Page 14 - Bart Hester News Today

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed legislation Thursday that will restrict access to records on her security detail, concluding a chaotic four-day special session that renewed debates over Arkansas open records and meeting law.

The Arkansas Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm 25 of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointees to state executive branch posts, boards and commissions.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law Thursday altering the state’s Freedom of Information Act, one of her stated goals of the special legislative session she called for this

The Arkansas governor claimed the legislation, which replaces a similar ban that recently expired, aims to defend citizens’ “individual liberty.”

The Arkansas governor claimed the legislation, which replaces a similar ban that recently expired, aims to defend citizens’ “individual liberty.”

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas lawmakers voted Wednesday to shield travel and security records for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ administration, a day after ditching a more far-reaching proposal that critics said would weaken government transparency. The bill approved by the majority-Republican Senate on a 29-2 vote would allow the state to

The Arkansas Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm 25 of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointees to state executive branch posts, boards and commissions.

Asked Tuesday why, under proposed Senate Bill 10, the public should not have the right to know certain information about the governors Arkansas State Police detail, including who would be flying on the plane, state Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, said "it is very appropriate that we do what we are doing to protect the governor and her family." An article that ran in Wednesdays edition did not attribute the comment to Hester by name.

The Arkansas Senate and the House State Agencies Committee approved bills Wednesday to exempt records related to the governors security detail from disclosure, following overwhelming pushback from the public that pressured lawmakers into scaling down their attempts to overhaul Arkansas open records and meetings law.

LITTLE ROCK -- Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Republicans in the Legislature on Tuesday backed off a widespread plan to restrict the publics access to records about Sanders administration, but they said they will still seek limits on what can be released about the GOP governors travel and security.