Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Arkansas newspapers:
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. March 28, 2017.
Let’s not pretend that Senate Bill 177 is a panacea for the state’s revolving-door prison system, but it represents a leap forward from what Arkansas has now. The bill requires criminals who have been locked up three or more times to serve four-fifths of their terms before being paroled. Call our current system catch and release, and it puts law-abiding citizens out in the free world at a greater risk of being assaulted or worse by the bad actors out there searching for more prey. And the job only adds to the burden of law-enforcement officers trying to serve and protect the rest of us.
To quote state Sen. Bryan King of Green Forest, sponsor of SB 177, “We have put such a burden on our sheriffs and our prosecutors. These people who are incarcerated have had multiple, multiple opportunities to improve their situation and it hasn’t worked.”
The governor seems worried about how much SB 177 will cost the state in dollars and cents rather than in lives lost. To quote the governor’s statement: “This bill does not qualify as a well-designed plan. For one thing, the main argument for this legislation is that it will increase public safety. This is not the case, I can assure you. In fact this bill pushes additional offenders into already overcrowded county jails.”
Sen. King argues that where there’s a will there’s way to protect Arkansas’ families. And in this case, he’s up against not only the governor but the governor’s nephew, state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson of Little Rock, who warns that it’s “not responsible to impose a $20 million cost … without having a way to pay for it. This is not a solution.”
Sen. King has been responsible enough to suggest various sources of revenue to pay for his proposal to keep the bad guys behind bars. Or as state Sen. Eddie Joe Williams of Cabot pointed out: “There are solutions if we can find them.” And the state isn’t likely to find them if instead it keeps coming up with excuses not to search for answers to a perplexing challenge.
The only amendment we can immediately think of to improve SB 177 is to exempt any inmate who has passed a rehab program that has demonstrated it has reduced recidivism significantly. (Pathway to Freedom anybody? It’s low recidivism rate is one to be admired.)
At last report, SB 177 was still being debated as if it were over money instead of elemental justice. There are arguments on both sides of this question, but an ancient admonition should take precedence over all of them: Choose life. Which is not only the idealistic choice but a practical one.
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Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. March 28, 2017.
It would be inspiring if all Arkansas lawmakers, like the women, men and children of Lake Wobegon, were all strong, good-looking and above average. We’d settle for two of the three.
OK, when the Legislature is in session, how about just one.
Truth be told, not all of the folks the voters of Arkansas send to the Capitol are equal. Oh yes, they all have the authority to act as legislators, having been duly empowered by the voters of their districts. They all get to wear those little pins marking them as representatives of the people, although it’s highly questionable whether the adornment has the magical power to actually make them represent the people.
For a moment, perhaps when they’re all sworn in, these lawmakers stand entirely equal, full of the potential to be great legislators. Each will have pledged or affirmed “that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Arkansas, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office … upon which I am now about to enter.”
Then they start filing bills. They start attending committee meetings. And they start opening their mouths.
Equality ends there.
The lawmakers all get their votes, but people who enjoy (?) paying attention to that sausage factory known as the General Assembly recognize there’s a wide disparity among the 135 men and women when it comes to common sense, critical thinking, articulation of ideas and a capacity to defend their arguments. And, at least as indicated by recent federal investigations and other examples through history, there’s even a wide range in the capacity of folks at the state Capitol to stay within the bounds of the law.
The debate over concealed carry of firearms brought this matter to our notice. State Rep. Charlie Collins of Fayetteville has resolutely pursued an expansion of concealed carry to university and college campuses, garnering admirers from pro-gun advocates and derision from those who want the guns left at home. But throughout the discussion, people from both sides could admire Collins’ level-headed, clear defense of his position and his thorough understanding of every aspect of Arkansas’ laws regarding concealed carry. Nobody has caught him off guard with a question.
Then there’s an example like Sen. Terry Rice, R-Waldron. He proposed Senate Bill 585, which would have written into law that “unlicensed carry is not prohibited” in Arkansas. Sounds simple enough, right? But lawmakers don’t always think through the implications of their bills and, in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, satisfactory answers were few.
“I think the bill either does nothing, because it’s subject to other rules of the state of Arkansas, or it abolishes all (gun) laws,” said Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, committee chairman.
It’s frightening a bill could be so vague that the two possibilities Hutchinson cited could both be simultaneous interpretations of the bill.
