What happened on Monday, 19 April 2021
San Francisco County, California
Candidates prioritize equity and community impact in San Francisco's cannabis oversight discussions.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate Bill 457 expands scholarship access for students in comprehensive transition programs in Arkansas.
REVENUE & TAX - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The committee approved or advanced a series of bills: a collector‑currency sales‑tax exemption, a PTO/PTA fundraising exemption, ABLE account technical changes, water‑conservation credit increases, BLR access to DFA data, a cold‑case investigator credit, a revitalization credit extension, and a printer/manufacturing exemption.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senator Elliot supports a bill to enhance voter turnout for school board elections.
San Francisco County, California
Candidates outline plans to support cannabis equity applicants and reform industry practices.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Lawmakers amended and passed a bill shifting oversight and grant administration for multidisciplinary child‑abuse teams (MDTs) and Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs), prompting sustained testimony both for and against the change from MDT coordinators, CAC executives, prosecutors and legislators.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senator Elliott advocates for equitable scholarship access for students with intellectual disabilities.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate committee endorses bill preventing excessive buyouts for school superintendent contracts.
REVENUE & TAX - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The Revenue & Tax Committee adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 605 to limit a sales‑tax exemption for broadband equipment to counties with populations of 20,000 or fewer; DFA estimated a $2.0M first‑year (9‑month) state revenue reduction and a $2.6M full‑year impact.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The committee passed a bill clarifying the statutory definition of 'journey' and expanding a vehicle-as-extension-of-home exception for the weapons code; prosecutors and Arkansas State Police warned it could weaken the state's ability to charge unlawful possession and affect Fourth Amendment search standards.
San Francisco County, California
Candidates share experiences to improve cannabis policies and promote equity in San Francisco.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Legislators review scholarship access for students with intellectual disabilities in Tennessee.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senator Beckham's bill proposes increasing lottery scholarship contributions from 18% to 25%.
REVENUE & TAX - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Sen. Garner withdrew his proposal to eliminate the individual income tax and moved it to an interim study after DFA presented an estimated multi‑billion‑dollar revenue impact. The committee discussed phased approaches and potential offsets but took no further action this session.
San Francisco County, California
Community leaders advocate for Josh Ridlis, Reina Jackson, Will Dolan, and others.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate Bill 6 19, introduced by Senator Jane English, seeks to add consistency to school-board election timing and term lengths (adding a four-year option in some districts). An amendment was adopted, Department counsel said the bill is not plainly unconstitutional though it could prompt legal challenges, and the final committee vote was unclear in the transcript.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate Bill 648 adjusts Arkansas college scholarships to better support first-year students in need.
PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
House Bill 17-09 would require rebate arrangements for insulin to be returned to consumers at the point of sale starting January 2022; the pharmaceutical industry urged technical fixes and pointed to West Virginia's model, but the committee passed the bill by voice vote.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The committee passed HB 1405, "Quincy’s Law," which requires consideration of a second medical opinion to identify underlying connective‑tissue disorders during child‑maltreatment investigations; the sponsor and Quincy’s mother provided emotional testimony explaining how misdiagnosis affected their family.
San Francisco County, California
Kemp advocates for social equity partnerships and economic opportunities at San Francisco cannabis committee.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate Bill 6 94 would require higher-education institutions to provide an asynchronous personal finance and macroeconomics module for students. Sponsors said campuses already provide similar optional programs and that the requirement would be implemented to avoid changing core credits.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate Bill 6 48 would have created 'Arkansas Challenge Plus,' a need‑based supplement to increase first‑year scholarship support up to $5,000 using FAFSA information; the committee vote recorded three ayes and five non‑voting members, and the bill did not pass.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The committee cleared a series of short, procedural and targeted bills by voice vote, including a measure to align misdemeanor DWI/boating sealing with a 10-year lookback, child-support cleanup language, and several technical amendments addressing evidence and court‑reporter concerns.
PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
House Bill 18-47 would instruct Medicaid to exclude employer-sponsored retirement accounts and assets accumulated while on the Medicaid buy-in when determining long-term-care eligibility, intended to prevent penalizing people with significant physical disabilities who saved for retirement; witness testimony described the change as critical to beneficiaries' long-term independence.
San Francisco County, California
Jessica represents cannabis workers while highlighting her long-term industry experience.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate Bill 4 62, which would restore a 2.5 grade‑point average eligibility path to the Arkansas Academic Challenge scholarship, prompted debate over test bias and equity and carries a $38.5 million fiscal estimate; the committee vote ended 4–4 and the bill did not pass.
