#arkansas act 372

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Daniel Villarreal at LGBTQ Nation:

Jason Rapert, the Christian Nationalist that Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) appointed to her state’s library board late last year, is now complaining that his fellow board members should be “tarred and feathered” because they won’t support his crusade to remove LGBTQ+ books—or “pornographic” “smut,” as he calls it—from local schools and libraries. In fact, he said the state library board should be eliminated altogether. “I serve on the Arkansas Library Board,” Rapert said in a recent episode of his Save The Nation broadcast. “I cannot get those other board members to take a stand to stop some of the smut that is in those libraries. It’s ridiculous. I’ve made motions trying to do it.”

“The Bible says, ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,’” he said. “Well, when you have leaders that are not allowing the nation to be blessed of God, they’re not doing godly things, you need to replace them, get rid of them, get them out of office, put people back in there that will. You’ve got schools where they’re fighting over allowing homosexual, LGBTQ material to be utilized to groom children. … There needs to be people that will take up and sue anybody that is allowing that sort of thing to go on in our school districts and in our libraries.”

Rapert’s use of the word “groom” refers to a calculated and gradual process by which someone gains the trust of a child and their family in order to sexually abuse the child. Anti-LGBTQ+ people commonly accuse queers and their allies of “grooming kids,” but the accusers neither ally with organizations that actually fight child sex abuse nor publicly comment on the thousands of cases of actual child sex abuse that continue to occur in Christian churches.

[...] Even if Rapert was using the violent language figuratively, his rhetoric echoes those of other Republicans and Christian Nationalists who have used dehumanizing language while calling for their political opponents to be figuratively attacked and murdered. “I am at a point now where it’s going to take so long to get new board members on [the Arkansas State Library Board],” Rapert continued, “[that]if I were the legislature, I would run a bill just to abolishing the Arkansas State Library Board and let it be reconstituted. Put new people in there, or maybe they just need to call on people to resign if you’re not going to do your job.” In a late 2023 interview, Rapert pledged to enforce a law known as Act 372, which would criminally prosecute librarians and bookstore owners who refuse to remove any books that are deemed as “harmful to minors,” a vague phrase that anti-LGBTQ+ activists often use to ban books with any mention of sexual orientation or gender identity. The law also makes it easier for any single person to challenge a book, effectively removing it from shelves while it undergoes review by library, county, or city officials.

Christian nationalist Jason Rapert, who serves on the Arkansas Library Board, is mad that his colleagues aren’t joining in with him in his extremist quest to remove LGBTQ+ books in libraries and schools.

[bibliosauruswrecks]

Act 372 goes into effect a week from today. The injunction hearing is going on right now.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.

It hurts that my livelihood is being attacked this way. It hurts that the job I love has become so hated that people feel the need to send us death threats. It hurts that colleges are adding classes to their library science programs to teach future librarians how to deal with public ridicule and harassment.

But I think what hurts the most is all the people saying we deserve it.

We deserve to be scared. We deserve to lose our jobs. We deserve to go to jail. We deserve to have our lives ruined. We deserve to be publicly harassed and stalked. We deserve death threats.

Think about that.

Librarians deserve death threats.

And ask yourself “How did we get here?”

[bro-ken-spoon]

I saw this post today and it reminded me of something library related I want to talk about.

As someone with a bachelor's degree in English and as someone who's working on a Master's in Library Science, this is something I'm quite used to. And this exact belief is what makes me so upset about a lot of recent legislation in regards to librarianship. Take Arkansas's Act 372 from last year as an example. Act 372 makes it illegal for librarians to "knowingly" distribute "obscene material" to minors. But it does not define obscene material, and leaves things very open for people to challenge, say, frequently challenged material dealing with race and sexuality. But crucially, this act also overrode most libraries' current policies on book challenges. So previously and in general, most libraries would receive a challenge on a book, and that challenge would be taken to a committee including library personnel, usually a children's staff member specifically. Those people would read the book and determine if it should be banned, or honestly more commonly, relocated to the adult section. (Most librarians and adjacent personnel really want books to be available no matter what, and are pretty anti-censorship overall, so this is the more common answer.)

But under Act 372, if that process outlined above results in the book being kept where it is, the person challenging it can then go to the "governing body of the city or county" and appeal. The act states that the city or county's decision is "final."

So basically, what this means is that if a committee of librarians, aka people who have gotten that Master's Degree in Library Science, have taken the time and effort to learn the best practices of the field and become experts in it, some of whom also have doctorates or other specialized degrees in the field, if that committee of trained and certified librarians decides a book should stay on the shelf, but then a committee of people who work for the city the library is in and are in no way trained or knowledgeable about the best practices of librarianship, can then get this book removed from the shelves. And that decision will be final.

This act was added to the Arkansas constitution, but it hasn't actually taken effect, because a bunch of libraries got together to file an injunction. These libraries are going to court in December of this year (2024) to revisit this law and challenge Sections 1 (to ask them to define obscene material) and 5 (to ask them to reconsider having the city or county as the final say.) All there really is to do is support your local libraries.

And this isn't just an Arkansas problem. There's a similar bill in Alabama, California, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oklahoma again, Oklahoma one more time, and many more tracked by the American Library Association. I don't really have much of a call to action about it to end this post, because I don't really want to spread fear or make people think that if only they did something, this would all stop. All you really can do is support your libraries and call your local legislators if you're someone who's able to.

