Daily Legislative Update
Friday, February 5, 2010
87th General Assembly—Fiscal
Session
STATE’S FIRST FISCAL SESSION BEGINS MONDAY
The Joint Budget Committee is scheduled to meet at 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon in Room 171.
Monday is also the deadline to file Concurrent Resolutions seeking action on non-appropriation bills. Any Concurrent Resolutions filed will first be considered by a designated committee of the originating chamber. That committee will determine if the issue addressed by the Concurrent Resolution merits consideration by the full House or Senate. A two-thirds vote is required for the Concurrent Resolution to continue. Once a Concurrent Resolution clears one legislative chamber, it must again clear the other chamber’s committee review and also receive a two-thirds majority on the floor of that chamber. If a Concurrent Resolution clears this lofty hurdle, the backers of the Concurrent Resolution would then have until February 22 to file a bill that is germane to the issue raised in the Concurrent Resolution. It is expected that less than a handful of Concurrent Resolutions would be approved by a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate.
So far a Concurrent Resolution has been filed in the House and the Senate that seeks authorization for a bill to be filed to address the Revenue Stabilization Law. This is a normal part of the budget process and is expected to go forward.
SCR 2 was filed by Sen. Randy Laverty, Representative Curren Everett and others seeking to introduce a bill to establish the Administrative Rule and Regulation Review subcommittee of the Joint Budget Committee. This Concurrent Resolution is expected to authorize a bill to be filed to allow the legislature the opportunity to clear up an area of confusion in regard to authority of the involved committee.
HR 1004 by Rep. Robert Moore would require the House to meet in caucus 15 minutes following sine die adjournment of the fiscal session in even-numbered years to select the Speaker-Designate and the House Caucus District Chairpersons for the General Assembly.
A couple of other resolutions have been filed addressing rules of the House of Representatives.
If is expected that a Concurrent Resolution will be filed seeking authority for a bill that would establish the lottery scholarship amounts. This is likely to be the only non-appropriation issue considered by the General Assembly in this first-ever Fiscal Session.
Yesterday, there were rumors that a Concurrent Resolution might be filed by labor interests to preserve an opportunity to seek consideration of a change in the state’s unemployment insurance laws related to receipt of federal dollars. The State Chamber is not in favor of such a Concurrent Resolution being filed.
CONTACT INFORMATION
When
Legislature is in session:
State Senators: 501-682-2902
State Representatives: 501-682-6211
State Chamber/AIA
Staff
President/CEO:
rzook@arkansasstatechamber.com
Kenny Hall
khall@arkansasstatechamber.com
Angela DeLille
State Chamber/AIA
phone: (501) 372-2222
State
Chamber/AIA web site: www.arkansasstatechamber.com
