The state senate approved three medical freedom bills today:
SB739 (the Hammer bill: https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2021R%2FPublic%2FSB739.pdf), which is a compromise bill providing a process by which employees can test out of a V mandate, passed but failed on the emergency clause by one vote after Senator Teague, who earlier voted YES, walked out of the room. If your senator voted NO (red or white), you should make every effort to replace him in the May election.
Twenty-four votes are necessary to pass on the emergency clause, allowing the bill to become effective immediately. Assuming it passes the house, the Hammer bill will become effective in 90 days.
SB730 (the Garner bill: https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2021R%2FPublic%2FSB730.pdf), which provides access to unemployment benefits for those fired for not complying with V mandates, passed 19-13-3.
SB732 (the Blake Johnson bill: https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2021R%2FPublic%2FSB732.pdf), is perhaps the most important of all the bills. It provides for religious, medical, or philosophical exemptions to the V mandate, putting employees on the same basis as public school students. It passed with 21 votes.
Several hurdles remain. The house must still approve these measures, and both chambers will likely have to vote again to override an expected veto by Asa. The discussion continues Tuesday with these meetings:
8AM – House health
11AM – House and Senate convene
For a complete list of meetings and to watch the festivities, visit: https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/.
Be sure to call your state reps before 11AM Tuesday. Them them to vote YES on all medical freedom legislation.
Observations:
(1) While we disagree with most of Senator Dismang’s votes, it was nice to see his face today.
(2) Senators Irvin and Hill were responsive to the massive public pressure and voted correctly. Sturch also did better than expected.
I guess there is no hope of redirecting the emergency clause in the house?
correct. Senate would have come closer.
Thank you for posting these updates! They are so helpful. I want to be more proactive, but it has always been a bit of a mystery on how to accomplish anything. Being able to check the page or the site makes it really easy to help make a difference for us all!
This is better than I expected after watching parts of the live streams over the past few days. It is so important to keep up the pressure—on the House and Senate. We are competing with the pressure from the other side— state Chamber of Commerce, Tyson, Walmart and the like. They need to constantly be encouraged so that the inevitable veto can eventually be overridden.
So how do any of these bills save people from being fired for not having the V? Do any of them speak to the issue of having immunity from being a Covid survivor? Do any of them speak to the issue of discrimination?
Yes, they do, but unfortunately, they don’t save anyone until mid January.
We need to contact our State Rep and tell them to vote Yes for all 3?
Yes on all 3. We don’t need to get hung up on bills that won’t pass. Help as many people as possible now, and elect better legislators in May.
Thank you so much for the updates and info!
The Hammer bill won’t help many people without it going into effect immediately. Hugely unfortunate.
You need to call the senators who voted NO or NV and express your frustration.
One might again quesion – what is the point of us even voting any more – when we elect folks who we think will actually represent us… and they throw Arkansas workers (aka – taxpayers) under the bus. IF it is important enough to pass legislation to address, its important enough to have it go into effect immediately.
Please vote yes on HB1977
Please vote yes on HB1977 and I am saying it again!!!!