Religious Freedom Amendment Advances in Senate State Agencies Committee

On Tuesday the Senate State Agencies Committee passed S.J.R. 14.

This good proposal by Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Conway) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) amends the Arkansas Constitution.

It prevents the government from burdening a person’s free exercise of religion.

S.J.R. 14 is similar to Arkansas’ state Religious Freedom Restoration Act. However, it writes religious freedoms into the Arkansas Constitution instead of state law.

Family Council strongly supports this good amendment to the Arkansas Constitution.

You Can Read S.J.R. 14 Here.

If passed by the Arkansas Legislature, S.J.R. 14 would be placed on the 2022 General Election ballot to give voters the opportunity to decide if they want to add S.J.R. 14 to the Arkansas Constitution.

You can call (501) 682-2902 to leave a message asking your state senator to support S.J.R. 14, the Religious Freedom Amendment.

You can find your senator’s name and email address below. Ask your senator to support S.J.R. 14.

Contact Your Senator

Sen. Bart Hester (Republican – Dist. 1): bart.hester@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Jim Hendren (Independent- Dist. 2): jim.hendren@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Cecile Bledsoe (Republican – Dist. 3): cecile.bledsoe@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Greg Leding (Democrat – Dist. 4): greg.leding@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Bob Ballinger (Republican – Dist. 5): bob.ballinger@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Gary Stubblefield (Republican – Dist. 6): gary.stubblefield@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Lance Eads (Republican – Dist. 7): lance.eads@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Mathew Pitsch (Republican – Dist. 8): mathew.pitsch@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Terry Rice (Republican – Dist. 9): terry.rice@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Larry Teague (Democrat – Dist. 10): larry.teague@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Jimmy Hickey (Republican – Dist. 11): jimmy.hickey@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Charles Beckham (Republican – Dist. 12): charles.beckham@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Alan Clark (Republican – Dist. 13): alan.clark@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Bill Sample (Republican – Dist. 14): bill.sample@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Mark Johnson (Republican – Dist. 15): mark.johnson@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Breanne Davis (Republican – Dist. 16): breanne.davis@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Scott Flippo (Republican – Dist. 17): scott.flippo@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Missy Irvin (Republican – Dist. 18): missy.irvin@senate.ar.gov

Sen. James Sturch (Republican – Dist. 19): james.sturch@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Blake Johnson (Republican – Dist. 20): blake.johnson@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Dan Sullivan (Republican – Dist. 21): dan.sullivan@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Dave Wallace (Republican – Dist. 22): dave.wallace@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Ronald Caldwell (Republican – Dist. 23): ronald.caldwell@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Keith Ingram (Democrat – Dist. 24): keith.ingram@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Stephanie Flowers (Democrat – Dist. 25): stephanie.flowers@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Ben Gilmore (Republican – Dist. 26): ben.gilmore@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Trent Garner (Republican – Dist. 27): trent.garner@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Jonathan Dismang (Republican – Dist. 28): jonathan.dismang@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Ricky Hill (Republican – Dist. 29): Ricky.Hill@Senate.ar.gov

Sen. Linda Chesterfield (Democrat – Dist. 30): linda.chesterfield@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Joyce Elliott (Democrat – Dist. 31): joyce.elliott@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Clarke Tucker (Democrat – Dist. 32): clarke.tucker@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Kim Hammer (Republican – Dist. 33): kim.hammer@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Jane English (Republican – Dist. 34): jane.english@senate.ar.gov

Sen. Jason Rapert (Republican – Dist. 35): jason.rapert@senate.ar.gov

Family Council Obtains Documents Showing Planned Parenthood in Pulaski County Public Schools

A screenshot from the documents outlining some of the topics Planned Parenthood covers with students.

Last month Family Council sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) asking for communications between Planned Parenthood employees and school district employees.

PCSSD includes public schools in Pulaski County outside of Little Rock.

In response, the Pulaski County Special School district sent Family Council 1,395 pages of redacted email correspondences, attachments, and other documents revealing that Planned Parenthood has been active in multiple central Arkansas public schools over the past several years.

In particular, the emails reveal that Planned Parenthood’s Education and Outreach coordinator gave a series of presentations at Sylvan Hills High School in 2018 and again in 2019.

The coordinator was invited back to give lectures at the school in 2020, but the coronavirus outbreak—coupled with the coordinator at Planned Parenthood changing jobs—apparently put a halt to that.

A screenshot from the documents outlining some of the topics Planned Parenthood covers with students.

Planned Parenthood conducted similar presentations at Fuller Middle School in 2015, Mills High School in 2016, and Joe T. Robinson in 2018 or 2019.

The documents also show that Planned Parenthood communicated extensively with the counselor at Maumelle High School, and that Planned Parenthood may have conducted activities at Cloverdale Middle School and McClellan High School over the past few years.

All of this underscores why new legislation like H.B. 1592 is so important.

H.B. 1592 is a good bill by Rep. Mark Lowery (R – Maumelle) that prohibits public schools in Arkansas from working with abortion providers.

H.B. 1592 will help make sure Planned Parenthood and other abortionists don’t continue to have access to our state’s public schools.

H.B. 1592 is currently before the Senate Education Committee.

Read H.B. 1592 Here.

Read all 1,395 pages of documents from the PCSSD here.

Read a few excerpts from the documents here.

Committee Passes Measure Establishing Day of Prayer

Sen. Hill presents S.B. 662 in committee.

On Monday the Senate Education Committee passed S.B. 662.

This good bill by Sen. Ricky Hill (R – Cabot) and Rep. Cameron Cooper (R – Romance) establishes a Day of Prayer for Arkansas Students.

S.B. 662 calls on the citizens of the state to “pray, meditate, or otherwise reflect upon” students, teachers, school administrators, and schools” on the last Wednesday of September every year.

The bill now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for consideration.

Read S.B. 662 Here.