Lawmakers pressed Rice over and over to explain how his bill would affect the issues of concealed carry, which requires a permit in Arkansas, and open carry, which some people suggest Arkansas law already allows while others argue the opposite.
What was Rice’s response to those questions? “I would leave that up to the courts,” he said.
Isn’t that exactly the kinds of laws Arkansas needs, the ones that even its sponsor is hesitant to explain? Up to the courts? Really?
We suppose the idea is the Legislature has to pass the bill so that we can find out what it does. Didn’t Nancy Pelosi say something along those lines once upon a time?
Arkansans would serve themselves well by getting to know who their lawmakers are and reading the newspaper to catch examples of when they’re doing great jobs and also examples of when they, perhaps, are falling short of expectations. Or even more eye opening in the last week or two of this session, watch the live feeds of the state House of Representatives committee meetings. It reveals a lot.
There will be others, legislators who represent other areas of the state, who will no doubt draw attention, too.
That guy from Conway, Jason Rapert, for example. Every Arkansans ought to pay attention to him because he’s the kind of lawmaker who has a tendency to give all us Arkansans bad reputations on a national level. Otherwise, though, it’s worth remembering that no matter how much you might dislike a lawmaker from De Queen or Little Rock or Jonesboro or Hot Springs, it’s their voters who get to pick them, not you. Your direct electoral influence is limited to the local ballot box. In terms of our General Assembly, that means one state representative and one state senator.
Pay close attention, folks. Because the quality of the laws we Arkansans must operate within is directly proportional to the quality of lawmakers we send down to Little Rock.
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The Jonesboro Sun. March 28, 2017.
If unsuspecting renters are living in homes that once served as meth labs and haven’t been decontaminated, somebody may be in big trouble the occupants as well as the landlords.
According to information provided by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, 38 Craighead County properties are deemed uninhabitable because of past methamphetamine manufacturing activity.
Problem is, Sun reporter Stephen Simpson found several in Jonesboro that have people living in them and at least 20 in the city with no mandatory warning signs posted on the properties designating the structures off limits.
A Jonesboro woman living at one of the homes on ADEQ’s list told Simpson she had just moved to the area and hadn’t been told the home she was living in once housed a meth lab.
Obviously, that wouldn’t be a deal breaker for a potential renter.
Kelly Robinson, a spokeswoman for ADEQ, said all the properties on the list are supposed to be in quarantine until a certified contractor has tested the property to see if it’s contaminated. For the 38 properties on the ADEQ list, Robinson said that hasn’t happened.
Residual waste from drugs like methamphetamine “may leave surfaces contaminated for years, posing a health hazard to unwitting owners or renters,” the ADEQ website states.
According to AEI Decon, a meth decontamination company, methamphetamine residue does not dissipate quickly; a property that was busted as a meth lab 10 or even 15 years ago could still test positive.
Symptoms of meth exposure include: rashes, abdominal pain, severe headaches, rapid heart rate, fever, negative effects on the central nervous system, decrease in mental capabilities and hallucinations.
The loophole in state law is there are no established time limits for mandatory cleanup, only that the owner is responsible for site decontamination, which can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands.
Property owners who violate the quarantine may be subject to a Class B misdemeanor, punishable under state law by up to 90 days in jail and a hefty fine.
However, the enforcement of the quarantine isn’t done by ADEQ but by local law enforcement agencies.
The Jonesboro Police Department and the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office haven’t exactly been keeping up with the status of the quarantined residences lately. As the years go by many were the result of meth busts as far back as 2008 it’s understandable that the residences fall off of local law enforcement’s radar.
“Our officers focus their time and energy on problems that take priority, such as answering calls for service, conducting traffic enforcement and deterring and detecting crime on patrol,” JPD spokesman Paul Holmes told The Sun, adding that Craighead County Drug Task Force officials have been by the houses in the past. “Our resources have not allowed for officers to dedicate their time to dealing with quarantined property.”
That’s understandable.
Randy Sharp, a Craighead County deputy and code enforcement officer, said his predecessor used to perform regular checks on the houses in the county.
“I just took over this position, but we plan to start the checks again soon,” Sharp said.
With The Sun’s recent reporting on the issue, JPD officers might want to check to make sure the properties are in compliance with the law. Some residents of our community may be unaware they are living in a potentially dangerous situation.
Signs warning that the properties are quarantined also need to be replaced by property owners to ensure the general public remains aware of the danger.
If police find renters living in quarantined properties on the list, authorities need to take appropriate action against the property owners.
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