Legislative Preview: Redistricting, ‘open camera’ and health care

Editor’s note: Roby Brock, with our content partner Talk Business, wrote this report. He can be reached at [email protected]

House and Senate committees regroup on Tuesday to start the 88th General Assembly’s work in earnest.

On the calendar this week, the Senate State Agencies Committee will get a briefing on Congressional and State Legislative Redistricting.  This huge subject will reshape Arkansas’ four congressional district boundaries and all 135 state House and Senate districts.

Another major issue for several House committees will center on votes to approve online streaming of their meetings. The topic was likely debated long and hard in the House committee chairmen retreat on Friday. Last week, a controversy arose when at least one committee chairman balked at the notion of streaming meetings, even though equipment is already installed in the meeting rooms.

That spurred several news outlets, including Talk Business, to seek an “open camera” online policy in the House.

The response received from a number of different blogs, news groups, and editorialists was encouraging, and it came from the political left, right and center. The legislature should find wisdom when sources as diversified as these groups and individuals have noted their support for openness, such as:
• Roby Brock, Talk Business
• Luke Hobbs, Progressive Arkansas
• Arkansas Family Council
• Democrat-Gazette editorialist Meredith Oakley
• Democrat-Gazette editorialist Pat Lynch
• Gerard Matthews of the Arkansas Times
• Christopher Spencer, Ozarks Unbound
• Activists with Americans for Prosperity & The Arkansas TEA Party
• The City Wire, Michael Tilley
• Jason Tolbert, The Tolbert Report

Here’s hoping that lawmakers do the right thing and use the public’s already spent money more wisely to cement their trust with the the citizens they represent.

HEALTH CARE DEBATE
House Public Health Chair Rep. Linda Tyler says her committee will deal with several controversial health care decisions at the state level, but she’s prepared for the discussion and large responsibility.

"I do think there will be some debate and there may be some conflict as a result of that," Tyler told Talk Business.

Tyler, a Democrat from Conway, and House Vice-chair Rep. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, will guide the House committee through a number of federal health care issues impacting the state, such as cost controls, Medicaid reform, electronic records, and increased access to health facilities.

"We know for a fact that with the health care reform act coming in 2014 that there are some issues that will be coming before our committee," she said, noting that 250,000 new Arkansans are expected to join the Medicaid rolls in the coming years and another 250,000 are estimated to be eligible for health insurance for the first time.

Of course, many freshman legislators were elected to office on voter angst regarding the health care overhaul. Several campaigned against the federal bill in their state office runs, but putting the brakes on the federal mandate may be a major challenge.

Link here to the see the news video of Tyler’s comments.