News reports last week indicated Gov. Asa Hutchinson could ask Arkansas lawmakers to end the practice of commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert E. Lee on the same day.
Hutchinson had already made it known that he wants to take Arkansas off the short list of states that jointly honor the civil rights leader and the confederate general.
Arkansas is one of only three states -- the others are Alabama and Mississippi -- that do that. The practice is believed by many to hurt Arkansas' image and to impact recruitment of business.
It is an annual embarrassment and Hutchinson has said it is wrong to continue the dual holiday, which is viewed as a vestige of continuing racism here and in those other two hold-out Southern states.
Hutchinson said earlier that Arkansas should celebrate King separately.
"It's important that that day be distinguished and separate and focused on that civil rights struggle and what he personally did in that effort, the great leader he was during that cause," said Hutchinson.
Most had expected Hutchinson would include the issue in his 2017 legislative package.
Last week's news is that the governor may instead put the matter in a call for a special session this year rather than wait for the 2017 regular session of the Legislature.
"The governor considers it extremely important to get done. Period, " said J.R. Davis, Hutchinson's spokesman, last week.
The governor is still pondering just when to ask lawmakers to take it up, but the more likely scenario is its inclusion in a special session expected to be called later this spring on highway funding.
An aside for those who might be confused about upcoming meetings, or proposed meetings, of lawmakers:
The Arkansas Legislature will meet in a fiscal session that will convene next month. It is a constitutionally required gathering that will focus on writing a budget for the coming year.
Voters approved an amendment, effective in 2010, requiring lawmakers to meet in fiscal session in even-numbered years to consider only appropriation bills.
Clearly, a change in state-approved holidays doesn't fit.
So the issue would ordinarily come up in a regular session in an odd-numbered year, unless the governor includes it in the call for a special session.
Special sessions may be about anything and Gov. Hutchinson has signaled he'll be calling a couple of them this year. Each will be focused on a different issue, although other items could be included in the calls.
The first is expected to be called for April 6 in advance of the scheduled April 13 start of this year's fiscal session.
The primary issue will be Arkansas' Medicaid program, including the controversial expansion plan known now as the "private option." Hutchinson wants to revamp the program and rename it "Arkansas Works."
The state uses federal Medicaid money to subsidize private health insurance for qualifying Arkansans. If and how that program survives will dramatically impact the state's budget, so Hutchinson needs to secure legislative buy-in before the fiscal session. Later, he'll also need federal buy-in to keep those federal dollars coming, but state lawmakers must first agree on how, or if, to rebuild the program.
Clearly, the Legislature needs no distraction from this Medicaid matter, so Hutchinson is looking at a later special session to include the King-Lee holiday change.
That special session, with highway funding as its top issue, will come sometime after the Legislature's fiscal session.
And that is when the King-Lee holiday might come up, assuming the governor believes the timing will be right to get rid of this particular embarrassment.
Surely, there won't be another opportunity until 2017.
Commentary on 03/20/2016