Voter ID, "Tort Reform" Among 31 Ballot Proposals Filed

Arkansas legislators filed 31 proposed constitutional amendments for the 2018 ballot. Limited by law to a maximum of three measures, legislators will quickly whittle the list down in committee meetings in coming weeks. 

 

Based on the number of co-sponsors, there are a few proposals most likely to make it through the committee process legislators told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The proposals include:

 

• Monetary limits on medical-injury lawsuits and control of Supreme Court practices. (This type of law is often referred to as "tort reform.")

• Requirements to show photo identification when voting. 

• Deadlines for legal challenges of proposed ballot issues. 

The number of bills is less than the 40 filed for the 2016 ballot. Several of the proposals are shell bills, in that there is only a title. Shell bills are typically fleshed out at a later time. Some of the bills are similar, dealing with access to education, changes to the ballot issue process, and the method for selecting Supreme Court justices. 

 

A full list of the 31 proposals can be found in our monthly ballot issue newsletter. In an interview with the newspaper, legislators from both houses said they wanted committees to review the bills this week and narrow them down for a full vote. The House and the Senate expect to refer one proposal each. A third proposal might be agreed to at a later date this session. 

 

The 91st General Assembly is expected to wrap up by April 7, according to a resolution filed Monday, with the official last day of the session being May 5.