Latest news with #Arkansans'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas attorney general certifies League of Women Voters ballot title
Voters sign a petition to place a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot at a signing event April 8, 2024, outside Little Rock's Whitewater Tavern. (Paige Eichkorn / Arkansas Advocate) Attorney General Tim Griffin on Wednesday substituted and certified the popular name and ballot title of a constitutional amendment proposed by the League of Women Voters of Arkansas aimed at preserving the state's direct democracy process. Griffin had rejected the proposal three times prior to Wednesday's certification. In his most recent rejection, Griffin cited a new state law that prohibits ballot titles from being written above an eighth-grade reading level as his reason for denying certification. In Wednesday's opinion, Griffin said he previously did not approve the League of Women Voters' proposal because it ranked at grade level 12.2 on the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula. The test uses word complexity and sentence lengths to calculate what grade of education is needed to comprehend written material. Arkansas attorney general rejects first ballot measure under new law Additionally, the attorney general identified two other 'minor issues' — a grammatical error in the text and the proposal's 'failure to mention any standards upon which a popular name could be challenged.' Griffin noted in Wednesday's opinion, which Assistant Attorney General Kelly Summerside prepared, that the League of Women Voters had corrected both issues and rewrote the ballot title so it ranks at an 8.5 grade level on the Flesch-Kincaid test. 'With regard to your proposed ballot title, I have made several minor changes to ensure that the ballot title clearly and accurately sets forth the purpose of your proposed initiated amendment to the Arkansas Constitution, while remaining at an eighth-grade reading level,' Griffin said. The League of Women Voters of Arkansas and its ballot question committee, Save AR Democracy, said they were pleased with 'this long-awaited approval,' in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. 'This victory belongs to every Arkansan who believes in the power of the people to shape their own government,' said Bonnie Miller, president of the League. 'Despite the challenges, we refused to give up because the right to direct democracy is worth fighting for.' The League of Women Voters of Arkansas submitted its first proposal in March. The amendment's goal is to 'restore Arkansans' constitutional right to direct democracy by preventing legislative interference, streamlining legal reviews, and simplifying the citizen-led petition process while ensuring that the fundamental rights of the amendment are subject to strict scrutiny by the courts in order to be valid,' according to a Wednesday press release. Direct democracy is the process by which Arkansans can propose new laws or constitutional amendments and place them on the ballot for a statewide vote. Arkansas is one of 24 states that allow citizen-led initiatives, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The nonpartisan LWVA, which submitted its most recent proposal on May 7, is proposing a constitutional amendment to prohibit state lawmakers from changing the Arkansas Constitution themselves and require that any new law affecting the initiative and referendum process must be approved by voters at the next general election. Additionally, the ballot measure would only permit voters, not state lawmakers, to propose changes to Article 5, Section 1 of the state Constitution, the section that outlines the initiative and referendum process. Under the proposed constitutional amendment, the General Assembly would determine the name and title of referendums, and votes on a bill with an emergency clause (a provision that allows laws to become effective immediately) would have to occur at least 24 hours after the bill passes. Additional provisions of the proposal address the signature-gathering process, as well as the process for certifying and challenging ballot titles. These reforms are essential to ensuring Arkansans can continue bringing issues 'directly to the ballot without unnecessary obstacles,' according to the release. 'This is about protecting the voice of the people,' Miller said. 'It should be the voters, not politicians, who have the final say in how Arkansas is governed.' Preserving Arkansans' right to propose state laws and constitutional amendments became a priority for several groups after lawmakers approved about a dozen bills related to direct democracy during the recently concluded legislative session. The bills' sponsors said they will ensure integrity with the process, while opponents have argued the new laws make it nearly impossible for Arkansans' proposed measures to qualify for the ballot. Arkansas coalition submits proposal to protect 'fundamental right' to direct democracy The League of Women Voters of Arkansas filed a federal lawsuit in April alleging that eight of those laws are unconstitutional. Two ballot question committees, Protect AR Rights and For AR Kids, filed a motion to intervene in the case last week because they want to challenge additional laws not included in the original suit, including Act 602 of 2025, the law that prohibits initiative petitions from being written above an eighth-grade reading level. Protect AR Rights also submitted its own proposed constitutional amendment Monday that would protect Arkansans' 'fundamental right' to direct democracy. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families is a member of the Protect AR Rights coalition, and Executive Director Keesa Smith-Brantley said Monday that the group's goal is for its proposal and the League of Women Voters' to work together. 'There were things that we felt like we needed to equally add to make sure that we enshrine the rights of Arkansans in the Constitution, but we are hopeful to be able to work together in this process and talk about ways that we can make sure that both of the measures that we're working on get passed,' she said. Under state law, the attorney general's office has 10 business days to approve or reject a proposed ballot measure. The deadline for a response on Protect AR Rights' proposal is June 3. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders initiates Community Assistance Grant Program
