House Judiciary Committee advances electronic concealed-carry IDs, custody changes and licensing updates; withdraws firearm restoration bill for revision

The House Judiciary Committee met and moved forward a package of bills on matters including concealed-handgun credentials, family-court custody standards, corrections to licensing language and registry changes for some sex-offense cases. Committee members approved multiple measures by voice vote and allowed the sponsor of a contentious firearms-restoration measure to withdraw it for further work.

The most immediate action was on a bill to allow electronic concealed-handgun licenses. State Rep. Paul Childress, state representative for District 83, told the committee the measure deletes statutory language that requires a paper credential and instead permits an electronic copy. "This bill can potentially save taxpayers up to about $42,000," Childress said, adding there would also be unspecified postage savings. Lieutenant Tiffany Dicus of the Arkansas State Police's regulatory division told the committee a one-time system change would cost about $5,000 and that the department already has the funds. The committee voted to give the bill a do-pass recommendation.

A second item adopted by the committee amended custody law for cases involving domestic violence. Representative Hudson presented amendment No. 2 to a pending custody bill, saying stakeholders and the Judicial Council helped shape language that removed a cross-reference to the Domestic Abuse Act and instead used an explicit statutory definition and the existing statutory standard for when parenting time would "seriously endanger the physical, mental, or emotional health" of a child. "This gives judges a framework by which they can make sure that those children are protected," Hudson said. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Amy Moore, who described hearing several violent custody cases in her domestic-docket caseload, said the change will let judges design safer pathways for supervised or limited visitation: "These are cases where I'm seeing…