Week 4
While some parts of the state were weighed down with ice and stymied by power outages, business was pretty usual at the Arkansas Capitol, despite the will-it-or-won’t-it-ice debacle. We are continually grateful for the everyday Arkansans who drive, sometimes hours in wintry weather, to speak on behalf of children and families. We know the dedication it takes, and the pressure seems to be working! The hotly debated SB43 was amended this week to no longer target members of the LGBTQ+ community (but it remains highly problematic, for reasons described below).
Regardless of several sound arguments against it, ranging from its legality and feasibility to the dire consequences we can expect if it passes, the bill that aims to put work-reporting requirements on housing assistance progressed. As did the bill that would make it all but impossible for state programs to increase diversity in school and work settings. And the bathroom bill that will open trans kids up to even more harassment and abuse at school.
Below you will find an overview of bills on AACF’s legislative agenda and that AACF generally either supports or opposes. We are monitoring more bills, listed and frequently updated on our website.
Bills on AACF’s Legislative Agenda
Through conversations with partners, advocates and young Arkansans, and through our own policy research, AACF has identified a series of policies that will improve the well-being of Arkansans. The following bills are in support of our 2023 legislative agenda. More information on AACF’s legislative priorities is here.
Democracy and Voting Rights
Progressed: Rep. Zack Gramlich and Sen. Justin Boyd are the co-sponsors of HB1198, which would remove county holidays from the days early voting will not be available. This week it cleared the House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday and passed the House on Thursday.
Education, K-12
Assigned: Sen. Leding and Rep. McCullough are the sponsors of SB149, which would raise the minimum pay for classified public school staff to $15 per hour. The bill is assigned to the Senate Education Committee.
Food Security
Withdrawn: Rep. Frances Cavenaugh and Sen. Kim Hammer have withdrawn HB1218. This bill would have created a fund that would be used to reimburse Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/EBT) recipients who have had their benefits stolen through no fault of their own.
Bills AACF Also Supports
The following are bills not formally on AACF’s legislative agenda but that AACF recognizes could have a positive impact on Arkansas’s children and families.
Education, K-12
Progressed: SB68 is co-sponsored by Sen. Jim Dotson and Rep. DeAnn Vaught. This bill would educate students about the significance and history of the Holocaust, would designate the last full week of classes in January in Arkansas public schools as “Holocaust Education Week.” It passed the full Senate on Monday and the House Education Committee on Thursday. Read an article on this bill here.
Assigned: Rep. Denise Ennett is sponsoring HB1315, which would require public schools to create a seizure safety plan to support students with seizure disorders. Each public school would need to have two trained individuals who can administer FDA approved medication or provide the appropriate care for a student having a seizure. The bill is assigned to the House Education Committee.
New Bill: Rep. Bruce Cozart and Sen. Kim Hammer filed HB1336 this week, which aims to create a 3-year pilot study that would start an agricultural education program in public elementary schools. The program would be based on the nationally recognized three-component model of school-based agricultural education. It is assigned to the House Education Committee.
New Bill: This week Rep. Jamie Scott and Sen. Linda Chesterfield filed HB1343. The bill would require evidence-based trauma-informed classroom instruction and recognition of behavioral reactions to trauma to be taught in teacher preparation programs.
Equity
Tabled: SB60, sponsored by Sen. Linda Chesterfield, would prohibit the use of a criminal defense that a person committed the offense due to the discovery, knowledge, or disclosure of the victim’s sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or sex assigned at birth. It is assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but has been tabled indefinitely. Read an article on this bill here.
Health
Progressed: Sen. Justin Boyd and Rep. Ryan Rose are the co-sponsors of SB74, which would allow certain people who need one to use a surrogate to apply for public benefits such as Medicare and Medicaid. The bill passed the full Senate on Monday and passed the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Thursday.
