Latest news with #JonathanDismang
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas Senate approves State Library Board overhaul after dissolution bill fails
Sen. Jonathan Dismang (left), R-Searcy, watches the Senate vote on SB 640, which would remove the seven members of the Arkansas State Library Board and allow the governor to replace them, on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Sen. Dan Sullivan (right), R-Jonesboro, sponsored a bill to abolish the State Library and its board, but a House committee rejected it on April 9. Next to Sullivan is Sen. Matt Stone, R-Camden. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) Arkansas lawmakers are considering removing all seven members of the State Library Board and allowing Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to replace them later this year. Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, filed the bill Wednesday night, less than two hours after a House committee rejected Senate Bill 536, a proposal to abolish both the State Library and its board and transfer their powers and responsibilities to the Arkansas Department of Education. Senate Bill 640 received initial committee approval Thursday morning and passed the full Senate in the afternoon. Bills usually are not heard by the full House or Senate until at least a day after passing committees, but the Senate suspended the rules Thursday to hear bills that had passed committee that morning. The seven-member State Library Board disburses state funds to public libraries on a quarterly basis. It has appeared 'fairly dysfunctional' at its recent meetings, so the Legislature should 'wipe the board clean,' Dismang told the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs. At a special meeting in March, the board rejected two motions with a 4-3 vote. They would have created nonbinding policies to protect children from 'sexually explicit' content in libraries and detached the State Library from the American Library Association. By the same split vote, the board passed a separate motion aimed at protecting children in libraries while honoring the First Amendment and library material selection standards. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, filed SB 536 in response to the two failed motions, which he had asked the board to pass in order to ensure its survival. Sullivan has targeted the library board for its refusal to adopt policies directing public libraries to keep certain materials out of the hands of minors. Arkansas senator continues mission to eliminate State Library Board, cites unfulfilled bargain Dismang told the Advocate that Sullivan's requests were 'not extreme' and should not have been difficult for the board to accommodate, particularly the one regarding content accessible to minors. 'I don't think anyone's innocent in the way that those conversations are happening on that board,' he said. '…The tact both ways was not something that I was really impressed with, so starting over makes sense.' The three board members who supported Sullivan's requests were all Sanders appointees: former Republican state senator Jason Rapert, who moved to approve the requests; Shari Bales, whom the Senate confirmed alongside Rapert, and Sydney McKenzie, who joined the board in January and is married to Rogers Republican Rep. Brit McKenzie. SB 640 would require the seven new members to draw lots determining how their terms will be staggered, ending between one and seven years from when the bill becomes law. Subsequent appointees would serve seven-year terms, the current length of time board members serve. Sens. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, and Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, were the only Senate State Agencies committee members to oppose sending SB 640 to the Senate floor Thursday. Both voted against SB 536 on the floor last week, when the Senate passed the bill with 18 votes, the slimmest possible margin. King, Democratic Sen. Reginald Murdock of Marianna and GOP Sen. Ron Caldwell of Wynne did not vote on SB 640 Thursday afternoon. The Senate's 27 other Republicans voted for SB 640. The remaining five Senate Democrats, including Tucker, voted against the bill, though Sen. Fred Love, D-Mabelvale, was erroneously recorded as voting in favor. Tucker told the Senate last week that the Legislature has the authority to reconstitute the State Library Board instead of dissolving it if lawmakers are dissatisfied with it. He said Thursday in an interview that SB 640 'is the least harmful version of anything that we can do,' but he opposed the bill because he didn't believe reconstituting the board was necessary. The House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, the same panel that rejected SB 536, will be next to hear SB 640. All six Senate Democrats and four Republicans, including King, voted against confirming Rapert to the State Library Board in December 2023. King and Tucker expressed concern during Thursday's committee meeting that Rapert might be reappointed if SB 640 becomes law. The bill does not preclude current members from reappointment. When asked via email Thursday whether he would seek reappointment, Rapert said his appointment to the board was Sanders' choice, not his, and he believes he has 'done the job' expected of him. 