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| | Joint committee debates proposed constitutional amendments
Friday, Mar 18, 2005 By Wesley Brown Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Legislators from both chambers sat down together for the first time this session to discuss the various proposed constitutional amendments that voters could possibly consider in the next general election. The first meeting of the Joint Committee on Constitutional Amendments on Thursday was dominated by debate on Senate Joint Resolution 1 by Sen. Steve Faris, D-Malvern, which would put hunting and fishing in Arkansas on par with free speech and the right to bear arms. "This puts a mechanism in the (state) constitution for hunting and fishing to be forever protected," Faris told the committee. "It's a sacred thing for this state." Faris, co-chair of the joint panel, said that at least nine other states have passed constitutional protections on the right to hunt, trap and fish. The Malvern senator's bill, like similar movements in other states, has the backing of the National Rifle Association. Dawson Hobbs, NRA's national manager of hunting policy, said Faris' bill would protect the state's hunting heritage. "It makes sure that hunters are equally protected under the constitution as other folks," Hobbs said. However, several lawmakers on the joint panel wondered aloud if the proposal would override local gun control and hunting regulations and affect landowners' rights to develop their own property. Rep. Jodie Mahony, D-El Dorado, hammered away at Faris and Hobbs about the need for such an amendment. "What is the perceived threat? That's what I want to know?" Mahony asked. But Faris deferred, telling Mahony that anti-hunting and animal rights groups are mounting legal challenges to take away hunting rights in other states. "I don't know if it's a matter of losing those rights, Mr. Mahony, I think it is a matter of protecting them," Faris said. Scott Henderson, director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, told the committee that Faris' proposal was unnecessary and troublesome because it elevates hunting to a constitutional right. "The word 'right,' really changes things," Henderson said, adding that he tried to reach a compromise with Faris. "The unintended consequences really outweigh the benefits. This would set in motion a series of lawsuits for quite sometime." After the sometimes heated discussion on SJR1, the joint panel heard a short explanation of House Joint Resolution 1003 by Rep. Shirley Borhauer, R-Bella Vista. That measure would allow nonprofit groups, such as the VFW, Knights of Columbus and American Legion, to operate bingo games for charitable purposes beginning in 2007. Borhauer said Arkansas is only one of four states to bar charitable bingo and raffles. "This is a bill that says 'yes - we would like it,' or 'no - we would not like it,'" Borhauer said of referring the matter to Arkansas voters. "That is the democratic way to do it." The proposed initiatives on hunting rights and charitable bingo are only two of the 12 amendments that the joint committee will take up before the session ends. Currently, there are four other resolutions that propose annual legislative sessions and two proposed amendments that would raise the percentage of required votes needed for sales tax increases. At least three other amendments deal with suspending constitutional limits on increases in assessed property values, and one measure that proposes changing the length of terms for county officials. The Legislature can refer up to three proposed constitutional amendments to voters, along with a fourth if it deals specifically with the pay of state constitutional officers. |
