I wish I could say that exploiting the state reimbursement system is strictly a Republican phenomenon. Between Mark Martin and the legislators exposed as salary padding hypocrites Wednesday, one might even get that impression. The fact of the matter, however,…
Tag: State House
The Audacity of "Nope"
Yesterday afternoon, House Republicans prevented the passage of House Bill 1193, the appropriations bill for the Arkansas School for the Deaf, because the bill contained a spending increase. Of $6,389. For the ENTIRE YEAR. Oh, sure, $532.42/month may not sound…
HB 1887: And Never The Twain Shall Meet
About seven weeks ago, when it was rumored that Rep. Andy Mayberry was going to file a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks’ gestation, I wrote a post explaining the likely problems with such a bill. Mayberry has now filed…
The streetlights just came on, and my mama's in the street tellin' me to come home
At the end of February, Rep. Stephen Meeks (R-47, Greenbrier) filed HB 1711, “AN ACT TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS NIGHTTIME ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT.” The bill included a number of findings, which are not to be codified, including, inter alia: (1)(A)…
Hey, Johnny, what did that Mexican mean by "a sick horse is going to get us"?
Today was the deadline for filing bills and resolutions for consideration during the 88th General Assembly’s regular session. All told, there were 529 filings Monday (h/t @TolbertReport), bringing the total number of filings in 2011 to 2,358 (h/t LobbyUp). Prior…
Make The Veto Worth The Paper It's Written On
We interrupt your regularly scheduled bashing of Arkansas Republicans and their ridiculous ideas for a moment of praise for one Republican lawmaker. First, an observation. I have two kids — a twelve-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. Despite the gender…
Just When I Thought I Was Out, They Pull Me Back In (At 520% Interest)
Via Jason Tolbert, I see that Steve Brawner has written in defense of Senate Bill 586, which would carve certain exceptions to the constitutional 17-percent interest rate cap for loans under $5000. (In case you were wondering, that would be…
HB 1292: BHR dice que "muchas gracias" a estos legisladores valientes.
Last Wednesday, the House Committee on State Agencies voted down HB 1292, which would have denied state benefits or services to any undocumented residents except in life-saving situations. The bills flaws — denying prenatal care to pregnant women whose children,…
This Week In Facepalm: Reps. Edwards, Steel, and Vines
Lost in the drama of the Democrat co-sponsors trying to have their names removed from unconstitutional HB 1002 last week was an accounting of which Democrats actually voted for the bill. There were nine such votes, to wit: John Catlett*…
Rep. Hubbard, Your Village Is On Line 2. They Miss You.
You know that old saw about how “it’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt”? Representative Jon Hubbard (R-Jonesboro) doesn’t buy into that idea one bit. Today, during the discussions on…