Ark. General Assembly hits the home stretch

LITTLE ROCK Lawmakers hope to go home in less than two weeks, and they've been told they will have to pick up the pace to meet the April 9 date set for completing legislative business.

"I've encouraged members to work hard over the weekend to prepare their legislation, be prepared to run them in committee ... there's no time to waste," House Speaker Robbie Wills, said Friday.

Knowing it's now or never for hundreds of bills, sponsors will be jockeying for votes this week and next as the 87th General Assembly winds down.

The variety of bills awaiting committee consideration, or reconsideration, is wide ranging from equal rights for women to insurance premiums for teachers to carrying guns in public.

"I think we're down to a few of the bigger items," said Rep. Steve Harrelson, D-Texarkana, the House majority leader.

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Harrelson said the House is particularly interested in how the Senate deals with Senate Joint Resolution 12, which asks the state to endorse the federal Equal Rights Amendment, and Senate Bill 799, which would allow the children of undocumented immigrants to pay in-state college tuition rates.

Sen. Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville, who saw her SJR 12 rejected by the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs earlier in the session, said last week she is mulling an attempt to bypass the committee and take the proposal straight to the Senate floor.

The unusual move to pull the bill out of committee would require the support of 18 senators, something Madison said she is not sure she has, though said said 25 senators have indicated they would vote for the bill if it does get to the floor.

"I haven't made up my mind yet," said Madison.

A similar proposal filed in the House in 2007 failed to get out of committee. The sponsor, Rep. Lindsley Smith, D-Fayetteville, filed the measure again this session, but House Joint Resolution 1014 has not come up for a vote in the House state agencies committee.

SB 799 by Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, would offer in-state tuition to students who complete three years of high school in Arkansas, graduate and otherwise qualify for college admittance.

Elliott filed a similar bill in 2007 when she was in the House. It passed the House but failed in the Senate.

Gov. Mike Beebe opposes the bill, citing federal law requiring that any benefit afforded to undocumented students must be extended to any legal resident of the United States.

The Senate Education Committee advanced the bill last week.

On Tuesday, the Senate state agencies panel is to continue consideration of HB 1623 by Rep. Randy Stewart, D-Kirby, which would shield the list of Arkansans permitted to carry concealed handguns from public view. The panel heard about 30 minutes of testimony last week but did not take a vote.

Beebe said last week he supports keeping the list of Arkansans with concealed carry permits public but he has not decided on whether he would veto the bill if approved by the Legislature.

On Wednesday, the House and Senate state agencies committees are scheduled to meet jointly to consider 10 proposed constitutional amendments.

Among the proposals is one that would ask voters to repeal Amendment 86, approved last year requiring the Legislature to meet every year instead of every other year. Another would authorize the Legislature to set new standards for issuing state bonds to attract so-called "superprojects.

Once the joint committee makes its recommendations, the House and Senate will vote. The Legislature can recommend up to three proposed constitutional amendments to the 2010 general election ballot.

Elsewhere this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to reconsider HB 1473 by Rep. Dawn Creekmore, D-East End, which would require a sample of DNA be taken from suspects arrested for specific felonies. The committee previously rejected the measure.

Rep. Mark Martin, R-Prairie Grove, also is expected to seek reconsideration by a House committee of his HB 2184, which would allow Arkansans who legally own handguns to carry them openly.

The House Judiciary Committee recently debated the measure but Martin pulled it down after committee members raised concerns. He has since said he would amend the bill to stipulate that only people 21 and older would be allowed to carry handguns in public.

Also this week, Rep. Bill Abernathy, D-Mena, said he may run HB 1413, which would increase state spending on teachers' insurance by $25 million to keep teachers' insurance premiums from increasing in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

Abernathy did not rule out trying to use some of the state's end-of-the-year surplus to fund a portion of the proposal, though the governor has said he is against tapping the surplus for that purpose.

Some of other bills expected to be debated in committees this week:

HB 1806 by Rep. Bobby Pierce, D-Sheridan, which would clarify procedures for carrying out the death penalty in Arkansas. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on the bill last week but the sponsor, after questions were raised, pulled the bill.

HB 1807 by Rep. Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis, which would require brewers of beer to be consistent in the prices they charge distributors. The Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs debated the issue last week but no vote was taken.