GOP women’s caucus unveils next ‘Dream Big’ initiative

Republican women legislators unveiled Wednesday (Feb. 26) a new package of bills that aims to address children and family issues in the 95th Arkansas General Assembly.

Touting the successful passage of legislation in previous sessions, the GOP women’s caucus outlined their “Dream Big 3.0” initiative.

With a maternal health bill signed into law already by Gov. Sarah Sanders, the focus of the new bills will seek to address juvenile justice, child care, mental health, and human trafficking. In total, seven bills have been filed or are expected to be filed to address different aspects of these issues.

“I think we have been very successful at working on difficult issues and trying to find solutions that we think and believe resonate with the majority of Arkansans, no matter where they fall politically. And that’s very important to us,” said Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, one of three female GOP senators.

“We’ve had great success,” said Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville. “I think we’ve passed every bill in our legislative package over the years. It’s important to keep working because the work’s never done. So change is constant, and there’s always areas to improve.”

The “Dream Big” initiative will include two bills dealing with juvenile justice. One bill, to be led by Rep. Carol Dalby, R-Texarkana, will be a total rewrite of the juvenile justice code. There will also be a measure to more strongly punish predators who are caught with sexually explicit images of underage children. It will remove a judge’s discretion to reduce sentences and leave the sentencing in the hands of juries, Dalby said.

Another bill centers on child care tax policy. Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, said it will provide a $25,000 tax credit for working parents under a certain income level, and a $500,000 tax offset for a business that helps with child care for its workforce. A certain percentage of the credits will be dedicated to rural areas of the state.

Rep. DeAnn Vaught, R-Horatio, has been an advocate for a variety of mental health reforms during her tenure in the legislature. She discussed legislation that would speed up a backlog of forensic assessment and treatment of prisoners in county jails who need mental health diagnosis and assistance. She said it will help victims of crimes get justice sooner. Vaught also said the state will earmark funding for at least 16 new beds at the Arkansas State Hospital for mental health inmates.

Rep. Robin Lundstrum, R-Elm Springs, said she would spearhead a law to toughen penalties and to provide law enforcement more tools to stop sex traffickers who engage in human trafficking. Attorney General Tim Griffin was on hand, with other law enforcement officers from around the state, and said the GOP women’s caucus package was a “full, full agenda.”

The GOP caucus also underscored its support for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) applying for a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, a project that has been in the works since former Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s administration. In the last regular session, $100 million was committed to help with the application, which is expected to be filed this fall. NCI designation would open the state up for millions of dollars in new research funding for cancer cures and treatments.

“We’re talking about kitchen table issues and issues that are really affecting a lot of our citizens, like our sheriffs and the jailers and the situation that they’re dealing with,” said Irvin. “Mental health evaluations that have been backed up in the court system cause incredible problems and issues. It’s a big, complex issue, but we’re trying to tackle it and we’re not shying away from those very difficult, complex issues. We’re bringing our brain power and our will and compassion towards fixing those problems.”

Irvin chairs the Senate Public Health Committee and serves on the Joint Budget Committee, and Davis serves on the Joint Budget Committee and the Senate Children and Youth Committee. They both commented on the potential loss of Medicaid funding related to the U.S. Congress passing a budget bill Tuesday (Feb. 25) along party lines, 217-215, that would cut $880 billion in Medicaid funding to the states.

Arkansas’ hospitals, nursing homes, and health care systems rely heavily on Medicaid. Both women said they were unsure how the state may be affected if those federal cuts become law.

“I think there are a lot of unanswered questions right now. Everything’s happening quickly,” Davis said.

“I think there are choices and decisions being made and then re-evaluated, so we just have to watch how that all plays out,” Irvin said.