Daily Legislative Update
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
45thDay of the 87th General
Assembly
* * * CALL TO ACTION * * *
MANUFACTURERS’ SALES TAX EXEMPTION FOR UTILITY USAGE
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO SUPPORT A REDUCTION IN THE SALES TAXES PAID BY MANUFACTURERS ON THEIR ENERGY COSTS.
The best information you can provide legislators is a report on how much sales tax you are paying on electricity and natural gas used directly in the manufacturing process along with an explanation of how the savings would enhance your operation, save or increase jobs, improve competition, etc.
TODAY AT THE CAPITOL
House convenes at
Senate convenes at
Committee Meetings:
JOINT
8:00 AM |
Room 272 |
||||
9:00 AM |
Room 171 |
HOUSE
10:00 AM |
Room 138 |
||||
10:00 AM |
Room 151 |
||||
10:00 AM |
ROOM 428 |
||||
10:00 AM |
Room 149 |
||||
10:00 AM |
130 |
AGING, CHILDREN AND YOUTH, LEGISLATIVE & MILITARY AFFAIRS- HOUSE |
|||
12:00 PM |
428 |
SENATE
10:00 AM |
Room OSC |
||||
10:00 AM |
Room 207 |
||||
10:00 AM |
Room 272 |
||||
10:00 AM |
Room 171 |
||||
Upon Adjournment |
Room 309 |
ISSUES
SCRAP METAL
HB 1479 by Rep.
LOTTERY
Rep. Steve Harrelson is reporting on his blog, Underthedome.com, that there will likely be a joint meeting of the House Rules and Senate State Agencies Committees upon adjournment this afternoon to roll out the second component of proposed legislation to implement the Scholarship Lottery Amendment approved by voters on November 4. The meeting will be in the Old Supreme Courtroom on the Capitol's second floor.
STATE CHAMBER/AIA BILL TRACKING
To date, the House has filed 611 bills and the Senate has filed 470 bills.
The State Chamber/AIA is tracking 253 bills and resolutions.
The deadline for appropriations bills is Monday, March 2 and the deadline for regular bill filings is Monday, March 9.
ISSUES
PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGEMENT (PBM)
HB 1601 by Rep. Allen Maxwell and SB 460 by Sen. Percy Malone are identical bills that require entities that are managers of pharmacy benefits plans for insurers, employers and certain other health care entities or health plans to itemize individual claims, disclosing the amount paid to a pharmacist, the identity of the pharmacist and the prescription number when the PBM seeks reimbursement or payment for services provided by the pharmacists. It also provides that a violation constitutes a deceptive and unconscionable trade practice under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. SB 460 is on tomorrow’s agenda in the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee.
EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
HJR 1014 by Rep. Lindsley Smith and SJR 12 by
Sen. Sue Madison would ratify the proposed amendment to the United States
Constitution guaranteeing equality of rights to women and authorizing
Congress to enforce by legislation those provisions. It requires the
Secretary of State to provide Archivist of the
New bills added to the State Chamber/AIA tracking today:
Creates an income tax deduction of 125 percent of the contributed amount for charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations. |
||
Requires pharmacy benefit managers to itemize reimbursement amounts sought for pharmacist services and pay the amounts it receives to the pharmacies or pharmacists that provided the services. |
Adds twine used for bailing hay to the sales tax exemption for other agricultural bagging, tying and packaging materials. |
||
Creates a sales tax credit for up to $1,000 against the cost of certified services or other costs that businesses incur in order to comply with the changes made under the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement. |
||
Ratifies the proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing equal rights to women. (Same as SJR 12) |
Prohibits persons with a learner's license or an intermediate driver's license from using a cellular phone or other interactive wireless communication devices while operating a vehicle and other restrictions. |
||
Requires pharmacy benefit managers to itemize individual claims on billing, including the pharmacy name, the amount paid to the pharmacy, and the prescription number; makes violations a deceptive trade practice. |
Creates the Legislative Task Force on Reducing Poverty
and Promoting Economic
|
||
Ratifies the proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing equal rights to women. (Same as HJR 1014) |
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.
