[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6321534,"mediaKeyId","2350023-106fe5c795e39067e00f51429aca3778","parentId",2350023,"title","Bill would clarify operator liability and safety standards for mountain-bike parks and lift operations","audioSeconds",270,"startMs",686820,"endMs",956950,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2350023-106fe5c795e39067e00f51429aca3778&start=686&end=956","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2350023-106fe5c795e39067e00f51429aca3778/thumbnail_686820.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6321534/Arkansas/Bill-would-clarify-operator-liability-and-safety-standards-for-mountain-bike-parks-and-lift-operations","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6321534-bf24e4460fe14b873aede5b40cd4bfb8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136864&Signature=ZYyamzirDaoJ51mMN6ujmU4sRQK0PmVleaOPv30XLIEOO4UKKhzuOr4r52Y91A8r9O8wrKGajwxRVVTEi8JBbPYwdVqH9oPmE5R2Bww9b-k1nKVzQJrda6r3TL9r803Wd2iKYF-Vjqa~ekx0BMAQcvK764kS7~RX5ED7RRnoqPUPhmtQXN5w7gyRBi~jyAKM7j1f0meVus424kwkLqMwzueGUpQb1GGZL~3Zbfei-LycjSFMF1yjQulgV5dRJyMkZwRtFkVpGgUZBO-0nILkph3TUyesKvc3UHDMtm8FzXNSrBabtJ7W-HRhdAhJK-reaImpQ0drVWy7fNzqdUTuMw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Arkansas Legislature","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","Representative John Maddox presented a bill intended to clarify rights and responsibilities for operators of mountain-bike parks and other outdoor-recreation activities, including parks that have lift access. Clay Stone, general counsel for the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, joined Maddox to answer questions.

Stone said the bill was one of the measures supporting the governor’s effort to expand outdoor recreation in Arkansas and that it lays out expectations for operators and participants. \"This bill is intended to clarify the rights and responsibilities of the persons operating mountain bike parks, some of which may have lift access and other outdoor recreation activities,\" Stone told the committee. He said the measure adopts recognized industry standards for lift operations (ANSI standards), requires maintenance and incident-response practices, and gives the Department of Labor and Licensing authority to investigate and inspect where appropriate.

Representative Maddox and counsel told the committee the bill frames mountain biking and similar activities as inherently dangerous and places some responsibility on participants. During questions, Mr. Kozart asked whether the bill would prevent injured participants from suing operators. Representative Maddox answered: \"This bill only limits the operator's liability if the participant's negligence was a proximate cause of the accident. I agree. So it's a proximate cause standard, that it would have to be.\" The exchange clarifies that the bill does not bar suits entirely but limits operator liability where participant negligence is a proximate cause.

The transcript excerpt does not include a committee vote on the bill, nor does it show detailed fiscal or permitting implications. Stone said the bill drew on statutes and standards used in other states and on ANSI lift/tramway standards for best practices and inspection requirements.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Agriculture and Economic Dev Committee Feb 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A bill presented to the House Agriculture committee would set safety standards, inspection authority and a proximate-cause liability standard for operators of mountain-bike parks and similar outdoor-recreation facilities with lift access; no committee vote appears in the provided excerpt.","taxTitle","AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT- HOUSE, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas","taxId",16141,"location","Arkansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6321539,"Committee approves bill changing registered-forester composition for Arkansas Forestry Commission hearings",205,463010,668280,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2350023-106fe5c795e39067e00f51429aca3778&start=463&end=668","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2350023-106fe5c795e39067e00f51429aca3778/thumbnail_463010.jpg","/articles/6321539/Arkansas/Committee-approves-bill-changing-registered-forester-composition-for-Arkansas-Forestry-Commission-hearings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6321539-06e79e27ba0c5678bb9e0220dca6bda6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136864&Signature=ePEBW2ok4rPQAOFjJ54bhTLrbHWopw85h7FSVACC~-Sc-2UbMfBLjv-ExVf9d8PMLVb6UrdNrfgLYCMjk9tk9y14QlWj8A9HFDzIEcvZWSTLfrEUkWYxp7GmTF1TPkPH0aTuk5wZg95K7N7~wfwc0fVJLo5j8-To4fv13wUr0~zAN3hb-8ObTyq0RLa2-ndegiPTxJCpPFeKPq2bt0L294iKrfwDwaDdYDmoxVYGvv7mN0FB~Q4MKYbwIvuHVodNJUwNR0n-nk2DWbsZVgAoRJZphC94eMhCbSm9Ou0TFVY~l0E3eNcFzHbwHgxxC6Obo9idbk09oUtm46pJd0C4lQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Howard Beatty presented House Bill 1487 to the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development, saying the measure would amend the composition of the committee that reviews registered forester applicants, rulemaking and disciplinary matters.

Beatty said Act 691 of 2023 created the registered foresters committee and that the act required all registered foresters on the Forestry Commission to serve on that committee. He said that requirement can create quorum problems and the appearance of bias in quasi-judicial hearings when commissioners who later have prior knowledge of a case do not recuse themselves. The proposed amendment would require exactly three registered foresters from the commission to serve on the committee, supplemented by non-commissioned ad hoc members and a representative from the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM).

\"This is a bill that's brought by the Department of Ag,\" Beatty said, describing the committee makeup and the Supreme Court concerns he said had prompted the change. He told the committee the change would preserve forester input in hearings while lowering the risk of recusal-related quorum problems.

