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.
