Latest news with #ArkansasLegislature
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Legislative town hall to keep Texarkana citizens engaged in state politics
TEXARKANA, Ark. (KTAL/KMSS) — A political advocacy group invited the community to a legislative town hall on Monday. Federal agencies come to Texarkana to provide in-person storm recovery aid 'We're doing town halls across the state to help educate people about the Arkansas Legislature, which just adjourned, about all the new laws that they passed and educating people about how their legislators voted on some of those key bills that came up,' said Bill Kopsky, Executive Director of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, who organized the event along with Citizens First Congress. They are applauding legislation passed concerning maternal health and childhood nutrition. 'We're excited about students getting free breakfast, and now we're saying, how about lunch?' said April Reisma, President of the Arkansas Education Association. However, they feel other new pieces of legislation, such as DEI restrictions, are a step backward for the state. 'Our view is that if you're in a community that's 60% black and the school staff doesn't look like that, then that's an issue that the school district should be able to at least talk about,' said Kopsky. Changes coming to downtown Texarkana in the name of pedestrian safety Looking to the future, they hope to find support for securing access to ballot measures after several new laws were passed that make the process more difficult. 'I mean it's been in the Arkansas constitution for over 100 years. Arkansans have used it to do really important things that legislators just aren't capable of doing, so like passing ethics and term limit laws, for example, or campaign finance reform laws, or raising the state's minimum wage. Those are issues that politicians are never going to really take much action on, but they're not very controversial with the public,' said Kopsky. They say the main purpose of these town halls is to keep citizens engaged in the political process. Over 1 million meals served by Texarkana Resource Center during first year 'Legislators or politicians go up to Little Rock and they make decisions on a lot of laws that the public doesn't really have any idea about, and our whole view is that when the public knows more about what's happening at the Capitol and they can talk to the legislators about it, those legislators do a better job,' said Kopsky. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas coalition speaks on proposed ballot measure process amendment
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — , a coalition of advocacy groups, is proposing a constitutional amendment called the Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment. aims to certify and restore the right of Arkansas citizens to propose and sign ballot measures and collect signatures. 'This past legislative session they passed such a big package of bills it essentially killed the ballot measure process for grassroots Arkansans,' said Bill Kopsky with Protect AR Rights. Arkansas coalition submits proposed ballot initiative to overturn legislative changes to referendum law New laws passed by the Arkansas Legislature include requirements such as ballot titles being read aloud to a signer, canvassers signing an affidavit stating they complied with the Arkansas Constitution and petition signers presenting a photo ID. State Sen. Kim Hammer (R-Benton) sponsored some of the legislation and said it strengthens the ballot initiative process. He said there is ample evidence of abuse of the system. 'I don't think they're strict regulations, I think they're regulations that make sure the process is at the highest level of integrity and that it brings safeguards into place that make sure that when someone signs that or somebody is asking for that to be signed, that every signature is counted for the value of the signature itself,' Hammer said. Kopsky said the new laws drag out the petition process and make it harder to get an initiative on the ballot. He believes the legislation is part of a broader effort to limit citizen participation in the legislative process. 'The Arkansas Legislature has been trying to strip away the rights of Arkansas citizens to use the ballot measure process to change the laws,' Kopsky said. ACLU representing two groups hoping to join Arkansas ballot bill lawsuit Hammer pushed back on criticisms, saying the intent behind the new rules is to protect the integrity of the process. 'The question of motive should not be on us, should be on those who are trying to stop what is going to bring about a clearer process,' he said. The ballot title has been submitted to the Attorney General's office for review. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Where does the censorship stop?
