Judiciary committee clears several bills, pulls one amendment and schedules further work

The Senate Judiciary Committee handled a series of primarily noncontroversial bills on Feb. 27 and moved several to the next stage.

- SB 169: Committee concurred with a House amendment restoring language that clarifies district court judges’ term and election cycle. Lanny Richmond of the Arkansas Municipal League described the change as correcting an omission and explained why the provision appears as uncodified language.

- SB 469: Senator Ballinger’s bill codifying a judicial interpretation that generally shields property owners from liability for a third party’s criminal act passed by voice vote; the bill retains exceptions for innkeepers and employer‑employee liability.

- HB 1438: A measure to increase penalties for repeat voyeurism offenses, presented on behalf of Representative Spencer Hawkes, passed after no committee members registered opposition.

- SP 206: Sponsors said an amendment to remove a mandatory polygraph requirement for certain registry petitioners has not yet been finalized; the bill was pulled so the amendment can be finalized and the item returned later.

Several sponsors warned the committee would run more bills after recess and asked members to be prepared to limit debate where many speakers are expected.

Actions and status: The committee recorded passage of SB 169 (concurrence), SB 469 and HB 1438; SP 206 was pulled pending amendment; the committee recessed after expunging its earlier vote on HB 13 80.