The point of this post isn't to make people afraid or mad at the state of the world or anything, it's just to complain, really, about the idea that there is literally already a system in place for people to challenge books and a fair committee of trained people ready to handle that. It's frustrating that people don't understand this is already a skilled trade that people spend time and money developing and creating a career in. And it's one thing when it's just a couple of people on the street telling you that you should just be a librarian with an English degree, but it's another entirely when it's legislation. And that's not even to mention that most of this legislation is also attacking diversity in books. But that's a whole other rant.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk!

[ausetkmt]

If gay-hating Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders thought it was going to be easy to impose a new law that threatens librarians with jail time for providing banned books (gay, in other words) to children, she’d better guess again.

She’s now being sued by a coalition of librarians, booksellers, authors, and readers who are challenging The Arkansas Act 372. The lawsuit was filed Friday by a group that includes the Arkansas Library Association, and the Central Arkansas Library System, Queerty reports.

The Arkansas Act, which Sanders signed into law in March, is incredibly draconian, threatening librarians with as much as a year in jail if they are caught giving kids banned books. The coalition accuses the legislation of violating the state’s 1st and 14th amendments.

“Library workers across Arkansas are rightly concerned that the overly broad edicts of Act 372 will prevent them from serving their patrons as they have always done, by providing a wide variety of materials to fill their information needs, and perhaps more importantly, materials that allow each child to see themselves in the books in their library,” wrote Carol Coffey, president of the Arkansas Library Association, in a statement.

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Mind you, Arkansas is the fourth poorest state in the U.S. It is dealing with a growing affordable housing crisis, and overwhelming food insecurity. And according to a recent Scholaroo study found the state ranks 49th in the nation regarding quality of life, and 50th in the nation regarding health.

You’d think Huckabee Sanders would focus on this, but nope. She’s not. Since being elected in January, hating on the LGBTQ+ community has been her top priority. So much so, in fact, that she appointed Jacob Oliva, the dude who is responsible for implementing Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, to head the Arkansas Department of Education and then signed a law prohibiting trans teachers and students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identities.

She even went as far as to sign an executive order that prevents “indoctrination” in classrooms. The order prohibits teachers from respecting a student’s pronouns. Teachers are also not allowed to talk about sexuality, gender, or race. Even the gender-neutral term “Latinx” is banned.

Then there’s the stupid line of transphobic beer koozies that she recently released.

Because in a state buried under the weight of poverty, mounting food insecurity, and exploding housing costs what people really need right now are beer koozies with her mug plastered on them. But is what she’s doing really called governing? She’s imposing her own will on people and doing nothing to solve the towering problems her state is faced with.

But Arkansans voted her in so I guess they get what they deserve. They’ll be safe from learning about the people living within their own community. No learning about Black history or LGBTQ+ history in the U.S. And this is a real tragedy.

Arkansans have now officially won the booby prize.

[nedsecondline]

Arkansas librarians say its unconstitutional that they can be jailed over books - UPI.com

A group of Arkansas public libraries filed a lawsuit on Friday, alleging a new state law that censors what books children can get to in libraries is unconstitutional. Act 372, which was signed into law by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders, says librarians can be imprisoned for up to a year for giving children reading materials that are deemed to be “harmful to minors.” Source: Arkansas librarians say…

[gigglesndimples]

Weekly Legislative Roundup 2/15/18

Welcome to the latest edition of NORML’s Weekly Legislative Roundup!

This was a big week for marijuana in Congress. The House Financial Services subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions held a hearing Wednesday to address the lack of access to basic banking services by state-legal marijuana businesses.

Also this week Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced legislation, The Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act, to expand and facilitate medical cannabis access to military veterans suffering from chronic pain, PTSD, and other serious medical conditions.

At the state level, John Fetterman, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania began his listening tour in central Pennsylvania to get feedback from the public on marijuana legalization. You can submit your own feedback here.

The Arkansas House Rules Committee killed a bill that would have expanded the list of qualifying medical conditions eligible for medical cannabis. On the same day, the Department of Health, Surgeon General, and Drug Director issued a public health advisory regarding “the risks of harm associated with use of products derived from Cannabis, including marijuana and hemp, that claim to benefit health.”

At a more local level, the decriminalization policy in Dayton, Ohio went into effect this week. And Denver, Colorado’s mayor and district attorney launched a new program seeking to help those convicted of certain marijuana offenses expunge their records.

Following are the bills that we’ve tracked this week and as always, check NORML’s Action Center for legislation pending in your state.

Don’t forget to sign up for our email list, and we will keep you posted as these bills and more move through your home state legislature and U.S. Congress. Another great way to stay up to date is Marijuana Moment’s daily newsletter, which you can subscribe to HERE.

Your Highness, Carly

Actions to Take

Federal

Regulate Nationally: The Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2019 (HR 420) seeks to deschedule cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, thus permitting state governments to regulate these activities as they see fit.

Click here to email your Representative and urge them to support this important legislation

Colorado

Senate Bill 19-013 would permit physicians to recommend cannabis therapy for any condition for which an opiate would otherwise be prescribed.

Update: SB 19-013 was approved by the full Senate on 2/14, and now awaits action from the House Health & Insurance Committee.

CO resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of cannabis as an alternative to opioids

Florida

Legislation is pending, Senate Bill 372, Senate Bill 182, and House Bill 7015, and another House version PCB HHS 19-01, to re-legalize the inhalation of herbal cannabis formulations for medical purposes.

Update: The House Health and Human Services Committee approved PCB HHS 19-01 which would allow smoking in the form of pre-rolled, filtered medical cannabis cigarettes. The provision to require patients to get approval from a review panel before being permitted to smoke was removed. The bill now goes to the Appropriations Committee.