San Francisco County, California
At a Rules Committee hearing April 19, the Office of Cannabis told supervisors it had processed much of its equity application queue and provided tiered counts (167 tier‑1 equity applicants; 14 equity permits issued). The committee appointed Ali Jamalian (seat 8), Aaron Flynn (seat 9) and Jessica Scribe (seat 10) to the Cannabis Oversight Committee and continued the remaining selections to a follow‑up meeting.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The committee considered Senate Bill 6 49, which would have raised the percentage of lottery proceeds directed to scholarships to 25% by 2027. The Arkansas Lottery opposed the mandate, citing business and contract constraints; advocates said Arkansas ranks low nationally. The committee voted the bill down.
PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
House Bill 14-65 would bar state agencies from mandating COVID-19 vaccination for state employees while allowing agencies to petition a public-health committee for a waiver in emergencies; the Department of Health raised operational concerns but the committee passed the bill by voice vote.
San Francisco County, California
Committee reviews 32 applicants for 9 seats while addressing one unfilled position.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate Bill 4 57, which would allow students enrolled in federally designated Comprehensive Transition Programs (CTPs) to receive Arkansas Academic Challenge scholarships, drew testimony on program outcomes and a $1.4 million four‑year fiscal estimate; the committee voted 4–4 (non‑voting members) and the bill failed to pass.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The Senate Education Committee approved Senate Bill 5 40, which prevents use of more than 12 months of state funds to buy out a superintendent's contract. Proponents said it protects scholarship and state dollars; school-board groups said it could reduce multi-year contracts and raise local costs.
San Francisco County, California
The San Francisco Rules Committee on April 19 reappointed Jaya Padmanabhan (Seat 4) and Bruce Wolf (Seat 11) to the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, voting unanimously after brief applicant remarks and no public comment.
PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate Bill 600 would have created a civil remedy for unpaid wages, required prompt payment within two days of separation and a penalty up to $1,000. After testimony from worker advocates and Marshallese community witnesses and opposition from business groups, a motion to pass failed for lack of a second.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Bill clarifies legal definition of person to include unborn children in homicide cases.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Lawmakers prioritize education to improve employment prospects for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
San Francisco County, California
Committee considers Jaya Padmanabhan's reappointment to the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force
San Francisco County, California
Peskin introduces resolution for historic fresco The Allegory of California at City Club.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Quincy's Law aims to protect children from wrongful abuse accusations linked to genetic disorders.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senator Eads advocates for additional funding to support and sustain academic challenge scholarships.
San Francisco County, California
John Gomez advocates for Jessica Scribe's reappointment during public comment session.
PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
House Bill 18-52 would require the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy to set safety standards for prescription home delivery and prohibit pharmacies or PBMs that hold Arkansas pharmacy permits from mandating home delivery; the committee approved the bill by voice vote after no public testimony.
San Francisco County, California
The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted 3-0 to forward a resolution initiating landmark designation for Diego Rivera’s 1931 fresco “The Allegory of California” at 155 Sansom Street to the full Board of Supervisors for consideration on April 27, 2021.
San Francisco County, California
Entrepreneurs advocate for social equity and support in the cannabis industry during committee hearings.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Experts highlight challenges of bias in standardized tests and advocate for GPA use.
STATE AGENCIES & GOVT'L AFFAIRS-SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
The Senate committee adopted an amendment to SJR 10 allowing the legislature to convene a special session either by proclamation of the speaker and president pro tempore or by a petition signed by two-thirds of members in each chamber; SJR 10 then passed as amended.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate committee passes key bills on DWI offenses and child support enforcement updates.
San Francisco County, California
Tanofsky emphasizes medical patient advocacy amidst changing cannabis industry priorities
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Elliott argues reinstating GPA measure addresses inequity in Arkansas scholarship distribution.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Senate Bill 619 passes, enabling districts to hold elections every other year.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
Legislative changes aim to enhance accountability and oversight for child abuse multidisciplinary teams.
Bob Ferguson - Governor, Washington State
Ferguson highlights disparities faced by marginalized communities in Washington's environmental challenges.
San Francisco County, California
Cindy de la Vega and others seek to enhance cannabis equity in San Francisco.
Village of Fairfax , Hamilton County, Ohio
At its April 19 meeting the Village of Fairfax council adopted a package of ordinances — including adjustments to police pay and work periods, creation of a civilian police clerk and tax administrator, pay changes for village administrator and fiscal officer, a curfew update, budget transfers related to coronavirus relief funds, and a revised zoning map (Ordinance 7/2021).
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
New bill mandates asynchronous personal finance and macroeconomics modules for Arkansas college students.
Bob Ferguson - Governor, Washington State
Attorney General Bob Ferguson opened a symposium to launch an environmental justice initiative, citing research showing racial disparities in pollution exposure, announcing plans to hire an environmental justice attorney, and noting his office filed a lawsuit to protect NEPA and public comment.
Village of Fairfax , Hamilton County, Ohio
The Village of Fairfax on April 19 authorized emergency repairs to a depression on Wooster Pike and adopted Ordinance 19/2021, allowing the administrator to enter a repair agreement with a not-to-exceed amount of $75,000. Work was scheduled to begin the next day.