() If you remember visiting the local library as a child, you likely went with your mom or dad, a teacher or with nothing more than your bike and a backpack. Chances are state lawmakers or religious zealots did not escort you inside, and you didn't have to wonder whose stories were hidden behind locked doors or inside a vault because nothing was locked up. By 'whose stories,' I refer to those books that reflect the lives of readers who may not often be depicted in literature, much less in a positive manner. So, a Black child who can't read about racial prejudice in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings might blame himself for his own race-based struggles in a white-dominated society. The child who was molested might blame himself until he reads another book often targeted by censors, Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. Or teenagers questioning their own sexual identity might fear they're the only ones with such a quandary until they read Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer. Kobabe's book was one of numerous books targeted by former state senator Jason Rapert of Conway during his tumultuous time on the Arkansas State Library Board. Recently, the Arkansas Legislature chose to abolish that board, which wasn't as censorship-prone as many lawmakers apparently wanted, and to have the governor appoint a new panel. As if that weren't bad enough, the legislature later approved a bill requiring librarians in schools with kindergarten through fifth-grade students to 'store non-age-appropriate sexual content … in a locked compartment within a designated area.' The bill defines 'non-age-appropriate sexual content' as 'any materials that include explicit instruction, promotion, or advocacy of sexual ideology, behaviors, or orientations that are not developmentally appropriate for kindergarten through grade five … students.' The law does not specify who decides what is age-appropriate. Arkansas' escalating campaign of censorship represents yet another vague, punitive, and politically motivated attempt to chill free expression and intimidate public servants. – Megan Bailey, communications director, ACLU of Arkansas, referring to Act 917 of 2025 This escalation in the war against libraries and public school teachers came after a federal judge in December struck down challenged provisions of Act 372 of 2023 which sought to criminalize librarians who provided minors with access to inappropriate books. Part of Act 372 that went unchallenged in court and that became law 'already requires school libraries to place books deemed to be inappropriate in an area inaccessible to students under 18,' said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. So, why was the lock-'em-up measure, Act 917 of 2025, even needed? Perhaps, for show, for politicians to look tough when it comes to already-denigrated librarians and teachers. I asked Megan Bailey, communications director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, about the possibility of the ACLU's suing over Act 917. 'We are currently reviewing all options and are continuing to monitor how this and related laws are enforced,' Bailey replied. Referring to 'Arkansas' escalating campaign of censorship,' Bailey said Act 917 'represents yet another vague, punitive, and politically motivated attempt to chill free expression and intimidate public servants.' 'While it may appear narrower than Act 372 on its face, the lack of clarity around what constitutes 'developmentally appropriate' content — and the threat of civil lawsuits against libraries and librarians — creates a chilling effect that will likely lead to over-removal of lawful, constitutionally protected materials out of fear of retribution,' Bailey said in an email. Caldwell-Stone said in an email that, nationally, Act 917 'is unique in that it requires books that are deemed to include 'advocacy of sexual ideology, behaviors, or orientations' not developmentally appropriate for K-5 students to be kept under lock and key, requires parental permission to access such books, and includes provisions for punishing schools and educators who do not comply.' 'In targeting books that address or include themes about gender and sexual orientation, the law may be engaging in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination under the First Amendment. Additionally, the parental permission requirement could also be found unconstitutional and a violation of students' rights to access books in the school library,' Caldwell-Stone said. She noted that in 2003, a federal court ruled against the Cedarville, Arkansas, School Board when the court 'set aside a school board's requirement that students submit a written parental permission slip to access the Harry Potter series.' 'It held having to obtain parental permission to check out the books from the school library constituted a restriction on access that violated the students' First Amendment rights, given that the books had been restricted because school board members 'dislike[d] the ideas contained in those books,'' Caldwell-Stone said. 