Just one bill seeking to alter the Arkansas Constitution has been pre-filed in the run-up to the start of the 2017 legislative session.
Sen. Jim Hendren of Gravette filed a bill to ask voters to eliminate the General Assembly's fiscal session that has taken place every other year since 2010. Voters in 2008 approved a constitutional amendment calling for the fiscal sessions, which are to last 30 days and be devoted to the state budget and appropriation bills.
At the time of the 2008 election, Arkansas was one of six states where legislators did not meet every year. Voters passed the amendment by a vote of 664,671 to 292,436. Doing away with the session would require another vote of the people.
Hendren told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette last month that he thought the fiscal sessions had evolved into regular sessions. Sen. Keith Ingram of West Memphis, a co-sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 1, said the commitment for legislators to leave their jobs or businesses every year was too much.
But the sponsor of what became Amendment 98 told the newspaper he thought it prudent for legislators to adopt a budget one year at a time.
"I don't know how anyone can predict a budget with this economy. If they feel like they can do it every two years, good luck to them," former Rep. Eric Harris of Springdale told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The legislature as a whole can refer up to three constitutional amendments to voters. However, legislators are looking at changing their operating rules to allow one proposal to come from the House and one proposal to come from the Senate. This change would have to be approved during the session.
Along with Hendren's proposal, the public might see legislators discuss constitutional amendments related to voter identification and medical-injury lawsuits. A proposed amendment regarding medical-injury lawsuits ( Issue 4) was struck from the 2016 ballot.
Legislators will be back in Little Rock for the start of the next legislative session on Jan. 9, 2017. They have until Feb. 8, 2017 to file bills proposing constitutional amendments for the 2018 ballot.
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