to Learn Campaign will hold an Education Advocacy Day, and on Tuesday, March 17, the Invest Early Coalition will host a Pre-K Day at the Capitol. Click the links for registration information for these exciting advocacy opportunities.
Here are the rest of the bills we’re watching: