91st Legislative Session Slowly Grinds To A Blasé Closure

With less than a full week remaining in the Legislative Session, lawmakers are tired.

Tempers are running short and decorum, at times, is lacking on both ends of the state Capitol down in Little Rock.

The misssteps of the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress, have left Arkansas’ self-directed ‘Arkansas Works’ health insurance supported by federal dollars in tact, for the moment. Works within the 91st General Assembly, with some added assistance from the Congress, will possibly throw some off the insurance rolls, but nothing like what would have been seen if the federal proposal to “Repeal Obamacare” had passed.

Still the ending of the 91st General Assembly is welcomed by represen- tatives of both parties — Democrat and Republican — in Arkansas.

This legislative session, has been, well, a real hard chore on both parties, or so it seems from talking with observing folks on both sides of the aisle.

There has been some good legislation.

Such as a tax credit of up to $250 on a teacher’s personal income taxes for supplies for their classroom that school teachers end up buying out of their own pockets. Why such a bill as this was not made decades ago, I will never know. I guess the past administrations kept throwing out little raises and incentives and thinking that would do the trick to keep the rank and file teachers from having to spend their own money on necessary school supplies for the classroom.

A tax exemption for retired military from state income taxes. This was seen more as a move to jump-start Arkansas’ small business climate. The $13 million drain on the state Treasury was offset with some taxes that needed to be raised.

The final separation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s co- joined state holiday. The separation process was emotional within the House of Representatives, but an unexpected move of statesmanship from two House members — one the newbie state Rep. Grant Hodges, R-Rogers, on sponsoring the bill and another, state Rep. George McGill, D-Fort Smith, by an eloquent and thoughtful close to the debate and the bill – caused this bill to be passed.

State Rep. Greg Leding, D- Fayetteville, has had success on some more tender issues of the session on social consciousness issues. He has always been a champion of fighting for stolen wages, time off for new families and against human trafficking. This session his bills for oral chemotherapy parity, firefighter cancer hazards, and even some clean-up bills on mircobrewery bills.

As a historical footnote: Rep. Leding and several others got a resolution and bill for an Arkansas dinosaur approved earlier in the session at the behest of a Fayetteville High School student — so now the state has its own state dinosaur.

State Rep. Robin Lundstrum, R- Elm Springs, has been carrying many of the administration’s bills on refining Medical Marijuana, as passed by the voters. She fought the fight against the smoking of medical marijuana and failed to gain the support needed, but she was successful on several fronts to bring this new emerging industry into compliance and regulatory authority.

State Rep. Dan Douglas, R-Bentonville, has had a rough session, trying to advance bills to realign the state Department of Agriculture and bring several state Commissions under its direct control. He ran afoul of the highly politically powerful Arkansas Farm Bureau to thwart this attempt. Also Douglas carried several highway funding bills, which narrowly failed, to better shore up the finances of the State Highway Department.

There is yet more to be done as the grinding to a halt of the 91st General Assembly moves, oh, so slowly to a halt.

“This legislative session has been, well, a real hard chore on both parties, or so it seems from talking with observing folks on both sides of the aisle.”