‘Late Nights’ Ahead For State Legislature As Session Begins Wind Down

House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, told House members to expect a “lot of late nights” this upcoming week as lawmakers push bills through a crowded, very fluid agenda.

Both Gillam and Senate President Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, have set a late March-early April deadline to approve bills and head home.

That’s one subject addressed in this week’s political roundtable on Talk Business & Politics, which airs Sundays at 9 a.m. on KATV Ch. 7. Jessica DeLoach Sabin, John Burris and Bradley Phillips offer their thoughts on a number legislative issues.

Plus, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge joins the show to discuss the death penalty. Lethal injections are deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court in a ruling expected to jump start state executions after nearly a decade of pause. What happens next?

The following is a breakdown of the week ahead for lawmakers:

PRIVATE OPTION
The Health Reform Legislative Task Force is scheduled to have its third meeting at 10 a.m. Monday at the Capitol to start discussions.

The 16-member task force, made up of House and Senate members, with state Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe as a non-voting member, will meet this year to look at studying healthcare reform in the state. The group first met on March 10 for an organizational meeting and March 17 to plan for the task force’s work.

The task force has until Dec. 31 to complete its work and provide a report to Gov. Asa Hutchinson and lawmakers about their recommendations.

The task force was approved with Senate Bill 96, which calls for a Dec. 31, 2016 end date for the Private Option.

MLK-ROBERT E. LEE HOLIDAY
Rep. Fred Love, D-Little Rock said Friday he plans to reintroduce in committee a bill to get rid of the dual status of a holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

The bill, House Bill 1119, was heard Friday in the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. The committee heard from Love and several witnesses on the bill. However, the committee later adjourned after lawmakers noticed there was not a quorum in the committee room.

Under Love’s bill, a state memorial day on the second Friday in January would be held to honor Lee with the holiday honoring King on the third Monday in January.

VEHICLE MILE TAX, CAPITAL GAINS
There are several major bills scheduled for the House agenda Monday.

One of the bills, House Bill 1716, would create a pilot program to study the idea of a “vehicle miles traveled” tax.

According to the bill, sponsored by Rep. Mathew Pitsch, R-Fort Smith, and Sen. Bill Sample, R-Hot Springs, the Arkansas Highway Commission “may develop an Arkansas Road-User Tax Pilot Program to evaluate the creation and implementation of a road-user tax system.”

No state funding would be used to develop or implement the program, which would end no later than June 30, 2020, the bill noted.

Under the bill, a person can apply to state highway officials to participate in the program. The person would have to pay a 1.5 cent tax for each mile they drive on Arkansas highways.

“The tax imposed under this section applies as long as the person is participating in the program and owns the subject vehicle, if the person is the owner; or leases the subject vehicle, if the person is a lessee,” the bill noted.

A capital gains tax cut is also on the House agenda Monday.

The House is scheduled to take up House Bill 1402, sponsored by Rep. Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado. The bill was approved Thursday by the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. Shepherd told the committee that he wanted to reinstate a 50% exemption rate that lawmakers approved in the 2013 session.

Earlier in the session, lawmakers voted to set a 40% exemption rate as part of an overall tax cut bill.

Under Shepherd’s bill and an amendment from Rep. Joe Jett, D-Success, who chairs the committee, the 40% rate would go up to 45%, retroactive to Feb. 1, 2015. The rate would then go up to 50%, effective July 1, 2016, while a $10 million exemption rate would remain.

Officials with the Department of Finance and Administration said Thursday that the bill would have a $6 million impact on the FY 2016 budget and an $11.8 million impact for FY 2017.

Opponents have said the bill would take funding away from needed programs, while supporters have said expanding the exemption would create much needed capital for companies that can in turn create jobs.

JUSTICE BILLS ON AGENDA
A pair of criminal justice bills should also rise on the agenda this week.

The House is expected to take up Senate Bill 472, or the Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2015, on Monday. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill Thursday after hearing from Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Benton and Rep. Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado. Both Shepherd and Hutchinson said the bill provides specific proposals on dealing with a complex issue.

Some of the ideas mentioned in the bill include reforming the state’s parole board; having a “pay for success” program to reduce recidivism in the state, helping inmates with job training; increasing funding for so-called specialty courts like drug courts and giving police and Arkansas Department of Community Corrections officers the power to do warrantless searches for people on parole or probation.

The plan was introduced earlier this year by Gov. Asa Hutchinson during a press conference in Little Rock.

Another bill before the Senate this week is House Bill 1543, sponsored by Rep. Micah Neal, R-Springdale. The bill would seek to address county jail reimbursement for housing state inmates. The bill would allow the Arkansas Board of Correction to set up rules to reimburse any county for the actual costs for any emergency medical care, physical injury or illness.