Cigarette tax, common spring break included in bills filed Monday

With more than 125 bills filed prior to 3 p.m. on Monday (Jan. 26), it’s safe to say the introductory period of the 87th General Assembly is over. Some of the interesting bills filed Monday include:

HB 1204
The bill, filed by Rep. Gregg Reep, D-Warren, would raise the tax on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (categorized as “moist snuff” in the bill). The tax on snuff would be 83 cents per ounce or 32% of the manufacturer’s selling price. Beginning July 1, 2010, the tax would then be indexed to the Consumer Price Index. Beginning March 1, 2009, the tax on cigarettes will increase to $28 per 1,000 cigarettes sold. Proceeds of the tax are to be placed in the state’s general fund. Fair Warning: It’s a detailed bill.

SB 208
To keep pace with the rapid pace of technological change, Sen. Paul Bookout, D-Jonesboro, files this short bill expanding the methods by which a telecommunications company operating in Arkansas can provide “universal services.” The expansion allow for voice-over Internet protocol (Voip) and any technology that is the “functional equivalent” of mobile services. (This explainer is almost as long as the bill. Seriously.)

SB 226
Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, files a bill to establish a common spring break for all Arkansas public schools.

SB 223
This bill, filed by Sen. Randy Laverty, D-Jasper, would create a sales and use tax exemption for materials used by farmers to bale hay.

SB 154
The sales and distribution of novelty lighters would be banned under a bill filed by Sen. Sharon Trusty, R-Russellville. A novelty lighter, according to the bill, is defined as one that includes a image, sound or physical form “commonly recognized as appealing to or intended for use by children ten (10) years of age or younger.”

Link here for more information from Roby Brock’s "The Political Buzz" about recent activity at the General Assembly.