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House advances a batch of appropriations and adopts multiple supplemental bills; several items pulled for separate votes
Summary
The Arkansas House proceeded through a large batch of general appropriations and adopted multiple supplemental and reappropriation bills (including House Bills 1006, 1086, 1087, 1088, 1094 and others); members pulled several bills for individual votes and HB 1098 failed.
On the budget calendar Representative Jim Johnson presented a batch of general appropriation bills (listed on the yellow calendar from House Bill 1006 through House Bill 1078) and explained that higher education adjustments reflect performance-formula calculations. The House allowed members to request individual pulls from the batch; multiple members asked that specific bills be removed for separate consideration (examples: HB 1006, HB 1053, HB 1084, HB 1087, HB 1097, HB 1098).
The clerk read the listed bills for third reading and the batch was adopted with emergency clauses as announced on the floor (the presiding chair reported the batch passed 97 yay, 0 nay, 1 present). Representative Johnson then presented several supplemental bills individually, noting that most were reappropriations or were funded from agencies’ own revenue (no new statewide revenue):
- House Bill 1006 (Department of Labor and licensing boards and commissions appropriation) passed (87 yays, 5 nays, 4 present). - House Bill 10 86 (supplemental for Pulaski County Technical College culinary building) passed (96 yays, 0 nays, 2 present). - House Bill 10 87 (Racing Commission enforcement supplemental, $7,000) passed (81 yays, 8 nays, 9 present). - House Bill 10 88 (Finance & Administration supplemental to fund a disbursing officer for fire protection) passed (97 yays, 0 nays, 1 present). - House Bill 10 94 (property tax credit supplemental) passed (96 yays, 1 nay, 1 present). - House Bill 10 97 (reappropriation for Parks, Heritage and Tourism) passed (75 yays, 16 nays, 7 present).
Representative Henley rose to speak against at least one reappropriation bill when he said he had not received answers from leadership and urged colleagues to vote the bill down until questions were answered. In a later recorded vote House Bill 10 98 failed (recorded as 0 yeas, 85 nays, 4 present). After completing the calendar, Representative Meeks moved to adjourn until 11:00 a.m. the next day and the motion carried.
Most supplemental bills were presented as non-new revenue reappropriations or adjustments within agencies’ budgets; Representative Johnson repeatedly described them as continuation or supplemental requests and invited questions before members cast recorded votes.
