Entrepreneur Deregulation Bill Filed

A bill that would study the impact that regulations have on small businesses and entrepreneurs was filed Tuesday.

Rep. Bill Gossage, R-Ozark, turned in House Bill 1582 to the House clerk.

Among the ideas expressed in the bill are requiring state agencies to hold public meetings in each of the state’s four congressional districts each quarter to gather information about “the obstacles and challenges the government agency causes for small business and entrepreneurs.”

The agency would also be required to file an annual report to answer a series of questions.

“The report shall describe the particular industry of the invited and participating small business and entrepreneurs; identify additional services that can be offered to the small businesses and entrepreneurs; discuss the benefits, detriments and costs to the state of the additional services that can be offered to the small businesses and entrepreneurs; describe the obstacles raised by the small businesses and entrepreneurs; recommend possible solutions to the obstacles. .. and discuss the benefits, detriments and cost to the state of the possible solutions,” the bill noted.

HIGHER EDUCATION STUDY
A bill that would study the state’s higher education system was approved Tuesday by the House Education Committee.

The committee approved House Bill 1581, sponsored by House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia.

The bill, with 23 sponsors and cosponsors, would create a 12-member legislative task force to look at the realignment of higher education in the state.

Gillam, who also serves on the committee, said the bill would not make wholesale changes in the state’s higher education, but would look at options.

“The purpose of the task force is to study the advantages and disadvantages of realigning state-supported institutions of higher education; identify current redundancies that exist with the current structure of higher education in Arkansas and determine what mechanisms are currently available or could be available to provide cost savings to state-supported institutions of higher education and to students,” the bill noted.

Gillam told the committee that he has had a chance to look at other states and what they have accomplished. He said the task force would also look at other states and how their higher education programs are set up.

If approved and signed into law, the task force would study the issue through Nov. 1, 2016. From there, the task force would send a report to Gillam, Senate President Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, House Education Committee chairman Bruce Cozart, R-Hot Springs and Senate Education Committee chairman Jane English, R-North Little Rock.

The bill now heads to the House.