Week 8 of the Arkansas 94th General Assembly brought more discussion on Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ Arkansas LEARNS Act as well as a Senate Bill, also known as the “bathroom bill,” that would make it a crime if an adult “knowingly exposes his or her sex organs to a minor of the opposite sex” in a public restroom or changing room.
The Advocate reported nearly 100 members of the public signed up to speak at a House Education Committee on Tuesday about the LEARNS Act, with “dozens speaking on both sides of the issue.”
The lead sponsor of the “bathroom bill” (Senate Bill 270), Sen. John Payton (R-Wilburn), said the bill isn’t meant to target transgender people, though according to the Arkansas Advocate article, opponents say the bill would do just that. (To read more about Payton’s bill from Arkansas Advocate, click here.)
The Arkansas Advocate article goes into more detail about other newly filed bills from Week 8, including a Senate Bill that would make communications between legislators and legislative staff privileged and a House Bill that would amend conditions under which a public school district can be consolidated.
To read the Arkansas Advocate article by Hunter Field and Antoinette Grajeda, click here.
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