Daily Legislative Update: April 10, 2024

STATE CHAMBER/AIA LEGISLATIVE RECEPTION

The State Chamber/AIA invites members, public officials, candidates, and community leaders to join us at our annual Big Tent Legislative Reception at 1200 W. Capitol Avenue on Monday, April 15, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. As always, this event is free-of-charge. We look forward to seeing you there!

FISCAL SESSION TO CONVENE AT NOON

The Fiscal Session of the 94th Arkansas General Assembly will convene today at noon. At 12:30 p.m., a joint session of the House and Senate will convene to hear an address from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The Joint Budget Committee will convene shortly after the joint session.

The fiscal session is limited to 30 days. It may conclude earlier but no later than Tuesday, May 9. If necessary, legislators can extend the fiscal session by up to 15 days with a two-thirds majority vote from both the House and the Senate.

NEW BILLS

As of the close of business yesterday, the House has filed 78 bills and eight resolutions. The Senate has filed 63 bills and five resolutions.

These bills relate to appropriations, sponsored by the Joint Budget Committee. The deadline for submitting an appropriation bill is April 24.

To include a non-appropriation bill in the fiscal session, identical resolutions must be filed in each chamber by today (April 10). The resolutions then require a two-thirds majority vote of both chambers to authorize the filing of a non-appropriation bill. If any such resolutions are adopted, a bill must be filed no later than April 24.

SR1 and SR2

Sen. Jonathan Dismang has proposed two identical resolutions, SR1 and SR2. One of these resolutions seeks authority for Sen. Dismang to file a non-appropriation bill and the other authorizes Rep. Lane Jean to file the same bill.

These resolutions state their purpose: “…this act is to amend the Revenue Stabilization Law and to create funds, to repeal funds, and to make transfers to and from funds and fund accounts.” The bills would contain emergency clauses.

If authorized to be filed, the bills seek to make two substantive changes to existing law:

1.  The first would remove language in Arkansas Code 19-5-1264 that currently reads, “(1) The taxes and penalties described in Section 26-26-1616(d)(2).”

2.  The second would remove existing language in Arkansas Code Section 19-5-307 that currently reads, “(5) The State Cancer Commission, which was transferred to the Department of Health by Section 25-9-101 [repealed].”

SR5

Sen. Josh Bryant has filed SR5. This resolution seeks a bill entitled, “An Act to amend the Arkansas Data Centers Act of 2023; to create requirements for noise reduction in the operation of a digital asset mining business; to clarify the ability of an Arkansas resident to engage in home digital asset mining; to prohibit foreign-party-controlled ownership of a digital asset mining business in Arkansas and declare an emergency.”