House and Senate leaders Monday said they have agreed on the dates for a special session next week but are still awaiting a formal proclamation from the governor.
Legislative leaders have been lining up votes to provide more state funding for the state's public-school employees health-insurance plan and to open up 600 prison and jail beds. Lawmakers also have floated a third proposal to bar the lottery from offering electronic-monitor games, including keno and quick draw.
Matt DeCample, a spokesman for Gov. Mike Beebe, said the office was "not announcing or confirming anything" until the governor issues the formal proclamation, which will list the items to be taken up during the session.
"Any details on a session will come when we issue a call," DeCample said in an email.
Senate President Pro Tempore Michael Lamoureux said he spoke with the governor's staff Monday and was informed that there was an "agreement" for the session to be held next Monday through July 2. The most recent special session in October -- when lawmakers appropriated $43 million to the health-insurance program for state public-school employees -- also lasted three days.
House Speaker Davy Carter said his staff also had met with the governor's office and was told that both chambers had agreed on the dates. House Chief of Staff Gabe Holmstrom sent an email with the information to members Monday afternoon.
Carter said that representatives still were being polled to see whether they want to consider the lottery legislation. But he said there is already support for the insurance and prison funding measures.
"The governor has been pretty clear that he wasn't going to put anything on the call that didn't have sufficient support, and all the feedback obtained today is that there would be sufficient support [for the two measures]," Carter said.
The teacher health-insurance bill would transfer about $4.6 million from school districts to the health-insurance plans, as well as adopt recommendations by a legislative task force that has worked on the issue. Those recommendations include dropping part-time employees from the plans, excluding spouses who have access to insurance through their own employers and limiting a program covering weight loss surgeries.
The prison bill would reallocate $6.3 million a year from the Central Services Fund to open up beds in prisons and the Pulaski County work center. The money is estimated to open up 600 beds and relieve a backlog of prisoners in county jails.
Carter said he expects to get information back today on whether there is enough support in the House for the lottery measure. The governor's office has said there are enough votes in the Senate to ban quick-draw games.
The Arkansas Lottery Commission decided two months ago to pursue implementing electronic-monitor games after the commission's legislative oversight committee expressed opposition to them.
Beebe waited until the day before it began to call the October special session. Lawmakers were formally called on a Wednesday and went into session on a Thursday. They wrapped up shortly after midnight that Saturday.
Only the governor has the ability to call a special session under Article 6, Section 19 of the Arkansas Constitution. The constitution states that the governor "shall specify in his proclamation the purpose for which [the chambers] are convened; and no other business than that set forth therein shall be transacted until the same shall have been disposed of; after which they may, by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to both houses, entered upon their journals, remain in session not exceeding fifteen days."
Carter said discussions surrounding a possible special session have included finding a place for representatives to meet. The House chambers are undergoing renovations, so Holmstrom met with representatives from the Old State House Museum on Monday to see whether lawmakers could convene there. Seating, media access and voting equipment must be arranged.
Carter said it appeared that the House would be able to meet at the building, which was constructed between 1833 and 1842, if a session is held.
The building, just south of the Arkansas River, was the state Capitol from 1836-1911.
"With the House chamber under construction I think it gives us an opportunity to bring some attention to that historic building," Carter said.
Holmstrom said "it's our intent" to provide streaming video of the House's proceedings and that more information would be released today.
Information for this article was contributed by Claudia Lauer of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 06/24/2014