Latest news with #SB307
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill to reallocate marijuana tax revenue clears Senate vote
David Burr demonstrates removing leaves on marijuana plants to allow more light for growth at Essence Vegas' 54,000-square-foot marijuana cultivation facility on July 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller | Getty Images) The Montana Senate on Thursday advanced a measure to change what programs receive more than $60 million in funding from recreational marijuana tax revenue. Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, is carrying Senate Bill 307 to shift marijuana tax revenue away from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks programs, and bolster marijuana prevention and enforcement operations. McGillvray framed the bill as a 'simple' policy choice, and asked legislators whether they care more about children and those impacted by marijuana, or wildlife habitat. 'I would submit to you that the deer, the elk, the ducks, the geese are all doing pretty good in Montana,' McGillvray said, adding that FWP has 'buckets' of money they could spend. 'I'm asking (us) to prioritize the babies, the moms, the teenagers, the children, the adults that are addicted to this and need a way out,' he said. But opponents said that the funding was allocated for FWP programs for a reason, and that if the Legislature wants to address prevention efforts, they should tackle that separately. Sen. Sara Novak, D-Anaconda, served on the Business and Labor Committee during the 2021 session, when recreational marijuana was legalized with support from conservation groups counting on some of the revenue. 'We worked very hard on a big piece of legislation that put all the guiderails around the legalization of marijuana, and it included the allocation of revenue sources,' Novak said. 'I do wholeheartedly think we need to take a hard look at prevention, education, treatment, the crime that goes along with all of that and the whole trickle effect, I just don't think that this bill is the way to go about doing that.' SB 307 had a lengthy hearing before the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee, where many drug prevention specialists and law enforcement representatives spoke in favor of the bill, but were outnumbered by more than 20 opponents representing conservation groups. FWP director Christy Clark also testified in opposition, citing several programs that would be 'virtually eliminated' without the funding, including a wildlife tracking system for birds and bats and funding for endangered and threatened species. She also told the committee the state park funding has allowed FWP to catch up on a 'major backlog' of maintenance programs, including 55 separate projects since 2021. McGillvray's bill was amended to remove several provisions including funding a marijuana prevention account and suicide prevention grant program, and creating a marijuana accountability council. It also added back in funding for veterans and the board of crime control that the bill originally stripped out. Now, the bill will allocate 26% of revenue to the Healing and Ending Addiction through Recovery and Treatment Fund, 4% to a new marijuana law enforcement account, small portions to veterans and the board of crime control, and the remainder to the general fund. By comparison, the bill would more than double the dollars going to the HEART fund, which originally allocated the first $6 million of annual revenue from marijuana, currently an estimated $60 million. Senators in favor of the bill spoke about the problems seen with higher potency THC products and the need to prioritize treatment programs and enforcement. Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings, said that he had smoked marijuana for two years in the 1970s and subsequently had health issues he attributed to the drug use, so he understood the detrimental effects, and cautioned against use. But ultimately, he said, this isn't a bill about marijuana, it's a bill about money. 'I'd like to call it a wise use of THC money,' he said. 'This is a wise allocation of money. It's creative. It's innovative. Four years, five years from now, if people say 'Yakawich, you did a poor job with that bill, and we need to fix it,' well that's what we do as legislators.' In a similar vein but on the opposite side, Sen. Emma Kerr-Carpenter, D-Billings, reminded the body that they weren't discussing THC levels, detrimental medical effects of the drug, or regulating the industry — the bill is simply about funding. 'We have the good sponsor taking revenue that we allocated a couple sessions ago that goes to a purpose for conservation of public lands, and instead takes it and diverts it over into mental health care and substance use prevention. And my question is, why can't we do both at the same time?' Kerr-Carpenter said. 'We do not have to take from one to do the other. We don't have to choose.' McGillvray reemphasized that he believes FWP is 'flush with cash' — despite some specific 'flush' accounts he referenced having limitations for spending — and that they don't need to take in marijuana revenue. 'We don't use revenue from gas taxes to deal with Medicaid or health concerns, we use it for roads and bridges and stuff of that nature,' he said. 'If you use revenue for marijuana to deal with the harms of marijuana, it's what we do and how we logically allocate revenue.' The bill passed the Senate 30-20, with two Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition. SB 307 will have a hearing before the Senate Finance and Claims committee on March 24, and the full Senate will vote one more time on the measure.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arkansas lawmakers approve legislation aimed at mitigating energy bill spikes
Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, presents Senate Bill 307 to the Arkansas Senate on March 5, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) The Arkansas House signed off on legislation Tuesday that supporters said will mitigate expected electricity rate increases by altering the current process for constructing power plants. Senate Bill 307 will allow utility companies to begin recovering the costs of building a new generating plant during the construction phase instead of having to wait until the end of the project to do so, which will result in lower costs for customers over the long term, bill sponsor and Searcy Republican Rep. Les Eaves said. With two coal-fired plants set to go offline in the next few years, Eaves said Arkansas will need to generate or purchase energy to keep up with current demand. Ratepayers' bills will go up regardless, Eaves said, but the process outlined in the bill could ease a sharp spike in prices and will provide the Arkansas Public Service Commission more oversight of the projects. Additionally, the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act of 2025, could help the state attract economic development projects like data centers, which could lead to more jobs, Eaves said. Failing to approve SB 307 would result in those companies moving on to other states, he said. 'And those other states will benefit from the economic development projects and those jobs that come with it,' Eaves said. 'There's also the very real possibility that one or more of these data centers will invest hundreds of millions of dollars here in new power generation and this will result again in overall lower power costs to our ratepayers.' Stalled energy bill advances out of Arkansas Senate In a House committee meeting Monday, Eaves said the bill would attract more than data centers but other big users of electricity, such as aerospace manufacturers and lithium processors. Allison Thompson, president and CEO of the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County, spoke in favor of the bill in Monday's hearing, saying one of the first questions she's asked by new project proponents is whether there is reliable and abundant available energy. Jefferson County is home to the White Bluff Power Plant that's scheduled for closure. Speaking in favor of the legislation from the House floor Tuesday, Rep. Stephen Meeks, R-Greenbrier, said he really liked the forward-thinking nature of the bill. 'I support the bill, that we're trying to ramp electric bills and not have those sharp cliffs, that we're building base generation that we need for a reliable grid here in the state of Arkansas, and this bill is always looking to the future at new technologies and how we can implement them to help make sure we have a reliable grid,' Meeks said. No one spoke against the bill, which the Arkansas House approved by a vote of 77-13. Nine members voted present. SB 307 passed in the Senate last week by a vote of 23-9. The bill now awaits the governor's signature. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislative committee advances energy bill to Arkansas House
Rep. Les Eaves, R-Searcy, presents SB 307 to a House committee on March 17, 2025. (Screenshot from livestream) A House panel on Monday approved a bill that will change the process for constructing power plants in an effort to mitigate expected rate increases for Arkansans. Searcy Republican Rep. Lance Eaves told the House Committee on Insurance and Commerce utility rates are going up with or without Senate Bill 307 because Arkansas will need to generate or buy more power to provide the energy needed 'to maintain the status quo' when coal plants in Independence and Jefferson counties go offline in a few years. 'I don't want my bill to go up, I don't know that any of us want our bills to go up,' Eaves said. 'But the fact is they're going up whether we run this bill or not because we have to produce power to replace what we're losing and we have to produce more power to try to attract those businesses here that are going to supply jobs.' The process outlined in the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act of 2025 will be cheaper in the long-term, Eaves said, because it will allow utilities to begin recouping their costs during construction instead of after a power plant is built, as is the case now. The 63-page bill would also give the Arkansas Public Service Commission more oversight of such projects by requiring reviews throughout construction, he said. Stalled energy bill advances out of Arkansas Senate Committee members shared concerns about shifting costs onto ratepayers and exactly how much constituents' energy bills would increase. Based on estimates, Eaves said the average utility customer will see a $5 increase on their monthly bill during the first year. He also said that if a company comes to Arkansas and uses 90% of the power generated by a new plant, that company would pay for what they use — the cost would not be shifted onto other ratepayers. Attracting new industry to the state is another goal of SB 307. Supporters of the bill have said Arkansas is losing out to its neighbors in attracting large data centers, which can bring more jobs to the state, but Eaves said it's about more than data centers. 'The number one export in Arkansas is aerospace-related parts and components, we have a lithium play that's getting ready to happen in south Arkansas, we are likely very possibly going to be the steel capital of the world,' Eaves said. 'All of those use energy, and we don't have enough.' Allison Thompson, president and CEO of the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County, echoed those sentiments in speaking in favor of the bill. Jefferson County is home to the White Bluff Power Plant that's scheduled for closure. As an economic developer, Thompson said she works with new projects coming to the state and one of the first questions she's asked is about power. 'Is it reliable, is it redundant, is there enough of it, and is it available,' she said. 