Tuesday in the House (Day 79) -- UPDATE II

We're down to 11 bills on the active calendar in House Judiciary. In the other standing "A" committees in the House, 18 bills remain on the active calendar in Revenue & Tax, including a bill to clarify that sales tax is not levied on produce sold at farmers' markets (fiscal impact is ~$150,000 annually).

House Transportation is down to three bills and a senate amendment. House Public Health has eight bills left on the agenda, including a special order of business today on Sen. Elliott's SB947, which provides for the screening and early detection of colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in Arkansas. There are still 39 bills on the active calendar in House Education. Here's a rundown of the bills we'll take up this morning at 10:00 in House Judiciary (click here for the agenda).

Judiciary active agenda:
HB1800 (Harrelson): Concurring in a Senate amendment on the payment of court costs and fines with a credit card.
HB1682 (Maloch): Clarifies that DTPA doesn't apply to unauthorized practice of law. Not running today
HB2184 (Martin): Open carry of handguns. Previously pulled down to add amendment for minimum age
HB2216 (Glidewell): Demographic Preference Disclosure Act. Failed previously on a roll call vote
HB1872 (Hopper): Authorizes acceptance of payment of court costs by credit card.
SB772 (Madison): Concerning entries into the judgment book.
HB2154 (George): $20 fee to bail bond for victim assistance offices Round II. Failed previously 10-10
HB2103 (L. Smith): Whistleblower/Qui Tam bill. Failed previously on a voice vote
HB2053 (Dismang): Requires reim of attys fees in certain eminent domain cases. For: NFIB; Against: AHTD
HB2141 (Harrelson): Amends Residential Landlord-Tenant Act of 2007.
HB1640 (Hawkins): Regarding the issuance of ignition interlock licenses.

Today on the House floor:

On the early calendar, there are six bills on the own bill/own amendment calendar, and three bills are being withdrawn. There are 17 bills on the floor when the House convenes today at 1:30, and it should be a short day.

Rep. Webb's Conflict of Interest Prohibition Act of 2009 (HB1968) deals with voting by members of boards and commissions with a direct financial interest in the vote and is a continuation of an effort by former Sen. Jim Argue. I'm for it, and it passed out of House Rules last week with few no votes, but it does face significant opposition on the floor from organizations like the Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau. Opponents believe that it'll significantly cull the number of people willing to serve on boards and commissions, particularly in rural areas.

[Update (1:45 p.m.): This bill failed by a vote of 38 for, 47 against, and 1 present. 14 did not vote. Click below for the roll call.]



We'll recall the Dairy Stabilization Fund (milk tax) bill from the governor's office and transmit it to the Senate to begin the process of expunging the votes on that bill, and Rep. Fred Allen will move to reconsider the vote on the imitiation firearm bill. It failed yesterday with 49 votes, and 51 are required for passage. We'll also reconsider Rep. John Edwards' enhanced drivers license bill, which failed a couple of weeks ago with 48 yeas. It faces opposition from groups like Secure Arkansas, etc.

Update II (2:05 p.m.): We recalled the milk tax bill and sent it to the Senate. We also reconsidered the imitation firearms bill, which passed today with 55 votes for. Immediately after that, we voted to reconsider the voluntary enhanced drivers license bill, which passed this time by a vote of 59-30-3.