News and Views on Politics, Policy and More
My children will be adolescents in a few years; occasionally, when I recall the way I behaved towards my parents as a teenager, I react less in happy anticipation than in horror. Too often as a teenager, in an attempt to get my way, I said things to my parents that no serious person would ever say. For instance, I remember attempting to justify a report card that detailed my sub-par academic performance by explaining to my folks: “Look, grades don’t mean anything.” I guess it’s … [Read more...]
There’s been a lot of gossip swirling around the vote to expand Medicaid in Arkansas. For example, how did proponents of expansion pick up 8 votes from Monday (when the bill first failed) to Tuesday when it passed? There’s been a lot of talk about bribery or extortion -- Rep. Nate Bell even went to the House floor and spoke of “threats” that had been leveled against House members. Rep. Bruce Westerman, in a fiery speech, asked members if their votes were worth “30 pieces of silver?” … [Read more...]
The following is a guest op-ed by State Representative Nate Bell, a second term legislator from Mena. It was a spring night in the quiet Birmingham, AL suburb of Pleasant Grove. The year was 1981. I was about 12 years old. It was one of those nights where the air was perfect and most everyone was sleeping with their windows open. Pleasant Grove was one of those towns where everyone knew each other. Our neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. Our house had those old crank-out style casement … [Read more...]
HB1187 would prohibit government entities from using taxpayer funds or taxpayer-funded resources to influence the outcome of ballot measures in Arkansas. This is a great bill, because whether you know it or not, your tax dollars have been used to influence elections -- and not just at the state level. Allow me to provide a real-life example. In 2011, the White County Quorum Court, as the behest of Judge Mike Lincoln, passed a sales tax to fund a new highway around the city of Searcy. The tax … [Read more...]
Yesterday, the House passed SB71, “The Church Protection Act,” which we have been following for a few weeks now. It was a landslide: 85 for and only 8 votes against, with 7 not voting. See how your legislators voted by clicking here. I would remind you (at the risk of sounding like a broken record) that the bill will not mandate that churches allow concealed carry. In fact, the bill's default rule is that concealed carry is still prohibited unless a church specifically decides to allow … [Read more...]
This morning, the House Judiciary Committee passed "The Church Protection Act." The bill now heads to the House floor. If it is successful there, it will head to the Governor's desk for his John Hancock. I attended the committee meeting this morning and snagged some video(s). The voice vote is near the very end of the second clip below. 4:31 p.m. - I apologize for the audio problems in these videos. It seems to be a technical issue with Ustream. Hopefully it will be resolved … [Read more...]
Rep. Nate Bell (more affectionately known as "the Mena Gnome") presented HB1044 or "The Mileage Reimbursement Fairness Act" before the House State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee this morning. The bill makes mileage reimbursement even across the board for all state employees, setting the rate at 42 cents per mile. Historically, state legislators are reimbursed at a higher rate. I happened to be there, so I snagged some video. Enjoy: You can read the full text of HB1044 … [Read more...]
Senator Bryan King, as promised, has filed a bill to allow churches and houses of worship to decide for themselves whether or not to allow their members to carry firearms on their property. Currently, Arkansas law prohibits churches and houses of worship from making these decisions themselves which poses two problems: first, it is a violation of the 2nd amendment and secondly, it inappropriately involves the state in church governance. Nicholas Stehle, member of the board of directors for … [Read more...]
