Capitol review: Week 1 brings a new chapter to Arkansas

The 94th General Assembly started its biennial session this week and Arkansas’ new leader was sworn in, meaning the Capitol was buzzing.

Catch up quick: In addition to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the state’s new lieutenant governor, attorney general and other elected officials took their oaths of office and assumed their duties.

• Most of the week was taken up by pomp and circumstance, committee meetings, adoption of rules and appropriating money to pay for the session itself.
• Sanders signed eight executive orders — seven on day one and another on day two — covering a range of conservative targets and articulating her hopes for education.

Worthy of your time: Dozens of bills were filed before the session began, let alone this week. A few we’ll keep an eye on:

• HB1097 would reduce the top individual income tax rate from 4.9% to 4.5%.
• SB43 seeks to classify drag shows as an adults-only business, effectively outlawing the performances on public property or where minors might be.
• HB1102 would create a program to screen newborn infants for medical conditions using the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services’ uniform panel and to scan for other conditions determined by the state’s secretary of health.
• HB1123 would allow a person who voluntarily seeks mental health treatment to obtain a concealed carry permit two years after completing therapy.

Of note: So far, two bills have been filed regarding the drug fentanyl.

• SB40 seeks to declassify fentanyl testing strips as “drug paraphernalia.”
• HB1043, filed before Christmas, would set the minimum sentence at 30 years for a person found guilty of selling or supplying fentanyl to another individual. If anyone died from the drug as a result, the convicted person would receive a life sentence and be eligible for parole after 30 years.

What’s next: The Senate and the House will reconvene Tuesday at 1pm and 1:30pm, respectively.