Update #2: The Senate Innovation, Industry, and Technology Committee approved S372, removing the provision to require patients to get approval from two doctors before being permitted to smoke. The bill is on the agenda for hearings (if the bill is received) in the Rules Committee for 2/20/19, 4:00 pm, 110 Senate Building, and then the Appropriations Committee for 2/21/19, 10:00 am, 412 Knott Building

FL resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of allowing patients to smoke medical cannabis

Georgia

House Bill 324 seeks to expand and facilitate patients’ access to medical cannabidiol (CBD) products.

The bill would establish a regulatory framework to permit the retail sale of medical CBD products to registered patients.

GA resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical CBD access

Hawaii

Legislation is pending, House Bill 131 / Senate Bill 1335, to amend the state’s existing industrial hemp law to be in compliance with the new federal hemp regulations.

Update: The House Committee on Judiciary approved HB 131 with amendments. Meanwhile, The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment killed SB 1335.

HI resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of industrial hemp production

House Bill 673 / Senate Bill 1430, to expand medical cannabis access.

The proposed changes:

Expands the pool of medical professionals who are eligible to recommend medical cannabis by permitting physician assistants to issue recommendations to their patients;

Allows licensed dispensaries to possess up to two additional manufacturing or processing facilities separate from their production facilities; and

Allows licensed dispensaries to sell edible cannabis and cannabidiol products

Update: The House Committee on Judiciary approved HB 673 on 2/15 after holding a hearing on the bill earlier in the week.

HI resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical expansion

Idaho

House Bill 140, which seeks to reduce marijuana possession penalties penalties for first time offenders.

If passed, the bill would reduce the penalty for first time offenders convicted of possessing one half ounce or less of marijuana from a misdemeanor offense punishable by up to one year in jail and/or $1,000 fine, to an infraction, punishable by a mandatory drug abuse education course, a $250 fine, and/or community service.

ID resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of penalty reductions

Maine

Legislation is pending, LD 846 / HP 620, to mandate that state agencies review and expunge prior marijuana convictions.

Under the plan, those convicted of marijuana-related activities that are no longer defined as criminal will have their records automatically sealed and no longer disseminated.

ME resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of expungement

Minnesota

Legislation is pending to expand access to medical cannabis in the state.

HF 766 would:

Authorize each dispensary to open four additional locations in specified areas throughout the state

Allow specific formulations of medical cannabis to be administered to qualified patients on school grounds

MN resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical expansion

Missouri

House Bill 341 would allow registered medical marijuana patients to have their records expunged if they were convicted of a possession offense that occurred prior to their participation in the state’s cannabis access program.

Update: The Special Committee on Criminal Justice approved HB 341 on 2/14. The bill now goes to the Rules Committee.

MO resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of expungement

Montana

Legislation is pending, Senate Bill 176, to amend the state’s existing industrial hemp law to be in compliance with the new federal hemp regulations.

MT resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of industrial hemp production

New Hampshire

House Bill 335 would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to authorize additional dispensary licenses in certain geographic areas of the state. Under existing law, only a handful of licensed dispensaries are permitted in the state. This means that some patients must travel long distances and pay exorbitant prices to obtain their medicine.

Update: The Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee approved HB 335 on 2/12

NH resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of additional dispensary locations

HB 350 would expand the pool of medical professionals who are eligible to recommend medical cannabis by permitting physician assistants to issue recommendations to their patients.

Update: The Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee approved HB 350 on 2/12

NH resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical cannabis expansion

House Bill 481 would allow for the use, possession, and retail sale of marijuana by adults.

The pending measure permits adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and/or up to five grams of concentrate, and to grow up to six marijuana plants.

Update: The Criminal Justice and Public Safety is scheduled to hold an executive session on HB 481 on 2/21 at 11:00am in LOB 204.

NH resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of legalization

New Mexico

Legislation is pending, House Bill 356, to permit the use, possession, and retail sale of cannabis for adults 21 and over.

Update: HB 356 was approved by the Health & Human Services Committee on 2/11.

NM resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of legalization

Legislation is pending, Senate Bill 204, to allow medical cannabis to be administered to patients at school.

The measure permits children with serious conditions for which medical marijuana has been recommended to have their medicine administered to them while on school property.

Update: SB 204 was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on 2/14 after holding a hearing on the bill the day before.

NM resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of allowing medical cannabis in schools

Senate Bill 477 states that an individual’s status as a medical cannabis patient “shall not in itself constitute grounds for intervention, removal or placement into state custody of a child in that individual’s care.”

Update: SB 477 was heard by the Senate Public Affairs Committee on 2/15.

NM resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of parental protections

North Carolina

Legislation is pending, S. 58, to expand upon the state’s decriminalization law and also to provide for the expungement of certain prior cannabis convictions.

Under current law, the possession of 1.5 ounces of cannabis is classified as a misdemeanor. This proposal raises that threshold to three ounces.

The bill would also allow those with past marijuana possession convictions to petition the court to expunge their record.

NC resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of expanded amounts

North Dakota

House Bill 1417 seeks to expand patients’ access to medical cannabis in North Dakota.

The original proposed changes:

Expands the pool of eligible patients by permitting providers to recommend medical cannabis to those diagnosed with neuropathy; opioid use disorder; opioid withdrawal; migraine; rheumatoid arthritis; and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome;

Allows physicians to explicitly authorize select patients to legally possess greater quantities of cannabis than are generally allowed under the law.

