Category Archives: Politics

Should the law make hospitals allow visitors during COVID?

Health care, Legislature, Politics, State government

By Steve Brawner, © 2021 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Should hospitals allow patient visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic? Should the government require them to do so?

For some Arkansas state legislators, the answer to both is “yes.”

House Bill 1061 by Rep. Julie Mayberry, R-Hensley, would create the No Patient Left Alone Act requiring medical providers to let at least one person be present with patients each day at reasonable times.

Mayberry introduced the bill because many hospitals are severely limiting patient visitors during the pandemic. It has 11 co-sponsors in the House and six in the Senate.

Here’s the thing about being a journalist sometimes: You talk to a smart, persuasive person offering one side of the argument and decide they make sense. Then you talk to a smart, persuasive person on the other side. And then you rub your forehead and mutter, “I’m so confused.” Often, both sides have good arguments. Continue reading Should the law make hospitals allow visitors during COVID? →

Arkansan of the Year – almost

Politics

By Steve Brawner
© 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Time magazine annually names its “Person of the Year,” or “Persons,” and in that spirit I write a little column about my Arkansan of the Year. This year, Time chose President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, wrongly. This was not the year to name an elected official.

But I will name one as the runner-up in Arkansas: Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The Arkansans who rank ahead of him are in my next post.

Time’s Person of the Year is based not so much on greatness or even goodness but on impact and significance, which is why it’s chosen Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Putin in the past.

Under that standard – impact and significance – Hutchinson would surely qualify. Who knew the governor could be so important? His actions have more directly affected all Arkansans’ lives this year than any elected official’s have since … maybe Franklin Roosevelt? Continue reading Arkansan of the Year – almost →

Does Issue 3 fix the broken process?

Elections, Politics, State government

By Steve Brawner, © 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Arkansas state legislators are proposing a constitutional amendment that would make it harder for citizens to pass constitutional amendments in the future. And yes, the process is broken. The question is, will this fix it?

Issue 3, which is on this year’s ballot, also would make it harder for citizens to pass initiated acts, which are voter-created state laws, and also referenda, where voters can overturn a law already passed by legislators.

Let’s start with what clearly needs fixing.

First, the Arkansas Constitution is amended too often – 100 times since it was adopted in 1874 versus 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution since it was adopted in 1789 – and too easily. Sometimes it’s amended to create policy changes that should be made in less permanent ways, such as a law. Well-funded special interests and private businesses can write for themselves a permanent place in our state’s most important document.

Also, the current process is dominated by lawsuits that result in the Arkansas Supreme Court blocking proposals close to the election. This often occurs because of some technical issue regarding the voter signatures that citizen groups must collect to qualify for the ballot. For a constitutional amendment this year, for example, the groups had to collect 89,151 signatures.

The ruling often occurs too late for the proposal to be removed from the ballot. This year, voters will see a referendum to prevent optometrists from performing eye surgeries, but their votes won’t be counted.

Those are good reasons to reform the process. Here’s one that’s not as good: Some, including legislators, just don’t like how the people have voted lately. Examples include an amendment authorizing casinos, an amendment legalizing medical marijuana, and an initiated act increasing the state’s minimum wage. Continue reading Does Issue 3 fix the broken process? →

Term limits with no lifetime ban on ballot

Elections, Politics, State government

By Steve Brawner, © 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

For the fourth time, Arkansans will vote on legislative term limits. The big difference with Issue 2 this November is that it would remove the current lifetime ban.

The proposed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution would limit state legislators to 12 consecutive years served in any combination in the House and/or Senate. After sitting out four years, they could run for office again – but this time, not as incumbents.

State lawmakers currently are limited to 16 years served in any combination of the House and Senate – for life. Some senators have a two-year term at the end of the decade that doesn’t count as part of the 16. That would not be the case with this amendment. Continue reading Term limits with no lifetime ban on ballot →