02/13/17  Bill Dealing With Waste Tires Fails In Arkansas House

A bill to revamp the state's program dealing with waste tires failed by one vote in the Arkansas House on Friday. According to an Arkansas News Bureau report, House bill 1267 by Representative Lanny Fite of Benton initially received 52 votes in the House, but a call was made to “sound the ballot”, a procedure in which every members must be in his or her seat to be able to vote.

The bill then failed, receiving 50 yes votes and 22 no. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality currently funds regional tire districts around the state. Fite said his bill, part of the Governor's policy agenda for the session, would address numerous problems in the existing program and create more accountability.

Currently, the tire districts are funded based on population and the number of tires they report processing. A $2.00 fee is charged per new passenger car tire and a $5.00 fee is charged per new truck tire, but there is no fee for used tires.

Under the new proposal is a system for tracking tires with a $3.00 fee for replacing a tire with a new one and a $1.00 fee for replacing a tire with a used one.

Fite said he hopes the House will reconsider the bill today.