Latest news with #R-Searcy
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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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
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
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Four takeaways from the 10th week of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly
Video: Arkansas prison funding bill back to Senate after amendment fails in subcommittee LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas legislature had a busy week as it worked to pass several impactful bills. Bills covered a range of issues, but some of the bigger ones were: ELECTRIC UTILITIES Without fanfare, a bill signed into law this week changes the relationship between the Public Service Commission and the electric utilities it regulates and, ultimately, outcomes for ratepayers. Senate Bill 307 created the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act of 2025 by becoming Act 373. For ratepayers, rates will increase incrementally as power plant construction projects are undertaken, as opposed to rates going up a lot in a short period after a power plant is completed. Arkansas legislators vote for ivermectin over-the-counter sales, heads to governor's desk The bill's sponsor, Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy), said it was motivated by Arkansas losing two of its five coal-fired power plants in 2030 against an ever-rising demand for electrical power. ARKANSAS ACCESS Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law this week the higher-education-changing Arkansas ACCESS Act. The legislation is the higher education version of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, which was passed in 2023 to change K-12 education. Bill to bring online gaming to Arkansas filed in legislature The legislation includes provisions for accelerated learning in every public high school, including technical training, where students can access college-level coursework. ACCESS stands for acceleration, common sense, cost, eligibility, scholarship and standardization. PRISON FUNDING After an at-times full-throated debate in the Joint Budget Committee, the bill to finance the remainder of a proposed $825 million prison in Franklin County received a do-pass vote and is scheduled to return to the Senate floor on Thursday afternoon. Legislators speaking against the bill were concerned with what they saw as a lack of planning and the possible cost of resources not included in the bill, like wastewater treatment and road improvements. Arkansas constituents voice concerns at town hall meeting for 2nd Congressional district If the bill receives a favorable vote in the Senate, it will move to the House for further debate. 89 BILLS This week, the governor signed 89 bills into law in two separate signing sessions. Legislation ranged from routine allocation acts to acts clarifying abortion laws, enhancing human trafficking penalties and for dealing fentanyl, creating sports raffles, and protecting property owners when dirt bikes are ridden. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Why should we trust you?': Sen. King challenges lack of details in prison plan
Sen. Bryan King is still looking for answers. In the Arkansas Senate, King was the most vocal opponent of the Franklin County prison that Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her allies wished to build. However, the answers are non-existent when seeking clarification or details for the 3,000-bed prison project. 'I don't care if you're Bryan King, the governor, my brother, or whoever, if you can't answer questions or be truthful about this project… why should we trust you going forward?,' King said. 'I can't imagine someone out there trying to build a facility or a home for you and not provide details or specifics. Just give you a price. When you wake up one morning after a weekend, they say it's double. They don't have any details of why. So, our state budget is alarming to me right now. Spending is going up, and revenues are going down." King's district covers Madison and Caroll counties, most of Boone and Newton counties, and parts of Johnson and Franklin counties. Initially, he and other representatives were only informed of the prison site hours before the public announcement around Halloween 2024. Since then, information from the state's corrections department and the governor's office has been scant. 'This isn't just a Franklin County issue. This is a state issue,' King said. 'The governor's idea is to build a mega-prison. Expanding other prisons would be more cost-effective, but they don't want that. I've been in construction. I haven't built a prison, but these prison companies, once they get in for $50 million, we're going to be in it for whatever.' King met with interested citizens March 10 at the Blue Lion in Fort Smith to discuss the latest developments and what's next. Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy) and Rep. Lane Jean (R-Magnolia) co-sponsored Senate Bill 354, which would appropriate up to $750 million to the Arkansas Department of Corrections for costs associated with prison construction. An emergency clause allows the bill to become effective July 1, 2025, the start of the next fiscal year. As King and others pointed out, there are no designs, and the only estimate given was in an email obtained via FOIA that the firm in charge of coordinating the construction of the prison estimates it would cost $1.2 billion. 