Secure Arkansas

Secure Arkansas recommends an AGAINST vote on all 5 ballot issues that will be on the November 4, 2014 ballot.  EARLY VOTING starts Monday, October 20, 2014, so make sure you read the information below BEFORE you head to the ballot box!

The valid votes for these five ballot issues are either FOR or AGAINST.

The wording on the five ballot issues is intended to confuse the general public and make it next to impossible for the voter to make a knowledgeable choice.  That is why we have researched all five ballot issues and listed the reasons why we recommend an AGAINST vote of all five ballot issues.

Issues 1 through 3 are Amendments referred to the people by the Arkansas General Assembly.

Issues 4 and 5 are petitions proposed by the people.

Issue Number 1 — Secure Arkansas recommends an AGAINST Vote

Popular Name:  An amendment empowering the General Assembly to provide for legislative committee review and approval of state agencies’ administrative rules

Ballot Title:  An amendment to the Arkansas Constitution providing that administrative rules promulgated by state agencies shall not become effective until reviewed and approved by a legislative committee of the General Assembly

An AGAINST vote allows the people to have input to the state agencies on the rule changes.

A FOR vote eliminates the voice of the people and puts the control in the hands of the legislators.  It is the legislators that want to take the control away from the people.

Presently, all rule changes made by the state agencies are covered by Arkansas Administrative Procedures Act  in Title 25-15-201 through 25-15-217.  Prior to the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any rule the agency shall give at least 30 days’ notice of its intended action.  This will permit all interested persons reasonable opportunity to submit written data, views, or arguments, orally or in writing.  The agency shall fully consider all written and oral submissions respecting the proposed rule before finalizing the language of the proposed rule and filing the proposed rule as required by 25-15-204 (a) 2 (d).

If state agencies neglect to follow the Arkansas Administrative Procedures Act, you can use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)  to request the method they used in the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any rule.  If there is a violation with any state agency, then action can be taken against that agency and the persons involved in the violation.  Remember, the agency must give 30 days’ notice of its intended action.

Issue Number 2 — Secure Arkansas recommends an AGAINST Vote

Popular Name:  An amendment allowing more time to gather signatures on a statewide initiative or referendum petition only if the petition as originally filed contained at least 75% of the valid signatures required.

Ballot Title:  Proposing an amendment to Article 5, section 1, of the Arkansas Constitution concerning initiative and referendum; and providing certain requirements for the correction or amendment of insufficient statewide petitions

An AGAINST vote gives the sponsor an automatic extension to gather additional signatures if the petition is submitted with the necessary number of signatures regardless of how many signatures are valid.

A FOR vote would increase the requirements for the sponsor of a petition and would give the Arkansas Secretary of State additional power to keep the petition from being placed on the ballot for a vote.  With a FOR vote, the petitioner would have to have at least 75% of the necessary signatures of registered voters from 15 different counties and at least 75% of the necessary signatures of registered voters statewide.

Issue Number 3  — Secure Arkansas recommends an AGAINST Vote

Popular Name:  An amendment regulating contributions to candidates for state or local office, barring gifts from lobbyists to certain state officials, providing for setting salaries of certain state officials and setting term limits for members of the General Assembly

Ballot Title:  To amend the Arkansas Constitution concerning elected state officials; prohibiting members of the General Assembly and elected constitutional officers of the executive department from accepting gifts from lobbyists, and defining key terms relating to the prohibition; prohibiting members of the General Assembly from setting their own salaries and the salaries of elected constitutional officers of the executive department, justices, and judges; establishing a seven member independent citizens commission to set salaries for members of the General Assembly, elected constitutional officers of the executive department, justices, and judges; establishing the appointment process for members of the independent citizens commission, and prohibiting members of the independent citizens commission from accepting gifts from lobbyists; probating certain contributions, including contributions by corporations, to candidates for public office; prohibiting a member of the General Assembly from registering as a lobbyist until two (2) years after the expiration of his or her term; and establishing term limits for members of the General Assembly.

An AGAINST vote would block the term limit increase from 14 years to 16 years. Currently legislators are limited to three 2 year terms for the House of Representatives (6 years total) and two 4 years terms as a state Senator (8 years total). This is a total of 14 years.

A FOR vote would  increase the term limits from 14 to 16 years!  There are other issues combined with this ballot issue as a compromise to gain support for the other issues. There are other issues combined with the Term Limits, Gifts from Lobbyists, Independent Citizens Commission, Campaign Contributions and Lobbying by former legislators.  We can’t allow this Issue to be passed just because we may support other parts that are included in it.  Extending term limits would be deadly because it would allow legislators to serve 16 years consecutively in either the House or the Senate!

Issue Number 4 — Secure Arkansas recommends an AGAINST Vote

Popular Name:  The Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Amendment

Ballot Title:  A Proposed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution to provide that, effective July 1, 2015, the manufacture, sale, distribution, and transportation of intoxicating liquors is lawful within the entire geographic area of ranch and every county on this state; that “intoxicating liquors” is defined for the purposes of the amendment as any beverage containing more than one-half of one percent (0.5%) of alcohol by weight; that the manufacture, sale, distribution, and transportation of intoxicating liquors may be regulated, but not prohibited, by the General Assembly; and that all laws which conflict with the amendment, including laws providing for a local option election (wet-dry election) to determine whether intoxicating liquors may be sold or not sold, are repealed to the extent that they conflict with the amendment.

An AGAINST vote allows the the people of the county to control whether their county is wet or dry.

A FOR vote would remove the control from the county and turn the control over to the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Division, an unelected state agency.  If this happens, the county would never be able to control alcohol in their county ever again.  Secure Arkansas supports local control and ‘home rule’ under Amendment 55 of the Arkansas Constitution.  Every county needs to be able to govern for their constituents instead of handing over the power to bureaucrats!  Secure Arkansas always opposes federal or state legislation that takes control from our local communities.
Click here to read a Harrison Daily news article on this topic from September 2014.

Resolutions have been passed in several Arkansas counties opposing Issue 4.

Issue Number 5 — Secure Arkansas recommends an AGAINST Vote

Popular Name:  An Act to Increase the Arkansas Minimum Wage

Ballot Title:  An Act to amend the Arkansas Code concerning the state minimum wage;  the act would raise the current state minimum wage from six dollars and twenty-five cents ($6.25) per hour to seven dollars and fifty cents ($7.50) per hour on January 1, 2016 and to eight dollars and fifty cents ($8.50) per hour on January 1, 2017.

An AGAINST vote will help ensure that jobs are not eliminated.  It will also help keep inflation from increasing as shown in a report “How Minimum Wage Increased Unemployment and Reduced Job Creation in 2013”.  This report shows that a $1 increase in the minimum wage was associated with a 1.48% point increase in unemployment rate, a 0.18% point decrease in net job growth rate, a 4.67% point increase in the teenage unemployment rate and a 4.01% point decrease in teenage net job growth rate.  Consequently, high star minimum wages increased unemployment.

A FOR vote will more or likely result in fewer jobs and an increase in unemployment.  Businesses would also have a choice of either raising prices or laying off workers.  Raising the minimum wage will eliminate jobs.

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