AAC County Lines


County Lines [(ISSN 2576-1137 (print) and ISSN 2576-1145 (online)] is the official publication of the AAC. It is published quarterly. For advertising inqui- ries, subscriptions or other information, please contact Christy L. Smith at 501.372.7550.


Executive Director/Publisher Chris Villines


Communications Director/ Managing Editor Christy L. Smith


Communications Coordinator/ Editor


Holland Doran AAC Executive Board:


Debbie Wise – President Brandon Ellison – Vice President Jimmy Hart – Secretary-Treasurer


Tommy Young Debra Buckner Kevin Cleghorn Debbie Cross Ellen Foote


Gerone Hobbs


John Montgomery Randy Higgins


Terri Harrison Dana Baker Terry McNatt


Brenda DeShields Doug Curtis Marty Boyd


Heather Stevens


National Association of Counties (NACo) Board Affiliations


Debbie Wise: NACo board member. She is Randolph County Circuit Clerk and presi- dent of the AAC Board of Directors.


Brandon Ellison: NACo board member. He is Polk County Judge and vice-president of the AAC Board of Directors.


Ted Harden: Finance & Intergovernmental Af- fairs Steering Committee. He is a member of the Jefferson County Quorum Court.


David Hudson: Chair of Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee. He is Sebastian Co. Judge and member of Rural Action Caucus Steering Committee and IT Standing Committee.


Barry Hyde: Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee. He is the Pulaski County Judge.


Rusty McMillon: Justice and Public Safety Steer- ing Committee. He is Greene County Judge


Joseph Wood: Community, Economic and Workforce Development Steering Commit- tee. He is Washington County Judge.


Kevin Smith: IT Standing Committee. He is the Sebastian County Director of Information Technology Services.


Gerone Hobbs: Membership Committee. He is the Pulaski County Coroner.


Paul Ellliot: Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee,


vice-chair of law enforcement


subcommittee. He is a member of the Pulaski County Quorum Court.


Ellen Foote: Community, Economic & Work- force Development Steering Committee. She is the Crittenden County Tax Collector.


Tawanna Brown: Telecommunications & Technol- ogy Steering Committe. She is Crittenden County Chief Computer Operator.


COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2021


DIRECTOR’S DESK


A look at the session, ARP, and a looming labor challenge


of the metrics by which we normally rate a legislative session. In 2017, there were 2,680 bills filed, with 1,130 becoming


I


recall writing in our last issue that this could be a ses- sion with an asterisk. Without a doubt, it was. BUT … that asterisk did not apply to the pass/fail rate of proposed county legislation, nor did it apply to some


Chris Villines AAC


Executive Director


Acts. In 2019, 1,864 bills were filed, with 1,091 becoming Acts. Te current 2021 session brought us 1,675 bills with 1,112 becoming Acts. While the number of bills filed decreased for the third straight session, the number signed into law has remained steady. Part of the reason for the reduction in bills filed in the 2021 session is the recent transformation of state government. In the past years, appropriation bills in some cases were filed separately for many different departments. Tis year saw some of these bills consolidated into fewer pieces of legislation. Also, a reason for the higher number in 2017 was the bill filing deadline. We did not have this deadline in 2019 or 2021. It is counterintuitive, but a bill filing deadline results in a high number of shell bills filed as placeholders in the event a legislator wants to amend and pursue legislation later in the session. Some other important metrics for our counties are available. In 2017, we tracked 537 bills that would affect county government. In 2019, we tracked 493 bills and in 2021, we tracked 508 bills. In 2017, 2019 and 2021, we saw 263, 254 and 286 bills that affect county government become Acts, respectively. Te most important stat, though, is the track of AAC Legislative Package bills. While data for 2017 is unavailable, I can tell you that for many years we’ve passed these bills at approximately a 90 percent clip. Te last two sessions are no different. In 2019, we passed 29 of our 31 filed bills — a 94 percent success rate. Again in 2021, we passed around 94 percent of our package bills, garnering the Governor’s signature on 31 of our 33 package bills. I attribute our success at the Capitol to several things, but three really stand out.


Te vetting process of our legislative committee, led by Terry McNatt (Craighead County Treasurer) and the AAC Board of Directors, led by President Debbie Wise (Randolph County Circuit Clerk), run the well-oiled machine that is the AAC leg- islative process. Te vetting among our member associations, followed by the AAC Legislative Committee and then the AAC Board of Directors is incredible. By the time a bill makes it into our legislative package it is looked at front-ways, side-ways, upside down and from the top. Any conflicts with other groups are worked out before the bill is put in final form. Tank you all for the hard work you do on these boards to make this process work. Secondly, the respect the legislature has for our county officials means they trust


bills you put forward. If I heard the “Association of Arkansas Counties” mentioned in the well of the Senate or House one time this session, I heard it a hundred times. Our stamp of approval is valued because legislators trust you guys and know you have reviewed and approved these bills at some point in the process.


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