Ark Ballot Issues for Nov 4 Election.

[L.Wood]

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Here is a good site for studying choosing your position on ballot issues you will see
on the Ark General Election ballot. Hat tip to UA Cooperative Extension Service Public Policy Center

Ballot Issues

Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1 - An amendment concerning voting, qualifications of voters and election officers, and the time of holding general elections.

Support: Referred to the People by the Arkansas General Assembly

Opposition: No formal opposition

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Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 2 - An amendment providing that no legislative appropriation shall be for a period longer than one year, providing for fiscal legislative sessions, requiring the General Assembly to meet every year with regular sessions continuing to be held in odd-numbered years and fiscal sessions held in even-numbered years, unless the General Assembly votes to hold regular sessions in even-numbered years and fiscal sessions in odd-numbered years, and allowing the General Assembly to consider non-fiscal matters during a fiscal session upon approval of two-thirds of both houses.

Support: Referred to the People by the Arkansas General Assembly

Oppose: Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
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Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 - A constitutional amendment authorizing the General Assembly to establish, operate, and regulate state lotteries to fund scholarships and grants for Arkansas citizens enrolled in certified two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Arkansas.

Support: HOPE for Arkansas, Arkansas AFL-CIO

Oppose: Family Council Action Committee, Arkansas Faith and Ethics Council, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation, United Methodists Against Gambling

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Proposed Initiative Act No. 1 - An act providing that an individual who is cohabitating outside of a valid marriage may not adopt or be a foster parent of a child less than eighteen years old.

Support: Family Council Action Committee, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation

Oppose: Arkansas Families First

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Referred Question No. 1 - Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal, and Pollution Abatement Facilities Financing Act of 2007

Support: Arkansans for Clean Water, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation, Arkansas Municipal League

Oppose: Arkansas Wildlife Federation


You can go to the hyper-link above which will take you to a complete discussion of each of the ballot issues. keep in mind when at the site
Issues in Red are hyper-linked.

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[L.Wood]

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Re: Referred Act No. 1

There really is no good explanation or discussion of Referred Act No. 1. However there was this blog news post about it on Ark Times:

Vote 'No' on Referred Question No. 1

No, I'm not talking about the anti-adoption initiated act. But vote No on Initiated Act 1, too.

This is about the referred act to give the appointed Arkansas "Natural Resources" Commission authority to issue up to $300 million in bonds for water projects. The bonds would be backed by state general revenues if user fees aren't sufficient to repay them, just one of the reasons the Arkansas Wildlife Federation announced its opposition today.

The Wildlife Federation is more concerned about the appointed commission's power, as T. David Carruth put it, "to take private and public land and water resources by force." The Commission, which has served as a toady for agricultural interests down through the years, could even exert dominion over the Little Rock water supply lake and ship it anywhere it chose, the Federation contends. The law would strengthen the appointed commission's ability to condemn land for its aims. The "Natural Resources" people represent that these bonds are about local drinking water projects. But the Wildlife Federation argues that "the lion's share of the money is going to a handful of irrigation projects and is being put to uses of which the Arkansas taxpayers were never informed nor could they have imagined."

Legislators tell me they tried to put a curb on the commision's manifest irrigation destiny in enabling legislation. But the commission's record doesn't inspire confidence. The Wildlife Federation has compiled a long list of questionable spending of Natural Resources money on lobbying, travel and media expenes. The Federation belives the commission will use the new money to further subsidize the White River and other irrigation projects it opposes on ground that they'll be damaging to wildlife.

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