Committee approves amendment adding Tri-County fair and reassigning Independence County

The Senate Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee on a voice vote adopted an amendment to a fair-district bill to add the Tri County Fair and move Independence County into the Northeast district, then approved the bill as amended.

The committee adopted the amendment after Senator Missy Irvin (R-District 24) told the panel the Tri County Fair (Lee, Monroe and Phillips counties) had been inadvertently omitted and that Independence County should be reassigned from the North Central to the Northeast district. “We’re adding, I apologize that got left off, but there's a Tri County Fair. Lee County, Monroe County, and Phillips County make up that Tri County Fair. They do receive funding as well,” Irvin said during the hearing.

Irvin said she had worked with stakeholders and incorporated other requests into the engrossed bill, including a change requested by White County to change a department approval requirement to a review-only requirement and retention of yearly continuing-education proof. “We want to make sure that that is remaining and that does remain in the bill that you provide proof of yearly continuing education requirements,” Irvin said.

Senator Stone seconded the amendment. The committee approved the amendment on a voice vote and then approved the bill as amended, with a motion to “pass as amended” seconded by Senator Gilmore.

The committee chair gave members who had signed up to speak the opportunity to comment but recorded no additional testimony on the amendment during the committee meeting. The bill was then forwarded from committee with the amendment in place.

The bill’s passage from committee leaves further consideration to subsequent legislative steps where final enactment would require additional votes and any additional amendments.