A fast rundown on the ridiculous stuff Arkansas politicians did final week, plus some progress for as soon as

When lawmakers give attention to “proudly owning the libs,” or somewhat, punishing the so-called radical left, their coverage shortly deteriorates. After ten full weeks, it’s time they give attention to serving to, not hurting Arkansans. Pay attention, watch, or learn on for the rundown.

Excellent news first, due to the Home State Companies Committee

• Dan Sullivan’s bill that would end affirmative action has been tabled, for now. Good on Chair Rep. Tosh for placing the unhealthy laws to mattress.
• One in every of a number of democracy payments, HB1601 would have required permits for ballot initiative canvassers accumulating signatures. It additionally failed in Home State Companies.
• A Mary Bentley invoice that will have allowed public boards and committees to legally meet in private failed in State Companies. Three cheers for preserving the public’s right to transparent governance.
• The League of Girls Voters of Arkansas and Senator Bryan King filed suit against the state for ACT 236, an unconstitutional new regulation that requires poll initiatives to have signatures from 50 Arkansas counties. We’ll hold you posted on the lawsuit’s standing.

Sarah Sanders tries to take down large tech, nevertheless it’s not in regards to the youngsters

Governor Sanders, in an echo of her former boss, is geared as much as take down large tech. Her coverage proposal would require parental consent for kids to entry social media websites or require proof of digital identification to verify one’s age. As soon as once more, it’s framed as a child-protection and parental-empowerment invoice, full with shallow rhetoric we’ve come to anticipate from her administration. Right here’s some context:

• It would cross. The primary Gov. Huckabee bought his daughter a legislature. And the continual bullying from her office will hold #arleg voting for her payments.

• It seemingly gained’t be enforceable. If handed, the invoice will not be enforceable because of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, a federal regulation that preempts state makes an attempt so as to add further necessities to social media corporations.

• It gained’t repair the issues it’s meant to handle. Web security and teenage psychological well being are two interconnected and complicated points that require complicated options with a view to be efficient. This invoice doesn’t deal with these points.

• This isn’t in regards to the youngsters, it’s about Sarah’s political future. Sanders retains herself within the headlines utilizing talking points that signal national aspirations whereas she does little for the individuals of our state. This large tech laws, identical to everything she’s done for the past two months, does nothing for many who truly need assistance. Her administration cares about proudly owning the libs however little else.

Monetary establishments received “woke” and the legislature will get revenge

HB1307 prohibits the state from investing in monetary companies with progressive funding requirements. The invoice can have an costly impression on the state’s retirement accounts, jeopardizing the livelihoods of Arkansas firefighters, police, and academics — simply so lawmakers can punish corporations too liberal for the legislature’s style. It’s one other instance how Arleg’s “personal the libs” obsession distracts lawmakers from fixing actual issues within the state.

The invoice is a part of a national push to retaliate towards monetary establishments for supporting ESG standards. ESG stands for environmental, social, and governance practices, that are the requirements monetary establishments use to find out investments. Lately, many massive corporations have taken progressive stances on social issues and are more and more public about these stances. Texas banned funding with sure monetary establishments in 2021 and the transfer price the state between $300 million and $504 million.

Arleg is posed to impact the identical final result for our public retirement accounts, that are additionally tied up in some of the world’s most well known financial institutions. If HB1307 turns into regulation, Arkansas will probably be pressured to withdraw funds from banned accounts and place them with smaller corporations that don’t adhere to ESG requirements. Smaller corporations, nonetheless, cost increased charges and charges, costing states like Texas hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in misplaced income. The transfer is neither good banking nor good coverage. It’s punitive, and both retirees or taxpayers will probably be punished for the legislature’s anti-woke posturing.

Arleg’s obsession with proudly owning the libs goes to price us. Actually.

Invoice would enable faith-based teams, companies and people to sue the state

HB1615 would enable personal companies and organizations, like Christian foster care and adoption teams, to sue the state of Arkansas for almost any cause — as long as the state “burdens” or makes an attempt to burden a bunch’s beliefs.

The invoice’s sponsors need Christian entities with sure state licenses and accreditations to have the ability to deny providers to those that don’t uphold their conventional household values. In different phrases these state-licensed teams want to discriminate towards these with whom the teams disagree and never face any penalties from the state. Sponsors then need these teams, companies, and people to have the ability to sue the state if the state penalizes teams for discriminatory practices.

For instance, this invoice would enable a faith-based adoption group to legally deny homosexual {couples} service. If the state revokes the group’s license as a result of the group denied a homosexual couple youngster placement, the group can sue the state per HB1615. However Arkansas maintains state sovereign immunity by way of a provision wherein a state can’t be sued in federal and state courtroom with out its consent. HB1615 carves out a non-public, spiritual discrimination path from the sovereign immunity statute.

The proposed laws is problematic, because it permits personal beliefs to trump the state’s accountability to honest and equitable practices, in addition to the state’s personal sovereign immunity.

Library guide ban passes however DeAnn Vaught surprises

The Home handed Sen. Dan Sullivan’s SB81, which might topic public faculty workers to criminal prosecution under obscenity laws for any books, ebooks, and educational resources of their library.

However Rep. DeAnn Vaught was a vivid spot in the course of the invoice’s dim dialogue on the Home flooring. The lone consultant to vocalize disapproval of the invoice, Vaught made compelling and rational arguments relating to the proposal’s blatant overreach. The Common Meeting shouldn’t be passing state legal guidelines to handle a number of unhealthy actors on the native degree, Vaught stated.

“When will we cease with the message that each one superintendents, teachers, and now librarians have intentions to hurt our youngsters? That would not be farther from the reality… We can not regulate every thing within the lives of Arkansans. We’ve to cease with the federal government overreach,” stated Vaught.

It’s uncommon lately to see a Republican legislator stand with the rules of small authorities and native management; we’re happy that Vaught shocked us on this account. However extra so, we’re thrilled to see a member of the Arkansas legislature cease with “proudly owning the libs” and give attention to stopping pointless and burdensome laws.

Extra proudly owning of libs, bureaucratic ballooning, and problematic coverage

• Arleg passes an anti-abortion memorial bill. TBD on when will probably be constructed and what it should appear like.
• Anti-trans youth medical malpractice bill becomes law. Docs gained’t be capable of get malpractice insurance coverage to cowl procedures, primarily ending remedy choices for youth within the state.
• An amended bill requiring a digital ID to view internet porn heads again to Senate committee. If it passes, is the state going to gather the information, and if that’s the case, what occurs if there’s a leak? Yikes.
• Keep in mind that anti-trans faculty scholar identify invoice? Somehow it got worse, the Arkansas Instances stories.
• The Senate passes Sen. Payton’s anti-trans bathroom bill, criminalizing trans individuals utilizing public loos in Arkansas. To say this invoice is dangerous and probably the most excessive anti-trans laws within the nation isn’t an exaggeration.

Neither right here nor there: soiled canine combat within the Arkansas Home

This has nothing to do about Arleg proudly owning the libs! As an alternative, the Home supermajority turned on itself this week all due to a proposed dog breed policy. Issues received heated amongst members, however the subsequent day one of many invoice’s sponsors apologized.

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