The legislature is meeting to tie up loose ends today and the biggest issue on the calendar thought likely to get a meaningful vote is one last run at a bill, SB 140, aimed at making Internet retailers collect the Arkansas sales tax. It’s up for a House vote and could return to the Senate with an amendment. The Senate also has a House bill on the issue that could be sent back to the Senate.
But…. a peeved Senate president pro tempore, Jonathan Dismang, indicated a number of moves are afoot to extract bills from committee and otherwise breathe some life into dormant measures. I don’t think it’s possible under rules to pass a Senate bill today and get action completed today in the House. But perhaps, if rules are bent, some languishing House-passed legislation could get another shot. Dismang has asked for a meeting in the private “quiet room” to discuss what’s afoot with those maneuvering.
The list of bills being added to the calendar with a suspension of rules include several that require concurrence in House amendments to achieve passage.
We’ll be listening in.
The items added to the calendar span a range of issues, several on education, but also Sen. Linda Collins-Smith’s proposal to do a comprehensive study of alcoholic beverage law in Arkansas.
One bill added is a small one, inexplicably defeated unless you understand the pettiness of the average Arkansas legislator, is HB 1625 which requires every employer with more than five employees to provide each employee with a pay stub with basic information including hours worked and rate of pay.
For the nerds who’d like to keep track at home:
Senate Bills to concur in House amendments:
40, 140, 620,673,685,691 and 758
House bills for third reading and final passage:
1388
1625
UPDATE: The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce sent a text to its cutout senator, Trent Garner, this morning informing him to tell the Senate it opposed people getting a paycheck stub. The Senate promptly came to heel, giving Leding’s b ill a whopping 7 voted. Commented Bill Kopsky of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel:
To be clear, the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce’s plan for Arkansas prosperity is to take advantage of workers (they also slashed unemployment and disability help), gut public education, abuse the environment and cut taxes for the powerful. What a future we have ahead of us. Thanks Greg Leding for AGAIN carrying this no brainer legislation that is so threatening to the powerful.