CFC Update - April 2 - Progress and Setbacks

It’s been a week of big progress and disappointing setbacks at the Arkansas Legislature.  We have major updates for you on Education, Energy, Ethics, Environment, Economic, State Budget, and Agriculture issues.  Click here for a complete version with more detailed bill information on our website.

Education is the best news: A package of legislation to improve schools and close the achievement gap is successfully winding its way through the Arkansas legislature.  We have a few hurdles to go and you can still help!  These bills will be critical to giving communities, educators and lawmakers the information they need to improve their schools.  A bill making it easier for rural people to vote in school board elections also is on track for passage.  However, the Dream Act to expand access to college for Arkansas high school graduates failed in the Senate.  Click here to read the education details and see how you can help.

Utility and corporate interests stomped on consumers and common sense Wednesday.  They killed energy proposals that would have saved consumers money, created a renewable energy industry in Arkansas and helped out the environment.  All is not lost, but the two cornerstone pieces of legislation to emerge from the Governor’s Global Warming Commission were defeated despite the support of the Governor, the Attorney General and the chair of the Public Service Commission.  Watch the hearings here, or read our press statement about the loss.

The Chamber of Commerce and Farm Bureau were also busy killing ethics reform that would have stiffened penalties for state board or commission members from voting on issues where they, their family or their employers have DIRECT financial interests.  Oklahoma still has stronger ethics laws than Arkansas :-(

One good environmental bill creating a drinking water protection task force has passed the House and is in the Senate.  And a bad bill stripping the Game and Fish Commission of its ability to regulate hunting and fishing is also moving.  Want deer season 365 days a year and high powered rifles used in your neighborhood?  Read more about the environmental bills we’re following here.

A VICTORY on an economic issue: The bill making it easier to prosecute employers who steal wages from their employees passed and is now law.  The bill providing low-income tax relief to single parents passed the House 98-2 and is now in the Senate Revenue and Tax Committee.  The bad news: the bill to raise the state minimum wage to match the federal minimum wage has stalled out in the Senate  committee after passing the House.  Calls are needed to members of the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee to move our minimum wage laws forward. Read more about these economic issues.

The new state budget figures are out today and look bleak. March revenue is 6.3% below forecast and likely to get worse.  Will legislators faced with shortfalls reverse handsome corporate tax breaks – or will they cut essential services for working folks?  There may be some struggles ahead.  The Arkansas News has a good summary here.

On agriculture, the bill exempting raw products sold at Farmers markets passed the House yesterday sending it the Governor’s desk for approval!  The milk stabilization board bill was successfully passed and sitting on the Governor’s desk – you may have read something about that in the news.  Governor Beebe asked the House to recall the bill that would have provided a long-term solution, and in its place he offered one-time money available from money that was supposed to be spent on bio-diesel. Get more details about the agriculture bills here.

The Citizens First Congress is a grassroots coalition of over 40 community groups from across Arkansas that works on progressive reform at the Arkansas Legislature.  

Our Ten Priorities for a Better Arkansas for the 2009 Arkansas Legislature are

• Increased resources for rural and small business economic development.
• Enact the recommendations of the HIV/AIDS Task Force.
• Progressive tax reform to provide low and middle income tax relief while generating sufficient state revenue.
• Enact the recommendations of the Global Warming Commission.
• Create an Arkansas Civil Rights Commission.
• Close the education achievement gap.
• Enact the Dream Act to make sure every student graduating from an Arkansas school has the opportunity to pay in-state college tuition.
• Create a Task Force on Arkansas Water Resources.
• Increase penalties for and enforcement of wage theft.
• Expand state incentives for land conservation.