Another Coup at Ark. Capitol: SB 368 by Sen. Bryan King and HB 1447 by Rep. Michelle Gray
*** Senators, VOTE NO on SB 368 ***
Arkansas Senate Agenda for Wednesday, March 1, 2017 1:30 p.m.
SB 368 is a BAD BILL! It transfers more power and money to the Office of the Secretary of State – Mark Martin [American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Member].
This bad bill will give the Secretary of State way too much POWER! The Board of Election Commissioners has remained independent for over 100 years and needs to stay that way!
It appears that the legislation to transfer power from the State Board of Election Commissioners came from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The direction in which NCSL is moving is toward centralization and away from local control. We’ve been warning you about this for years, remember. We NEED to KEEP local control! We do NOT want to put more money and power in the hands of the Executive Branch of Government!
The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) may also be involved in this legislation. Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin is a member.
This same type of centralizing legislation was introduced by Senator Bryan King (R) (ALEC member) during the 89th General Assembly in 2013 as SB 722. The bill died in Senate Committeeas Sine Die adjournment on 5/17/2013. So, Senator King has been working on this bill for years to get it to pass!
There is an ongoing agenda to restructure the power at the Arkansas Capitol! ALEC and NCSL are involved in this centralization and removing the power from the people. This type of bad legislation is going on all over the country, folks! We are seeing local, county and state control being restructured and centralized.
Subtitle of SB 368: TO TRANSFER THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS TO THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE; TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING COMPLAINTS OF ELECTION LAW VIOLATIONS; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.
You can contact Senator Bryan King (Green Forest) at 870-438-4565 or email him at Bryan.King@senate.ar.gov .Senator Bryan King’s SB 368 legislation will abolish the state board of election commissioners staff and will place them under Secretary of State.
This bill needs to be stopped immediately in the FULL Senate on Wednesday, March 1st, at 1:30 p.m, so you need to act now! If SB 368 isn't stopped in the full Senate, it’s on to the House State Agencies Committee on Monday. The attached list contains every member of the Senate AND the House State Agencies Committee.
Sen. Bryan King’s SB 368 should also be paired with a dangerous similar companion House bill HB 1447 by Rep. Michelle Gray:
HB 1447 – TO TRANSFER THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS TO THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE; TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING COMPLAINTS OF ELECTION LAW VIOLATIONS; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.
Representative Michelle Gray’s bill is on the agenda for Wednesday, March 1st at 10:00 a.m. in House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, Room 151.
HB 1447 is a bad bill that will push for a big maneuver to consecrate power in the hands of the few and is a nasty, convoluted piece of legislation that will restructure power in favor of the Secretary of State! This is national bill that was written out-of-state! (Are you beginning to see a trend here?)
Secure Arkansas wrote this past article a few days ago! HIGH ALERT: *Vote NO on HB 1447* (Gives Sec. of State More Power)
We will have to keep an eye on the County Voting System Grant Fund!
You may contact Rep. Michelle Gray at 870-291-2515 or michelle.gray@arkansashouse.
Secure Arkansas is requesting you to contact your own senator and your representative for their NO VOTE, and any other legislator to help aid in stopping these bad pieces of legislation (SB 368 and HB 1447).
Senate Action for SB 368: Call and email the senators and say, Please Vote No on SB 368!
Full Senate List
Linda.Collins-Smith@senate.ar.
Stephanie.Flowers@senate.ar.
Jeremy.Hutchinson@senate.ar.
gary.stubblefield@senate.ar.
EddieJoe.Williams@senate.ar.
The legislators marked in red font below are ALEC members. There may be more, but this is the most up-to-date list available on the internet. Secure Arkansas believes that anyone sponsoring ALEC legislation is an ALEC member.
|
Title |
Name |
Phone |
|
District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Senator |
Cecile Bledsoe |
3 |
||
|
Senator |
Will Bond |
32 |
||
|
Senator |
Ronald Caldwell |
23 |
||
|
Senator |
Eddie Cheatham |
26 |
||
|
Senator |
Linda Chesterfield |
30 |
||
|
Senator |
Alan Clark |
13 |
||
|
Senator |
Linda Collins-Smith |
19 |
||
|
Senator |
John Cooper |
21 |
||
|
Senator |
Jonathan Dismang |
28 |
||
|
Senator |
Lance Eads |
7 |
||
|
Senator |
Joyce Elliott |
31 |
||
|
Senator |
Jane English |
34 |
||
|
Senator |
Jake Files |
8 |
||
|
Senator |
Scott Flippo |
17 |
||
|
Senator |
Stephanie Flowers |
25 |
||
|
Senator |
Trent Garner |
27 |
||
|
Senator |
Jim Hendren |
2 |
||
|
Senator |
Bart Hester |
1 |
||
|
Senator |
Jimmy Hickey, Jr |
11 |
||
|
Senator |
Jeremy Hutchinson |
33 |
||
|
Senator |
Keith Ingram |
24 |
||
|
Senator |
Missy Irvin |
18 |
||
|
Senator |
Blake Johnson |
20 |
||
|
Senator |
Bryan King |
5 |
||
|
Senator |
Uvalde Lindsey |
4 |
||
|
Senator |
Bruce Maloch |
12 |
||
|
Senator |
Jason Rapert |
35 |
||
|
Senator |
Terry Rice |
9 |
||
|
Senator |
Bill Sample |
14 |
||
|
Senator |
David J. Sanders |
15 |
||
|
Senator |
Greg Standridge |
16 |
||
|
Senator |
Gary Stubblefield |
6 |
||
|
Senator |
Larry Teague |
10 |
||
|
Senator |
David Wallace |
22 |
||
|
Senator |
Eddie Joe Williams |
29 |
House Committee Action for HB 1447: Call and email the representatives on the House State Agencies Committee TODAY (IMMEDIATELY!) and say, Please Vote NO on HB 1447! This bill comes up TODAY, March 1, 2017 in committee.