'Did they figure out how to get there?,' King said. 'You may be looking at 600 to 800 workers — thousands of concrete, trucks, cranes. The road structure is one layer and not ready to accept that level of traffic. I went to the Highway Department and asked if they planned to do any work before the construction. They say they're not. 'The scale at which they're moving to build this prison without a plan should alarm anybody.' The joint budget committee is meeting at 9 .m. on Thursday, and if the state can proceed with the prison's design and construction, its decision may determine the fate of the appropriation. 'Call your representatives. If you have ties to others, call them,' King said. 'Nothing about this deal is even close to working.' King drafted a plan to have the state work with the counties and other existing state prisons to expand those facilities to meet the governor's demand for more prison beds. King said the governor's office scoffed at his idea and said it wouldn't work. 'They think for some reason this mega-prison is going to solve their backlog,' King said. 'The reality is when you look at the whole picture of every state, building more prisons isn't going to do it. We need to reduce crime. We need more public safety officers, and it seems that the state legislators aren't even willing to do that.' The governor's office didn't reply to any of King's emails about his plan. Still, in response to King's Jan. 8 news conference, Sanders released a statement that said, 'Placing the burden of long-term incarceration on county jails is a failed strategy and a disservice to communities and inmates alike.' However, the state already has entered partnership agreements with Mississippi and Philips county jails in September 2024. As of Feb. 12, the Department of Corrections was experiencing a delay in moving additional people into the Phillips County Jail because it lacked a food vendor to feed the prisoners to do the job for less than $5 per inmate per day. This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: No plans, no transparency: Arkansas senator slams state's prison project
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas Dept. of Corrections outlines new budget toward Franklin County prison plan
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Department of Corrections announced on Monday that the estimated maximum cost of the new 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County is $825 million. That estimate was reached after consulting with Vanir Construction Management. In authorizing that spending, Budget Chairman Sen. Johnathan Dismang (R-Searcy) and Rep. Lane Jean (R-Magnolia) filed companion appropriation bills for $750 million, and another $75 million that was already approved as part of Act 95 in the General Assembly. Legislation for $750 million new prison funding filed in Arkansas legislature The State has already directed $405 million toward the total estimate of $825 million. 'This estimate lets us move forward quickly on the long-overdue prison project and build a safer, stronger Arkansas,' Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. 'I look forward to working with our partners in the legislature to get this appropriation passed.' Arkansas Department of Corrections officials voiced their excitement to see the goalpost ahead. 'This estimate allows us to move quickly toward breaking ground on the Franklin County prison and building the long-overdue, 3,000-bed facility we know our state needs,' Arkansas Department of Corrections Secretary Lindsay Wallace said.'We look forward to working with the Governor and legislature to secure the resources we need to build the prison and create a safer, stronger Arkansas,' 'Everyone knows we need a new prison to address our state's prison bed shortage, and I look forward to working with legislators to secure the funding necessary to build this facility quickly,' Chairman of the Arkansas Board of Corrections Benny Magness said. Franklin County prison plans hit bump after appropriations request fails in committee Once those funds are appropriated, the State can work with the Owner's Representative to move forward with drawing up in-depth plans for the prison and breaking ground as soon as possible. Arkansas currently has a shortage of more than 3,000 prison beds, requiring the state to spend almost $30 million each year to house inmates in county jails. Governor Sanders announced the purchase of an 815-acre plot in Franklin County to build the new prison in October of last year, at a total cost of $2,950,000. Officials say the parcel offers the infrastructure needed for a new prison, including cell reception, water lines, electricity, and a nearby fire department, and is also close to more than 100,000 working-age adults who could staff the new facility. Group outlines opposition to Franklin County prison plans for Arkansas The property is large enough to offer privacy to both neighbors and inmates and is expected to employ almost 800 people at an average salary of over $46,600, based on estimates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
