Raw milk, raffles and retroactive panic: the pre-submission of 2025 invoices continues

Although the pre-filing period for bills ahead of the 2025 regular legislative session began on Nov. 15, lawmakers waited until last Wednesday to begin submitting a potential bill. However, just like breaking the seal while drinking cheap beer, Wednesday’s filings triggered a steady stream of bills, many of which would look better at the bottom of a Grumpy’s Too urinal than in Arkansas code.

Representative RJ Hawk (R-Bryant) – who moonlights as your average sports radio talking head when he doesn’t let people carry guns at the Department of Transportation – has submitted a bill that would allow Arkansas colleges and universities to organize 50-50 raffles to raise funds for NIL. purposes. (Short explanation: Let’s assume for this example that 1,000 people purchase raffle tickets for $10 each, creating a prize pool of $10,000. A winner is drawn and he or she receives $5,000, while that the school’s NIL fund receives the other half.) This bill is causing a bit of controversy, however, because Saracen Casino Resort initially floated a proposal that would have allowed a similar sweepstakes while legalizing mobile gaming (think slots on your phone), only for it to be rejected at the last moment, allegedly due to the influence of Oaklawn, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders And Kevin Crass. Crass is an attorney at the firm representing Oaklawn, a member of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees and former head of Sanders’ transition team. Expect a well-funded fight on this one.

Representative Cameron Cooper (R-Romance) and Senator Alan Clark (R-Lonsdale) pre-filed HB1048, which amends the law regarding the “incidental sale” of raw goat, sheep and cow milk. Currently, the “incidental sale” exception only applies “on the farm where the milk is produced.” Under Cooper’s bill, that language would be removed and, in theory, anyone could sell up to 500 gallons of raw milk per month. With the recent and very stupid hubbub over raw milk, I’d be shocked if this is the last pus-drinking freedom bill we see for 2025, even though experts say the benefits of raw milk are far outweighed by the dangers and can arguably be obtained easily through safer foods such as kimchi, kefir and yogurt. Regardless, this question spans the political spectrum, from colonized left-wing hippies to pure-blooded evangelical conservatives.

One of the strangest bills, at least in terms of solving a problem, was introduced by Representative Wade Andrews (R-Camden) and Senator Breanne Davis (R-Russellville). Their bill, HB1051, would allow individual school districts to decide when to start the school year each year. Currently, districts must choose a date that falls on or after Monday in the week of August 19, no earlier than August 14, and no later than August 26. If HB1051 passes, all of these timing requirements would be lifted. and schools could just… pick any date, I guess? The only requirement would be that they choose a date that allows them to obtain the required number of school days before the end of the school year.

In a slightly retro style, Senator Bryan King (R-Green Forest) filed two bills Friday to reignite the pandemic culture wars of 2020 and 2021. SB5 would add “prescription drug harm or homicide” as a criminal offense, while SB6 would make even for “vaccine damage”. In both cases, the head of a pharmaceutical company or other high-ranking business executives would face a criminal charge carrying a sentence of one year to life in prison if he or she “knowingly conceals, conceals, omits or withholds evidence.” , documentation or information that (a) the vaccine has dangerous effects” and an Arkansan is harmed by this vaccine. Get ready to see the inside of Varner, Mr. Pfizer!

As for Wednesday’s roundup, no all pre-filed bills in the last few days have been stupid bullshit. Representative Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville) introduced two, actually, that are legitimately good.

HB1046, co-sponsored by Senator Davis, would create a blue envelope program, where Arkansans with autism could apply for a specially designed blue envelope that would contain their essential documents for operating a vehicle (license, registration, insurance, etc. ) and would have information on the front about communication guidelines that will let an officer know that the driver is having certain processing or communication issues. In theory, this will allow officers to “adapt their approach when interacting” with these drivers.

HB1047 would allow the Arkansas Medicaid program to determine the presumptive eligibility of pregnant women. This would allow women to avoid a gap between applying for Medicaid coverage and obtaining that coverage, which should, in turn, allow women and infants to access health services more quickly.

The 2025 legislative session begins January 13.