'I fight for what is right and will continue to do so in all arenas of government,' said Rapert, founder of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, a conservative group responsible for model legislation introduced in several statehouses nationwide, including bans on abortion and gender-affirming medical care. During his tenure on the board, Rapert has repeatedly sought to withhold state funds from libraries where 'sexually explicit' content is within children's reach. The board has consistently voted against this proposal, and Rapert has called for the dissolution of the board. He said he would have been satisfied with SB 536 becoming law but believed the passage of SB 640 would still be 'a blessing.' 'My hope is that new members on the board will allow for policies to be adopted to encourage our public libraries to ensure that children are protected from exposure to sexually explicit materials inappropriate for their age,' Rapert said. 'That has been my goal since day one… We would not be at this point if the members of that board had listened and taken positive action.' The State Library Board is scheduled to meet the second Friday in May and in August. If SB 640 becomes law, it will go into effect Aug. 1, and it gives Sanders 30 days to replace the board. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Board Chairwoman Deborah Knox said in an interview that she was 'encouraged' that the State Library is no longer likely to be abolished but 'discouraged' that she might lose her position. The board will be more likely to endorse Rapert's efforts to detach from the American Library Association and to 'sequester books' based on appropriateness for minors if all seven members are Sanders appointees, Knox said. 'I do feel that the State Library Board is essential and the Arkansas State Library itself is essential,' Knox said. 'So any way that it can continue, I'm for [that] even if I'm not a part of it.' Earlier this year, Sullivan sponsored Senate Bill 184, which would have abolished both the State Library Board and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission, the panel that oversees Arkansas PBS. He and the commission chair said in March that they had reached an agreement that kept the PBS commission alive; Sanders appointed Sullivan's wife to the panel last year. SB 536 would have codified several new criteria for libraries to receive state funds, including minimum hours of operation per year and 'prohibit[ing] access to age-inappropriate materials to a person who is sixteen (16) years old or younger.' Dismang was one of three senators to vote present on SB 536. He told the Advocate Thursday that despite his concerns about the current board, he believed the State Library should continue to exist, partly because it oversees historical records that SB 536 would have transferred to the Department of Education. SB 640's House sponsor, Rep. Howard Beaty, R-Crossett, was among the bipartisan opposition to SB 536 during Wednesday's committee meeting. He said the conflict surrounding the State Library Board 'could have been resolved very easily' if people on both sides had not 'dug their heels in and decided they weren't going to negotiate.' Sullivan amended SB 536 Wednesday, meaning it would have had to receive Senate approval again before going to Sanders' desk. The Legislature will not meet Friday and plans to conclude the session next Wednesday, making it difficult for SB 536 to complete the legislative process if House State Agencies were to reconsider and pass the bill. The amendment to SB 536 removed a requirement for libraries' collections not to have any materials that state law considers 'harmful to minors' in order to receive state funding. Sullivan said he amended the bill 'at the request of librarians and community members.' One of those community members was Victoria Kelley of Yellville, she told the Advocate Thursday. She said SB 640 concerned her because she disagreed with dismissing 'entire boards without justifying the 'cause' for what individuals did wrong,' which continues 'a bad precedent' that began in her home of Marion County. In December, County Judge Jason Stumph and the county Quorum Court dismissed the local library's existing board members and later replaced them all in January. Stumph said the previous board failed to supervise Dana Scott, the director of the Yellville library who was dismissed and arrested Dec. 2 for alleged financial crimes. Marion County officials appoint new library board, accept interim library manager's resignation Staggered terms on the State Library Board are 'meant as a buffer to the kind of personal and partisan targeting we're seeing' so that one governor cannot 'overhaul' the body, Kelley said. Kristin Stuart of Little Rock told the Advocate she had similar frustrations. She sought to speak against SB 640 during Thursday's State Agencies committee meeting, but chairman Sen. Scott Flippo, R-Bull Shoals, denied her the opportunity because she had not signed up in advance. 