Progressed: HB1127 is sponsored by Rep. Lee Johnson. The bill would allow small rural hospitals to make a change in designation from critical access hospital to rural emergency hospital, thereby allowing these hospitals to get higher reimbursement for outpatient services. It passed the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Monday and passed the full House on Thursday.
Bills AACF Opposes
The following are bills we believe would be harmful to our state, our state’s children and their families, and our state’s most vulnerable individuals.
Education
Progressed: Rep. Bentley and Sen. Dan Sullivan’s bill HB1156 easily passed the House Education Committee on Tuesday and passed the full House on Wednesday. The bill would require students in public schools to use bathrooms or locker rooms based on their sex assigned at birth. It is now assigned to the Senate Education Committee. Read an article on this bill here.
Equity
Amended: SB43, co-sponsored by Sen. Gary Stubblefield and Rep. Mary Bentley was significantly amended this week, thanks to increased pressure by LGBTQ+ advocates and their allies. The original bill targeted drag performances and was worded in a way that could have been used to criminalize transgender and nonbinary individuals. As it is written now, the bill still attempts to regulate the freedom of expression of anyone in Arkansas in certain situations, which would be a violation of the First Amendment. On Thursday, the House Committee on City, County and Local Affairs adopted the amendment and passed the bill. You can read the ACLU-Arkansas blog post about it here.
Progressed: SB71 is co-sponsored by Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Marcus Richmond. This bill would prohibit state agencies from providing programs targeted toward historically excluded groups, including on the basis of race, gender, color, ethnicity, or national origin in matters of state employment, public education, or state procurement. This could result in the elimination of university programs to recruit women in STEM fields, to recruit Latine/Hispanic students in journalism, etc., as well as prevent programs designed to recruit more diverse staff in state government. It passed the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday. Read an article on this bill here.
Progressed: Rep. Bentley and Sen. Dan Sullivan’s bill HB1156 easily passed the House Education Committee on Tuesday and passed the full House on Wednesday. The bill would require students in public schools to use bathrooms or locker rooms based on their sex assigned at birth. It is now assigned to the Senate Education Committee. Read an article on this bill here.
Family Economic Security
Scheduled: Rep. Kendon Underwood and Sen. Ben Gilmore’s bill HB1197 would burden workers and businesses with more red tape in an attempt to keep people from accessing unemployment benefits. It is scheduled to be heard by the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Tuesday, February 7 at 10:00am.
Housing
Progressed: Rep. Ken Underwood and Sen. Ben Gilmore’s bill HB1196 passed the House Committee on City, County and Local Affairs on Wednesday. AACF Northwest Arkansas Director Laura Kellams testified against the bill during the committee meeting. The bill would attempt to add red tape to public housing, pending federal approval, by creating a stringent work-reporting requirement without any investment in supportive services. Read our blog post on this bill.
Tax and Budget
Progressed: HB1026 is co-sponsored by Rep. Ray and Rep. John Payton. The bill would undercut the ability of local governments to set tax and budget policies that work in their local communities. It passed the House on Tuesday and is now assigned to the Senate Revenue and Tax Committee.
New Bill: Rep. Stephen Meeks has filed HJR1002, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the legislature to eliminate property taxes in Arkansas. If the resolution passes, it would be added to the 2024 election ballot for voters’ consideration.
How You Can Help
- Sign up for Action Alerts, if you haven’t already. By subscribing to this list, you will be notified when we need you to take action, like emailing or calling your legislator, on a specific issue or piece of legislation. You will also receive weekly legislative updates during the session. Find out what bills were filed or made progress during the week at the Arkansas Capitol.
- Join our Facebook Group, Arkansas’s Capitol Advocates. This is a group where advocates for children and families are gathering to talk about how to move important issues and legislation forward and share best practices.
- Attend our events. These are a great way to stay current on our advocacy work and that of our statewide partners.
- Donate. The work our staff does during the legislative session is often not paid for by grants, and we do not receive any state or federal funding. We rely on donors like you to help us be effective advocates at the Arkansas Capitol.