TOMORROW AT THE CAPITOL
Committee Meetings for Thursday, February 26, 2009
JOINT
8:00 AM |
Room 151 |
||||
9:00 AM |
Room 171 |
HOUSE
10:00 AM |
Room 130 |
||||
10:00 AM |
Room 151 |
||||
10:00 AM |
Room 138 |
||||
10:00 AM |
Room 149 |
||||
10:00 AM |
Room 428 |
SENATE
10:00 AM |
ROOM 272 |
||||
10:00 AM |
OSC |
||||
10:00 AM |
ROOM 309 |
||||
10:00 AM |
Room 171 |
ISSUES
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
HB 1478 by Rep. Mike Patterson would authorize certain information to be shared between the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) and the Department of Finance and Administration. It is on the agenda in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee.
SB 429 by Sen. Tracy Steele is a significant bill filed by the Department of Workforce Services that addresses a very serious situation regarding the rapidly declining balance in the trust fund that pays unemployment insurance claims. It has been referred to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.
The ESD Advisory Council, on which the State Chamber/AIA and the AFL-CIO each hold five positions along with three consumer representatives, will meet this afternoon to discuss HB 1478 and SB 429 as well as the impact of federal stimulus funds.
FOOD TAX
SB 88 by Sen. Bobby Glover would reduce the sales tax on food and food ingredients by 1 percent. This is a priority item for Governor Beebe. The bill remains on the House Revenue and Taxation Committee agenda.
WORKPLACE
HB 1552 by Rep. Lindsley Smith provides that employers shall provide unpaid break time each day to any employee who needs to express breast milk for her child in order to maintain milk supply, and to make a reasonable effort to provide a private and sanitary room for her to do so. This bill is on the agenda in the House Public Health, Welfare & Labor Committee.
YESTERDAY AT THE CAPITOL
ISSUES
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
HB 1362, the agreed workers’ compensation bill between the State Chamber/AIA and the AFL-CIO, passed the House yesterday by a vote of 97-0. It has been referred to the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee.
SEAT BELT AND GRADUATED DRIVERS LICENSE LAWS
SB
78 by Sen. Wilkins and
Rep. Allen received a Do Pass yesterday morning from the House Public
Transportation Committee and is on this afternoon’s House Calendar for
consideration by the full House. The bill would repeal ACA 27-37-
704, which prohibited vehicle stops solely to determine compliance with seat
belt laws. The bill would forbid the suspension or revocation of a driver's
license based on violation of seat belt laws. In 2006, approximately five out of every 1,000 belted
drivers were hospitalized in
SB
309 by Sen. J. Jeffress and Rep. Shelby has been set for a Special Order
of Business in the House Public Transportation Committee on Tuesday, March 3.
It would prohibit the use of a cellular phone or other
interactive device while operating a motor vehicle by a driver with a learners'
driver's license or intermediate driver's license. It would also place
restrictions on driving hours for those with intermediate driver's licenses
unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old or
driving to or from school or church-related activity or job or due to an
emergency and would restrict passengers to not more than one unrelated
passenger unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years
old and in the front passenger seat. Motor vehicle crashes were the leading
cause of death for teens from 1999 to 2005, causing 78 percent of all
The State Chamber/AIA has policy in support of these provisions
to reduce trauma in
SESSION EXTENSION
HCR 1012 by Rep. Robert Moore would extend the session until April 10. It passed the House yesterday by a vote of 90-7 and must now be voted on by the Senate.
MINIMUM WAGE
HB
1464 by Rep. Jim Nickels
received a Do Pass recommendation from the House Public Health, Welfare and
Labor Committee. This bill would make
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@arkansasstatec hamber.com
State Chamber/AIA
phone: (501) 372-2222
State Chamber/AIA web site: www.arkansasstatechamber.com
