Tax law changes, race tracks part of early prefiled bills by area legislators

State Sen. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith, apparently does not intend to go quietly into his last term.

Altes, in his last term as a state senator, has prefiled 16 bills. Most relate to income or sales tax exemptions or reductions. His most notable is a bill (SB 12) to establish the first Saturday in August as a sales tax “holiday” for the purchase of most clothing. The bill is intended to reduce the costs for back-to-school shopping.

One of his more interesting prefiled bills (SB 25) would make it easier to build a race track in Arkansas. The bill would lower from 75 percent to 38 percent the number of registered voters within three miles of a proposed track needed to approve its construction.

Link here to the list of bills prefiled by Altes.

State Rep. Rick Green, R-Van Buren, was the only other delegate of the 13 state senators and representatives who represent the Fort Smith region to have bills prefiled going into the Thanksgiving holiday.

Green filed two bills, one that appears to be a housekeeping measure requiring three copies of certain municipal ordinances be filed with a city clerk. The other measure would seek to expand visitation rights between a grandparent and child. See both prefiled bills here.

Also, link here for information about the legislative delegation representing the Fort Smith area in the upcoming General Assembly.

And follow this link for photos and a summary of the discussion between the legislative delegation and members of Leadership Crawford County and Leadership Fort Smith.