Related Posts
Senate
October 1, 2021
Griffin [00:05:50] Testing, testing, go hogs, testing, go hogs, go hogs, testing, go hogs. The Senate will come to order. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.
Cornwell [00:06:06] [Roll call, all present except Sen. Eads]
Griffin [00:06:49] Everyone– actually, before we have the prayer, do we need leave for Sen. Eads?
Senate [00:06:55] Leave.
Griffin [00:06:56] Without objection. Everyone, please stand and stop talking, including those in the gallery. Sen. Gilmore is going to lead us in prayer. Sen. Gilmore’s going to lead us in prayer. Sen. Gilmore.
Gilmore [00:07:08] Thank you, governor. Members, pray with me. Heavenly Father Lord, we thank you for your many blessings. We thank you for who you are. We thank you for being all knowing and all powerful, Lord. We just pray that you would be with this day. Be with this body. I pray that you would grant wisdom. But I pray Lord, that we would be a reflection of you, that we would show your love, your mercy. And I pray that we would do the people’s business, lord, and it not be about me or anybody else in this chamber, Lord, that we would, that we would be behind you and you would hide us behind the cross, lord, so that only you would be seen. And I pray that we would all decrease in order that you might increase to receive the honor and glory. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
Senate [00:07:59] [Pledge of Allegiance]
Griffin [00:08:00] Any items at the desk?
Cornwell [00:08:03] We, your Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor, to whom was referred senate Bill 732 by Senator Johnson, recommend that it do pass as amended number one.
Griffin [00:08:20] Calendar. I didn’t have it up here. Yeah, no, it’s not Bob Johnson. He’s retired. I think he’s got a beverage business out in Perry County. Senator Hickey wishes to be recognized.
Hickey [00:08:49] OK, members, let’s kind of talk about where we’re at. The House, the House is going to go home until Monday. Redistricting maps are going to still be being discussed over the weekend. What we had happen this morning is we had one, one of the bills that we sent back to Public Health has been vetted, debated, the public has had all the opportunity they needed to speak on that and that one bill has been passed out. Now what we can do is that one bill that’s been passed out, we can put that on the calendar and come in tomorrow morning and just debate and hear that. Senator Bledsoe is also going to go back to Public Health and they’re going to continue to hear all of these bills or as many as they can get done this afternoon after we get out of here. She’s going to make an announcement of when that’s going to be. If any other bills come out– if any other bills come out, at that point in time, we could– if we came back in on Saturday, we could calendar those and put those on Sunday. There was some talk, you know, yesterday that everybody wanted to make sure that we were going to stay here and do the work. And I’m going to tell y’all right now, that’s what I’m willing to do. I don’t know that it makes a whole lot of sense because what we could do is just calendar all of these bills and put them on for Monday morning. But if we do that, I’m going to ask although some of you have a long travel– I just asked Senator Hester. Him and Sen. Hendren are probably the the furthest away. We could do, like 9:00, you know, just to give time for them to get here. But I would ask that we come back in at 9:00 on Monday morning. So is there any objection to the 9:00 for Monday morning? With that, Mr. Chair–
Griffin [00:10:46] OK, OK, I’ll get to you.
Hickey [00:10:50] So 9:00.
Griffin [00:10:52] Got a question for Senator Hickey, or? OK. OK, so 0900 Monday morning. Senator Johnson.
B Johnson [00:11:12] I need to suspend the rules to have an amendment for 732 engrossed. Adopt– yeah– adopted and engressed. So.
Griffin [00:11:27] Any objection to suspending the rules? All those in favor say– he wants to suspend the rules to amend his bill, to document. OK, so first on the suspension, all those in favor say aye. Opposed. Ayes have it. We are– the rules are suspended. Now on the amendment.
Cornwell [00:11:48] Amendment One to Senate Bill 732.
B Johnson [00:11:52] Members, it’s my bill, my amendment. What it does is in, in that there is personal benefits for incentives.
Griffin [00:12:02] Senator, one second, I can’t hear and I don’t know if you can. [Gaven] This is not just a routine piece of legislation. He’s amending something that we’ve spent a lot of time on. Senator.
B Johnson [00:12:14] There is a– it could be considered in the original text by personal benefit that, that that would be the incentives, the $400, $200 dollars that employers were getting that as a coercion. So this, this corrects that and that compensation is not considered coercion. Also at the very end, the American rescue funds or, or other federal funds that may become available– that, that is included.
Griffin [00:12:48] Any questions for the senator? Okay. All those in favor say aye. Opposed. Ayes have it. Amendment’s adopted. Send to engrossing. Any other announcements? Any other announcements? Anyone want to say anything? Senator Bledsoe’s recognized to say something.
Bledsoe [00:13:18] Ladies and gentlemen, as soon as the Senate adjourns, we will go to room 272 for the rest of the Public Health Committee meeting and we will be there until late this afternoon. We have 11 more bills to hear. Thank you so much. Right now. Right now. Well, I take that back. I forgot some people eat lunch. So let’s do 11:30. That’ll give you enough time. See you at 11:30. Oh yes.
Griffin [00:13:53] Sen. Chesterfield.
Chesterfield [00:13:56] Mr. Chair, how many bills were heard–
Griffin [00:14:00] [Gavel] Sen. Ballinger, please take your phone call off the floor.
Bledsoe [00:14:03] We started at 8:30 and we just got through. Because of this, we have passed one bill.
Chesterfield [00:14:10] So were others on the agenda or you were just able to debate the one bill?
Bledsoe [00:14:13] No, no. Others were– there were 11 others on the agenda.
Chesterfield [00:14:17] Okay, but you’ve only dealt with one one. Alright, thank you so much. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Griffin [00:14:22] OK.
Bledsoe [00:14:22] Thank you.
Griffin [00:14:23] Everybody clear? OK, anybody else wish to say anything? The Senate’s adjourned until 0900 Monday subject to the clearing of the desk. Looks pretty clear to me.