Some of the incoming Arkansas lawmakers said they spent recent days reading bills, moving into Little Rock apartments or enjoying time with their families before today's start of this year's regular legislative session.
The 91st General Assembly, which convenes at noon today at the state Capitol, includes 1̶8̶ 21* members of the House of Representatives and four senators who are not incumbents. Most are freshmen, although o̶n̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶p̶r̶e̶s̶e̶n̶t̶a̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ two representatives and three senators have previous experience in the House.
While some of the 2̶2̶ 25* expressed excitement about getting down to work over the budget, tax cuts and other projects of passion, few were willing to attach their names to pieces of legislation just yet.
All but two -- one each in the House and Senate -- of the 2̶2̶ 25* are members of the Republican Party, which padded its majorities in both chambers during the November general election. Republicans now have a supermajority of 76 in the 100-member House after postelection party switches by three re-elected Democrats.
Two days after the election, new members met with veterans in their respective chambers to draw for seniority and to select the most desirable seats.
Orientation was held in November and December for members of the Senate and House, respectively, and committee assignments have already been made.
Lawmakers have been busy filing 202 pieces of legislation during the pre-filing period, and that does not include several big-ticket items such as expected changes to the state's private-option Medicaid expansion, a criminal-justice overhaul or amendments to the Arkansas Constitution.
The incoming legislators are listed as primary sponsors on just five bills, according to the Legislature's website. Before they can hold their own in the 135-member Legislature, several of the freshmen said last week, they plan on taking time to learn from experienced lawmakers.
"I'm going to get my feet wet," said Rep. Sonia Barker, R-Smackover. "I've co-sponsored some, but nothing [individually] off the bat."
Barker is listed as a co-sponsor of three bills that are among the most-sponsored pieces of legislation, with each having at least 30 lawmakers signed on. They are proposals to ban a common method of second-trimester abortions, to restrict food stamps from being used to buy junk food and to use tobacco settlement funds to reduce a waiting list for home care of the developmentally disabled.
Two other proposals by Rep. Fred Allen, D-Little Rock, have received less attention, though they're issues familiar to him from his previous service at the Capitol. Allen is the only new member of the House to have previously served, with three terms starting in 2007. Three new members of the Senate previously served in the House.
Allen has filed bills to allow 10th-graders to take college readiness exams and to reauthorize the Arkansas Alternative Energy Commission to 2021. While he will be a new face to some members, Allen said he expects most of his colleagues will recognize his experience is not that of a first-timer.
"You try to be prudent with your decisions," Allen said of his first session in 2007. "You try to minimize your mistakes by not being out in front and [by] following the leadership."
Freshmen Republicans said they were eager to get involved with ideas floated by the party leadership, including Gov. Asa Hutchinson's tax cut proposals.
Rep. John Maddox, R-Mena, who succeeded independent Rep. Nate Bell, said the governor's plan for a $50 million income tax cut for low-income Arkansans is a "mandate of the party," following the November elections.
Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, questioned whether the governor's proposed income tax cut could go even further, but said his No. 1 priority is to pass Hutchinson's proposed tax exemption for military retirement benefits.
Garner, who is the only new member of the Senate to have not previously served, said he plans to propose legislation to do away with using the General Improvement Fund for legislative or governor's projects. Hutchinson's 2018 budget does not include any such funding.
Maddox said he is in discussions with other lawmakers about "numerous bills," but declined to commit his name to any specific legislation.
A new administration in the White House is also changing the landscape for newcomers, said freshman Rep. LeAnne Burch, D-Monticello, because changes to the state's Medicaid expansion program and state legalization of medical marijuana hinge on federal policy.
"It's very interesting how many out of our control ... are impacting what we are involved in," Burch said.
The only true freshman Democrat entering the House, Burch said she has gravitated toward more senior Rep. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, over his interest in changing campaign finance.
Burch has already become the lead House sponsor on a bill to prohibit candidates from raising money for future campaigns before their election at hand is over. Burch said she hopes to work on filing more campaign finance legislation during the session, but declined to give specifics.
For new lawmakers coming from far-flung counties across the state, such as Maddox and Garner, the final weekend before the session is a time to set up an apartment in Little Rock for use during the workweek.
But overcast skies and snow across the state made for ideal conditions for other activities sidetracked during a busy session.
"Duck hunting, eating good food and taking a little break before going to do the people's work," Garner said of his plans for the weekend.
Metro on 01/09/2017
*CORRECTION: The 91st General Assembly, which was sworn in Monday, includes 21 representatives and four senators who are not incumbents. A previous version of this story misstated the number of non-incumbents in the House. The headline with the story should have said the Legislature has 25 new members. A previous version of this story also misstated the number of newly elected representatives with previous legislative experience. There are two: Reps. Fred Allen, D-Little Rock, and Andy Mayberry, R-Hensley.