Bipartisanship is perhaps not a style which has had prevailed in this legislative session therefore far.

Author Name(s):
Author Email:

Bipartisanship is perhaps not a style which has had prevailed in this legislative session therefore far.

View payday financing measure

I needed to boost awareness that is public future Senate legislation that ought to be of concern to any or all Arkansans. Senate Bill 900 seeks to overturn your decision created by Arkansas voters once they enacted Amendment 89 into the state Constitution. Under SB 900, customer loan rates of interest, currently capped at 17 % apr under Amendment 89, would, if SB 900 is passed away, be set “as defined” because of the Arkansas legislature. Logically, there’s absolutely no explanation to enact SB 900 except to boost interest levels. SB 900 will allow away from state as well as other loan providers to provide loans with crazy rates of interest and costs, which may produce an escalating volume of financial obligation that would victimize Arkansas consumers. Lower than four years back, alleged “payday lending,” which caused it to be hard to escape an ever-escalating period of financial obligation, had been legislated away from Arkansas. SB 900, if passed away, enables one thing comparable to payday lending to sneak in through the door that is back. Don’t let this take place once again. We urge all Arkansans to contact their senator and demand a vote that is“no SB 900.

Pryor’s ignorance a selection

Glancing at that other paper Thursday for the regional take in the previous 2 days’ historic civil liberties situations on visit our main web site same-sex wedding argued prior to the United States Supreme Court, we read that Sen. Mark Pryor believes homosexuality that is a selection, perhaps not just a characteristic folks are created with.” I really believe Sen. Pryor’s lack of knowledge is an option. As a right, life-long modern Democrat, I’ll vote with my legs, which — on account of the and an array of their other similarly unwise and unlearned statements and roles — won’t be going in Mark’s way. Additionally, whoever stated the acorn doesn’t fall not even close to the tree? Exactly what a pity, Sen. David.

Rallying against retrograde ledge

On March 23 I visited the Arkansas Capitol when it comes to first-time, on a blank, grey time with hefty, unpredictable clouds sliding overhead. A vintage buddy and North Little Rock resident had suggested we attend the War on Women rally to show our personal dismay and agitation utilizing the ultraconservative abortion legislation being rammed through the legislature that is republican-run.

We result from brand brand New Hampshire therefore the bad weather bothered me personally little, nevertheless the nonsensical and paradoxical male-dominated usurpation of women’s liberties felt like a come back to antediluvian times. “This is 2013, maybe not 1913,” read one indication. “Welcome to Arkanistan,” said another.

A crowd of several hundred males, females plus some young kids collected as you’re watching Capitol’s actions to hear females talk in opposition to legislation that could ban abortion after 12 days, in direct defiance of Roe v. Wade. “We’re maybe perhaps not returning 40 years,” said one presenter. We included my title to a petition and looked over the faces into the audience — few held anger or fervor; many had a variety of contemplation and dissatisfaction.

Later on, my pal would inform me that many Arkansans can’t think it is arrive at this, that Republicans have actually hijacked a fairly reasonable, middle-of-the-road state consequently they are repairing to create it back decades. That has been the frustration we saw on faces.

Following the occasion finished, the group scattered in to the diminishing and my friend and I walked over to the Little Rock Nine monument just as the rain began to pick up day. “I’ve never ever seen it this up close,” said my buddy once we stepped within legs of this statues that are solemn. Searching closely, we recognized the rainfall had been running along the frightened faces like rips. “How far have we come?” I was thinking to myself.

Nevertheless, bigotry, misogyny, chauvinism, prejudice and racism occur over the land. Undoubtedly it really is time once we are gone that we all looked more closely at what our nation has been through, how we have gotten to this point and what history will have to say. Going backwards just isn’t a choice.

North Minimal Rock

Legislature should address wage theft

In reality, this General Assembly has revealed that it’s keen on participating in divisive problems to achieve governmental points instead than deal with the severe issues that our state faces. But, their state legislature can move around in the right way by finally handling the matter of wage theft in Arkansas. Its a concern that affects all Arkansans, and it has a solution that is bipartisan.

Wage theft is difficult to determine, however it is generally speaking whenever an employer intentionally underpays or will not spend a member of staff owed wages. In line with the Northwest Arkansas Workers’ Justice Center, wage theft is really a “silent epidemic” that plagues low wage employees and cheats the Arkansas taxpayers away from income every year. More to the point, it places job that is honest inside our communities at a drawback. a typical event is whenever a worker’s employment is ended, for starters reason or any other, additionally the worker is not compensated the ultimate paycheck owed. a target of these a hypothetical has limited choices in Arkansas.

While an employee can register a problem because of the Arkansas Department of work (DOL), the worker isn’t qualified for DOL help if owed a lot more than $2,000 or makes a lot more than $25,000 each year. Just because the worker can register because of the DOL, it may just simply take years before seeing any kind of relief. In the event that balance due is lower than $5,000, the worker may possibly also look for relief in tiny claims court. Nevertheless, and also this includes court and fees that are administrative mitigate the amount that the worker can recover. Regrettably, personal lawyers are unlikely to simply just take such an instance due to the reasonably tiny quantity in debate. Further, prosecutors appear reluctant to follow costs underneath the “Theft of Services” statute in Arkansas. At most readily useful, the worker will recover with DOL help after a period that is long making the lower wage worker hurting for the money rather than keeping the offender accountable.

Recently, Rep. Greg Leding (D-Fayetteville) introduced HB 2004, in shell bill kind, that will “require complete re re payment of wages after termination of employment.” It’s going to straight deal with the presssing dilemma of wage theft in Arkansas. Rep. Leding attempted to pass through a wage theft legislation last session that is legislative however it died from the home flooring. Rep. Leding, in a current meeting, attributed the previous bill’s failure to concern so it would put an excessive amount of a burden on smaller businesses. What “burdens” are not clear, given that company owes these wages. Leding has stated in a current meeting that HB 2004 will deal with these issues, and Sen. Jon Woods (R-Springdale) has stated he can offer the proposal that is new. This bill can give wage that is low the capacity to recover much sooner than beneath the present choices. We urge visitors to make contact with their legislators and teach by themselves in the dilemma of wage theft. It is not an issue that is partisan it really is an Arkansas problem. Please help your neighborhood job creators and help HB 2004.

183 total views, no views today

About the author: dev