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Committee advances bundle of bills on elections, IT contracts and public‑safety grants
Summary
The committee reported several bills out of committee by voice votes: SB 496 (special‑election reform), SB 292 (public‑safety equipment grant fund), SB 30 (IT contracting authority), HB 1568 (election‑technology study), HB 1522 (misdemeanor for false candidate affidavits) and HB 1654 (posting national motto on taxpayer‑funded buildings).
The Senate State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee moved several bills out of committee during the hearing.
Senate Bill 496 (sponsor Senator Rapert) was amended and then passed as amended. Rapert said the bill creates four uniform special‑election dates per year to improve predictability for counties and voters, requires a 70‑day notice to call an election, aligns school elections and prohibits holding special elections with primary or general runoffs. Daniel Schultz, director of the State Board of Election Commissioners, told the committee the change would improve election administration and was available for follow‑up questions. The committee adopted an amendment (motion by Rapert, second by Senator Davis) and then passed the bill as amended (motion by Rapert; second by Senator Davis).
Senate Bill 292, described by Rapert as the "public safety equipment grant program," establishes a grant fund at the Department of Public Safety for nonlethal equipment — including body cameras, storage for footage, tasers, bulletproof vests and virtual‑reality training — with rules set by the Secretary of the Department and approved by the legislature. Mark Whitmore of the Association of Arkansas Counties testified a survey showed substantial equipment and storage needs (Whitmore said storage costs can exceed camera costs); committee members pressed for fair distribution rules for rural areas. The committee passed SB 292 (motion by Senator Davis; second by Senator Tucker).
Senate Bill 30 (Sen. Jane English) authorizes the Division of Information Systems director to enter two professional services contracts when in‑house capacity is insufficient, with necessary approvals; the committee passed SB 30 by voice vote.
House Bill 1568 (Rep. Steve Meeks) would direct state agency study, with local partners, of technology options to secure elections and requires a written report to the legislative council. Representative Meeks said the bill was intended to commit the Legislature to studying election‑security technology during the interim. The committee passed HB 1568 (motion by Senator English; second by Senator Clark).
House Bill 1522 (Rep. David Ray), brought by the Secretary of State's office, amends Arkansas Code § 7‑1‑103 to make it a misdemeanor to knowingly provide false information about eligibility to appear on a ballot; Kurt Nauman from the Secretary of State's office explained that past filings exposed a gap in enforcement. The committee passed HB 1522 (motion by Senator Clark; second by Senator English).
House Bill 1654 (Rep. Dodson), presented by Sen. Ballenger, would require posting the national motto in publicly funded buildings when posters are provided by voluntary contributions; Ballenger disclosed his association with the American History and Heritage Foundation. The committee moved HB 1654 out of committee by voice vote.
All the above bills were reported out of the Senate State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee during the hearing; no floor action was recorded in the transcript for today.
