Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Lawmakers pause bills to shift ad valorem/barge tax revenue to Arkansas Waterways Commission for more work
Summary
Senate Bills 286 and 285, proposing to shift a small share of ad valorem/barge tax revenue to the Arkansas Waterways Commission and to reshape a river navigation grant fund, were discussed at length and held so sponsors and agencies can draft amendments clarifying fiscal impacts and narrowly target barge collections.
Senate Bills 286 and 285, presented by Senator Lance Eads with testimony from Dedra Smith of the Arkansas Waterways Commission, drew detailed questioning over where revenue would come from and how much it would cost other state functions.
SB286 would move 1.5 percentage points from the central services share of an ad valorem tax fund to the Waterways Commission to provide modest operating resources. Director Dedra Smith told the committee, "Our funding has been flatlined for the past 10 years," and outlined difficulties monitoring port…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
