LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas House of Representatives approved a bill Tuesday that would allow the state Department of Veterans Affairs director to select the location for a new state veterans home.

On the other side of the state Capitol, the Senate voted to send the governor legislation to make it easier for spouses of active military personnel to get professional licenses or certification when they move to Arkansas.

Lawmakers discussed everything from jury duty to a “Rock ’n’ Roll Highway” on the 16th day of the 2013 legislative session.

Rep. John Edwards, DLittle Rock, who sponsored House Bill 1013, said the legislation would allow the veterans home to house up to 150 veterans. The current law caps that number at 70.

Edwards, who received a standing ovation from the House members after he described the bill, said the Little Rock veterans home that closed in November was not run well and its shuttering was “the right thing to do.”

“House Bill 1013 is a step in the direction of correcting this problem,” he said.

Edwards described the bill as “step one” in the process of moving from the old veterans home to a new facility.

“I think we owe it to the men and women that served this nation to give them an opportunity to have a home to go to if that is their wish,” Edwards said before the House voted 96-0 to approve his bill and send it to the House.

The state veterans home in Little Rock closed and its 70 residents were forced to live elsewhere.

Modernizing the building would have cost an estimated$10 million, including work to its plumbing and electrical systems.

The legislation requires the director to consult with the Arkansas Veterans’ Commission before picking a site for the home.

Edwards said the state would be responsible for 35 percent of the construction costs of a new facility; the federal Department of Veterans Affairs would provide the rest.

Sen. Jane English, R-NorthLittle Rock, is sponsoring another bill that would create a task force to make recommendations about the new veterans home.

Senate Bill3 passed the Senate in a unanimous vote Jan. 22 and is to be taken up by the House Committee on Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs today.

HOUSE JUDICIARY

Also Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee favored a bill banning certain sex offenders from swimming areas and children’s playgrounds in state parks. They also voted to limit the liability of landowners who allow pilots to take off from and land on their property.

Senate Bill 12, the antisex-offender legislation sponsored by Sen. Missy Irvin, RMountain View, cleared theSenate Judiciary Committee and passed on the Senate floor without opposition, but Rep. Darrin Williams, D-Little Rock, spoke against the bill onTuesday.

Williams asked Irvin whether banning sex offenders from the areas served as a way of giving notice tothe committee or as a way to push them “into the shadows.” Williams said convicted sex offenders who have been released pose less of a threat than the overall population.

“It doesn’t hold weight when you start talking about evidence-based principles,” Williams said.

Williams voted against the bill, but it cleared the committee in a voice vote.

Irvin said the bill wouldonly ban those who are more likely to commit another sex crime and would protect the reputation of the parks system.

Richard Davies, director of the state Department of Parks and Tourism, said there has not been a sex crime in a state park in the past two years but sex offenders have been seen hanging around the parks.

The committee also supported House Bill 1020, written by Rep. Joe Jett, D-Success, which would limit the liability of landowners who allow pilots to take off from and land on their property.

House Bill 1114, which would have made law enforcement officers exempt from serving on juries unless the officer had chosen to participate, died after failing to gain a single supporter.

Several members questioned the need for the bill, sponsored by Rep. Mary “Prissy” Hickerson, R-Texarkana, noting that judges already have the ability to excuse law enforcement from jury duty.

MILITARY SPOUSES

The Senate on Tuesdayvoted to send the governor a bill to make it easier for spouses of active military personnel to get professional licenses or certification when they move to Arkansas.

Under Senate Bill 7, sponsored by Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot, state boards that license teachers, nurses and other professionals would be allowed to issue temporary work licenses to spouses of active-duty servicemen if they have similar credentials from another state.

The applicant would be required to be “the holder in good standing” of a substantially equivalent license, certificate or permit issued by another state to get a temporary license, certificate or permit in Arkansas.

ROCK ’N’ ROLL HIGHWAY 67

The Senate voted 35-0 to send the governor House Bill 1022 by Rep. Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, to include White County in the designated route of the Rock ’n’ Roll Highway 67.

State law currently designates the Rock ’n’ Roll Highway 67 as the route along U.S. 67 through Jackson County, Lawrence County and Randolph County regularly traveled by the great legends of early rock ’n’ roll. The state Highway and Transportation Department is required to erect appropriate signs along the highway to mark the route.

DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE

The Senate unanimously approved a bill to allow a judge to fine a person convicted of driving without a driver’s license up to $500 and sentence him to up to 90 days in jail.

Sen. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, said a judge either has to issue a fine up to $500 or a sentence of up to 90 days under existing state law, and his Senate Bill 55 would give a judge the discretion to impose both penalties for multiple violators.

Front Section, Pages 6 on 01/30/2013