charlotte.douglas@
trevor.drown@arkansashouse.org
kenneth.ferguson@
michelle.gray@arkansashouse.
kimdhammer@yahoo.com
brandt.smith@arkansashouse.org
james.sturch@arkansashouse.org
The legislators marked in red font below are ALEC members. There may be more, but this is the most up-to-date list available on the internet. Secure Arkansas believes that anyone sponsoring ALEC legislation is an ALEC member.
|
Title |
Name |
Phone |
|
District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Representative |
Bob Ballinger, Chair |
97 |
||
|
Representative |
Jack Ladyman, Vice Chair |
59 |
||
|
Representative |
Andy Davis |
31 |
||
|
Representative |
Jim Dotson |
93 |
||
|
Representative |
Charlotte V. Douglas |
75 |
||
|
Representative |
Trevor Drown |
68 |
||
|
Representative |
Jon S. Eubanks |
74 |
||
|
Representative |
Kenneth B. Ferguson |
16 |
||
|
Representative |
Justin Gonzales |
19 |
||
|
Representative |
Michelle Gray |
62 |
||
|
Representative |
Kim Hammer |
28 |
||
|
Representative |
Kim Hendren |
92 |
||
|
Representative |
Douglas House |
40 |
||
|
Representative |
Josh Miller |
66 |
||
|
Representative |
Warwick Sabin |
33 |
||
|
Representative |
Brandt Smith |
58 |
||
|
Representative |
James Sturch |
63 |
||
|
Representative |
Dwight Tosh |
52 |
||
|
Representative |
Jeff Wardlaw |
8 |
||
|
Representative |
Richard Womack |
18 |
Here’s some more information about what these two bills will do if passed and why it’s so important that we STOP THEM!
- The State Board of Election Commissioners will be within the office of the Secretary of State and composed of seven persons with at least one from each congressional districts.
-
Transfer from the State Board of Election Commissioners to Secretary of State:
Publish a candidate’s election handbook in conjunction with the board and Arkansas ethics commission with the Secretary of State determines. - Transfers power from the Attorney General to an attorney designated by the Secretary of State to provide legal assistance to the board in answering questions regarding election laws.
- The appointment of a Director of the State Board of Election Commissioner who hires the staff is transferred to the Secretary of State.
- The setting of personal policies of the State Board of Election Commissioner is transferred to the Secretary of State.
-
The Board of Election Commissioner shall NOT:
- Change its policies or procedures
- Terminate an employee of the board
- Transfer an employee of the board
- Hire a new employee of the board
- Enter into any new contractual obligations
- Destroy, mutilate, or alter documents, records, or other property maintained by the Board of Election Commissioners.
- The Executive Director of the State Board of Election Commissioners makes their request to the Secretary of State to get approval.
- Most of the current staff of the election commissioners could be fired and placed under the under Secretary of State. (The State Board of Election Commissioners needs to remain independent and nonpartisan! Hello?!)
Secure Arkansas believes that most of the staff should remain intact and left to function like they have before. Some of the staff has been there for over 60 years!
They are very important to every single candidate, election commissioner, and county clerk, regardless of political party against whom complaints are made. It is also important for those who ask for an election monitor.
Senator King justifies the power play by saying it is necessary for “government efficiency”. He said that it would save millions of dollars! Hogwash! We don’t believe that for a minute. (None of the statements were backed up with actual facts.) What will happen is less money will be requested for appropriation, at first! The truth is, the Secretary of State will control millions of dollars through that office!
The SAME amount of money is going to be spent on state funded elections.
The SAME amount of money is going to be spent on printed products.
The SAME amount of money is going to be spent on training.
There may be a minimal savings on overhead and a minor one on staff, at first, but that is the cost of doing business to retain an independent board. You watch, this budget will increase over time!
Then there is the issue of losing institutional memory and experience each time the Secretary of State changes.
Lastly, Mark Martin, the Secretary of State, leaves office in less than two years. It is imperative the State Board of Election Commissioners remain independent and not under the control of a partisan elected official – of either party, which is why we are asking for your NO Vote on Senate Bill 368 sponsored by Senator King.
Stay tuned!
Be sure to share our alerts with your family and friends!
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