Sometimes we cannot believe the words that come out of lawmakers’ mouths, and week six of the Arkansas General Assembly was one of those times.
Senate Judiciary bullies constituents, lacks basic understanding of Arkansas Law
SB199’s intent is to dissuade medical practitioners from providing gender affirming healthcare for trans youth. The bill would create strict liability for provider who practice trans healthcare procedures for youth — a big jump from all other types of medical procedures, which in cases of malpractice require a hefty burden to prove a procedure caused injury. Unsurprising to those who follow Senate Judiciary, most members misunderstood what the bill would do, including its sponsor Sen. Gary Stubblefield and representatives from the AG’s office, who testified in favor of the bill. It’s not a requirement that judiciary members have law degrees. But at the very least, members should understand how their legislation will impact the law.
But we can’t tell you about this legislation without mentioning Sen. McKee’s wildly inappropriate behavior in committee, which you’ve likely heard about. During public testimony, Sen. Matt McKee asked a trans female pharmacist if she had a penis. The crowd reacted with distain, and Sen. McKee’s vulgar question went viral — perhaps the intended result of asking the question at all?
Pilkington’s punitive maternity leave bill passes House
Rep. Pilkington’s bill, which would require certain businesses that provide employee abortion access to also provide maternity leave, passed the House this week. Rep. Andrew Collins spoke against the bill, arguing it is blatant government overreach. “Why do we need to get involved in what a company is doing with its financials?“ Collins asked members. Pilkington responded with cringey, anti-choice rhetoric where he said businesses that help pay for “babies to be torn limb from limb” must be held accountable to the other side of reproductive choice. In his closing arguments, Pilkington admitted his bill aims to disincentivize businesses from “paying for babies to be murdered.” The bill passed along party lines.
House Ed says ‘No’ to accountability for private schools taking public cash
Wooten’s HB1204 would require private schools to admit any student who comes along, and require these schools provide yearly assessment tests for these students. This seems fair, right? Wrong, according to the committee members charging toward unfettered school choice on the public’s dime. Wooten’s bill was defeated in a 12-5 vote.
The bill’s failure sends a message that’s contradictory to the prevailing school-choice message, which is that students should not be trapped in failing schools because of where students live. “My biggest issue is that if the school accepts public funds, every student would have to be admitted,” Rep. Hodges admitted. By voting against this bill, the majority of House Education members indicated choice is less about the quality of education students receive, and more about state-funded elitism.
Teachers flood Capitol, ask lawmakers for support
There isn’t much better than teachers schooling our legislators, like they did Wednesday at the Capitol. Educators from across the state, including small but mighty districts like Two Rivers, met with lawmakers to share their concerns. Some teachers were able to corral lawmakers in the hallway for more in-depth conversation. During one tense discussion, Senate majority leader Bart Hester was heard saying public administrators are the enemy. Another lawmaker acknowledged he had let teachers down and admitted he would no longer fight voucher expansion.
A recurring message from Wednesday was teachers need to be supported and valued by their elected leaders, not used as political pawns. Teachers were moved to tears and shared they worry for their job security and the future of their schools. Educators don’t want to be called indoctrinators. They don’t want their salaries to be weaponized by partisan rhetoric. And they don’t want to worry about their schools closing.
P.S. Six weeks into legislative session and still no LEARNS Act
Senate State Agencies passes unconstitutional constitutional amendment to protect the constitution 😑
You read that right. SB260 would toughen the requirements for citizen-led ballot initiatives, requiring a massive jump in the signatures from every county in the state. Right now a percentage of signatures need only be collected from 15 counties. The legislation is a clear attempt to undercut the citizen-driven ballot process. But the bill is a regular piece of senate legislation that attempts to amend the AR constitution, which is the inappropriate mechanism for such a change. Instead, a proposed constitutional amendment must be filed as a legislatively referred amendment, for which the deadline to file was last week. The bill should have no leg to stand on in court, but passing a blatantly unconstitutional bill out of committee is an egregious move by lawmakers — especially in the name of protecting the Arkansas Constitution. Wild.
Neither here nor there
Senator Stubblefield doesn’t think women who farm and ranch are as good as men who do the same. “Females don’t rope too good,” he said. Sen. Missy Irvin, whose daughter is studying to be a vet, disagrees — and so do we. Cattle women would make for better Senate Judiciary chairs, too.
