The Little Rock chapter of the activist group Indivisible helped collect more than 1,800 signatures for five initiatives aimed at voters in Arkansas last month, and is planning another signature event this weekend. .
Ballot initiatives include amendments to the Arkansas Constitution on abortion, education, the public’s right to information, and expanded access to medical marijuana. His other two citizen-led proposals would amend the state’s Freedom of Information Act and eliminate the sales tax on menstrual products.
A total of 90,704 signatures are needed to qualify the constitutional amendment for a vote. The act to be initiated requires 72,563 signatures and must gather signatures from at least 50 of Arkansas’ 75 counties pursuant to Act 236. Organizations sponsoring voting efforts have until July 5 to collect the required signatures. If the measure meets the requirements, it will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Alison Guthrie, director of Indivisible Little Rock and Central Arkansas, said each of the proposed measures is aimed at providing people with access to what they need.
“We can now see what government officials and organizations are doing, whether it’s education, sterile products or essential health care,” she said. “These are about access for the public and those who need it most.”
Representatives from sponsoring organizations said they rely primarily on volunteers to collect signatures.
Different organizations don’t usually collaborate directly, but a recent event in downtown Little Rock provided Indivisible with a space to collaborate, Guthrie said.
“I think the biggest thing we’re doing is trying to give people action items,” Guthrie said. “How can I resist what’s going on? … How can I get involved and make a difference?”
The organization plans to help collect more signatures at 501 Fest on May 4 in the South Main neighborhood.
abortion amendment bill
Arkansan supporters of limited government Arkansas Abortion Amendment Jenny Diaz, executive director of For AR People, said the bill’s passage would lift the blanket ban imposed by state law and free doctors to perform routine procedures. He said he was looking forward to it.
The amendment would allow abortions up to the 18th week of pregnancy. It would also protect the health and lives of pregnant women by creating exceptions to the state’s strict abortion ban in cases of rape, incest and fatal fetal abnormalities.
“Most people agree that the current law goes too far,” Diaz said. “So regardless of whether someone identifies a certain way ideologically, the vast majority of voters in Arkansas [say] …We have experienced a lot of positive feedback because it should be allowed in some situations. ”
education reform
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to support our students,” said April Reesma, president of the Arkansas Education Association. Right to Education Amendment More than 800 volunteers across the state are collecting signatures.
This amendment provides free access to preschool, after-school, and summer programs. Educational support for children in poverty. and quality special education.
“Right now, these are the most important things that can help students, but the constitution doesn’t say that,” Reesma said. “INow is the time to give our students what they need to grow and thrive. ”
The amendment would also establish minimum academic standards for Arkansas schools and require all schools accepting state taxpayer funding to follow the same rules.
This proposal comes in direct response to the Governor’s comprehensive education law, the Learning Act of 2023, and the creation of a school voucher program that allows parents to pay for private school tuition.
Reesma said her children in special education left school to take advantage of private school vouchers and were later transferred to public school because teachers failed to follow the students’ legally required individual education plans. He said he has seen that he has to go back. A document that defines how a school will meet a child’s educational needs due to a covered disability.
“Tax dollars put that kid into that school, and we can’t recoup that loss,” she explained. “And that’s the biggest problem with having private entities that don’t have to follow the same rules.”
feminine hygiene products, diapers
The starter bill proposed by the Arkansas Period Project would eliminate the sales tax on menstrual products, including adult products, and all diapers.
Shanee Jackson, the group’s president, said voters see legislation that would eliminate sales and use taxes on menstrual products and diapers as a family issue. The organization believes that menstrual products are medical necessities and should be available free of charge.
“The first step to someday making them free is to eliminate taxes on them and make people realize that they are taxed as a luxury item, just like dog food or alcohol,” Jackson said. added.
freedom of information
Arkansans demanding transparency created a constitutional amendment and initiative bill. Both deal with the public’s right to public information and to know what their government is doing.
said Ashley Wimberly, executive director of the Arkansas Press Association. Arkansas Government Disclosure Amendments It establishes Arkansans’ constitutional right to government transparency and defines “government transparency” as the government’s obligation to share information with the public.
It would also limit the circumstances in which the General Assembly can enact government transparency laws and ensure that states can be sued if they fail to comply with those laws.
of Government Information Disclosure Act Wimberly said the amendment would be “fundamental” to protecting the right to re-establish. He would expand the definition of “public meeting,” establish conditions for disclosure of public records, and strengthen disclosure policies for records related to the safety of government employees.
It would also create an Arkansas Government Transparency Commission to ensure transparency and require public participation in all public meetings.
“Transparency in government is important to the public, and what we hear in our grassroots efforts is precisely that people want to know how their taxpayers’ money is being spent and protect their rights. It’s a voice,” Wimberly said.
cannabis amendment bill
bill pascal Executive Director, Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association, Said Arkansans for Patient Access held a major weekend signature petition for the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment over the April 20th holiday.
“We are on track to reach the required 90,700 signatures and feel we are on pace,” Pascal said.
The measure expands who can prescribe medical cannabis and allows patients and caregivers to grow their own plants. It would also allow prescribing to be based on medical necessity rather than the current “eligible conditions.”
Pascal said the main focus is “breaking down the barriers” for patients to obtain medical marijuana cards.
“There are a lot of people in Arkansas who can’t find a doctor,” he says. “So we think expanding who can certify patients will help people find doctors. I think this will be a game-changer.”
