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Committee approves bill adding five circuit judgeships amid funding questions
Summary
The Judiciary Committee amended and passed SB658 to add five circuit judgeships across multiple judicial districts to address caseload need; sponsors said funding discussions are ongoing and the bill may not proceed on the House side if funds are unavailable.
Senator Hester told the committee SB658 (as amended) would add five new circuit judgeships in the state—placements cited in Crawford, Sebastian, Washington and Benton Counties and one in Northeast Arkansas (Fourth Judicial District)—based on caseload studies. Hester said the bill originally included eliminating a judgeship but was amended to add five without eliminating any existing posts; an interim study was proposed to evaluate whether any judgeships should be reduced in the future.
Senator Ballinger and others asked about the funding for the new judgeships. Hester replied that funding discussions were ongoing and that some of the costs would likely be funded through central services and AOC budgets; she cautioned that if funding is not in place by the time the bill goes to the House, adjustments would be required and the bill would not advance. Grama Parrish of the Arkansas Public Defender Commission supported the new judgeships and warned the committee that public defenders would need additional positions to meet the workload.
After discussion the committee adopted the amendment and passed SB658 by voice vote. Senators acknowledged the urgency tied to caseloads and the practical issue that facilities and public defender resources must be aligned to new judgeships.
