Lawmakers head back to Little Rock for final week; veto override, state budget in agenda A possible override of a veto on a 2nd Amendment-related bill and the stateâs budget will be major issues lawmakers will tackle as they head back to the Capitol Monday. (Source: ABC/NBC) By Region 8 Newsdesk | April 25, 2021 at 2:32 PM CDT - Updated April 25 at 2:42 PM
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KAIT) - A possible override of a veto on a 2nd Amendment-related bill and the stateâs budget will be major issues lawmakers will tackle as they head back to the Capitol Monday.
An attempt to override a veto of the Arkansas Sovereignty Act of 2021 is expected Monday after Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed the bill Friday.
House Speaker Matthew Shepherd talks up the substitute hate crimes bill that passed Monday.
A watered-down substitute for a hate crime bill passed the House Monday, leaving Arkansas still among the only three states without meaningful legislation to protect commonly targeted groups.
The House passed Senate Bill 622 with 65 yes votes, 26 nos and five lawmakers voting present. The bill already has Senate approval, and now heads to the governor’s desk.
Governor Hutchinson has indicated he will sign the bill into law.
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House members pass SB 622, a substitute for the hate crimes bill rejected earllier this session.
The bill requires that someone convicted of committing crimes targeting victims based on their group or class to serve a minimum of 80% of his or her sentence. Unlike hate crimes bills in other states, though, this bill does not specify what those classes or groups are. House Speaker
Hate crimes, teacher salaries, Gaboâs Law on agenda this week at Capitol The House is expected to vote Monday on SB622, a bill that would delay release from prison for certain offenders until the offender has served at least 80% of his or her sentence if the suspect purposely targeted the victim. (Source: ABC/NBC) By Region 8 Newsdesk | April 11, 2021 at 3:07 PM CDT - Updated April 12 at 11:29 PM
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KAIT) - Lawmakers head back to the Capitol Monday with several major issues on the agenda, including a major House vote on a hate crimes-related bill.
The Senate voted 22-7, with five voting present, Wednesday to approve the bill, sending it to the House.
UPDATE Anti-abortion forces pregame for near-total abortion ban vote that, as expected, was quickly approved.
February 10, 20211:47 pm Sen. Jason Rapert advances his near-total abortion ban through the state Senate. SB 6 now goes to the House. Brian Chilson
Lawmakers and other supporters of Senate Bill 6 to ban nearly all abortions in the state rallied at the Capitol Wednesday, a couple of hours before the bill gets its first hearing in committee, scheduled for 2 p.m.
Bill sponsor
Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Bigelow) emceed the event, which was held in the Capitol rotunda and attracted about 50 lawmakers and representatives from the
Family Council,
Stand your ground bill headed for impasse?
February 3, 20216:07 pm Rep. Pilkington talks about what s next for his controversial stand your ground legislation. Jaime Alverson
The piece of a stand your ground bill that Arkansas prosecutors insisted on adding is the very piece Gun Owners of Arkansas and some conservative lawmakers are pushing to take out. The impasse threatens to stall attempts to resuscitate the controversial bill that died in committee Tuesday.
Republican lawmakers met in private Wednesday afternoon, ostensibly to hash out what to do about language in Senate Bill 24 that requires someone to be “lawfully present” to be able to invoke a stand your ground defense. Stand your ground laws in other states make it legal for people to kill anyone they deem a threat, even if they could have safely walked away instead.