Latest news with #SenateBill307
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Prison appropriation bill stalls in Arkansas Senate
Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, presents Senate Bill 307 to the Arkansas Senate on March 5, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) The Arkansas Senate on Tuesday rejected a $750 million appropriation bill to support construction of a 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County. The bill's failure marked the latest hurdle in constructing a prison in the rural western Arkansas county, which supporters, including the governor, have said is needed to alleviate overcrowding in county jails. Sen. Jonathan Dismang, a Searcy Republican and lead sponsor of Senate Bill 354, assured his colleagues they would be involved throughout the process because the executive branch will have to submit funding requests for different phases of construction that will require approval from the Arkansas Legislative Council before money can be spent. Work is underway on an accountability plan with the Department of Corrections to ensure lawmakers are 'tracking, monitoring and understanding the process and the progress of the prison construction,' Dismang said. 'I understand that the members want to be engaged in this process as it moves it forward regardless of what happens with this appropriation, and you're going to have the ability to do that,' he said. The Franklin County prison has been controversial since state and local officials and community members said they were blindsided when Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in late October announced the state's $2.95 million purchase of 815 acres near Charleston for the project. In the months since, elected officials and local residents have continued to speak out against the prison. Officials last month issued a preliminary cost estimate of $825 million. The Legislature previously set aside $330 million for the proposed penitentiary, adding to another $75 million that had been set aside during former Gov. Asa Hutchinson's administration. Arkansas lawmakers advance $750 million appropriation bill for prison construction Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, spoke in favor of SB 354 Tuesday. From the Senate floor, he recounted the story of Shawna Cash, who was arrested and released multiple times, including in Washington County where he said she was released in May 2021 because there was no room. Former Washington County Prosecutor Matt Durrett told the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette that COVID-19 pandemic precautions explained Cash's release because it was common to release more inmates than usual to reduce populations and the risk of transmitting the virus. Cash was accused of striking and killing a Pea Ridge police officer Kevin Apple with her vehicle in June 2021. A jury convicted Cash of capital murder and sentenced her to life in prison without parole last year. 'There's many Shawna Cashes in every one of our districts right now,' Hester said. 'They should be in prison, but there is no room…we've got to have room, and I am begging you to not have something horrible happen in your district when we could have made a difference today.' Sen. John Payton, R-Wilburn, who said he supports expanding prison capacity, spoke against the bill Tuesday, echoing his concerns from last month's Joint Budget Committee meeting that there isn't a large enough available workforce to support a large prison in that part of the state. When the governor began pushing for a prison after taking office in 2023, Payton said, there was 'a pretty good dustup' between Sanders and the corrections board, whose members said they could not safely expand bed capacity because of a lack of staff. 'I understand it's an appropriation and it's not funding, but it's a bad business decision,' Payton said. 'And I'm not going to be responsible a year or two years from now when we spend three-quarters of a billion dollars, we've got the most beautiful, up-to-date, modern facility, we came in under budget and nobody to work there.' Dismang said there are 'other pieces to this puzzle,' specifically noting the governor's overhaul of the state employee pay plan, which the Senate advanced Tuesday, 'contemplates significant increases in pay for those working in our prison system.' The argument did not sway Payton, who voted against SB 354 along with fellow Republicans Ron Caldwell, Jimmy Hickey, Ricky Hill, Bryan King, Clint Penzo, Terry Rice and Gary Stubblefield, and Democrats Greg Leding and Clarke Tucker. The bill garnered 19 votes in support, but failed because appropriation bills require 27 votes to advance out of the Senate. Dismang could bring the bill back for consideration because there is no limit to how many times lawmakers can vote on an appropriation bill. There is a deadline for the end of the legislative session, however, which lawmakers anticipate will be April 16. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
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.
