Arkansas Legislative Council (ALC) – August 21, 2009
Posted on August 21st, 2009
Date & Time: Friday, August 21, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Location: Room 171, State Capitol
Agenda: http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2009/Lists/Meetings/Attachments/11853/I7748.pdf
Attachments: http://ow.ly/kQ2G
The Council was established by Act 264 of 1949 to collect data and information upon which legislative decisions will be made during regular session of the General Assembly. The Bureau of Legislative Research of the Legislative Council is a service agency within the legislative department of government. All members of the General Assembly have access to the Bureau of Legislative Research. The Legislative Council is the supervisory committee for the Bureau of Legislative Research, the Council coordinates the activities of the various interim committees and through the various committees provides legislative oversight of the executive branch of government. The Council consists of 36 regular members which is comprised of 20 House members and 16 Senators. In addition there are 24 ex-officio voting members and 5 ex-officio non-voting members.(A.C.A. 10-3-301)
9:03 am – Meeting called to order.
9:04 am – Meetings of previous meeting adopted. Attachment C.
9:04 am – July 2009 Arkansas Revenue Report (Attachment D.1) is currently being reviewed. Attachment D. Net available for distribution is down 2.1%.
9:08 am – June 2009 Arkansas Revenue Report (Attachment D.2) is currently being reviewed. Attachment D. Net available for distribution is down 11.0%. The adjusted net availiable for distribution is up 11% due to transfers from General Improvement Funds, etc. The cigarette tax revenue is currently above projections.
9:14 am – Skipping ahead in the agenda to item H.16 This is the Notification of Imminent Need Under Act 1211 of 2009 concerning the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System. We are currently discussing the “double dipping” from the teachers retirement system. Senator Glover mentioned that in some cases it appears like there may be “triple dipping.” Apparently the abuses of the system are currently being tracked down and repayment is being required.
9:19 am – I really like having the attachments availiable like we do this morning. It allows you to see exactly the information we are looking at this morning. If you are interested in a particular item go look at the attachment.
9:22 am – Most of the questions right now to Mr. George Hopkins do not concern the report in item H.16 but are centering on the “double dipping” problem.
9:24 am – We are currently reviewing the report of the Executive Committee. See item E. This is the report that I thought might keep me from live blogging the committee meetings. See the last sentence.
9:26 am – Skipping forward to item F.2
9:28 am – Senator Glover is giving a synopsis of what is going on with the Arkansas Dept. of Corrections, both the challenges the state faces with a growing prison population, and the problems in the Dept. of Corrections itself.
9:31 am – Sen. Baker is currently presenting the report of the Higher Education Subcommittee. This is the report of the events of yesterdays meeting. See item F.5
9:33 am – Rep. Mike Burris is now here to present the report of the Administrative Rules and Regulations Committee. He has a grandchild currently making an entrance into this world and was on the phone just a moment ago when his report came up on the agenda. Congratulations to Rep. Grandpa Burris!
9:36 am – Reviewed the PEER report, item F.8. No questions or comments.
9:40 am – Mr. Boutiette is currently discussing the opportunity Arkansas has for administering the Federal Grant Program Appropriation for Disabilitiy Determination for Social Security Administration due to Arkansas’ efficiency in doing so. Rep. Andrea Lea followed up on a question in the last meeting that Mr. Boutiette said he would have to get back to her on. The question was whether the Federal government would accept the conditions that Arkansas asked for. He said that they have. See item F.9
9:46 am – Rep. Dunn is currently providing the Review Subcommittee Report. See item F.10. All the reports today are covered very quickly because the information is summary reports from comprehensive subcomittee meetings that were held earlier.
9:49 am – We voted to suspend the rules to review a sole source contract for a search group to provide and interim Vice President for Financial Affairs at the University of Central Arkansas. Report reviewed.
9:53 am – Sen. Faris is currently providing the Uniform Personnel Classification and Compensation Plan subcommittee report. Rep. Lea is pointing out that the Unemployment Trust Fund will be at least $230 million dollars by December of this year.
9:56 am – The Joint Interim Committee on Advanced Communications Committee report (item G.1) reviewed.
9:57 am – Rep. Hyde orally presented the Arkansas Lottery Commission Legislative Oversight Committee of the Status of the Arkansas Lottery. Rep. Andrea Lea is asking if the printing contract was for the lottery tickets was let to public bid. Rep. Andrea Lea also asked if the company that the contract was given to was located in South Carolina. Rep. Hyde said he did not know and he would get back to her. I bet Rep. Andrea Lea knows already.
10:03 am – On item K.1 concerning Senator Madison’s interim study request to eliminate the lottery. There is a very strong reaction among the legisators against this bill right now. Sen. Smith spoke very strong against it, suggesting the interim study not even be approved. Sen. Broadway pointed out that it is common legislative courtesy to send all the ISPs to study and he was unaware of any ISP ever not being referred for study. The ISP was approved without objection.
10:08 am – Sen. Percy Malone is discussing the situation where we call ourselves “reviewing” many of these reports, but the agencies have already implemented what they are going to do anyway. Sen. Malone makes a very good point that the legislature may have abdicated too much of it’s authority over the years, and now that the legislature has been so severely weakened with respect to the agency bureaucrats due to term limits. He makes some very very good points.
10:11 am – Committee adjourned.
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