Arkansas House OKs prohibiting custody of sex offenders
Arkansas House OKs prohibiting custody of sex offenders Last Update: 1/19/2007 8:11:48 PM LITTLE ROCK (AP) - The House unanimously approved a proposal Friday that would prohibit awarding custody or visitation to a convicted sex offender unless a judge finds that the offender poses no danger to the child. The proposal, by Rep. Dawn Creekmore, D-East End, says there is a "rebuttable presumption" that it is not in the best interest of a child to be placed with a sex offender. The House voted 98-0 in favor of the measure. "This will give the court the discretion to see if that sex offender is a harm to that child," Creekmore told reporters after the vote. "There are sex offenders who are not a danger to their children, but this will give the court a tool to use to make that determination." After a light morning with no committee activity, House members adjourned Friday and Senate was off Friday. Both chambers convene again Monday. On Thursday, the House approved a bill that would require courts to notify schools when a student has been charged with a sex crime. House members passed the bill by Rep. Shirley Walters, R-Greenwood, that would require that a copy of a court order restricting a youngster's contact with other juveniles or requiring that such contact be supervised be sent to the school attended by the youth targeted in the order. The House voted 97-0 on the measure. Walters, R-Greenwood, said school officials should be notified when a student has been charged with a sex crime. State law currently requires that parents of a student notify the school as part of a court-ordered safety plan. "How many of you parents are going to tell the school that your child is a sexual predator?" Walters asked House members before the vote. Under the proposal the safety plan would be provided by the court to a school counselor and would be kept confidential. The House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee recommended passage Thursday of a proposal by Rep. Fred Allen, D-Little Rock, that would encourage grocery stores to provide anti-bacterial wipes for customers to use on shopping carts. Allen said the proposal would not require the stores to provide the wipes, and would help customers avoid germs and viruses. "We're not going to force this on anyone," Allen said. "It's a voluntary program." Also Thursday, the House Education Committee endorsed a proposal that would require school districts to ban bullying that happens via the Internet or text messages. The committee recommended passage of a proposal by Walters that would require school districts to include "cyberbullying" in their anti-bullying policies. Walters defined cyberbullying as using Web sites, chat rooms, text messaging or other online methods to threaten or harass students or teachers. Walters said the proposal would focus on online messages or activities that could lead to threatening behavior and said she doesn't want the proposal to restrict a student's First Amendment rights. "You have freedom of speech, but not if it's going to cause an action that disrupts school," Walters said. Holly Dickson, staff attorney for the Arkansas chapter of the ACLU, told lawmakers she's concerned the bill attempts to regulate a student's activity away from campus. Dickson said she hopes to work with Walters to amend the proposal. "While we recognize that off-campus conduct may sometimes lead to disruption in the school, there's a question of the constitutionality of disciplining a student for actions that were wholly outside of school," Dickson said. The Senate committee on Insurance and Commerce endorsed a bill that would allow consolidated utility districts to participate with out-of-state agencies. The bill, already passed in the House, would allow Jonesboro Water & Light to invest in a Louisiana power plant, said Rep. Chris Thyer, D-Jonesboro. It now moves onto the Senate floor. Sen. Barbara Horn, D-Foreman, introduced a bill Thursday to cut all sales taxes on fuels and utilities for manufacturers in the state. The bill would cut about $80 million annually from general revenue, Horn said. "If you retain jobs, you're going to cut that down," Horn said. "This is something Arkansas needs. When you know of all the plant closing all over the state - it hits every corner." Beebe has proposed cutting the tax manufacturers pay on utilities by 1 percent - costing Arkansas $19.8 million over the next two years. http://www.fox16.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=c622568a-7932-4b7a-8684-ed8a5cc47633&rss=315