'Laws that impose ambiguous standards and threaten punishment for subjective violations raise serious First Amendment concerns. Librarians should not have to face punishment for failing to implement vague, content-based restrictions,' she added. Despite court rulings and astute cautions, books and intellectual freedom have long been targets of the morality police, though I can't remember a time when the far right targeted libraries in Arkansas as much as it has recently. Censorship was, of course, a hallmark of the late 1940s-50s McCarthy era, and I trust — no, I only hope — that few politicians today yearn to be identified with an era that blacklisted artists and censored books. (Case in point: Ray Bradbury's dystopian 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, in which firefighters burn down any houses that contain outlawed books, was published 'for many years' only in a censored version, according to PEN America, a free-expression advocacy nonprofit.) Lest you think the ACLU, the ALA and I are overreacting, note that in 1965 the novel Black Beauty was banned in South Africa during that country's apartheid era because of the word 'Black' in the title, according to PEN America. In the United States, the first book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series became the most often challenged book in libraries from 2000-2009, according to the American Library Association. And the U.S. Naval Academy, responding to President Donald Trump's anti-diversity orders, removed nearly 400 volumes from its library this year. Where does the censorship stop? Should the Bible be banned because it features stories of polygamy, incest and horrific death? I say no. But if the censors are consistent, they will say yes.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Freshman class of Arkansas lawmakers reflects on lessons learned during legislative session
Rep. Diana Gonzales Worthen, a Springdale Democrat and the Legislature's first Latina, explains her opposition to a proposed law that would 'prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment' by public entities on the House floor on Thursday, February 6, 2025. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) After a nearly three-week recess, Arkansas lawmakers return to the Capitol Monday to officially adjourn the 2025 legislative session, which brand new legislators described as a busy and humbling experience. Rep. Brad Hall, a first-term Republican lawmaker and cattle rancher in Rudy, said House Speaker Brian Evans, R-Cabot, mentored and prepared new legislators, but it was 'mindblowing' to see how much work was involved once the session got underway. 'It was really daunting, kind of overwhelming at first … it's like drinking from a firehose,' Hall said. 'The truth is you cannot really be effective as a freshman because you don't know what you're doing until it's almost over.' Hall was one of thirteen non-incumbents elected in November to a two-year term in the Arkansas House. Twelve were brand new state legislators while Rep. Tracy Steele, D-North Little Rock, previously served in the Arkansas Legislature from 1999 to 2013. Steele filled the House District 72 seat left vacant by Sen. Jamie Scott, D-North Little Rock, who was elected to the Senate and was the only new member of the upper chamber. Hall and other members of the House's freshman class agreed there was a big learning curve and said they were shocked by the sheer volume of legislation considered over the course of three months. Freshman class of Arkansas lawmakers includes educators and ranchers Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed more than 1,000 bills into law and vetoed four others. Lawmakers can vote to override the governor's vetoes with a simple majority in both chambers before the sine die adjournment of a legislative session. Once first-term legislators got a handle on the bill-making process, they learned the importance of relationships both inside and outside of the statehouse. 'The biggest takeaway was just really the amount of running that you do,' Siloam Springs Republican Rep. Randy Torres said. 'You must learn the what, the how and the who simultaneously and very quickly, especially if you want to be effective and run bills and do the full legislative responsibility in your first year.' Torres said he learns by doing, so he filed his first bill a few days after being sworn into office in January. Presenting to a committee the first time was 'brutal' because of tough questions from his colleagues. His proposal had to be amended, but Torres, who works in banking, said he was grateful for the experience because it helped him better understand the process. The legislation that Torres said he's 'very honored' and proud to have sponsored and that he feels will be most impactful is Act 147, which will allow a person's blood type to be placed on their driver's license or identification card. Every member of the House's freshman class signed on as cosponsors of Torres' bill. After introducing his legislation, Torres said he was contacted by blood banks around the country excited about his proposal because they said it would encourage people to donate blood so they could learn their blood type. 'Then also in the rural areas of our state, blood supply is very limited and so really knowing that you're not going to have to use your universal O negative all the time will be very helpful,' Torres said. Rep. Jessie McGruder, D-Marion, said he was proud to be the lead sponsor of a new law that will require an early voting location in cities that have more than 15,000 residents. The West Memphis teacher and football coach said he filed the legislation in response to a legal battle over early voting in his district last fall. 'It was embarrassing what happened in my district that the election commission couldn't come to a resolution on the fact that they needed to have an early voting location in West Memphis, which is the biggest municipality in Crittenden County, and we had to go before the [Arkansas] Supreme Court,' McGruder said. 'So I wanted to make sure that everybody has the access to early voting within my area.' Fighting for constituents back home was very important to freshman lawmakers in the House, including Rep. Diana Gonzales Worthen, D-Springdale. The longtime educator represents the state's first Hispanic-majority district and is the first Latina elected to the Arkansas Legislature. 