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Committee advances a package of administrative and policy bills ranging from land sales to historic remembrance
Summary
The committee advanced several administrative bills by voice vote, including measures on state land sales appraisal flexibility, records fees, post‑employment restrictions, criminal-eligibility clarifications, National Guard death benefits, crime-data address reporting, and a Sultana remembrance day.
In addition to the bills with extended debate, the committee cleared a range of administrative and policy measures by voice vote.
Key items approved or held for follow-up include:
- HB 17-67 (Commissioner of State Lands): Grants the land commissioner's office more flexibility to establish fair market value without a full appraisal in some cases, subject to ALC and governor's office oversight; further detail on marketing and advertising procedures was requested and some members asked for tighter rules before consenting to final passage (action deferred to a later time for final roll-call in committee).
- HB 17-69: Allows the land commissioner's office to set fees to recoup costs for providing records, including a capped electronic transaction fee (3%); sponsor said fees are not intended to raise revenue beyond costs.
- HB 13-74: Adds certain executive directors (area agency on aging and educational co-ops) to the list of positions legislators cannot assume for two years after leaving office; questions about retroactivity were raised but sponsors said BLR advised the approach.
- SB 650: Clarifies eligibility to hold public office in cases involving sealed/expunged convictions for public‑trust crimes; passed after no opposition.
- HB 18-79: Extends state death-benefit parity to National Guard members on state duty (sponsor said the death benefit is $100,000); committee moved the bill forward by voice vote.
- HB 18-48: Requires ACIC to collect the address where offenses occurred (using existing NIBRS capabilities) to support place-based prevention analytics; ACIC said the system already supports an "unknown" field so agencies will not be forced to invent data.
- HB 17-80: Creates a Sultana Disaster Remembrance Day on April 26 to commemorate the 1865 maritime disaster near Marion, Arkansas; sponsor and members noted historical and tourism interest.
Committee members asked implementation and oversight questions for many of these bills and in some cases required sponsors to refine rulemaking or marketing/notice procedures before full implementation.
