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Stakeholders urge study as Senate amends SB 71 to delay implementation
Summary
Senate committee added a two-year implementation timeline and six-month ALC reporting requirement to SB 71; business and advocacy groups and civil‑rights advocates testified that the amendment may not address drafting gaps and urged an interim study to assess social and economic impacts.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (District 20) introduced an amendment to Senate Bill 71 that preserves the bill’s substance but adds an implementation timeline of up to two years and requires agencies to submit compliance plans and six‑month reports to the ALC.
The amendment’s sponsor said the change is intended to give agencies time to plan and to allow the legislature to question agency timelines and limitations. ‘‘All it does is provide a timeline for implementation,’’ Sullivan said during committee remarks.
Several witnesses urged caution. Annabeth Gorman, CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, told the committee the amended timeline still risks unintended…
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