'And when those projects come in, they're not coming in for down the road, they're coming in right now. They're looking right now. Those businesses are making decisions about today.' Some members of the public who spoke in opposition to the bill voiced concerns about how the rate hikes will impact low-income Arkansans. Others had recommendations for amending specific provisions within the bill. Southern Renewable Energy Association Executive Director Simon Mahan, for example, said it was 'problematic' that SB 307 explicitly excludes Arkansas-based wind energy from eligibility for cost recovery under the bill's proposed rider system. 'Generally wind energy resources are some of the lowest cost resources,' Mahan said. 'Arkansas, we do believe needs more power, and we shouldn't be restricting the types of power that we can develop sooner rather than later.' A 135-megawatt project that's under construction in Cross County is expected to become the state's first operational wind farm this summer. Mahan recommended lawmakers amend the bill to remove this restriction to allow Arkansas-based wind energy to compete 'on an equal footing' with other energy resources, including out-of-state wind, which he said is eligible under the current legislation. The House committee approved SB 307 on a unanimous voice vote without making amendments. The bill will next be considered by the Arkansas House. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill filed in Arkansas legislature to protect power plants from closure
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Power plants in the state would not be able to be shut down without state approval if a bill filed in the Arkansas legislature on Friday becomes law. Senate Bill 463 mandates that the Arkansas Public Service Commission approve any power plant targeted for shutdown. In the bill's language, the plant could not be shut down without PSC approval, even if ordered by 'the United States Government, an agency of the United States, or any other third party if the purpose of all or part of the settlement agreement is the closure, deactivation, or decommissioning of an electric generation unit or a transmission asset located in this state.' Arkansas electric utility bill passes Senate, heads for House The legislature has discussed plant shutdowns as Senate Bill 307 moves through the legislature to change how utilities can construct new power plants. In presenting the bill, Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy) has pointed out that Arkansas will lose two of its five coal-fired power plants in 2030, forcing either new construction or purchasing power from out-of-state sources. The two plants in Redfield and Newark were slated for shutdown as part of a 2021 settlement between Entergy Arkansas and the Sierra Club after a 2018 suit for violating provisions of the federal Clean Air Act. Entergy maintained that it had complied with the act. Arkansas bill tightening requirements for gas well operators passes House committee Sen. Matt McKee (R-Pearcy) is the lead sponsor of SB463. He is also a cosponsor of SB307. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Four takeaways from the ninth week of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly
Video: Arkansas legislature activity for March 12 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Week nine of the 95th General Assembly showed an increasing number of bills becoming law. Forty-one bills were signed into law this week, alongside legislation changing the nature of electrical utilities for ratepayers, movement on the governor's signature higher-education bill and legislation on nitrogen gas execution to the governor's desk. University of Arkansas among 60 universities under federal investigation over DEI practices NEW LAWS Alongside more mundane items like budget appropriations, 41 bills signed into law Thursday included legislation on campaign contributions, medical marijuana and election laws, including laws for write-in candidates. This makes 299 bills signed into law this session. ELECTRIC UTILITIES A bill that has garnered a lot of debate in the Senate cleared that chamber and was sent to the House on Wednesday. Senate Bill 307 changes the relationship between the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) and electric utilities by charging rates on construction projects in process. League of Women Voters submits Arkansas ballot question to roll back initiative changes A related matter is a bill filed on Friday by Sen. Matt McKee (R-Pearcy) requiring the PSC to approve any power plants being closed. Part of the support for SB307 by senators, including McKee, was that Arkansas is due to lose two of its coal-fired power plants in 2030. HIGHER EDUCATION The House and Senate passed identical bills to put Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' higher education revamping Arkansas ACCESS for 'acceleration, common sense, cost, eligibility, scholarships, and standardization,' closer to becoming law. Senate Bill 246 and House Bill 1512 were transmitted to their opposite chamber, where they were voted and moved to committee on Thursday. One sticking point with legislators was the original legislation's language stating that absences for public policy advocacy or attempts to influence legislation and political protests would count as unexcused absences. Sponsors made an amendment Monday afternoon for schools to allow an excused absence for public policy advocacy or to influence legislation if parents provide written permission, but political protests would remain unexcused. University of Arkansas among 60 universities under federal investigation over DEI practices NITROGEN GAS Legislation allowing the state to use nitrogen gas to execute death-penalty inmates has passed both chambers and been sent to the governor for signature as House Bill 1489. Arkansas currently has 25 inmates on death row. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
