Credit Arkansas House
The bill is defined by some as hate crimes legislation, while others say it is not specific enough to be considered as a hate crimes bill.
Under the bill, Arkansans convicted of certain violent offenses against members of a recognizable and identifiable group would have to serve at least 80% of their sentences. The bill defines these groups as sharing mental, physical, biological, cultural, political, or religious beliefs or characteristics.
Currently, Arkansas is one of few states in the nation that has not passed a hate crimes bill. Gov. Asa Hutchinson declared before the start of this legislative session that the passage of such a bill was one of his priorities.
Credit Governor s Office / YouTube
Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a pair of identical bills Monday that will raise the state’s median teacher salaries by $2,000 and create a fund to help lower-paying districts reach that amount.
Senate Bill 504 by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, and House Bill 1614 by Rep. Bruce Cozart, the chairs of the Senate and House Education Committees respectively, will raise the target median teacher salary to $51,822 for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. The House and Senate Committees afterwards would jointly set the statewide target median salary.
It also provides $25 million to create a Teacher Salary Equalization Fund that will provide $185 per student in districts that are below the median salary. According to the legislation, the gap between the highest average salary, $60,963, and the lowest of $39,578 was $21,385.
Credit Michael Hibblen / KUAR News
Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed a bill Monday that would prohibit gender transition procedures from being performed in state on individuals under age 18, but he acknowledged the veto likely will be overridden.
House Bill 1570, the Arkansas Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, would prevent physicians from performing the procedures. It also would ban the use of public funds or the providing of insurance coverage for them.
The ban would not apply to services to individuals born with a medically verifiable sex development disorder, such as the presence of ovarian and testicular tissue, the bill says.
The governor said the nation is watching Arkansas because the bill is another culture war-based one passed by the General Assembly. He said he doesn’t shy away from such issues “when necessary and defensible,” but this bill “while well-intended is off course.”
An Arkansas Senate committee has advanced a bill that some are defining as anti-hate crime legislation, while others say it does not go far enough. Under
Credit Arkansas House
The Arkansas House has passed a bill that makes a variety of changes to the state’s absentee voting process.
Members voted 74-22 Thursday, largly on bipartisan lines, in favor of House Bill 1715. It now goes to the Senate.
Some changes the bill includes are: denying absentee ballots to voters if signatures don’t match between their application and voter registration application, and not allowing county clerks or other designated officials to give to voters unsolicited absentee ballot applications.
Clerks and other election officials are still able to display a post absentee ballot application form on the internet.