'I think it's really just insane that they want to dismantle the board after the outright abolition [bill] failed,' Stuart said. 'It's a power grab. It's an attempt to politicize a body that's operated independently for decades without partisan interference.' Two good things about SB 640, Kelley said, are that the State Library will continue to exist and that new members will not make it easier for the board to 'upend the Constitution.' SB 536 had similarly 'fatal' language as Act 372 of 2023, Arkansas Library Association (ArLA) President-elect Adam Webb said Wednesday. A federal judge blocked portions of the Sullivan-sponsored law last year on First Amendment grounds, and the state is appealing the ruling. The ArLA is neutral on SB 640, Webb said Thursday. The blocked sections of Act 372 would have given local elected officials the final say over whether to relocate challenged library materials some consider 'obscene' and made librarians legally liable for disseminating such materials. Webb and ArLA are among 18 plaintiffs that challenged the law. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas lawmakers consider other funding methods as they abandon sixth prison appropriation vote
Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, asks a question during a meeting of the Arkansas Senate on April 10, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) After five failed votes, a $750 million prison appropriation bill appears dead for the legislative session, and state lawmakers are considering other methods for securing the needed funding to build the 3,000-bed facility in Franklin County. The project has been controversial since it was announced in October, due to concerns over transparency, cost, infrastructure and an available workforce. Supporters of building the new state prison, including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, have said it's necessary to address overcrowding in county jails. Searcy Republican and Senate Bill 354 sponsor Sen. Jonathan Dismang said Thursday afternoon that he didn't see the point in continuing to vote because his legislation didn't have the 27 votes needed to clear the Arkansas Senate. Bills typically need a simple majority to advance in the Legislature, but appropriation bills require a three-fourths majority, or 27 votes in the 35-member Senate. 'We're getting toward the end of the session, really today would have been the last day I think to try to clear it through the House,' Dismang said. ' I'm sure that we can jump through some procedural maneuvers if something changes over the weekend, but I don't believe that we'll be passing that appropriation.' House Speaker Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, told the Advocate early Thursday evening that he thinks the Senate can get 27 votes next week since some members' questions have been answered. 'I think they're very close to the 27,' he said. 'There might have been an issue that came up this morning where a couple of them just said 'Hey can we get another question or two answered?'… I still feel confident that they'll get those votes on Monday and so the bill will come down here Tuesday, and we're very optimistic that we have the votes here to pass it.' Dismang said he expects 'quite a bit of movement' over the summer on the estimated $825 million project because the Legislature set aside $75 million in 2022 that has already been appropriated to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Following the state's purchase of 815 acres near Charleston last year for nearly $3 million, the corrections board has moved forward with the project by hiring a construction management company and seeking proposals from architectural firms and contractors. The Legislature also set aside another $330 million for the project that hasn't been appropriated yet. State lawmakers have the ability to release some additional funding if needed, but Dismang said he doesn't expect the Legislature will have to take more action until they return for the fiscal session next spring. Even if SB 354 was approved, Dismang said funding was always going to be released in stages, with the governor requesting various amounts by letter. The requests would require a three-fifths majority approval by the Arkansas Legislative Council, he said. The Saline Courier reported that Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale, said he anticipated the governor would call a special session to secure the funding, but Dismang said Thursday that's not the case. Prison bill gains some traction in Arkansas Senate, but not enough to advance 'We're not going to waste money on a special session,' he said. 'We had our ability to do something here. A minority of members decided they did not want to, and so this is where we are.' Failing to approve SB 354 will not be detrimental to the project, according to Dismang, who said the experience over the last few weeks was good for the executive branch and the legislative body. 'We have members that had questions, but weren't asking their questions to anyone. We had an executive branch that was not probably reaching out as fully as they should,' he said. 