Week Seven

Wow! What a whirlwind. I have been learning so much and it is very exciting to serve the people of Arkansas and the best district in the state-94.

There have been a lot of bills and a lot of hard decisions, but I think I will leave this blog in pictures this time with slight descriptions. Enjoy!

Seth R. from Rogers is a young Eagle Scout from my district. Seth designed an awesome fire drill plan that took 2 minutes off of an escape route. I presented him with a flag that had been flown over the Arkansas House of Representatives chamber and a certificate. 

Also, my dog Wolfie made his first political debut. Seth really liked petting him and Wolfie liked it too. Seth will be visiting the Capitol and participating in our page program in March. I am excited about this for him. He's an awesome kid and I am so glad he is my constituent.  

The governor shut down the state offices last Monday because of inclement weather. I trudged around the Capitol grounds and took pictures (my hobby). This one is my favorite. It was flat cold.  

 Governor Hutchinson signed Andi's bill in to state law which gives crime victims rights during the course of a state execution. It was a very emotional bill for me to pass. It was my first bill and I am honored it is now in the books in her name.
I was also so honored that my family participated in the ceremony (including my fiance' and his awesome nephew Jared) and many from the legislative body. It was a really neat day. My bother-in-law Brant opened the prayer on the floor of the House and my sis was there for the whole thing, as well.

Wednesday my dear friend, Missey Smith, is flying in to Little Rock to testify on behalf of the Kelsey Smith Act. I have worked hard with the Smith family, AT&T, the Arkansas State Police, and the Arkansas Crime Information Center to make sure this very important piece of legislation is presented right. I have to hand it to Missey for her determination and to Cathy Foracre from AT&T for helping me spearhead this awesome effort. And of course, I would never leave out the Arkansas State Police and ACIC. Thanks everyone.
But, most of all this is for every child who has been kidnapped, harmed, and/or murdered.

Kelsey Smith age 18.

Next, I have been approached to work with the Attorney General's office on some other crime victims reparation issues and I got a call today from Parent's of Murdered Children in Little Rock letting me know that I have received mail at their office, I suppose the person didn't know where else to send the letter. I will go pick it up tomorrow. Someone told me last week, "Because of you victims in this state finally have a voice. Thank you." I could barely keep from crying because victims have been silenced for so long in this state. 

I also spent some time this weekend with a wonderful firm in my district, Crafton Tull. I appreciated their conversation and insight to their business. Thank you, Mr. Tom Hopper for the kind words of encouragement you offered. I really enjoyed sitting with you and your lovely wife at dinner. 

That is it. Back to Little Rock.

God bless.  

Legislative Week Four.

Greetings all!

Being home on the weekends does not mean a legislator is off work. Last weekend, I took some food and Gatorade to the two fire stations in my district. Rogers Station 4 and Bentonville Station 2. It was great to meet the men and women who serve as firefighters in the district. They showed me the firetrucks and ambulances and all around the station. Great group of folks. I appreciate them more than they know.

I presented my first bill, Andi's Law, on the floor of the House on Monday. It passed 95-0

This bill gives crime victim's the right to choose whether or not they want to witness the execution of a person who has been convicted of capital murder for the death of their loved one. Arkansas did not allow this as many other states do. It gives respect and dignity to victim families and allows them to see to the last bit of business their loved one has on the planet (if they so choose). Tomorrow it goes to the Senate floor. I testified in front of the Senate Judiciary and was met with some very tough questions. In the end it passed unanimously. Very tough, but I did it. It goes to the Senate floor on Monday. 

This has been the busiest  and by far the most stressful week as a legislator I have had. We tackled some issues in regards to Arkansas' health care reform, something that I feel almost destroyed the 89th General Assembly, and we faced it early and head on. The body of legislators and our governor came together and there is a lot of unity on how to face, address, and fix this issue. This will not plague the 90th General Assembly as it did in the previous session. There were some very tough issues to it all and I appreciate and respect our Speaker of the House, Jeremy Gillam, for his leadership. 

Yesterday was my first legislative forum at Northwest Arkansas Community College. Several of my colleagues from this area were there and we sat on a panel and discussed issues we are working on in Little Rock. I talked about Andi's Law and the Kelsey Smith Act that I will be filing on Monday. There was also some discussion with firefighters about them developing cancer due to carcinogens and them not being able to receive workman's compensation. With me being closely tied to the fire service with Bill and my cousin Jenn, this issue really struck a chord with me. God bless them.  I cannot even imagine losing a loved one in the fire service, much less having no support. This will be an issue I will really research and most likely support with the help of Representative Dotson and Representative Della Rosa. This picture is us at NWACC yesterday morning. Thank you NWACC for hosting us. 

  

Today before I leave to go back to Little Rock I am presenting two Arkansas flags that were flown over the Capitol and a certificate from the Secretary of State to some children in my district who have done some pretty cool things.

One is an Eagle Scout who constructed an emergency path for fire drills at the NWA Sunshine School and Development Center. And another to the sweetest little brother and sister whom I was able to discuss politics with while I was campaigning and after I won the election. I believe encouraging children is the pathway for them to get involved in their local, state and federal government. These kids deserve to be recognized and I truly feel honored to honor them. 

Tomorrow I am filing the Kelsey Smith Act. The Kelsey Smith Act provides law enforcement with a way to quickly ascertain the location of a wireless telecommunications device if a person has been determined, by law enforcement, to be at risk of death or serious physical harm due to being kidnapped and/or missing. I want to really thank the Smith family, Senator Greg Smith of Kansas and his awesome wife, Missey for helping in this endeavor and Cathy Foraker from AT&T for helping me in this process. I wanted it to be perfect before I presented it and the effort and rally behind this was amazing. Thank you! I am truly sad that there is even a need for this legislation. But, honored to do it. But, it wasn't without the help of many wonderful folks. 

Kelsey Smith

I hope everyone has a blessed week. Please feel free to contact me at any time. rebecca.petty@arkansashouse.org

Rebecca