Top man in Senate keeps job

GOP caucus taps Dismang for post

Sen. Jim Hendren (left), R-Sulphur Springs, talks with Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, Thursday after the Joint Budget Committee failed to pass an amendment that would strike Arkansas Works from a bill to fund the state’s expanded Medicaid program.
Sen. Jim Hendren (left), R-Sulphur Springs, talks with Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, Thursday after the Joint Budget Committee failed to pass an amendment that would strike Arkansas Works from a bill to fund the state’s expanded Medicaid program.

The Arkansas Senate Republican Caucus will support Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, to continue in the leadership post from 2017-2019, Senate Republican leader Jim Hendren of Sulphur Springs said Monday.

Calendar

This is the calendar of public events of the 90th General Assembly for today, the 14th day of the 2016 fiscal session.

COMMITTEES

8 a.m. The Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review and the Review subcommittees of the Joint Budget Committee meet jointly in the Multi-Agency Complex, Room B.

9 a.m. The Joint Budget Committee meets in the Multi-Agency Complex, Room A.

11 a.m. The Administrative Rule and Regulation Review Subcommittee of the Joint Budget Committee meets in the Multi-Agency Complex, Room B.

SENATE

1 p.m. The Senate convenes.

HOUSE

1:30 p.m. The House convenes.

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Senate President Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, center, answers a question about his tax cut bill from Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Conway, left, during the Senate Committee on Revenue and Taxation at the State Capitol. At right is House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia.

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AP Photo

Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs

The 24-member Republican caucus made that decision during its meeting Wednesday, Hendren said. Dismang was the only candidate to then submit his name for the post to the Senate by the deadline of 5 p.m. Friday.

The Senate will select its president pro tempore-elect for 2017-2019 on the last day of this year's fiscal session. By tradition, the Senate will formally confirm its selection during its organizational session after the Nov. 8 election.

Hendren said the Senate Republican Caucus also elected Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, as the whip to succeed Sen. Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, who didn't seek re-election to the post, and re-elected Hendren as Senate Republican leader for the next two years. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson is Hendren's uncle.

Hendren declined to say whether there were other candidates for president pro tempore during the caucus meeting, saying that's a caucus matter.

But Hickey said that he ran against Dismang for president pro tempore-elect during the caucus meeting, as did Sens. Cecile Bledsoe, R-Rogers, and Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View.

Hickey said he didn't run for the whip post because he wanted somebody else to have that responsibility.

Bledsoe and Irvin could not be reached for comment by telephone Monday afternoon. Bledsoe chairs the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee. Irvin chairs the Senate City, County and Local Affairs Committee.

Senate Democratic leader Keith Ingram of West Memphis said the informal consensus of the Senate Democratic Caucus' 11 members is to support Dismang to be the Senate's leader again.

Dismang said he's thankful to have the support of his colleagues and he's looking forward to continuing to serve as Senate president pro tempore during the 91st General Assembly.

In November 2014, the Senate unanimously confirmed its vote 18 months earlier to elect Dismang as president pro tempore. That came two days after Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, bowed out of his challenge to Dismang for the job. Dismang has served in the Senate since 2011 and was in the state House of Representatives from 2009-2011.

According to Senate records, the only senator to serve as president pro tempore for two terms is Sen. William F. Norrell from 1933-1937. Norrell, a Democrat, represented Desha and Drew counties, and later served in Congress from 1939-1961.

Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, said he's disappointed in the caucus for supporting Dismang and Hendren as Senate leaders.

"They are definitely leading us in the wrong direction," he said.

Sen. John Cooper, R-Jonesboro, said he lost his bid for Senate Republican whip to Hester, but that "I am happy the way it came out. I'm happy with Jonathan and Jim's leadership."

Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Bigelow, said he also lost his bid for Senate Republican whip.

Dismang is one of three legislative architects of the state's private option program that uses federal Medicaid dollars to purchase private health insurance for low-income Arkansans.

In a special session earlier this month, the Legislature enacted changes to the program that Hutchinson said emphasize job training and personal responsibility for the program's recipients. The program was renamed Arkansas Works.

Most of the 267,000 Arkansans enrolled in the state's version of Medicaid expansion are in the private option.

Cooper, Dismang, Hendren, Hickey and Rapert are among the 14 Senate Republicans who, along with the 11 Senate Democrats, voted earlier this month for an $8.4 billion appropriation bill for the Department of Human Services' Medical Services Division that included $1.7 billion in spending authority for Arkansas' version of Medicaid expansion.

Bledsoe, Hester, Irvin and King are among the 10 Senate Republicans who initially blocked approval of that appropriation bill. Twenty-seven votes are required for approval of the appropriation bill in the 35-member Senate.

Along with Sen. Blake Johnson, R-Corning, Hester last week voted for the appropriation bill, along with an amendment ending the Arkansas Works' Medicaid expansion Dec. 31. Hutchinson used a line-item veto to delete the funding expiration date. Bledsoe and King voted against that bill, while Irvin didn't vote on it because she was absent.

On the last day of this year's fiscal session, the House also will vote on its speaker-designate. Thus far, House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, is the only candidate for House speaker for 2017-2019. Gillam has served in the House since 2011.

Rep. Bobby Hogue, D-Jonesboro, was the last representative to serve as House speaker for two consecutive terms when he held the post from 1995-1999, according to the House's website. Rep. John Bransford of Lonoke County was House speaker for the 51st and 52nd General Assemblies from 1938-1942, while Rep. C.W. Tankersley, representing Clark, Pike and Sevier counties, was House speaker for the 18th and 19th General Assemblies around 1871. Samuel Mitchell, representing Arkansas County, was House speaker for the 10th and 11th General Assemblies, in about 1850.

Metro on 04/26/2016

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