Update: HB 1417 was amended by the Human Services Committee, removing the provision adding new qualifying conditions, and only allowing doctors to authorize those with cancer to legally possess greater quantities of cannabis.

Separately, House Bill 1519 would permit providers to recommend medical cannabis to those diagnosed with 13 additional conditions, including anorexia nervosa, anxiety, opioid use disorder or withdrawal, and autism.

Update: The Human Services Committee approved HB 1519 on 2/14.

ND resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical cannabis expansion

South Dakota

Legislation is pending, House Bill 1191, to establish an industrial hemp pilot program that will operate in compliance with newly enacted federal hemp regulations.

Update: HB 1191 was approved by the full House on 2/11. The bill now awaits action from the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

SD resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of industrial hemp production

Tennessee

Legislation is pending, SB 357 / HB 844, to amend the state’s existing industrial hemp law to be in compliance with the new federal hemp regulations.

Update: SB 357 was placed on Senate Energy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee calendar for 2/20/2019

TN resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of industrial hemp production

Washington

Legislation is pending, SB 5605 / HB 1500, to allow individuals with prior misdemeanor cannabis convictions to apply to the sentencing court to have their record vacated.

WA resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of vacating records

Legislation is pending, Senate Bill 5276, to amend the state’s existing industrial hemp law to be in compliance with the new federal hemp regulations.

Update: SB 5276 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means on 2/18 at 3:30 PM

WA resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of industrial hemp production

That’s all for this week!

Source: https://blog.norml.org/2019/02/15/weekly-legislation-roundup-2-15-18/

Weekly Legislative Roundup 2/15/18 Find more on: gigglesndimples.com

from Giggles N Dimples - Feed https://gigglesndimples.com/2019/02/15/weekly-legislative-roundup-2-15-18/

[oselatra]

What we have: Places to dance

A little salsa, a little boot scootin.'

The Latin dance scene in Little Rock has moved around as much as the cha cha, but since December 2016 it's had a more permanent home: Club 27, in the River Market district at 614 President Clinton Ave.

Around 300 fans turned out for the ballroom's grand opening, in space previously occupied by Juanita's restaurant. On Friday nights, salsa pro and club masterminds Sarah-Catherine and Jorge Gutierrez give a little instruction starting at 9 p.m. and the dancing gets into full swing at 10 p.m. Don't have a partner? It doesn't matter, the Gutierrezes say. You'll find someone to merengue with, no problem. There's a full bar to help with shyness as well. Admission is $5 before 10 p.m. (that includes the lesson) and $8 afterward.

Here's a list of other places to dance to the music; cover charges vary depending on events and (sometimes) gender:

Club Level

315 Main St.

372-1515

8 p.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat.

clublevelonline.com

This is a two-story dance hall, 10,000 square feet with two bars with a steampunk aesthetic. Twentysomethings and thirtysomethings get into some vigorous grooves under the rainbow lights to music cranked out by the DJs in an elevated booth. Thirsty and hungry? Soak up your Wild Rabbit (cognac and coconut vodka in pineapple juice) and other specialty drinks with potato skins, burgers, wings and other bar food.

Club Sway

412 Louisiana St.

777-5428

9 p.m.-2 a.m. Thu-Sat.

clubsway.com

Club Sway was the Arkansas Times Readers' Choice for Best Gay Bar, but it's a night spot for everyone. Sway has a multitiered dance floor under colored strobe lights, the yearly Fresh Fish drag competition (modeled after RuPaul's Drag Race), drageoke with Queen Anthony on Thursdays and the House of Avalon's "anything goes" dance party series, Gawddaughter. The venue is also open Wednesday and Sunday for special events (in 2016 it hosted get-togethers with progressive political candidates).

Ernie Biggs

307 President Clinton Ave.

372-4782

8 p.m.-2 a.m. daily

erniebiggs.com

Dance to dueling pianos or a DJ or dueling pianos and a DJ, and other live music at this River Market district club. The country music and rock 'n' roll is on the bottom floor; the hip-hop and rap scene is upstairs.

Discovery

1021 Jessie Road

666-6900

http://ift.tt/1sC3wDd

9 p.m.-5 a.m. Sat.

This venerable multiroom dance club has been hopping since 1979, bringing in the late-night dance crowd, both gay and straight. Move to whatever beat you want; Discovery has a discotheque, a theater for its drag shows, and hip-hop and Top 40 in the lobby; there's also a game room.

Triniti Nightclub

1021 Jessie Road

666-6900

trinitinightclub.com

9 p.m.-4 am. Fri.

An 18-plus, Friday-night-only dance club attached to Discovery features three areas to hang out, depending on your mood: LeBistro, a chill little bar with a pool table area; 701, where the weekly drag shows start at 11 p.m.; and 501, a dance floor in case you're so inspired by the queens werkin' it that you need to werk it a little yourself. Catch the open call Drag Wars the last Friday of every month at 1 a.m.

Electric Cowboy

9515 Interstate 30

8 p.m. to close Wed.-Sun.

electriccowboy.com

The folks at Discovery call the Electric Cowboy "Straightland," but the Times' own reviews describe it as the most diverse club in town: It's not just longnecks and line dancing. You might even catch an Arkansas Times reporter doing the Cupid Shuffle there. Still, this is where you'll learn to scoot your boots (Thursday nights 8:30-9:30 p.m.). There's a weekly pool tournament, too ($10 buy-in; house matches pot). When you're tired of moving on your own two feet, you can mount the mechanical bull.

