Daily Legislative Update
Friday, February 06, 2009
26th Day of the 87th General Assembly
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
HB 1362 by Representatives Mike Burris & Rick Green and Senators Jerry Taylor & Joyce Elliott was amended as agreed yesterday. It is expected to be considered this morning in the House Insurance and Commerce Committee. Another amendment may be made to clarify the intent of language related to the Contractors Licensing Board. This bill contains the agreement on workers’ compensation issues negotiated by the State Chamber/AIA and the AFL-CIO.
It is looking like the amendment to HB 1266 has taken the workers’ compensation issue out of the bill.
TODAY AT THE CAPITOL
House convenes at 10:00 a.m.
The Senate does not meet.
Committee Meetings:
JOINT
None listed.
HOUSE
|
9:00 AM |
Room 149 |
INSURANCE & COMMERCE- HOUSE |
Agenda |
|
|
9:00 AM |
Room 151 |
STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS- HOUSE |
Agenda |
|
|
9:00 AM |
ROOM 138 |
AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT- HOUSE |
Agenda |
|
SENATE
None listed.
ISSUES
POPULAR VOTE FOR U.S. PRESIDENT
HB 1339 by Representatives Eddie Cooper, Monty Davenport, Linda Tyler and Andrea Lea and Senator Terry Smith, received a Do Pass recommendation Wednesday from the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. It was not considered by the full House yesterday and is not yet on the House Calendar for today. This bill would require Arkansas’s delegation of presidential electors in a presidential election to be appointed based on the nationwide popular vote total, rather than the popular vote in Arkansas. We are concerned that the loss of the electoral voting system would greatly reduce Arkansas’s impact on electing the President of the United States.
STATE CHAMBER/AIA BILL TRACKING
To date the House has filed 391 bills and the Senate has filed 319 bills.
The State Chamber/AIA is tracking 152 bills and resolutions.
New bills added to State Chamber/AIA tracking today:
|
HB 1383 |
Nickels |
Authorizes the Contractors Licensing Board, after notice and hearing, to impose civil penalties of up to $200 per day for each violation against contractors who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. |
|
HB 1390 |
Smith, G. |
Requires applicants for a temporary license for a master electrician or journeyman electrician to meet the experience qualifications required in rules promulgated by the Board of Electrical Examiners. |
|
SB 315 |
Steele |
Authorizes the Department of Health to grant funds to emergency medical care providers, ambulance providers, trauma rehabilitation service, and to hospitals to assist qualification as trauma centers; to create a communication network; more. |
|
SJR 4 |
Pritchard |
Proposes an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution limiting total service in the General Assembly to fourteen years, excluding partial terms resulting from special elections and two-year terms drawn following reapportionment. |
|
SJR 5 |
Baker, G. |
Proposes an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution to increase the length of terms for certain county officials. (Incomplete bill) |
Please visit our tracking site here for the complete, searchable list of bills being tracked. The full text of each bill is also available at the site.
NEXT WEEK AT THE CAPITOL
Committee Meetings for Monday, February 9, 2009
JOINT
|
11:00 AM |
Room 130 |
PUBLIC RETIREMENT & SOCIAL SECURITY PROGRAMS-JOINT |
Agenda |
|
HOUSE
None listed.
SENATE
|
10:00 AM |
ROOM 309 |
TRANSPORTATION, TECHNOLOGY & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS - SENATE |
Agenda |
|
YESTERDAY AT THE CAPITOL
ISSUES
TOBACCO TAX
HB 1204 by Rep. Gregg Reep and Sen. Tracy Steele passed the House yesterday by a 75 to 24 vote, which was exactly the number of votes needed to pass. It has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Revenue and Taxation. This bill would provide funding for a hospital trauma system and other statewide healthcare needs.
FOOD TAX
SB 88 by Sen. Bobby Glover was approved by the full Senate yesterday on a vote of 32 to 1. This bill would reduce the sales tax on food and food ingredients by 1%. It has been assigned to the House Revenue and Taxation Committee.
HIGHWAYS
SB 104 by Sen. Bobby Glover received a Do Pass recommendation yesterday from the House Transportation Committee. This bill would extend the State Highway Commission’s window of time to issue bonds for interstate improvement from the end of 2013 to the end of 2015. The State Chamber/AIA supported the original interstate bond program in 1999 and its renewal in 2007.
COURT DECISIONS
SB 33 by Sen. Robert Thompson was approved 35 to 0 by the Senate yesterday. It would remove the prohibition against citing unpublished decisions of the Court of Appeals as precedent. SB 33 would only affect un-published opinions on a going forward basis. SB 33 could be impacted by the passage of HB 1033 by Rep. Steve Harrelson, which makes changes in how court cases are reported. HB 1033 remains on the Senate Judiciary agenda.
AUTHORIZATION FOR ADEQ TO GATHER INFORMATION
HB 1279 by Rep. Keith Ingram was approved by the full House yesterday by a vote of 93 to 0. This bill would allow ADEQ to access employer lists to gather required information to satisfy the federal EPA. The State Chamber/AIA agrees with this bill as did the ESD Advisory Council on which members of the State Chamber/AIA Unemployment Insurance Committee sit along with members of the AFL-CIO and the public. It has now been assigned to the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee.
CONTACT INFORMATION
State Senators: 501-682-2902
State Representatives: 501-682-6211
State Chamber/AIA Staff
Randy Zook, President/CEO: rzook@arkansasstatechamber.com
Kenny Hall, Executive Vice President: khall@arkansasstatechamber.com
Angela DeLille, Director of Governmental Affairs:
adelille@arkansasstatechamber.com
State Chamber/AIA phone: (501) 372-2222
State Chamber/AIA web site: www.arkansasstatechamber.com
