Workforce training, tax cuts, criminal justice bills move through Legislature

Lawmakers passed bills on Tuesday dealing with workforce training, capital gains taxes, tax credits for low-income families and criminal justice; meanwhile, several committees approved legislation that could create an even busier Wednesday at the state Capitol.

The Senate voted 34-0 to approve Senate Bill 891, sponsored by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock. The bill overhauls the funding stream for all workforce training programs in the state and is part of a three-prong approach to revamping the state’s workforce education system. Under the bill, the Department of Higher Education would control the funding for the Workforce Initiative Act.

A bill (House Bill 368) that would help create the act was approved by an 86-1 margin Friday (March 20) in the House. A third bill, SB 371, is the funding overhaul and part of a three-phase system.

The first phase would seek requests for proposals from technical institutes, community colleges, universities, K-12, educational cooperatives or employers, with help from local workforce investment boards, to receive planning grants for up to $100,000. The second phase would provide so-called implementation grants to provide resources to start training projects, while a third phase would provide a continuation grant to groups that meet or exceed outcome measures.

Also, the continuation grants would be given to “align the performance and relevance of programs to ever-changing workforce training needs.” The funding for workforce training is appropriated on a college-by-college basis. The bill now heads back to the House.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE
The House voted 79-5 to approve a criminal justice reform bill, with supporters and opponents providing strong debate Tuesday. Under the bill, part of a plan introduced by Gov. Asa Hutchinson earlier this year, several areas of the state’s criminal justice system would receive an overhaul.

Among the plans include increasing funding for specialty courts including drug and veteran’s courts, reforming the qualifications to serve on the state’s parole board and allowing police and Arkansas Department of Community Correction officers to do warrantless searches on probation and parolees.

Rep. Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, who sponsored the bill with Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, said specialty courts have been successful around the state including in Saline County and parts of south Arkansas. Shepherd noted the bill would help give prisoners an opportunity for a second-chance and possibly reduce the state’s recidivism rate.

One of the areas of contention Tuesday was the probation and parolee search issue.

Rep. John Walker, D-Little Rock, who spoke against the bill, said he believes the bill would “violate fairness” by notifying parolees that they would be giving up their liberties.

However, Rep. Bob Ballinger, R-Hindsville, responded that people who are on parole or probation have been charged and convicted in a court and that they must sign paperwork waiving their 4th Amendment rights before they can be released.

COMMITTEES
Another pair of criminal justice bills were approved Tuesday by the House Judiciary Committee. The committee approved House Bill 1197, sponsored by Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville; and House Bill 1751, sponsored by Rep. Doug House, R-North Little Rock.

Leding’s bill deals with ending life without parole in the sentencing of juveniles. The bill failed in a committee vote in February, with prosecutors and victims’ rights advocates opposing the bill.

However, the bill was amended to not include current inmates in the system, content partner KATV reported Tuesday. Leding also took out language to make any change retroactive, plus added the number of years before a convicted murderer could receive parole.

The bill now goes to the House.

Rep. House’s bill will allow the Department of Correction to use different drugs in lethal injections as well as limit information on where the drugs come from, content partner KUAR reported. The Arkansas Supreme Court voted 4-3 Thursday (March 19) to find the state’s lethal injection law constitutional.

The bill goes to the House floor.

MATERNITY LEAVE BILL APPROVED
A bill that would allow state employees to receive up to six weeks maternity leave was approved Tuesday in committee.

The House Public Health, Welfare and Labor committee approved the bill, House Bill 1426, sponsored by Rep. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock.

Under the bill, all employees who work for a state agency as well as most executive, legislative and judicial branch employees, would be eligible to receive up to $500 a week for six consecutive weeks. The leave would also run concurrent with any federal leave the employee would be eligible for.

The bill now heads to the House floor.

CAPITAL GAINS BILL APPROVED
The committee also passed a new version of a bill to reinstate a 50% exemption rate on capital gains set during the 2013 legislative session. The bill was amended Monday in the House.

The first bill, which was first approved Thursday in committee, called for a 40% rate set earlier this year to be increased to 45%, retroactive to Feb. 1, 2015. From there, the rate would go to 50% effective July 1, 2016 with a $10 million exemption rate set in place.

The new bill would strike the 50% rate from Jan. 1 to Feb. 1; set the 45% rate, starting Feb. 1, 2015 and keep the 50% rate schedule in place.

The new bill will head to the House floor Wednesday.

TAX CREDIT BILL FAILS
A bill that would seek to give tax credits to people making under $21,000 a year failed to garner support from a key House committee Tuesday.

The House Revenue & Taxation Committee voted against House Bill 1344, sponsored by Rep. Warwick Sabin, D-Little Rock.

The bill would have been similar to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and would take into account a percentage of the federal credit amount.

Under the bill, the credit would have been:
· 1.25 % for the tax year beginning Jan. 1, 2016.
· 2.5 % for the tax year beginning Jan. 1, 2017.
· 5% for the tax year beginning and after Jan. 1, 2018.

The person would be eligible for a refund if the credit amount was larger than their income tax liability, according to the bill.

Tim Leathers, an official with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, said the bill would not have an impact on the state’s budget the first year. But Leathers said it would have a $10 million impact for FY 2017 and a $40 million impact for FY 2018.

Also, the bill did not take into account the balanced budget requirement under state law, Leathers told the committee.

TEN COMMANDMENTS BILL HEADING TO SENATE
The Senate is expected to take up a bill Wednesday that would place a privately funded monument honoring the Ten Commandments on the Arkansas Capitol grounds.

The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee approved Senate Bill 939, sponsored by Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Conway, content partner KUAR reported. Rapert filed the bill March 9 on the last day in which lawmakers could file bills this session.

The bill failed by a 3-3 tie in the committee Monday, but made it out two days later.

Under the bill, the design and site selection for the monument is subject to the approval of the Capitol Zoning District Commission and has protections just in case the state faces legal action on the issue.

‘PER MILE TAX’ TAKES DETOUR
A bill that would have created a pilot program to study a proposed miles traveled tax was withdrawn from consideration Tuesday.

Rep. Mathew Pitsch, R-Fort Smith, withdrew House Bill 1716. Under the bill, no state tax dollars would be used to develop or implement the program.

However, a person could have applied to state highway officials to take part in the program. The person would have paid a 1.5 cent tax for every mile they drive on Arkansas highways.

CONCEALED WEAPON BILL
A bill that would allow a county employee who works in a courthouse and who is a concealed carry holder to carry a concealed handgun in a county courthouse was approved Tuesday. The Senate voted 33-1 in favor of Senate Bill 159, sponsored by Sen. Linda Collins-Smith, R-Pocahontas.

The bill would amend current state law that prohibits the carrying of a concealed weapon in a courthouse. Under the bill, the person must be “employed by the county or a countywide elected official” and that a county quorum court, by ordinance, can allow a licensee to carry the weapon.

The bill now heads to the House.