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Senator Rice’s SB 30 amendment to cut a governor adviser position fails after allegations about former corrections chief
Summary
A proposed amendment to SB 30 that would remove one senior adviser position and cut roughly $265,000 in appropriations failed after Senator Rice raised allegations that the former secretary of corrections broke public trust and refused to cooperate with legislators; committee members debated relevance and procedure before voting the amendment down.
Senator Rice’s amendment to Senate Bill 30 — which would remove one governor senior adviser position (SPC 11), cut regular salaries by $189,211 and matching by $75,684 (a total reduction of $264,895) — failed after a contested exchange in the Joint Performance Review subcommittee.
Rice presented the amendment on the floor, saying it responded to constituent concerns about the former Secretary of Corrections, named in the transcript as Joe Pefuri. “Many Arkansas citizens…feel [he] has broken the public trust,” Rice said, accusing the former secretary of failing to provide promised transparency about a Franklin County land procurement and of refusing to appear before the Joint Performance Review committee. Rice urged colleagues to support the cut: “I would appreciate a yes vote for the Arkansas taxpayers you represent.”
Members pressed for clarity about who could speak to the matter. Jim Hudson, who identified himself as “Jim Hudson, secretary, DFA,” clarified he could not speak to any timeline for the former secretary’s return to the Department of Corrections and emphasized that the governor had not requested a change to her budget. Lee Watson, who said, “My name is Lee Watson. I serve on the board of corrections,” told the committee he was present as an individual and had not been authorized to speak on behalf of the board.
Some members questioned the relevance of Rice’s line of argument to the amendment. Senator Johnson said the committee should focus on the appointee’s performance in the current advisory role, not actions in a prior office. Senator Desmigne cautioned against allowing exchanges not tied to the position under consideration.
Representative Kavanaugh asked whether removing the position by amendment would prevent the governor from hiring the same person in another role. Hudson confirmed the governor could still hire the individual to another post and reiterated that the governor had previously returned budget dollars to the state treasurer and was managing the office conservatively.
After debate, members called for a roll call; the chair announced, “The no’s have it,” and the amendment failed. The committee moved on to other business without adopting the position reduction.
Claims and responses raised during the exchange remain in dispute within the committee record: Senator Rice alleged a lack of transparency and a costly procurement tied to the former secretary’s decisions; committee members sought factual clarifications and procedural limits, and Jim Hudson and Lee Watson provided limited responses on timeline and representation. The subcommittee did not take further formal action concerning the former secretary’s status during this meeting.
