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Committee advances bill to protect Arkansas awards from Boy Scout bankruptcy trust
Summary
Senate Bill 13, presented by Senator Dave Wallace, was approved by the House Judiciary Committee. The bill is drafted to protect awards of money already allocated to Arkansas claimants from the Boy Scouts’ bankruptcy trust; sponsor said no new state money is involved and noted pending litigation could affect the awards.
The House Judiciary Committee voted to pass Senate Bill 13, which aims to protect awards of money already allocated to Arkansans from the Boy Scouts’ bankruptcy trust.
Senator Dave Wallace, District 19, told the committee, "It is designed to protect awards of money that has already been awarded to the State of Arkansas. There is no new money involved in any of this." Wallace said the change would shelter funds that have been set aside for Arkansas claimants amid ongoing litigation challenging the constitutionality of an earlier measure. He told members there are "over 500 Arkansas victims who have made claims in the Boy Scout bankruptcy trust."
Wallace said the bill is limited in scope and does not create new appropriations. He described the legislation as a narrowly tailored protection for awards already committed to Arkansas claimants and said the state is not adding funds. No members of the public signed up to testify for or against the bill.
A committee motion to "do pass" was made and carried by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded on the transcript. The committee did not adopt amendments to the bill during the session and provided no additional directives to staff.
Senator Wallace briefly responded to colloquial questions from committee members unrelated to bill substance during his appearance; those remarks did not affect the bill’s language or committee action.