'I think the last two weeks that's improved greatly. You saw that with some movement of votes and probably would have had further movement if we'd called for another vote — just not 27.' Sen. John Payton, R-Wilburn, initially voted against SB 354, but joined 20 of his colleagues in voting for the bill Tuesday after he said the executive branch addressed some of his concerns with the project, such as staffing. Green Forest Republican Sen. Bryan King, an outspoken critic of the project who seemed unlikely to be swayed, said Thursday he was pleased by the decision to halt voting on the appropriation bill. 'I am happy for the citizens of Arkansas and hope the Franklin County mega-prison scam is stopped before it gets past the point of no return,' King said in a text message. 'Arkansas can do better by hiring more public safety officers to reduce crime and address overcrowding by building facilities in a more financially responsible way.' No meetings are scheduled for Friday, but lawmakers will return to the Capitol Monday for the remaining days of the session, which is expected to end Wednesday. Reporter Tess Vrbin contributed to this story. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Talk Business & Politics: State Sen. Jonathan Dismang, CEO Denise Thomas
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – It was a busy 12th week of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly, after returning from an off-week for spring break. Talk Business & Politics host Roby Brock met with State Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy), architect of many bills this session, sat down to talk about prison funding and the current state of the economy. Roby then talks with World Trade Center for Arkansas CEO Denise Thomas, who is on her way to a conference in France. She discusses what topics are up for discussion and how President Trump's new tariffs could have an impact. Talk Business & Politics airs Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on FOX 16. For more coverage, head to Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Capitol View: State Sen. Jonathan Dismang, Sen. Bryan King
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – It was a busy week 12 of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly, after returning from an off-week for spring break. Capitol View host Roby Brock met with Republican State Sen. Jonathan Dismang, architect of many bills this session, to talk about prison funding and the current state of the economy. Roby then talks with Republican State Sen. Bryan King concerning his opposition to the appropriation bill for a new state prison in Franklin County. Capitol View airs on Sundays at 8:30 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SESSION SNAPSHOT: Arkansas lawmakers settle into longer days as session end draws near
Sen. Jonathan Dismang (left), R-Searcy, and Sen. Jimmy Hickey (right), R-Texarkana, voted against House Bill 1669 on the Arkansas Senate floor on Monday, March 31. 2025. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) The countdown to the end of the 2025 legislative session is on. Following a weeklong recess, Arkansas lawmakers hit the ground running Monday as they returned to the state Capitol focused on wrapping up their work by April 16. The 11th week of the session saw continued progress on Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' legislative priorities, including immigration. A Senate committee on Monday approved a bill to impose harsher penalties on undocumented immigrants who commit violent crimes. The full Senate sent the bill to a House committee Wednesday. On the other side of the Capitol, the House of Representatives approved legislation to overhaul the state employee pay plan, another Sanders priority. The bill was sent to the governor's desk for her signature. Sanders this week unveiled two new bills aimed at expanding social media protections for children, which was a priority in the 2023 session. Wednesday's announcement came two days after a federal judge declared unconstitutional an Arkansas law requiring age verification for new social media accounts. Beyond the governor's priorities, the subject matter of lawmakers' bills varied widely as they rushed to push their legislation through in the waning days of the session. Proposals included potentially removing an environmental permit moratorium intended to protect the Buffalo River watershed, preventing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from holding permits to operate drug stores, clarifying state public meetings law, adjusting asset limits for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries and prohibiting youth organizations that promote diversity initiatives from receiving certain state grants. The third time was not the charm for a $750 million prison appropriation bill that was thrice rejected by the Arkansas Senate this week. Senate Bill 354 would support construction of a 3,000-bed Franklin County prison that supporters have said is needed to address overcrowding in county jails. The project has caused controversy since local residents and elected officials said they