Our View

Our View

A look at some of these pre-filed bills

Arkansas lawmakers are chomping at the bit to change the way we do things here in Arkansas, and are already pre-filing bills that include dissolving the General Assembly’s biennial fiscal session, which makes sense, to making changes to the state’s voting system.

We have made a point numerous times to be suspicious when our politicians gather because when they do it is anyone’s guess as to what they will conjure up from raising our taxes to creating new laws.

We know you may think We are just a bit too suspicious of our politicians but you know as well as We that we experienced some pretty questionable and sneaky goings on in Little Rock over the years.

One proposed bill is one our very own Senate Minority Leader Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis, along with Senate president pro tempore, Jim Hendren, R-Sulphur Springs, sponsored for the second-consecutive legislative session that would eliminate these unnecessary fiscal sessions.

We can’t quit remember the circumstances behind why voters thought they had to approve this ballot measure in 2010 that actually created these fiscal sessions, but honestly, they are waste of our tax dollars.

Ingram, who has said time and time again, that these fiscal sessions are unnecessary, is now saying they are trending toward becoming more like regular legislative sessions.

Ingram, who is paid about $40,000 a year plus per diem, says these fiscal sessions makes serving in the Legislature more of a full-time job and that wasn’t the intent of the founding fathers who intended for it to be a part time, citizen Legislature. You suppose, it seems that every time these politicians gather there is always an attempt to mess around with the state’s voting methods. We was certainly glad that we, and the majority of Arkansas voters, put their stamp of approval of requiring identification to vote. We also have no problem with a proposed bill that would require the state Health Department to report deaths to the secretary of state’s office every day for the purpose of removing the deceased from the state’s voting rolls. This measure along with making voter intimidation a class D felony will go a long way in preventing voter fraud.

This is just the start of the proposed bills that will be considered during this upcoming session. For your information, the number of bills pre-filed before regular sessions, which occur each odd-number year, has fluctuated in recent years, but 2017’s session saw the highest number of pre-filed legislation (198), according to the Bureau of Legislative Research. In 2015,74 bills were pre-filed; 25 were pre-filed in 2013.

Another bill that should get some traction calls for increasing the fine for passing a school bus with its lights flashing, and then there is another bill that specifically addresses the problem of bullying in public schools.

Now, on that topic, we would suggest pulling these kids being bullying aside, putting them in an intense self-defense training and give them the confidence needed to confront their adversaries and give them a taste of what it’s like to have a butt whooping. We know, we know that won’t ever happen and instead we’ll see the creation of a so-called “anti-bullying specialist”, as well as a so-called “anti-bullying coordinator” who We assume will take “kinder-and-gentler” approach.

We expect the session to be very interesting.

Bible Verse

Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them,What seek ye*? They said unto him, Rabbi,* (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them,Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard* John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him. We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said,Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

St. John 1:38-42