Video: Gov. Sanders, Arkansas Office of Skills Development hand out over $20 million in grants LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Monday that her office was initiating a program to fill funding gaps in the state. The announcement stated the $15 million program would provide Community Assistance Grants for projects that reduce poverty, promote self-sufficiency and revitalize communities. Sanders' office is working with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to develop and administer the program. Gov. Sanders vetoes two bills on last day of legislative session The governor's office is seeking the Arkansas Legislative Council's approval of the program's required $15 million. Officials said that under the program, community-based nonprofits and cities will be able to apply for up to $1.5 million grants per fiscal year to support quality of life. Food banks and foster care support were among the examples of programs the grants would support. Applicants will be required to match grant awards with cash, in-kind labor, or in-kind land. Match amount determination is on a case-by-case basis during the application review process. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces plan to remove sugary foods from SNAP The application period will be from May 19 through July 31, and funding award announcements are expected in early Fall 2025. 'If we're going to help every corner of our state thrive, then the effort is going to come from the bottom up—not just from the top down,' the governor said. 'The goal of the Community Assistance Grant program is to fund programs that are making a real difference in Arkansans' lives.' Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs bill blocking PBM ownership of pharmacies into law Additional information on the program is available at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas grassroots organizations seek to intervene in lawsuit challenging direct democracy laws
Ann Hudson, Carrie Clay and Marcia Norman sort through thousands of petitions inside the Arkansas Public Policy Panel's Little Rock office on July 2, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate) Two Arkansas ballot question committees on Wednesday filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging new direct democracy-related laws. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, Elias Law Group LLP and Shults Law Firm LLP filed the motion in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas on behalf of For AR Kids and Protect AR Rights. The former is a grassroots coalition that's received approval from the attorney general to gather signatures for its proposed education-focused constitutional amendment. The latter plans to file its own proposed ballot initiative for the 2026 election to protect Arkansans' 'right to propose, sign, petition and campaign for ballot initiatives to improve their communities,' according to a Statement of Organization filed with the Arkansas Ethics Commission Friday. Protect AR Rights is composed of several groups, including Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, Arkansas Appleseed, Arkansas Citizens First Congress, Arkansas Public Policy Panel, the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP and For AR People. 'This case is about protecting core political speech,' ACLU of Arkansas Legal Director John Williams said in a statement. 'Arkansas voters have a constitutional right to speak out, organize, and propose laws through the ballot initiative process. The laws we're challenging are deliberate efforts to suppress that speech and silence the voices of ordinary Arkansans in favor of entrenched political power.' Arkansas attorney general rejects first ballot measure under new law The original lawsuit was filed last month by the League of Women Voters of Arkansas who alleges eight recently approved laws governing direct democracy violate the First and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The case is assigned to Judge Timothy Brooks. Arkansans can propose new laws or constitutional amendments and put them to a statewide vote through the direct democracy process. Arkansas is one of 24 states that allows citizen-led initiatives, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The majority of the laws challenged in the lawsuit regulate the petition-gathering portion of the initiative and referendum process. New requirements include directing signature gatherers, known as canvassers, to sign a 'true affidavit,' to request a photo ID from potential signers and inform them that petition fraud is a criminal offense, among other things. According to Wednesday's court filings, the intervenors want to challenge additional laws, including a 2023 law that requires petitioners to gather signatures from 50 counties instead of 15 counties and Act 602 of 2025, which prohibits ballot titles from being written above an eighth grade reading level. Attorney General Tim Griffin cited the new law for the first time when he rejected a proposed ballot measure from the League of Women Voters last week. In Wednesday's filings, the plaintiffs argue that intervening in the League of Women Voters lawsuit is more efficient than filing a separate lawsuit, which they said would likely be consolidated with the League's complaint under federal court rules. Legislators and supporters of the new laws have said they will bring integrity to the initiative and referendum process, while opponents argue they will make it nearly impossible for citizens' proposals to qualify for the ballot. Protect AR Rights spokesperson Bill Kopsky called the laws 'a blatant power grab by politicians trying to silence voters.' 'Direct democracy has been under attack in the Arkansas Legislature really since 2012,' he said. 