Numerous ‘shell’ bills filed Friday in Little Rock; ethics bill expected

Monday (Mar. 9) is the final day for members of the 87th Arkansas General Assembly, and as a result, numerous “shell” bills were filed in the past few days and many will be filed Monday.

A shell bill contains a bill title and subtitle, and language indicating what section(s) of Arkansas code to be amended, deleted or otherwise changed. And that’s about it. The important language is added later.

The more interesting shell bills filed Friday include:

• HB 1968: The Conflict of Interest Prohibition Act of 2009

• HB 1967: An act to require an interim study of ways to encourage physicians to practice medicine in rural areas of Arkansas.

• HB: 1987: An act to amend the sales and use tax laws to conform with the Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement

• HB 1970: An act concerning public school choice for Arkansas students.

• HB 1982: An act to promote and enforce efficiency in state government.

REAL BILLS
Bills specifically outlining important changes to Arkansas law, policy and economic development efforts have been filed in the past few days. Roby Brock at TalkBusiness.net, a content partner with The City Wire, has a good tally on those bills.

• Sen. Barbara Horn, D-Ashdown, has filed four bills — SB 832, SB 833, SB 834, SB 835 — that would seek sale and use tax reductions on utility costs for certain manufacturers.

• House Speaker Robbie Wills, D-Conway, filed a bill — HB 1963 — that seeks to improve the management and oversight of technology-based capital funding. However, the bill states that “it shall not be a prohibited conflict of interest for a member of the private sector advisory committee to have a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any technology-based enterprise applying for assistance from the Arkansas Risk Capital Matching Fund.” This bill is likely to receive some scrutiny.

• Rep. Rick Saunders, D-Hot Springs, filed HB 1939 with the hopes of improving Arkansas’ chances to recruit movie production. The “Digital Product and Motion Picture Industry Development Act” would boost incentives to recruit movie production to the state and would reconcile existing Arkansas code with movie industry terms.

• It’s also expected that Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel will file Monday (Mar 9.) a new and comprehensive ethics reform bill. The bill is likely to face significant opposition in the House and Senate.

Link here to more information on the legislation mentioned above and other political news at Roby Brock’s “The Political Buzz.”