3.12.21 – KTLO
More than 320 bills have been signed into law during the 2021 Regular Session. There are several hundred bills still making their way through the legislative process.This week, House members voted on legislation impacting education, healthcare, voting, and much more.
The following bills passed the House during the ninth week of the session:
HB1633 – Requires a city of first-class to establish a city police department and provide the department with proper resources.
HB1416 – Intended to encourage home-based entrepreneurship. It outlines what restrictions local governments can and cannot place on home-based businesses.
HB1517 – States the secretary of state shall prepare and administer electronic voter registration application forms.
HB1349 – Creates the Every Arkansan Retirement Plan Opportunity Act. It outlines a voluntary plan for employers without a current retirement plan offered to their employees.
HB1570 – Prohibits healthcare professionals from providing gender transition procedures to any individual under 18 years of age.
HB1510 – Requires a school district board of directors and local law enforcement agencies to adopt a memorandum of understanding governing school resource officers. It also requires school resource officers to complete specialized training.
HB1429 – Reduces the waiting period from after a parent or guardian withdraws their child from a school district to enroll to begin home-school. The waiting period is currently 14 days. This bill reduces it to five school days.
HB1522 – State no person applying to be placed on a ballot for any public office shall knowingly provide false information with reference to his or her qualifications. It creates a misdemeanor offense for providing false statements by a candidate.
HB1323 – Allows for the prosecution to display an in-life photograph of a homicide victim to the judge or jury.
HB1512 – Eliminates no-good-cause exemptions to the work requirement for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs. The bill does provide exemptions for an individual currently in foster care or residing in a domestic violence shelter.
HB1198 – Allows a certified registered nurse anesthetist to operate in consultation with, but not necessarily in the presence of, a licensed physician.
HB1258 – Authorizes full independent practice authority for certified nurse practitioners who meet specific requirements. Currently, nurse practitioners have to practice in a collaborative agreement with physicians.
SB155 – Creates “Lila’s Law,” which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities regarding access to organ transplantation.
HB1069 – Authorizes pharmacists to provide access to oral contraceptives. The bill also includes a provision for pharmacists to refer a patient to a primary care or women’s health provider if she has not been seen by a physician in the previous six months.
HB1506 – Classifies the use of a hoax bomb as a Class C felony. A hoax bomb is defined as a device designed to look like an explosive or incendiary device.
SB118 – Creates the Arkansas Public Service Internship Program.
All House floor and committee meetings are live-streamed. The links to the video and agendas can be found at www.arkansashouse.org.