ROGERS -- The state House speaker wields too much power, so much that efforts by House members to reduce his authority will require strong grassroots support to succeed, state Rep. Gayla McKenzie, R-Gravette, said Tuesday.
A message left Tuesday at the law office of Speaker Matthew J. Shepherd, R-El Dorado, wasn't returned. McKenzie said her criticism focused on the powers of the office, not Shepherd himself.
The speaker appoints the chairman and the vice-chairman of House committees and has the power to remove them, McKenzie told the Benton County Republican Women. The group met in Rogers to hear a wrap of the recently recessed legislative session from McKenzie and state Rep. Delia Haak, R-Centerton.
The speaker decides which bills go to which committee, McKenzie said. He assigns offices, apartments for out-of-town House members while they meet in Little Rock and Capitol parking spaces.
County Republican committees and other grassroots groups such as the Benton County Republican Women should demand reform, and it's in those group's interest to do so, McKenzie said.
"The speaker does not answer to you folks," she told the group. House members choose the speaker. The more power the speaker has, the less the constituents of other House members can influence events once a legislative session begins, she said.
Kristy Snyder of Bella Vista moved to the area from Arizona last year. She said she appreciated McKenzie sharing her viewpoint on the situation. The more people understand how the Legislature is structured, the more they will understand that it is wise not to give one person too much power, she said.
"One person doesn't need all that power. We should spread it around," Snyder said.