were blindsided by the governor's announcement of the project in late October. Opponents, including state lawmakers, have fought against the proposal for months. Within the Senate this week, support for SB 354 fluctuated between 19 affirmative votes on Tuesday and Thursday, and 18 on Wednesday. While that's a majority of the 35 senators, appropriation bills require 27 votes to advance out of the Senate. There is no limit to how many times lawmakers can vote on an appropriation bill, but they only have until the end of the session to send bills to the governor for final approval. It's unclear if there's yet a clear path to securing the needed votes by the end of the session, but Corning Republican Sen. Blake Johnson asked his colleagues Wednesday to try and find consensus. 'I appreciate everybody's differences, but please let's try to work together for the safety of Arkansas citizens,' Johnson said. Legislation that sponsors said aim to protect Arkansans' religious freedoms have been popping up on committee agendas in recent weeks. The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday advanced House Bill 1615, which would 'prohibit the government from discriminating against certain individuals and organizations because of their beliefs regarding marriage or what it means to be female or male.' The House on Thursday approved the bill, which will next be considered by a Senate committee. CONTACT US House Bill 1669, which had similar language regarding the 'sincerely held religious beliefs' of parents seeking to foster or adopt children in Arkansas, failed in the Senate Monday. The bill's sponsors, Rep. Mary Bentley of Perryville and Sen. Alan Clark of Lonsdale, said it would protect parents who don't accept LGBTQ+ children's identities from not being allowed to foster or adopt. Searcy Republican Jonathan Dismang, who noted Monday that not all 'sincerely held religious beliefs' are Christian, said HB 1669 would set a 'dangerous precedent' by shielding foster or adoptive parents from adverse government action if their faith-based actions harm children. But the bill received enough support to pass the Senate on Thursday and was sent back to a House committee that will consider an amendment made in the Senate. A bill to abolish the Arkansas State Library and its board advanced out of committee Tuesday before narrowly passing the Senate on Wednesday. Jonesboro Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan has promised to dissolve the board for some time. With Senate Bill 536 he broadened his intention to eliminate the entire State Library after the board last month did not satisfy the conditions he gave them for its survival. One of those requests was to detach from the American Library Association. Sullivan has criticized a section of the ALA's Library Bill of Rights that says access to libraries should not be restricted based on a person's age. Far-right conservatives who object to the public availability of certain content have claimed this proves ALA believes in forcing sexual activity and LGBTQ+ topics onto children. While testifying against SB 536 in committee this week, Clare Graham, library director of the Mid-Arkansas Regional Library System, said the bill's 'one-size-fits-all approach' will stifle creativity and flexibility for local libraries. 'Local libraries are already governed by their local boards that know their communities best,' Graham said. 'This bill takes that away, replacing it with centralized oversight that doesn't understand the unique needs of each town and city.' SB 536 will next be considered by a House committee. Arkansas lawmakers filed about 150 new bills this week. Nearly half were filed Monday as legislators rushed to submit their proposals in what they hope is enough time to make it through the process to become law before their April 16 deadline. Those bills included: Senate Bill 591 by Sen. Clint Penzo, R-Springdale, would prohibit a physician or other person from intentionally performing or attempting to perform an abortion with the knowledge that the pregnant woman is seeking the abortion solely based on race. Arkansas law already bans all abortions except to save the life of the mother. House Bill 1909 by Rep. Wayne Long, R-Bradford, would require state agencies to verify that adults who apply for federal, state or local public benefits are U.S. citizens who reside in Arkansas, except if prohibited by federal law. House Bill 1980 by Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, R-Paragould, would create the Technology and Energy for Sustainable Logistics Act (TESLA), and add electric vehicle charging stations to the definition of critical infrastructure. House Bill 1985 by Rep. Denise Garner, D-Fayetteville, would create the Arkansas Renter Refund Act, and provide a $500 income tax credit for certain renters. Despite the deadline pressure, lawmakers are taking Friday off. When they return to the Capitol early Monday morning, they'll have roughly seven working days to finish their work. Meeting schedules, agendas and livestreams are available on the Arkansas Legislature's website. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
