Arkansas Rep Carroll Attempts to Separate Church and State

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 number of petitioning period for ballot access from a mere 60 to a still challenging 90 days. Then, on February 11, Carroll (AR-38 Green) 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