A bill that would create a task force to study and make recommendations for opening a new Arkansas veterans home cleared a state Senate committee Thursday.
The veterans home in Little Rock closed in November after its 70 residents moved to other facilities. The building was found to be in such disrepair that it’s estimated that it would take $10 million to bring the plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems up to standard.
Senate Bill 3 - sponsored by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock - would create a 22-member task force. It would begin meeting by May 1 and would submit its recommendations to House and Senate committees andthe Legislative Council by Oct. 31.
Among other things, the task force would be required to conduct a needs assessment and evaluate possible locations for new facilities. It also would determine the cost of designing and constructing new facilities or using existing facilities, and look for ways to pay for the project.
English told the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs that there are about 266,000 veterans in Arkansas, and there is only one veterans home in the state, in Fayetteville.
“There is a need for a new veterans home here in the state of Arkansas,” she said.
The task force will gather the information needed to file a federal application forassistance for constructing a veterans home, English said.
She said she tried to include “all the folks on this task force that have a major interest in it, including any federally recognized veterans organizations in Arkansas.”
In other business Thursday, the Senate approved SB4, which would allow four community colleges originally created as technical schools to hold a millage election for capital improvements on campus.
The bill’s sponsor is Sen. Bill Sample, R-Hot Springs.
Current law allows millage elections, but not for capital improvements. Other community colleges are allowed to raise money for capital improvements that way, Sample said.
The affected schools would be National Park Community College in Hot Springs, North Arkansas College in Harrison, Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville and Rich Mountain Community College in Mena, Sample said. RAISES FOR STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS
Meanwhile, the House approved stripping proposed 2 percent raises for judges and prosecutors from a bill Thursday. The raises were for fiscal 2014, which starts July 1.
Judges and prosecutors didn’t receive raises in fiscal years 2011, 2012 or 2013 either, according to the Bureau of Legislative Research. The raises for the prosecutors and judges would cost about $651,000, according to the bureau.
The amendment to House Bill 1024 passed by a 93-0 vote.
House Budget Committee Chairman Duncan Baird, RLowell, said lawmakers couldenact the cost-of-living increases later in the session through separate legislation.
“It removes the [cost-ofliving increase] from the line items for the judges and the prosecutors, so it basically keeps all of the salaries flat. It will be possible, maybe in the future, to come back and take a look at the [increases] again, so it’s not necessarily a permanent change,” Baird said.
The bill will go before the House for a full vote Tuesday, he said.
Last month the Legislative Council and Joint Budget Committee recommended no costof-living raises for lawmakers and the state constitutional officers.
In his budget, Gov. Mike Beebe proposed a 2 percent cost-of-living increase in fiscal 2014 for about 30,000 state employees who don’t work at the state’s higher-education institutions. The total cost for these raises would be about $30.3 million, including $11.9 million in general revenue, state budget director Brandon Sharp said after the committee meeting.
These state employees didn’t receive a cost-of-living increase in fiscal 2012 and 2013.
RECESS
The House and Senate on Thursday wrapped up business for the first week of the legislative session that started Monday.
They are in recess until Tuesday. Monday is the holiday commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday and Robert E. Lee’s Birthday.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 01/18/2013