The House began the 4th week of the 2021 Regular Session on Monday.
This morning, the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced HB1112. This bill eliminates the option for individuals to complete a sworn statement in order to cast a provisional ballot if they did not have the required photo identification.
With a vote of 75-13 and 5 members voting present, the full House passed HB1195. This bill requires that any woman seeking an abortion be notified of the availability of medical, welfare and private assistance programs. It instructs the Department of Health to establish a hotline for pregnant women seeking an abortion in Arkansas to call in order to receive a resource access assistance offer. If enacted, this legislation would take effect January 1, 2023.
The House passed HB1115 which amends the law concerning the weight threshold for commercial vehicles. This changes the definition of a commercial motor vehicle from one that has a gross weight at least 10,000 pounds to one that weighs at least 26,001 pounds. It also changes the passenger threshold from 10 to 15.
The House passed SB100. This bill seeks to enhance fiscal accountability and transparency in higher education. It instructs the Division of Higher Education to maintain a link to each state-supported institution of higher education on the division’s website. Each institution website would be required to list the name and email address of each member of the governing board, the date and location of board meetings, annual audit reports, and the board’s conflict of interest and commitment policy. SB100 also requires state-supported higher education institutions to provide a student accounts receivable aging report to the governing board.
The House convenes at 1 pm on Tuesday.