Arkansas' Capitol roundup: Petitions, kids and Commandments

• Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed 42 bills into law this week.
• They include one to disqualify signatures on a petition under certain circumstances — like fraud or forgery — and one to require the signer of a petition to read the ballot title in the presence of a canvasser.

Other activities included:

• Lawmakers approved a measure that would allow the use of nitrogen gas for executions and is awaiting Sanders' signature.
• Sen Blake Johnson (R-Corning) withdrew SB290, which sought to require approval from the House and Senate agricultural committees for moratoriums on permits in state watersheds.

Bills filed in the past week we're watching:

⛪️ SB433 would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in schools and other public buildings.

✍️ HB1731 would reinstate required certificates from employers who employ people under 16 years old, including a parent's signature. A law signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2023 did away with them.

🍼 HB1720 would allow state agencies to let employees bring their children younger than six months to work, while HB1747 would allow public schools to let their employees bring infants that age to school.

🐈‍⬛ HB1740 would exempt from public records a certificate of veterinary inspection and personal information obtained from or associated with any animal electronic identification tag.

🤰 SB450 would require schools to teach about fetal development. If passed, the state's health and education departments will have to determine the appropriate grade levels.

💊 HB1782 would ban the sale of over-the-counter diet pills to minors.