State Senator Uvalde Lindsey, D-Fayetteville may have said it best following the unprecedented non-controversial legislative approval of "AsaCare" and a brand new governor's budget within the first three weeks of the 90th General Assembly.
"Now that the governor's budget is passed and the Private Option extended, the mischief begins."
Lindsey was referring to the flurry of legislative bill filings that range from the frivolous to the down-right outrageous.
Hopefully these "mischief" bills will quietly be dispensed of for what they are -- absolute fluff and fodder. More attention needs to be paid to our state's needs and the future of Arkansas.
Here are some examples of these "mischief" bills:
A trio of bills from state Rep. Justin Harris, R-West Fork, which certainly brings the word "mischief" to my mind. All of Harris' bills are short on verbiage and lack succinct details.
Harris wants to elect the members of the State Board of Education starting in 2016 by popular vote.
The people who can "run" for these elected positions cannot be an employee of a school district, or college or university. Also the clause about "membership diversity to reflect the make-up of the state's schools" is deleted. Members will be elected by Congressional District with no salary, only per diem expenses.
Who will pay for these elections?
You Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Taxpayer, that's who.
No mention of that in Harris' bill. Nor how only a very "rich" people could in any way, shape or form, run in a Congressional District for a non-paying job to set educational policy in the state of Arkansas.
He has also filed "The You Can Now Say "Merry Christmas" Bill." This legislative nugget allows teachers and staff to say "Merry Christmas" during the appropriate season. You can also say "Happy Hanukkah," and even "Happy Holidays," and no one, under state law, should be offended.
Here is the clincher: a school district may display on school property scenes or symbols associated with a traditional winter celebration, including a menorah or Christmas image, (i.e. a manger scene) if the display includes a scene or symbol of more than one religion; or one religion and a secular scene or symbol. These displays related to a traditional winter celebration may not include a message that encourages adherence to a particular religious belief.
And then Harris has a bill allowing voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints. This nugget failed to get out of Republican controlled committee last week.
But Harris still has a second chance at passage.
Under Harris' bill: A public school district shall not: Discriminate against a student or a parent of a student on the basis of the student's religious viewpoint or religious expression; or Prohibit a student from expressing a religious viewpoint or belief in the student's coursework, artwork, or other written or oral assignments.
In the state, public school districts shall: Allow a student to voluntarily express a religious viewpoint in his or her coursework, artwork, and other written or oral assignments; and evaluate the coursework, artwork, or assignment according to ordinary academic standards, relevance to the assignment, and whether or not the coursework, artwork, or assignment meets the requirements of the assigned task.
Such "mischief bills" can't be simply overlooked. If passed these could end up costing the state and school district's thousands of dollars in discrimination lawsuits.
While Harris offers up he has "heard of numerous examples of abuse," no one came forward to testify that his bill to allow student expression of religious viewpoints was needed with examples of current abuses.
There is a still lot of "mischief" going on down in Little Rock.
Just read the bills and you Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer shall surely see.
Thankfully all bill filing for the 90th General Assembly's term -- frivolous or not - ends March 9.
MAYLON RICE, AN AWARD-WINNING COLUMNIST, HAS WRITTEN BOTH NEWS AND COLUMNS FOR SEVERAL NWA PUBLICATIONS AND HAS BEEN WRITING FOR THE ENTERPRISE-LEADER FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
Editorial on 03/04/2015