The Arkansas Senate and House of Representatives formally convened this morning for a special session to consider tax cuts, an overhaul of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and a handful of other bills.
The Senate assigned the measure overhauling the state’s Freedom of Information Act — Senate Bill 7 by Sen. Scott Flippo, R-Mountain Home — to the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. Three members of the eight-member Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee are co-sponsors of the bill.
But Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, said the bill may be assigned to another Senate committee. He said the Senate committee that considers the bill will hold a public hearing on the measure at some undetermined time, after the Senate reconvenes briefly at 1 p.m.
Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders met privately late Monday morning with the Senate Republican Caucus for about 30 minutes.
“We are going to be continue working with our partners in the Legislature,” she told reporters afterward.
Asked whether she is open to changes to the bill, Sanders said “we’ll keep you posted.”
The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act Task Force voted unanimously Monday morning oppose Sanders’ plan to overhaul the FOIA law. The task force condemned the timing of the bills, arguing a major change to the state’s sunshine law was being pushed through during a special session.
The Arkansas House of Representative went into recess shortly after convening Monday as the chamber needs to confer with the Senate and governor’s office, Speaker Matthew Shepherd said.
Rep. Marcus Richmond, R-Harvey, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette the House GOP caucus met with Sanders on Monday morning. Richmond said some members had questions about the FOIA bill, particularly concerning the deliberative process and attorney-client privilege provisions.
Meanwhile, the House Arkansas of Representatives rejected three proposed rule changes that would have sped up the lawmaking process for the special session.
Proposals by Rep. DeAnn Vaught, R-Horatio, would suspend rules on the minimum amount of time a fiscal impact statement needs to circulate, the amount of times bills had to remain on the desk before passage and time of notices needed before a committee meeting.
House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, said House leaders need to confer with the Senate and the governor’s office.
Shepherd said the Legislature has to rework the planned schedule for the special session that would take in the chamber’s regular rules.
House Bill 1003 by Rep. David Ray, R-Maumelle, is legislation identical to Senate Bill 7. Ray’s bill has 39 co-sponsors, including eight members of the House Governmental Affairs and State Agencies Committee.
Information for this article was contributed by Neal Earley of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.