Newly elected Arkansas House Representative Richard Carroll has wasted no time digging into the archaine “isms” of Arkansas’ state politics. First was the bill to extend the petitioning period for ballot access from a mere 60 to a still challenging 90 days. Then, on February 11, he introduced a bill to remove the language from the state’s Constitution which prohibits a declared atheist from holding public office or testifying as a witness.
Article 19 Section 1 : No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court.
Wednesday was the last day members of the 87th General Assembly could file a bill for purposes of proposing a constitutional amendment. The Bill has been referred to the Committee on STATE AGENCIES & GOVT’L AFFAIRS.
- Carroll’s State Legislator Page
- Great background article on Carroll
- Godless Geek’s list of State Constitution with restrictive language
- Nice article on Progressive Democrat and Green Party alliance
Filed under: Arkansas, atheism, carroll, Constitution, Green Party, separation of church and state, state's rights | Leave a Comment »