'Passing just bill after bill, it's death by 1,000 paper cuts, making the process harder for people.' For AR Rights formed in 2020 in opposition to Issue 3, a proposed constitutional amendment referred by the Legislature that would have changed the initiative and referendum process by requiring voter petitions to be submitted earlier and increasing the number of counties where signatures must be collected, among other things. Issue 3 failed with 56% voting against it. Two years later, For AR Rights fought against Issue 2, another lawmaker-referred constitutional amendment that would have increased the percentage of votes required to pass constitutional amendments and citizen-proposed state laws from a majority to 60% of votes cast. Issue 2 failed with 59% of voters voting against it. Arkansas AG certifies education coalition's 2026 ballot proposal Kopsky is also part of For AR Kids, which submitted and received approval for its proposed constitutional amendment for the 2026 general election after failing to collect enough signatures for the 2024 election. After the conclusion of the 2025 legislative session, Kopsky said the group assessed the new laws and volunteers tried collecting some signatures to learn how difficult it would be to comply with the new requirements. The regulations were 'so onerous that it's nearly impossible to collect signatures,' which is why the group decided to seek to join the League of Women Voters' lawsuit, he said. 'We just view ballot measures as a fundamental right in the Constitution, obviously, but we also see it as a way to cut through the partisanship that is caused by our politicians and special interests,' Kopsky said. 'Arkansans tend not to be super political, which I love about us. It's not about what camp you're in, it's what can we do to make our community better.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas lawmakers refer three proposed constitutional amendments to 2026 ballot
Rep. Matt Duffield, R-Russellville, and Sen. John Payton, R-Wilburn, present a proposed constitutional amendment to affirm Arkansans' right to keep and bear arms to the House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs on Monday, April 14, 2025. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) Three proposed constitutional amendments are expected to appear on Arkansas voters' 2026 ballots after receiving legislative approval this week. The House and Senate approved three Republican-led measures and sent them to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' desk: A proposal to affirm that the right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution 'is a natural, fundamental, and individual right that shall not be infringed.' A proposal to allow the Legislature to create economic development districts throughout the state The Citizens Only Voting Amendment, to affirm that only U.S. citizens can vote in Arkansas, which is already the law All three proposals received approval from the House and Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs before each chamber voted on them. The Legislature is allowed to refer a maximum of three amendments to voters during every regular session. Lawmakers referred only one measure to the 2024 ballot, a proposal for trade-school students to be eligible for scholarship lottery funds, which voters overwhelmingly approved in November. The proposal pertaining to gun rights would alter the portion of the Arkansas Constitution that echoes the federal Second Amendment. The concise language of the amendment would clarify that the right to keep and bear arms extends to 'the possession and use of' ammunition, firearm accessories and firearm components. The proposed amendment did not generate discussion on the Senate floor last week or on the House floor Tuesday. House sponsor Rep. Matt Duffield, R-Russellville, gave an eight-minute speech encouraging his colleagues to support the measure. 'At the end of the day, the Second Amendment and our own right to keep and bear arms in the Arkansas Constitution is not about hunting, it's not about sport-shooting and it's not about self-protection,' Duffield said Tuesday. 'It's about a citizen's last line of defense against tyranny, and it's part of our nation's DNA.' Sen. John Payton, R-Wilburn, was the Senate sponsor of the amendments pertaining to firearms and noncitizen voting. Rep. David Ray, R-Maumelle, sponsored the Citizens Only Voting Amendment and told the House on April 7 that language in state constitutions that say 'every citizen' or 'any citizen' can vote is 'a floor rather than a ceiling.' '[Existing language] protects your right and my right as a citizen, but it's insufficient because it leaves room for other people to be added to that list,' Ray said. Noncitizen voting is already illegal in federal elections. Noncitizen voting in local elections is rare nationwide, but it has been legalized in a handful of cities, leading to backlash from conservatives. House Bill 1422, another proposed measure to further ensure citizens do not vote in Arkansas, failed in the House in March. The bill needed 67 House votes because part of it would have amended the state Constitution, and 53 Republicans supported the bill while 14 more did not vote. Rep. Diana Gonzales Worthen, D-Springdale, expressed opposition to both the bill that failed and the proposed amendment that passed. She told her colleagues both times that noncitizens do not attempt to vote because it would cost them their path to U.S. citizenship. Thirteen states — including Louisiana, Oklahoma and Missouri — have amended their constitutions since 2020 to specify that noncitizens cannot vote in those states. The amendments pertaining to noncitizen voting and gun rights passed the House and Senate mostly along party lines, while the economic development amendment had bipartisan support in both chambers. This proposed amendment defines an economic development district as 'a designated area within a city, county, or cooperative area established under authority granted by the General Assembly to promote economic development.' Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, introduced the measure in the Senate. 'What we're trying to do is level the playing field with our neighboring states,' House sponsor Rep. Howard Beaty, R-Crossett, told his colleagues Wednesday. '…It's going to allow direct local incentives to be made, potentially for retail, for housing, to clean up blight in your communities, and it's going to have the ability for local control, where your local communities can decide what's important to them.' The proposed amendment generated 45 minutes of debate on the House floor. Rep. Robin Lundstrum, R-Elm Springs, said she disliked that the proposal says 'loans and grants of public money' will support economic development projects. 'The taxpayer is who this will roll down the hill upon if it should fail,' Lundstrum said. 'I think this particular idea needs more vetting and more time.' Rep. Carol Dalby, R-Texarkana, expressed support for the measure. 'You come through Texarkana, you cross that state line and you see the economic development that happens in Texas,' Dalby said. 'It's not for lack of trying [in] Texarkana, Arkansas or Miller County, Arkansas. I guarantee you we fight constantly to get things into our district, and here's what we hear all the time: 'I can go across the state line and I can get a better deal.' Proposed constitutional amendments require a simple majority of voter approval to go into effect. All three amendments would be effective Jan. 1, 2027 if approved.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal judge declares Arkansas social media age-verification law unconstitutional