No one signed up to speak for or against the bill in the excerpted record. Representative Brown moved a do-pass motion, the committee responded by voice, and the chair announced the bill had passed the committee.","House Bill 1487 would set the registered-forester representation on the commission’s registered foresters committee to exactly three commissioners plus non-commissioned ad hoc members and a UAM representative; the committee passed the bill by voice vote.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6321544,"Committee approves consolidating six Department of Agriculture reports into a single annual report",58,356780,414920,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2350023-106fe5c795e39067e00f51429aca3778&start=356&end=414","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2350023-106fe5c795e39067e00f51429aca3778/thumbnail_356780.jpg","/articles/6321544/Arkansas/Committee-approves-consolidating-six-Department-of-Agriculture-reports-into-a-single-annual-report","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6321544-039acffe877742b07a6f49384566a613/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136864&Signature=n~2v4n-VQ0sOylw4P8tSo85JNwc7gM8sDCEKs2fZ6jJP~LDINopf0C9G1Zkvw1CDpR7nRs7w-RNLK9Ki99dVa96W2qfC1eCaAsZXG-LWZ0a8fWVsX3XVp9u9UHG9h8Aynt~T~euBX1Vk9U~6jlCNgoI0cmUHrvgeiGUqpvYpZyZQ8hJErWDUhaBcTSfkq3iPxpoyrblkjIJeh1dWIoOacR9B0h5bwkTcjBlFGcQ-uVo-lwnoeEJyHgj1n4-PXNy6PHg1SvW77HZ2Glw-VTi9uo8aF6J21QKClPh8d7jPflIRFHR-73tMblMairaC~7btoi3CUa2apNgBDlEURysSlA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Stetson Painter told the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development that House Bill 1450 would combine six existing Department of Agriculture reports into a single report while keeping the same information.

\"HB 1450 is the Department of Ag Bill. So right now, they do 6 different reports, and all this is doing is, the secretary would like to see it in 1 report,\" Representative Stetson Painter said when he presented the bill.

Committee members asked no questions and no one signed up to speak for or against the measure in the provided excerpt. Representative Brown moved that the bill \"do pass,\" members responded by voice, and the chair announced the bill passed by the committee.

The measure, as presented, does not change the content of the reports; it consolidates existing reporting tasks into a single document for the secretary’s use. The transcript excerpt does not include a committee fiscal analysis or implementation timetable; those details, if prepared, are not in the provided portion of the record.","The committee passed House Bill 1450, which consolidates six required Department of Agriculture reports into one report containing the same information.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6321548,"Committee adopts amendment to brine-production bill; full bill presented, no final vote recorded",71,83840,155060,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2350023-106fe5c795e39067e00f51429aca3778&start=83&end=155","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2350023-106fe5c795e39067e00f51429aca3778/thumbnail_83840.jpg","/articles/6321548/Arkansas/Committee-adopts-amendment-to-brine-production-bill-full-bill-presented-no-final-vote-recorded","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6321548-684b8f37750f6d4529d7d275cb97c8a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136864&Signature=IXV5j9yh4tHn7px18lFZIYW7aYoOj7bjijJJkUBi1WQ0EXdazLwWsyCL3lAj~TbZ~HCr5rN4kCUSDjDRdhYBJQyGDwGv1oNT1Sq1gk4t2yI1OyZ~NpGyGIe~peW-0ncnhj37YQT0G-RMRCmqYv4g6xVv~bZ2ddmwlcuuqaZb--7eqiG342wIK1Pa4vJFe7NspwTYE3MENAqmcMjvaWs4Fq5cgPZchHilhacGhohkjrQAxImwRvtXtGajC715aGjDasxa5tftmRCPn2IcgdZO-qsYJhGIkI7OVodpBcamurQpkWjPAKtzwXWLuP-R1Hof2zHi46t7YizhEzB3HlxDpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a meeting of the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development, members adopted an amendment to a bill that would allow operators of brine-production units to transfer acreage between units or remove acreage in certain cases.

The amendment, which committee members said was requested by department staff to clarify statutory language, was moved by Representative Sheppard and adopted by voice vote. Representative Sheppard then presented the bill and introduced Mark Day, who testified on behalf of a brine operator and described how the bill would affect unit operations.

Representative Sheppard said the amendment came at the department’s request and moved to adopt it. \"This is, an amendment that was brought to me by the department. Shane Corey asked for this amendment just to clarify some language in in the bill and so, would, move to adopt the amendment,\" she said. Committee members responded by voice and the chair announced the amendment adopted.

Mark Day described the industry practice the bill addresses. \"I work for Linksys as the public head of public relations and land,\" Day said, and described three brine operating units he said total a little over 150,000 acres. He told the committee that the bill would allow operators to move wells or acreage from one unit to another where towers or processing capacity permit, to maximize production as certain units are depleted.

Committee members asked no further questions on the record in the provided transcript excerpt. Committee staff recorded no additional testimony for or against the measure in the excerpt, and no final committee vote on the main bill appears in the provided segment.

Because the excerpt does not record a final committee motion on the bill itself, no committee-level passage or rejection is reported here.","The House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development adopted an amendment clarifying language in a bill about brine-production unit acreage transfers. The bill was presented with operator testimony but received no recorded final vote in the excerpted hearing.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Bill would clarify operator liability and safety standards for mountain-bike parks and lift operations

Committee approves bill changing registered-forester composition for Arkansas Forestry Commission hearings

Committee approves consolidating six Department of Agriculture reports into a single annual report

Committee adopts amendment to brine-production bill; full bill presented, no final vote recorded