Will Arkansas legislators meet in special session this summer?
The question goes not only to lawmakers, some of whom want to meet to consider a couple of different issues, but also to Gov. Mike Beebe.
The governor is the one with authority to call a special session.
Beebe has said he is open to one to address a single issue: health insurance plans for public school employees.
Various lawmakers have championed the idea of a session related to gay marriage or to block Keno-style gambling in Arkansas' state lottery.
Some lawmakers want to impeach a circuit judge for finding the state's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional. More legislators than not would likely agree that issue is properly on appeal to the state Supreme Court, regardless of their personal views on gay marriage. The Legislature should stay out of it.
The Keno-style gambling issue is current because the Arkansas Lottery Commission is moving toward installation of monitors at lottery sales locations and plans to launch the bingo-style game in September as a way of increasing overall lottery sales.
A number of lawmakers think those types of game are a step too near interactive video terminals, which are banned in Arkansas law. There may be support for legislation to outlaw them, but even proponents have said it might not be strong enough to merit inclusion in a call for a special session.
Beebe, who has not gotten a request for a bill opposing the lottery expansion, has not said whether he'd put either of those controversial issues in a call.
Taking care of teachers is another matter and one Beebe could embrace, assuming he gets some assurances from lawmakers well before the fact.
The insurance problem is a nagging one. Lawmakers last year pumped a $43 million one-time shot from the state surplus and another $36 million annually from other sources into the program. It will need more money and quickly, or public school employees will see huge rate increases.
New insurance plans are due to start in August and lawmakers need to meet sooner to provide any fix.
Beebe conditions the call of a special session on a relative certainty that the Legislature has reached or will reach some agreement that would lead to quick passage of the necessary bills to address this problem.
He's maintained that stance throughout his tenure as governor. Special sessions on his watch have mostly been in-and-out affairs that targeted a fixable issue.
He prefers the three-days-and-out variety to limit how much taxpayers spend to assemble the lawmakers in Little Rock. The three-day minimum agenda leaves no time to spare for disagreement over the particulars. Lawmakers do their business and go home.
With other issues on their minds, however, would they want just to tend to the insurance issue?
They should. It is a serious one for teachers and other public school workers, of which there are roughly 47,000 around the state. That means constituents in every legislator's district are affected and lawmakers ought to respond.
A legislative task force has recommended changes to help avoid rate increases for most of those who are covered by the state plan. Sen. Jim Hendren, R-Gravette, who chairs the task force, has said public school employees may pay premiums that are 35 percent higher if the Legislature does not act.
The proposed plan changes include dropping part-time employees and excluding spouses from coverage if they can get insurance elsewhere. The changes, which would affect about 4,000 school employees, would reportedly save at least $10.2 million a year.
The program will still require the infusion of millions more to avoid major rate increases for plan participants.
So, Beebe, who would like to see a more permanent fix to a recurring problem, expects to see ahead of time just what it is the lawmakers propose to do. He also wants evidence that lawmakers can get that work done in a matter of days.
Meanwhile, these other issues are out there.
The Arkansas Constitution, which provides for the call of special sessions, also limits their length to no more than 15 days. Period.
Lawmakers must first dispose of the business for which they are called but may, by a vote of two-thirds of all members, remain in session the rest of the available time.
Would they? Or would they not?
That, too, is a question the governor ought to ask before calling them into special session.
Commentary on 05/28/2014