Cajun's Wharf

2400 Cantrell Road

375-5351

4:30 p.m. until Mon.-Sat. (bar)

cajunswharf.com

Cajun's bar has live happy hour bands and main acts Thursdays through Saturdays with a DJ in between, so the dance floor never gets cold. In good weather, there's also lots of partying on the "big swinging deck," right there on the Arkansas River. Another bonus to bebop balletics at Cajun's is the full menu from its restaurant next to the bar. There's music piped in Monday through Wednesday, but it might be seasonal, though a slow dance to "Baby It's Cold Outside" sounds good — especially to the crowd at Cajun's, which tends to be grown-ups.

What we have: Places to dance

[bibliosauruswrecks]

WE HAVE AN INJUNCTION!!!

[bibliosauruswrecks]

There still hasn’t been a ruling on the injunction.

I’m going to be climbing the walls today.

Please distract me.

[bibliosauruswrecks]

It is my fervent wish that Dan Sullivan and every other Arkansas state rep who voted in favor of Act 372 experiences the same helplessness and insecurity I’m feeling tonight.

I hope they understand just how much pain they’re causing.

I hope they know what it’s like to feel like you can’t make plans for the future.

[gigglesndimples]

Weekly Legislative Roundup 1/18/19

Welcome to the latest edition of NORML’s Weekly Legislative Roundup!

U.S. Representative Lou Correa (D-CA) this week introduced HR 493: The Sensible Enforcement Of Cannabis Act, which would codify the protections that were outlined in the now-rescinded Cole Memo.

Additionally, a bipartisan coalition of U.S. House lawmakers introduced The Medical Cannabis Research Act of 2019 (HR 601), to facilitate federally-approved clinical trials involving cannabis.

At the state level, patients in Ohio and Oklahoma now have access to medical cannabis, as sales began in both states this week.

Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) of New York and Governor Gina Raimondo (D) of Rhode Island both included plans for cannabis legalization as a part of their budget proposals in their respective states.

A medical cannabis access bill was signed into law in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Meanwhile, a decriminalization bill was defeated in the Virginia House this week.

At a more local level, Westchester County, New York’s district attorney will no longer prosecute low level cannabis possession cases; Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin approved two different advisory questions to appear on an April ballot; and Oklahoma City public schools will now allow students to be administered medical cannabis by a caregiver while at school.

Following are the bills that we’ve tracked this week and as always, check NORML’s Action Center for legislation pending in your state.

Don’t forget to sign up for our email list, and we will keep you posted as these bills and more move through your home state legislature and U.S. Congress. Another great way to stay up to date is Marijuana Moment’s daily newsletter, which you can subscribe to HERE.

Your Highness, Carly

Priority Alerts

Federal

Regulate Nationally: The Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2019 — (HR 420) seeks to deschedule cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, thus permitting state governments to regulate these activities as they see fit.

Click here to email your Representative and urge them to support this important legislation

Connecticut

Legislation is pending, House Bill 5595, to permit the use, possession, cultivation, and retail sale of marijuana for adults 21 and over.

The measure allows adults to cultivate up to six cannabis plants in their own homes; provides for the expungement of prior cannabis possession convictions; and allows for home deliveries.

CT resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of legalization

West Virginia

Legislation is pending, House Bill 2331, to legalize the use, possession, and retail sale of cannabis for adults.

The measure would allow adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce of cannabis for personal use, but it would give localities the authority to restrict or ban the retail sale and production of cannabis through county referenda.

WV resident? Click here to urge your lawmakers to amend this bill to benefit all consumers

Washington, DC

Legislation is pending, The Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Act, to permit the retail sale of cannabis to adults in the District.

The measure allows those 21 and over to legally purchase personal use quantities of cannabis from licensed retail outlets.

DC resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of retail sales

Indiana

Legislation is pending, House Bill 1540, to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The measure would impose a class C infraction for the possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana, which translates to a civil penalty punishable by a fine between $100 and $200.

IN resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of decriminalization

Nebraska

Senator Anna Wishart (D) has re-introduced legislation, LB 110, to allow qualifying patients with certain debilitating conditions to use and safely access medical cannabis.

If passed, this bill provides registered patients with regulated access to medical cannabis via licensed providers.

Update: LB 110 will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Comittee at 1:30pm on 1/25/19 in the Warner Chamber.

NE resident?  Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical access

Washington

Legislation is pending in the House and Senate, HB 1131 / SB 5155, “Allowing residential marijuana agriculture.”

This bill allows adults to cultivate up to six marijuana plants in their home.

Update: HB 1131 is scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Commerce & Gaming at 8:00am.

WA resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of home cultivation rights

Kentucky

State Sen. Jimmy Higdon introduced Senate Bill 82, to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The measure would impose a civil penalty for any “personal use quantity”of cannabis, punishable by a $100 fine.

KY resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of decriminalization

Legislation is pending, House Bill 136, to permit physicians to authorize access to medical cannabis for any patient whom they believe would benefit from its therapeutic use.

The measure allows registered patients to use, possess, and cultivate specified quantities of medical marijuana.

KY resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical access

Iowa

Legislation is pending, Senate File 1012, to amend marijuana possession penalties for first-time offenders.

Senate File 1012 reducea criminal penalties for possession of 5 grams of marijuana or less from a serious misdemeanor, punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000, to a simple misdemeanor, punishable by no more than 30 days in jail and/or a $625 fine.

Criminal penalties for all subsequent offenses would remain unchanged under these legislations.

