Page 19 - ATR 1 2013

In Session

th
A look at the 89 Arkansas General Assembly

by lane Kidd and
Kelly Cargill Crow
Executive Editor and Managing Editor

During the first first few weeks of
th
the 89 Arkansas General Assembly the
trucking industry watched along with
other business groups as legislators were
swept up in a flurry of hot button social
issues reminiscent of the 1990s: car-
rying concealed weapons in churches,
college campuses and the State Capitol;
whether to keep the list of registered
gun owners secret; various bills revolv-
ing around when life begins and the
difficult social issues of abortion as well
as the criminal death penalty.
Once the political dust began to
settle, however, the focus returned to
matters of regulations, economic devel-
opment and taxes.
The Arkansas Trucking Association
(ATA) is advocating three legislative
proposals that ATA says will improve
highway safety, protect trucking compa-
nies from unfair business practices and
further define what constitutes an inde-
pendent contractor in the industry.

a parTNErSHIp for
CommErCIal TrUCk SafETy
The purpose of the legislation to
improve commercial truck safety has
its roots in the regular legislative ses-
sion back in 2011. Two years ago, the
ATA supported a package that linked a
proposal to increase the state diesel tax
by 5-cents per gallon and a full sales tax
exemption on new and used trucks and
semitrailers. The legislature passed a
partial exemption at a cost of about $16
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arKanSaS truCKing report | issue 1 2013 19