Senator Bryan King (R)- Green Forest filed SB 176 today. The bill would prohibit employees of nursing home facilities or long term care facilities from obtaining petition signatures at the facility where they are employed. Here is a copy of the bill.
You may remember the situation that was discussed on this blog where nursing home administrators and employees combed the nursing homes where they worked to get their patients to sign in support of Issue 4, a giveaway to nursing homes and lobbyists. Marci Manley of KARK did great reporting on that horrible situation and the potential for serious abuse. Please watch her story here.
This bill would protect vulnerable seniors from being presented with petitions that they may not be able to understand or comprehend. Although it was only recently filed, watch this blog for updates on this piece of legislation and others as the 2017 General Assembly moves forward.