Page 28 - D Pine Bluff News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Send Larry Walther, secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration, will chair the governor's 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 institutions, cities, counties and the state Department of Human Services. About $285 million in fund...

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 sleeves for a first shot of the Pfizer vaccine that’s been cleared for use in adolescents. The advisory...

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 hours through a series of committee meetings, recesses and votes. The legislation would ban all state ...

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 accept infringement on their “liberty,” he said. Rep. Vivian Flowers (D-Pine Bluff) asked why local c...

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 of few states in the nation that has not passed a hate crimes bill. Gov. Asa Hutchinson declared bef...