AAC
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
Overview of the 93rd General Assembly
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ormally I would start this column by saying the The last item the legislature will 93rd General Assembly has adjourned sine die likely address after the extended reon blank date, but not this year. This year is un- cess is how to spend money coming like any other, and I am sure everyone reading from the federal government. The this has used that phrase a time or two over the last 15 months. most recent COVID-19 relief bill The 93rd General assembly is in recess. Actually, they are call- was signed into law by President Joe ing it an extended recess. I am sick of hearing COVID-19 Biden March 11 after party line votes Josh Curtis excuses, but once again COVID-19 is the reason the legisla- in both chambers. It is called the Governmental Affairs ture cannot adjourn sine die. Under Arkansas law, the General American Rescue Plan (APR) Act of Director Assembly redistricts all four congressional districts after each 2021. This spending bill sends $585 decennial census. The U.S. Census Bureau announced that million directly to counties in Arkandue to “COVID-19 related delays and prioritizing the delivery sas. At this time, it is unclear how this money can be spent. Adof the apportionment results,” the Bureau will not be able to ditionally, the state will receive $1.8 billion for COVID relief. deliver redistricting data until late September. The last time the state received COVID relief dollars (from the House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 1015 states when the CARES Act), the legislature extended recess begins and didn’t have as much say as the purpose for reconvening. they wanted in directing It lists three items that may the money. This is the reahe AAC legislative package included 33 be addressed when the legisson they listed COVID-19 lature comes back to town. funding in HCR1015. bills that the AAC’s nine member assoThe No. 1 reason for the The 93rd General Asrecess is congressional redisciations worked on and drafted in the hopes that sembly was a success for tricting. Arkansas increased Arkansas and the counties its population by 3.3 percent in Arkansas. There has been they would become law. Of those 33 bills, the over the last 10 years. This much focus on controversial means the House and SenAAC legislative team secured the passage of 31. issues such as guns, aborate must divide 3,011,524 tion, and pushing back Arkansans into four separate against the federal governcongressional districts. That’s ment. These are the topics about 750,000 per district. about which legislators debate most passionately. Therefore, One district — the Northwest corner of the state — has increased its population by over 70,000 since the last census. This they get more media coverage than other bills, including those means that district must lose population. In contrast one district related to county government. Let me share some of our suclost over 50,000, so it needs to gain population. The two dis- cesses. The AAC legislative package included 33 bills that the tricts that lost population are the largest geographically, and the AAC’s nine member associations worked on and drafted in two that gained have a total of 13 counties. I have a feeling that the hopes that they would become law. Of those 33 bills, the the maps the legislature ultimately approves will look drastically AAC legislative team secured the passage of 31. Of course, we different than they do today. The other two items listed in HCR1015 deal with the CO- would have liked to have pitched a perfect game but a 15 to VID-19 pandemic. The legislature may reconvene to consider nothing no-hitter is pretty dang good. These new Acts range from cleanup language that had been legislation related to the COVID-19 public health emergency. identified in the interim to cutting red tape to allow our counOne thing you saw this session was codifying executive orders. ties to operate faster and more efficiently, to securing fundThe Governor signed many executive orders during the public health emergency, some the legislative branch agreed with and ing mechanisms for law enforcement equipment. A couple of some they didn’t. One executive order they liked was the ex- cleanup bills we navigated through the legislative process were panded use of telemedicine, which they codified so it doesn’t HB1328 and HB1634. Amendment 95, which voters passed go away when the emergency is lifted. One they didn’t like in 2016, changed county officials terms from two to four was the mask mandate; they passed a law limiting the Gov- years. Several codes still referenced two-year terms. HB1328 ernor’s power during an emergency. Another executive order amended those codes to reflect the changes Amendment 95 protected businesses from the liability of COVID-19, which enacted. HB1634 amended a law that was put on the books the business community lobbied for and got signed into law. back in 1929, mandating county collectors to post notice in
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COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2021
