Page 14 - D Pine Bluff News Today

Arkansas lawmakers continue to discuss bills that will allow employees to work around vaccine mandates at their work.

A bill that would exempt employees from federal or employer covid-19 vaccination mandates and authorize unemployment benefits for those fired for refusing to get vaccinated was passed by the Arkansas House on Tuesday, while a nearly identical Senate bill was advanced by a House committee earlier in the day.

The Arkansas Senate on Monday passed three bills targeting employer-mandated coronavirus vaccinations, as a contentious debate over pandemic-related measures overshadowed congressional redistricting once again on the 114th day of the 2021 regular session.

LITTLE ROCK -- Rep. Vivian Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, agreed to pay a $50 fine and receive a public letter of caution in a settlement of a complaint filed with the Arkansas Ethics Commission, the commission's director said Friday.

Hear the report from KUARs Sarah Kellogg Rep. Julie Mayberry, R-Hensley, presents House Bill 1003 to the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on the first day of the special legislative session. Credit Arkansas House A bill that would allow Arkansas school districts to implement mask mandates if they meet a COVID-19 case threshold is being reworked to address the concerns of some lawmakers. Members of the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee spent just under three hours ...

Send Larry Walther, secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration, will chair the governors American Rescue Plan Steering Committee. Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday set up a 14-member American Rescue Plan Steering Committee to oversee the spending of $1.57 billion of the about $5 billion in federal pandemic aid coming to Arkansas. The $1.57 billion is the amount going directly to state government; the rest will go to educational in...

Governor talks COVID-19 vaccines for 12+ and plans for $5 billion in federal aid Governor Hutchinson talks about plans for American Rescue Plan funds. Anxious Arkansas parents hoping to secure COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 12 and up have just a tiny bit longer to wait. Governor Hutchinson announced Tuesday that we’re still waiting on guidance from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) before 12- to 15-year-olds can roll up their sleev...

Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, R-Hermitage, presents House Bill 1957 to the House floor. Credit Arkansas House In the last moments of the 2021 Arkansas General Legislative Session, which ended early Tuesday after 1 a.m., the legislature managed to pass a bill that bans police from enforcing some federal gun laws, but addresses problems previously brought up on a similar bill that was vetoed by the governor.  House Bill 1957, filed late Monday night, made its way through the legislature in fewer than 28 ho...

Legislature kills mask mandates by any government Legislature kills mask mandates by any government The House today voted 69-20 to end government mask mandates in Arkansas. There is no state mandate currently, but some local governments and schools are continuing to abide by mask requirements. Advertisement Rep. Joshua Bryant (R-Rogers) said the legislature should be in charge of mandates and that the loosely enforced state mandate had created confusion. Some people just don’t want to accep...

Credit Arkansas House The bill is defined by some as hate crimes legislation, while others say it is not specific enough to be considered as a hate crimes bill. Under the bill, Arkansans convicted of certain violent offenses against members of a "recognizable and identifiable group" would have to serve at least 80% of their sentences. The bill defines these groups as sharing "mental, physical, biological, cultural, political, or religious beliefs or characteristics." Currently, Arkansas is one ...