IA resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of a first time penalty reduction

Oklahoma

Legislation is pending, Senate Bill 305, to protect registered medical cannabis patients from employment discrimination.

The measure would prohibit employers from arbitrarily discriminating against employees who legally consume medical cannabis off-the-job in accordance with state law.

OK resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of employment protections

Legislation has been introduced in Oklahoma, Senate Bill 325, to restrict access to medical cannabis in the state.

The measure would allow counties within Oklahoma to hold a referendum on whether or not to restrict or ban the production and sale of medical cannabis in their jurisdiction.

OK resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in opposition to restricting medical access

Alaska

Senator Tom Begich has re-introduced legislation, Senate Bill 8, to seal the convictions of past marijuana possession offenders.

The measure prohibits the release of past records for any marijuana offense that is no longer defined as a crime under state law.

AK resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of record sealing

Hawaii

Legislation is pending, House Bill 37, to permit physicians to recommend cannabis therapy to those struggling with opioid abuse or dependence.

HI resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of cannabis in place of opioids

Florida

Legislation is pending, Senate Bill 372, to re-legalize the inhalation of herbal cannabis formulations for medical purposes.

FL resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical cannabis inhalation rights

North Dakota

Legislation is pending, House Bill 1417, to expand patients’ access to medical cannabis in North Dakota.

The proposed changes:

Expands the pool of eligible patients by permitting providers to recommend medical cannabis to those diagnosed with neuropathy; opioid use disorder; opioid withdrawal; migraine; rheumatoid arthritis; and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome;

Allows physicians to explicitly authorize select patients to legally possess greater quantities of cannabis than are generally allowed under the law.

ND resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical expansion

Arkansas

Legislation is pending, House Bill 1150, to expand the state’s nascent medical cannabis access law.

The measure expands the pool of applicants eligible for medical cannabis by allowing physicians to recommend it to those with a wide array of conditions, including asthma, ADHD, bipolar disorder, Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injury, among other diagnoses.

AR resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical expansion

Colorado

Legislation is pending in Colorado that would expand the pool of individuals eligible for medical cannabis.

Senate Bill 19-013 would permit physicians to recommend cannabis therapy for any condition for which an opiate would otherwise be prescribed.

House Bill 19-1028 would permit physicians to recommend cannabis therapy to those diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

CO resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical expansion

Other Actions to Take

Connecticut

Legislation is pending, House Bill 5442, to expand patients’ access to medical cannabis in Connecticut.

The measure would expand the pool of individuals eligible for medical cannabis by allowing physicians to recommend it to those with generalized chronic pain.

CT resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical expansion

Arizona

Legislation is pending, House Bill 2387, that would expand the pool of individuals eligible for medical cannabis.

The measure would permit physicians to recommend cannabis therapy to those diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

AZ resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of medical expansion

New York

Legislation to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana for dogs, cats and other pets in New York State is pending in the Assembly (A. 970) Health Committee. The bill would allow veterinarians to recommend marijuana for our furry companion animals.

NY resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of expanding medical access to pets

Mississippi

Legislation is pending, House Bill 625, to establish an industrial hemp pilot program to be in compliance with the new federal hemp regulations.

MS resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of hemp production

Washington

Legislation is pending, Senate Bill 5276, to amend the state’s existing industrial hemp law to be in compliance with the new federal hemp regulations.

WA resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of hemp production

Wyoming

Legislation is pending, House Bill 171, to amend the state’s existing industrial hemp law to be in compliance with the new federal hemp regulations.

WY resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of hemp production

Florida

Legislation is pending, H. 333, to amend the state’s existing industrial hemp law to be in compliance with the new federal hemp regulations.

FL resident? Click here to email your lawmakers in support of hemp production

That’s all for this week!

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2019/01/18/weekly-legislative-roundup-1-18-19/

The blog post Weekly Legislative Roundup 1/18/19 See more on: GigglesNDimples.com

from Giggles N Dimples - Feed https://gigglesndimples.com/2019/01/18/weekly-legislative-roundup-1-18-19/

[oselatra]

What we have: Representative democracy

A basic user's guide.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

U.S. senators and congressmen represent the interests of their constituents at the federal level. The authorities of Congress include the passage of new federal legislation, the amending or repealing of existing federal laws and the spending of federal tax dollars.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R)

1401 W. Capitol Ave., Suite 155, Little Rock, 72201

372-7153

141 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

202-224-4843

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R)

P.O. Box 25216; Little Rock, 72221

223-9081

124 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

202-224-2353

U.S. Rep. French Hill (R)

1501 N. University Ave., Suite 150, Little Rock, 72207

324-5941

1229 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515

202-225-2506

STATE GOVERNMENT

Constitutional officers

Arkansas's executive branch is headed by the governor, who has ultimate authority over the operations of most state agencies, from the Department of Human Services to the Department of Correction. The second-most important statewide elected office is the attorney general, who serves as counsel for the state and acts as an advocate for consumers. The secretary of state has authority over Arkansas's election records (although the administration of elections is handled by county officials). In addition to the governor, attorney general and secretary of state, Arkansas has four other constitutional officer positions not listed below: lieutenant governor, auditor, treasurer and land commissioner (you probably won't ever have cause to deal with them).

Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R)

State Capitol, 500 Woodlane St., Room 250, Little Rock, 72201

682-2345

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge (R)

323 Center St., Room 200

General inquiries: 682-2007

Consumer hotline: 682-2341

Racial profiling hotline: 877-246-4404

Crime victims and outreach hotline: 682-1020

Medicaid fraud reporting hotline:  682-7760

Secretary of State Mark Martin (R)

State Capitol, 500 Woodlane St., Room 256

682-1010

State legislators representing a portion of Pulaski County

The Arkansas General Assembly creates the state's laws, controls how state tax revenue is spent and has limited influence over the operations of state agencies. Because state senators and representatives are elected to represent the interests of their constituents, contacting these officials is generally the most direct means for citizens to communicate with state government. Every resident of Arkansas has one senator and one representative. General inquiries to the House of Representatives can be directed to 682-6211 during the legislative session and 682-7771 when the General Assembly is not in session. The Senate's in-session number is 682-2902; its out-of-session number is 682-6107.

House District 29

Rep. Fredrick Love (D)

P.O. Box 4963, Little Rock, 72214

612-3939

fjlove@att.net

House District 30

Rep. Fred Allen (D)

19 Dover Drive, Little Rock, 72204

804-7844

fredallen99@comcast.net

House District 31

Rep. Andy Davis (R)

P.O. Box 30248, Little Rock, 72260

837-5109

andy.davis@arkansashouse.org

House District 32

Rep. James Sorvillo (R)

1925 Rainwood Cove Drive, Little Rock, 72212

551-9571

sorvillo4house@gmail.com

House District 33

Rep. Warwick Sabin (D)

P. O. Box 250508, Little Rock, 72225

372-4550

wsabin@wsabin.org

House District 34

Rep. John Walker (D)

1723 Broadway, Little Rock, 72206

614-9772

johnwalkeratty@aol.com

House District 35

Rep. Clarke Tucker (D)

111 Center St., Suite 1900, Little Rock, 72201

379-1767

clarke.tucker@arkansashouse.org

House District 36

Rep. Charles Blake (D)

201 W. Broadway St, Suite G1, North Little Rock, 72114

425-9824

charles.blake@arkansashouse.org

House District 37

Rep. Eddie Armstrong (D)

P. O. Box 5323, North Little Rock, 72119

866-980-9438

eddie.armstrong@arkansashouse.org

House District 38

Rep. Carlton Wing (R)

17 Dove Creek Circle, North Little Rock, 72116

carlton@carltonwing.com

House District 39

Rep. Mark Lowery (R)

229 Summit Valley Circle, Maumelle, 72113

837-5221

markdlowery@mac.com

House District 40

Rep. Douglas House (R)

8923 Bridge Creek Road, North Little Rock, 72120

590-1055

housedouglas@gmail.com

House District 41

Rep. Karilyn Brown (R)

P.O. Box 6677, Sherwood, 72124

580-9000

karilyn.brown@arkansashouse.org

House District 42

Rep. Bob Johnson (D)

511 N. First St., Suite 8, Jacksonville, 72076

982-1975

bobjohnsoncpa@gmail.com

Senate District 29

Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R)

401 Cobblestone Drive, Cabot, 72023

286-9366

EddieJoe.Williams@senate.ar.gov

Senate District 30

Sen. Linda Chesterfield (D)

12 Keo Drive; Little Rock, 72206

888-1859

lchesterfield@comcast.net

Senate District 31

Sen. Joyce Elliott (D)

P.O. Box 4248, Little Rock, 72214

603-9546

Joyce.Elliott@senate.ar.gov

Senate District 32

Sen. Will Bond (D)

711 W. Third St.; Little Rock, 72201

396-5400

Will.Bond@senate.ar.gov

Senate District 33

Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson (R)

400 W. Capitol Ave., Suite 2910, Little Rock, 72201

773-3760

Jeremy.Hutchinson@senate.ar.gov

Senate District 34,

Sen. Jane English (R)

3 Great Oak Court, North Little Rock, 72116

257-7670

jane.english@senate.ar.gov

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

County and municipal governments are responsible for administering local services, including law enforcement, maintenance of local roads, waste and recycling pickup, and maintenance of sewer and water systems. The county also runs the jail, administers local elections and collects property taxes.

The executive at the county level is the county judge, and the legislative body is the quorum court. The structure of municipal government varies according to the city: Some cities have a strong executive, others do not. In Little Rock, an unelected official, the city manager, is responsible for the broad day-to-day operations of the city.

Pulaski County

County Judge Barry Hyde (D)

340-8305

Sheriff Doc Holladay (D)

340-6600 (non-emergency)

Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley

340-8000

County/Circuit Clerk Larry Crane (D)

340-8500

Treasurer Debra Buckner (D)

340-6040

Assessor Janet Troutman Ward (D)

340-6170

Quorum Court, Justices of the Peace

District 1 — Doug Reed, 476-1932

District 2 — Tyler Denton, 340-8802

District 3 — Kathy Lewison, 224-5724

District 4 — Julie Blackwood, 425-2321

District 5 — Lillie McMullen, 224-2783

District 6 — Donna Massey, 231-6044

District 7 — Teresa Coney, 247-7946

District 8 — Curtis Keith, 537-1213

District 9 — Judy Green, 374-0679

District 10 — Robert Green, 400-4477

District 11 — Aaron Robinson, 982-1538

District 12 — Luke McCoy, 340-8310

District 13 — Phil Stowers, 993-6165

District 14 — Paul Elliott, 851-7999

District 15 — Staci Medlock, 944-8687

Little Rock

City services (non-emergency):

311 (within city limits); 371-4437 (outside city limits)

Administration

371-4510

Mayor Mark Stodola

City Manager Bruce T. Moore (unelected)