'It was a very humbling experience to be the voice of 30,000 people, so they were carried in my heart as I was reading new bills and [considering] how this would impact my community,' she said. House District 9 is one of the most diverse districts in the state, so Gonzales Worthen said she was especially proud of her ability to bring awareness to the benefits and consequences of immigrant-related bills. 'Our diversity, that's our strength, but a lot of times individuals do not see that as our strength,' she said. Although the Republican Party has a supermajority in the Arkansas Legislature, Gonzales Worthen said it was still important to speak against bills she didn't agree with so people could gain a better understanding of legislation. The Springdale Democrat spoke in opposition to a number of bills, including one that would 'prohibit discrimination or public entities.' Gonzales Worthen said she was disappointed in the passage of Act 116 of 2025, which eliminates required minority recruitment and retention plans and reports from public school districts and higher education institutions. The law also repeals language in state procurement proposals that encouraged minority participation or required bidders to adopt an equal opportunity hiring program designed to increase the percentage of minority employees. CONTACT US McGruder, a member of the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus, said he cried and hugged his 10-month-old granddaughter following the law's passage because he's 'worried about the future when people don't have adequate representation.' 'It hurts me, because it wasn't that minorities are not comfortable or adequate or qualified for positions, it's that the implementation of that [law] will not allow us to even be in the room anymore,' he said. 'All we need is to be in the room. Most of the time we're overqualified for the position we're applying for, but that bill is going to hurt minorities in the future.' For Arkansans who are considering a run for the Arkansas Legislature, this year's freshman class recommended reaching out to retired lawmakers for advice and visiting the Capitol when lawmakers are in session to get a better understanding of the process. They also suggested speaking with family and coworkers who would also be impacted by a decision to seek office. Additionally, they emphasized the importance of listening to and being available to the constituents they represent and who helped them get elected. 'The lobbyists down there, they're going to be there whether you get elected or not, so you need to listen to the people that sent you there … just pay attention to what's going on back home, and if you make them people happy, then you'll be OK,' Hall said. 'You can't make everybody happy all the time, but you do the best you can.' Despite the pace of the legislative session, Hall said he'll be back because he wants 'to fight for people that can't fight for themselves.' Torres, Gonzales Worthen and McGruder said they also intend to seek reelection for the 2026 election cycle. The filing period for candidates for the Arkansas Legislature is Nov. 3-12. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Axios
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Gov. Sanders touts legislative wins, Dems cite power grabs
The 95th General Assembly of the Arkansas Legislature wrapped on Wednesday after 94 working days at the state Capitol. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders cited progress, while some Democrats decried the session's power plays. The big picture: During the biannual full session, Arkansas lawmakers negotiated changes to the management of state government, budgets, infrastructure, education and public safety. State of play: Sanders signed more than 600 bills into law. Some of those bills include: Increasing the general revenue budget to $6.49 billion for fiscal 2026, up nearly 3% from 2025. Elimination of the state's grocery tax of 0.125%, which generated about $10 million annually. Creation of Arkansas ACCESS, a higher-education reform package to prepare high school and nontraditional students for the workforce while also setting guidelines for state-supported schools to lose funding if they engage in certain diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Passage of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act, designed to improve maternal health outcomes, especially for low-income women. Lawmakers also approved a cellphone ban in public schools, granted parents the right to sue social media companies if harm is done to a minor, and passed legislation to provide a free breakfast to every public school student. Arkansas also became the first state to prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from owning pharmacies, seen as a step to protect independent operators and mitigate drug-price hikes. Sanders signed a bill to allow for nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution for state inmates on death row. Reality check: In her speech marking the end of the session, Sanders notably did not mention the $750 million appropriations fight over the proposed Franklin County prison project, which failed five times to garner enough support to make it through the state Senate this session. What she's saying: "We went after big tech companies exploiting our kids, big drug middlemen manipulating drug prices, big government subsidizing junk food at the taxpayers' expense, lobbyists working for adversaries like China, woke faculty trying to indoctrinate our students, and the far left that wants to coddle dangerous criminal illegals and threaten our elections with petition fraud," Sanders said Wednesday. The other side:"This session will be remembered for out-of-control spending on misguided policies, power grabs away from the people of Arkansas, and divisive national politics continuing to seep into our state," Rep. Andrew Collins (D-Little Rock) said in a news conference Wednesday.
