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Ingram joins call for repeal of Act 1002

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Legislators want to walk back ban of local mask mandate powers as return to school nears

ralphhardin@gmail.com In the wake of a surge of new COVID-19 cases, including the first local coronavirus-related death in more than two months, several Arkansas lawmakers want the opportunity to reconsider a law they just passed back in April.

State Senator Keith Ingram of West Memphis, who also served as Arkansas state Senate Minority Leader:, is among those making a plea to Governor Asa Hutchinson on the matter.

“Today, I am joining my colleagues from Pulaski County in their earnest plea to Governor Asa Hutchinson, the President Pro Tem, Senator Jimmy Hickey and Representative Matthew Shepherd, the Speaker of the House, urging them to call the Arkansas General Assembly back into session to repeal the ban on mask mandates in our state,” said the state’s highest-ranking Democrat last week. “It has become painfully obvious that the Delta Variant of COVID-19 is having a serious impact on the people of Arkansas. Unlike previous iterations of the virus, the Delta Variant is more harmful to our children. We just experienced our first pediatric death due to COVID-19, and at least a dozen children are hospitalized with severe cases of COVID pneumonia.”

More than 6,000 Arkansans have now died from COVID-19, including 98 in Crittenden County after a new fatality here last Tuesday.

“To make this surge in cases even more alarming is the fact that Arkansas schools no longer have the authority to require students to wear masks, thanks to the provisions of Act 1002 of 2021,” Ingram said. “The surge in new cases, combined with the draconian provisions of Act 1002, are a recipe for disaster when students return to school.”

In fact, some schools, including the Marion School District, have already resumed classes.

ASU Mid-South is scheduled to start its Fall Semester next week in West Memphis.

“Let’s be clear,” Ingram said. “Neither I nor my colleagues are calling for a statewide mask mandate.

We are only seeking to repeal a statewide ban on mask mandates. That will enable our communities, and especially our local school boards, to make decisions that are best suited for protecting the health of the children they serve.”

Ingram outlined the flaws with the legislation.

“Act 1002 was supported by the same legislators who consistently express outrage over federal mandates and executive orders with which they do not agree,” he said. “In fact, when Act 1002 takes effect (which it did on July 28) it will impose an expanded version of big-government power over Arkansas communities and schools.”

Ingram then asked what he felt was the pertinent question.

“When did lawmakers stop caring about local control?” he wondered. “If we allow Act 1002 to become law, we will weaken our communities of their ability to respond effectively to public health crises, thus jeopardizing our children.”

Ingram had more questions for the governor and his fellow lawmakers.

“What a bleak message this signals to the people of Arkansas and the rest of the country,” he said. “How many people need to become gravely ill before we respond? How many families will lose their financial security from hospital bills? How many children must die before we take action?”

Ingram suggested that the goals of the act were not in line with the safety of the people of the state.

“When the legislature approved Act 1002 the arguments in its favor were mainly economic,” he said.

“Many Arkansas businesses had been devastated by the pandemic and the public health requirements that the state issued in order to control its spread. But if we look at this issue from a strict economic perspective, we must ask ourselves what caliber of executive wants to locate their company to a state where children’s health is at risk?

What type of industry is willing to expand in a state that sits on its hands while it becomes ground zero for a new, deadlier strain of COVID-19?”

Ingram offered an appeal to the needs of the citizenry.

“We say we value education, but tying the hands of local school boards will only lead to more school stoppages and more quarantines?” he asked. “The health of our children is at stake. It’s time to listen to medical professionals, not political showboating. Let’s repeal Act 1002 and restore the ability of local governments and school boards to do what is best for the people, and the children of Arkansas.”

Governor Hutchinson said last week that he met with the House speaker and Senate president pro tempore on Tuesday to discuss a potential special session

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Senate Minority Leader Keith Ingram INGRAM (cont.)

of the general assembly.

Gov. Hutchinson said that a special session could still be an option and that they would look at what to do with Arkansas schools going into the upcoming school year.

“I had an in-depth meeting with the Speaker and Pro Tem discussing a potential special session of the General Assembly,” Hutchinson said. “A special session remains an option as we look for specific ways to assist our schools as we prepare for the next school year. In the coming days, I will be evaluating options for legislative changes to Act 1002 that will give our schools more local control on meeting the health needs of the students as we enter a new school year in the face of the Delta variant. I will not make a decision on a special session until legislative leadership has an opportunity to discuss options further with their members.”

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