AAC
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
this has used that phrase a time or two over the last 15 months. Te 93rd General assembly is in recess. Actually, they are call- ing it an extended recess. I am sick of hearing COVID-19 excuses, but once again COVID-19 is the reason the legisla- ture cannot adjourn sine die. Under Arkansas law, the General Assembly redistricts all four congressional districts after each decennial census. Te U.S. Census Bureau announced that due to “COVID-19 related delays and prioritizing the delivery of the apportionment results,” the Bureau will not be able to deliver redistricting data until late September. House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 1015 states when the extended recess begins and the purpose for reconvening. It lists three items that may be addressed when the legis- lature comes back to town. Te No. 1 reason for the recess is congressional redis- tricting. Arkansas increased its population by 3.3 percent over the last 10 years. Tis means the House and Sen- ate must divide 3,011,524 Arkansans into four separate congressional districts. Tat’s about 750,000 per district. One district — the Northwest corner of the state — has in- creased its population by over 70,000 since the last census. Tis means that district must lose population. In contrast one district lost over 50,000, so it needs to gain population. Te two dis- tricts that lost population are the largest geographically, and the two that gained have a total of 13 counties. I have a feeling that the maps the legislature ultimately approves will look drastically different than they do today.
N T
Te other two items listed in HCR1015 deal with the CO- VID-19 pandemic. Te legislature may reconvene to consider legislation related to the COVID-19 public health emergency. One thing you saw this session was codifying executive orders. Te Governor signed many executive orders during the public health emergency, some the legislative branch agreed with and some they didn’t. One executive order they liked was the ex- panded use of telemedicine, which they codified so it doesn’t go away when the emergency is lifted. One they didn’t like was the mask mandate; they passed a law limiting the Gov- ernor’s power during an emergency. Another executive order protected businesses from the liability of COVID-19, which the business community lobbied for and got signed into law.
18
Overview of the 93rd General Assembly Te last item the legislature will
ormally I would start this column by saying the 93rd General Assembly has adjourned sine die on blank date, but not this year. Tis year is un- like any other, and I am sure everyone reading
he AAC legislative package included 33 bills that the AAC’s nine member asso-
ciations worked on and drafted in the hopes that they would become law. Of those 33 bills, the AAC legislative team secured the passage of 31.
likely address after the extended re- cess is how to spend money coming from the federal government. Te most recent COVID-19 relief bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden March 11 after party line votes in both chambers. It is called the American Rescue Plan (APR) Act of 2021. Tis spending bill sends $585 million directly to counties in Arkan- sas. At this time, it is unclear how this money can be spent. Ad- ditionally, the state will receive $1.8 billion for COVID relief. Te last time the state received COVID relief dollars (from the CARES Act), the legislature didn’t have as much say as they wanted in directing the money. Tis is the rea- son they listed COVID-19 funding in HCR1015. Te 93rd General As- sembly was a success for Arkansas and the counties in Arkansas. Tere has been much focus on controversial issues such as guns, abor- tion, and pushing back against the federal govern- ment. Tese are the topics
Josh Curtis
Governmental Affairs Director
about which legislators debate most passionately. Terefore, they get more media coverage than other bills, including those related to county government. Let me share some of our suc- cesses.
Te AAC legislative package included 33 bills that the
AAC’s nine member associations worked on and drafted in the hopes that they would become law. Of those 33 bills, the AAC legislative team secured the passage of 31. Of course, we would have liked to have pitched a perfect game but a 15 to nothing no-hitter is pretty dang good. Tese new Acts range from cleanup language that had been identified in the interim to cutting red tape to allow our coun- ties to operate faster and more efficiently, to securing fund- ing mechanisms for law enforcement equipment. A couple of cleanup bills we navigated through the legislative process were HB1328 and HB1634. Amendment 95, which voters passed in 2016, changed county officials terms from two to four years. Several codes still referenced two-year terms. HB1328 amended those codes to reflect the changes Amendment 95 enacted. HB1634 amended a law that was put on the books back in 1929, mandating county collectors to post notice in
COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