City Board of Directors:

Ward 1 — Erma Hendrix, 375-2216

Ward 2 — Ken Richardson, 379-8594

Ward 3 — Kathy Webb, 258-1949

Ward 4 — Capi Peck, 227-5623

Ward 5 — Lance Hines 257-0993

Ward 6 — Doris Wright, 565-6215

Ward 7 — B.J. Wyrick, 455-4701

Position 8 (at-large) — Dean Kumpuris, 663-1807

Position 9 (at-large) — Gene Fortson, 868-4664

Position 10 (at-large) — Joan Adcock, 565-6098

North Little Rock

City services:

975-8888

Mayor Joe Smith

975-8601

City Council

Ward 1:

Debi Ross, 753-0733

Beth White, 758-2738

Ward 2:

Maurice Taylor, 690-6444

Linda Robinson, 945-8820

Ward 3:

Steve Baxter, 804-0928

Ron Harris, 758-2877

Ward 4:

Charlie Hight, 944-0670

Murry Witcher, 835-0009

Maumelle

Mayor Michael Watson

851-2500

City Council

Ward 1, Pos. 1 — Steve Mosley, 240-6700

Ward 1, Pos. 2 — Ken Saunders, 425-5839

Ward 2, Pos. 1 — Marc Kelley, 803-9503

Ward 2, Pos. 2 — Rick Anderson, 920-1031

Ward 3, Pos. 1 — Terry Williams, 920-8684

Ward 3, Pos. 2 — G.K. Timmons, 804-3212

Ward 4, Pos. 1 — John Vaprezsan, 353-9651

Ward 4, Pos. 2 — Jess Holt, 681-9705

Jacksonville

Mayor Gary Fletcher

982-3146

City Council

Ward 1, Pos. 1 — Kenny Elliott, 982-5887

Ward 1, Pos. 2 — James Bolden, 569-0354

Ward 2, Pos. 1 — Kevin McCleary, 982-5144

Ward 2, Pos. 2 —Terry Sansing, 791-6220

Ward 3, Pos. 1 — Reedie Ray

Ward 3, Pos. 2 — Barbara Mashburn, 765-0767

Ward 4, Pos. 1 — Mike Traylor, 425-6158

Ward 4, Pos. 2 — Mary Twitty, 982-1721

Ward 5, Pos. 1 — Tara Smith, 349-1119

Ward 5, Pos. 2 — Les Collins, 944-6415

Sherwood:

City Hall/Mayor Virginia Hillman Young

835-6620

City Council

Ward 1 – Kenneth Keplinger and Charles Harmon

Ward 2 – Mary Jo Heye and Kevin Lilly

Ward 3 – Beverly Williams and Marina Brooks

Ward 4 – Tim McMinn and Mike Sanders

Alexander City Hall / Mayor Michelle Hobbs

455-2585

Wrightsville City Hall / Mayor McKinzie Riley

897-4547

Cammack Village City Hall / Mayor David Graf

663-8267

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

In a traditional public school district, voters elect school board members, who set policy for the district, make spending decisions and hire and fire its executive, the superintendent. However, the state Board of Education and the Education Department have the authority to seize control of a district and dissolve its elected board, under circumstances. In the event of a takeover, the (unelected) state Education Commissioner serves as the board until the district is returned to local control.

The state took control of the Little Rock School District in Jan. 2015 due to six out of the district's 48 campuses being deemed in "academic distress." In 2016, the state returned the Pulaski County Special School District to local control after five years of state takeover, and voters elected new members to the PCSSD school board in November. The Jacksonville-North Pulaski District, which was formerly part of the PCSSD, achieved full autonomy in 2016.

Traditional school districts are funded by local property tax revenue, state revenue and federal funds. In addition to its four traditional public school districts, Pulaski County is also home to a number of charter schools (which are publicly funded but privately administered) and private schools.

Little Rock School District

Superintendent Michael Poore

447-1005

North Little Rock School District

Superintendent Kelly Rodgers

771-8000

School Board:

Zone 1 – Dorothy Williams, 945-0696

Zone 2 – Tracy Steele, 580-9514

Zone 3 – Darrell Montgomery, 753-3687

Zone 4 – Taniesha Richardson-Wiley, 838-6711

Zone 5 – Scott Teague, 688-1809

Zone 6 – Sandi Campbell, 416-4554

Zone 7 – Luke King, 978-2252

Pulaski County Special School District

234-2000

Superintendent Jerry Guess

234-2001

School Board:

Zone 1 – Mike Kemp, mkemp@pcssd.org

Zone 2 – Tina Ward, tward@pcssd.org

Zone 3 – Linda Remele, lremele@pcssd.org

Zone 4 – Shelby Thomas, sthomas@pcssd.org 

Zone 5 – Alicia Gillen, agillen@pcssd.org

Zone 6 – Eli Keller, ekeller@pcssd.org

Zone 7 – Brian Maune, bmaune@pcssd.org

Jacksonville-North Pulaski School District

Superintendent Tony Wood

241-1180

School Board:

At-Large Position 1 – Daniel Gray, 960-3181

At-Large Position 2 – Ronald McDaniel,590-0183

Zone 1 – Marcia Dornblaser, 580-9156

Zone 2 – Carol Miles, 901-592-8081

Zone 3 – Jim Moore, 658-6361

Zone 4 – LaConda Watson, 350-0762

Zone 5 – Dena Toney, 988-5247

Ex Officio – Col. William Brooks

What we have: Representative democracy