Arkansas' first-in-the-nation social media age-verification law was ruled unconstitutional and blocked from enforcement by a federal judge Monday. (Photo illustration by) A federal judge declared an Arkansas law requiring age verification to create new social media accounts unconstitutional late Monday and permanently blocked the law. The law, Act 689 of 2023, was the first of its kind in the nation and was a priority of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in her first year in office. It required social media platforms to verify the age of all account holders in Arkansas. Those under 18 could only access sites with parental permission. U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks of the Western District of Arkansas said in Monday's ruling that Act 689 'would violate the First Amendment rights of Arkansans' because it is a 'content-based restriction on speech that is not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest.' The law also would violate the due process rights of the plaintiffs, the judge wrote. The ruling marked the first permanent injunction that NetChoice, the nonprofit trade association for large tech companies that brought the suit, has obtained against similar laws it has challenged as violating free speech and enterprise online, according to a press release. NetChoice filed its lawsuit against the state in June 2023, and Brooks issued a preliminary injunction that August, about two weeks before the law was set to take effect on Sept. 1. The court's ruling confirms NetChoice's argument that restricting access to protected speech violates the First Amendment, the group's litigation director, Chris Marchese, said in a statement. 'This ruling protects Americans from having to hand over their IDs or biometric data just to access constitutionally protected speech online,' Marchese said. 'It reaffirms that parents — not politicians or bureaucrats — should decide what's appropriate for their children.' Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement Tuesday that he respects the court's decision, adding that his office is evaluating its options. Sanders called for lawmakers to amend Act 689 during her January State of the State address 'so that it's no longer held up in court and can begin to be enforced.' To date, no such amendments to the law have been proposed, but Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, told the Advocate last week he expects it to 'happen one way or another' since the governor said it's important to her. Brooks' 41-page opinion on Monday granted NetChoice's motion for summary judgment and declared that 'NetChoice members and their users will suffer irreparable harm' if Act 689 takes effect because it 'abridges the First Amendment rights of Arkansans who use social media and contains terms too vague to be reasonably understood.' 'The Court does not doubt the reality, well supported by the record, that unfettered social media access can and does harm minors,' Brooks wrote, adding that the state does have a compelling interest in protecting minors. 'The state does not, however, have 'a free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed,'' he said, quoting from another court's opinion. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The law is 'maximally burdensome' on both the social media platforms and the users it targets, the judge wrote. 'It erects barriers to accessing entire social media platforms rather than placing those barriers around the content or functions that raise concern,' he said. 'It not only hinders adults' ability to speak and receive protected speech online, it excludes minors whose parents do not consent (or cannot prove their consent)' from accessing forums on the internet. If the Legislature's intent 'was to protect minors from materials or interactions that could harm them online, there is no evidence that the Act will be effective in achieving that goal,' the judge said. 'Rather than targeting content that is harmful to minors, Act 689 simply impedes access to content writ large.' The law also 'is unclear which NetChoice members are subject to regulation,' forcing some companies 'to choose between risking enforcement penalties … and implementing age-verification requirements that burden their users' First Amendment rights,' Brooks wrote. NetChoice members whom the Act clearly regulates 'would be pressed into service as the private censors of the State,' Brooks noted. 'No legal remedy exists to compensate Arkansans for the loss of their First Amendment rights.' The state argued that the act's language made it clear that it covers Meta, Twitter (now X) and TikTok, but NetChoice argued that members like Snapchat, Nextdoor and Pinterest couldn't be certain the law does not apply to them, according to the ruling. The state responded that the law didn't apply to Snapchat because 'it's 'different from a traditional social media platform.'' The law also specifically exempted YouTube and Google from having to verify users' age. The act is unconstitutionally vague because 'it fails to adequately define which entities are subject to its requirements, risking chilling effects and inviting arbitrary enforcement,' according to the ruling. Brooks concludes by stating 'Act 689 is a content-based restriction on speech, and it is not targeted to address the harms the State has identified. Arkansas takes a hatchet to adults' and minors' protected speech alike though the Constitution demands it use a scalpel.' Deputy Editor Antoinette Grajeda contributed to this story. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
