News

Senator Missy Irvin Addresses the Rotary Club of Heber Springs
Heber Springs, AR
10/11/2017 11:32 AM

Senator Missy Irvin was the presenter at the October 10 meeting of the Rotary Club of Heber Springs.  Senator Irvin provided a legislative update, detailing many of the accomplishments in the Arkansas Legislature for the past session.  Included in the accomplishments were Acts 78 & 79, an act to create the tax reform and relief act of 2017, and to create the Arkansas Tax Reform and Relief Legislative Task Force. Senator Irvin explained that the act would reduce all income taxes for individuals, trusts and estates with a net income of less than $21,000 and reduce the bottom income tax rate for those with incomes between $21,000 and $75,000. The task force created by the act will study tax reform and recommend legislation for the 2019 election, with the ultimate goal, she said, of moving more toward eliminating state income tax as other states have done.

 

Another area of great concern to Senator Irvin, and which the legislature made significant progress, was in the area of Tort Reform. In the 2018 election, a constitutional amendment will be presented to voters which would limit the fee for legal representation in a civil suit to no more than 33  1/3% of the amount of recovery, limit punitive damage awards, and limit non-economic damage awards.

 

Other legislation that was passed included, among others, a military retirees tax exemption; two acts focusing on 2nd Amendment concealed carry regulations in Arkansas; an act to amend the taxable wage base, weekly benefit amount and eligibility requirements for unemployment insurance; an act recognizing Gold Star families in Arkansas and permitting the placement on the State Capitol Grounds of a monument in their honor; an act offering further protection for law enforcement in the state; and an act authorizing paid maternity leave for state employees.

 

“A great deal of time and energy was spent,” said Senator Irvin, “creating an entire industry from the ground up,” surrounding the legalization of Medical Marijuana in the state. Twenty-three separate acts had to be passed surrounding the issue, to regulate everything from background check procedures, to ensuring employee protections and safety, to defining the regulation of marketing, advertising, packaging and production of the product and more. 

 

Senator Irvin is originally from Mountain View and is a member of the Rotary Club of Heber Springs. For more information on the legislative session or for other constituent concerns, she can be reached by emailing her at Missy.Irvin@senate.ar.gov or by calling 870-269-2703.

Rotarians are “People of Action” who are making a difference locally, nationally and internationally.  The Object of Rotary is "to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise." The Rotary Club of Heber Springs meets each Tuesday at noon on the ASU-Heber Springs Campus. For more information about the Rotary Club of Heber Springs, please visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/TheRotaryClubofHeberSpringsAR.

Reference
Kathy Phillips, Public Relations Chair
501-270-2204
 
Powered By CC-Assist.NET