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Committee approves bill to designate mallard as state duck
Summary
Senators unanimously advanced House Bill 14-17 to designate the mallard as Arkansas’s state duck; sponsor said the mallard is the most common species and supports hunting-related economic activity.
The Senate State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee voted to advance House Bill 14-17, which would designate the mallard as the state duck.
Senator Blake Johnson, sponsor, said the mallard is the most common duck in Arkansas and cited hunting-related economic figures from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “This is not replacing the state bird. This is creating the state duck,” Johnson said. He identified the bill as House Bill 14-17 and asked for the committee’s support.
Committee members asked brief clarifying questions about possible downstream effects, including whether the designation could influence commemorative stamps or state symbols; Johnson noted prior uses of a mallard image on state coinage and said such uses can occur without statutory designation. No members registered to speak for or against the bill.
Senators moved and seconded the measure (mover: Senator Sullivan; second: Senator Peyton) and the chair reported the bill passed by voice vote.
The bill will proceed to the next legislative stage.
