As the half-way mark of the 92nd General Assembly draws near, there are lots of little notes of big news from down in Little Rock.
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Not many tid-bits as big as the first-vote passage of the Governor's Highway Bill out of the state Senate as this past week's 27-8 vote.
That margin, many thought, would come after some hard-fought debate, but there was little debate.
The state needs a better way to fund highways and this may be it.
The bill heads over to the state House of Representatives, where a three-fourths vote, could, I say, could be difficult. But given the relative ease by which the Upper Chamber members passed this bill, who knows.
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For only the second or third time in this scribe's memory which now dates back long into the pre-Bill Clinton days as governor, the Arkansas Trucking industry has stepped up and asked for more fuel taxes to fix Arkansas' roads.
What you say?
The trucking companies asking for more fuel taxes?
Yes, that is correct.
It seems they are willing to pay more at the pump than pay at the repair shop by driving over the fast deteriorating Arkansas highways and interstates.
So what about the "biscuit cookers" in our state? What about Maw and Paw who drive their aging pickup truck. How much will they pay under this new and proposed plan?
Numbers thrown out during the Senate hearing and vote were about $2.50 a month or about $30 a year. That is on a 20,000 driving record in a vehicle that gets about 20 miles per gallon.
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Several of the younger members of the Northwest Arkansas delegation are getting bills passed in the session.
For example, Springdale's state Rep. Megan Godfrey, had a clean-up bill on forms of domestic violence that passed out of the House and looks promising in the Upper Chamber.
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While not a newbie, but certainly a member who seldom goes to the well, state Rep. Clinton Penzo, R-Tontitown, did get a bill passed calling for stiffer oversight and penalties for rogue private pay-for-a-baby adoptions. This bill was one sought by defeated state House member Jeff Williams of Springdale in the last session.
Penzo got the bill out of the House and looks like smooth sailing in the Senate.
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Some of the newer members of the 92nd General Assembly have also found their voice of late.
State Rep. Gayla Hendren McKenzie, found she was singing the solo "no" on SB199 where substantial changes were being made to the responsibilities of school counselors.
She voted "no," the bill passed and she moved on.
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Speaking of moving, Rep. McKenzie, has been burning up the road as her children, nearing the end of the basketball season, have been playing for the Gravette Lady Lions and promoting the Project Prom for Gravette High School.
Being a legislator is indeed a job balancing family and legislation, but she has done it.
Her dad, older brother and uncle -- would be and are proud of her.
That would be former state House member Kim Hendren, state Senator Jim Hendren and Gov. Asa Hutchinson, just to drop some names.
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Just to set the record straight, state Rep. Charlene Fite, of Van Buren who represents District 80 in the western side of Crawford and Washington Counties, has been "hobbled" a bit by a nagging hip injury, but has not, I repeat, not missed any Legislative work.
In fact, she's been on her best session yet.
She is the chair of the Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs committee, one of the very few female leaders in the House.
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Oops! It seems in a column about the Governor's very successful state income tax reduction, I made an error.
The state income tax rate for the highest bracket was reduced from 6.9 to 5.9. The article made it seems as though the tax reduction was less.
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With the half-way mark and the deadline for new bills to be filed coming up soon, what is left for the 92nd General Assembly to do?
First, the solons will sift through some 69 different bills to refer the three Constitutional Questions to voters in 2020. That alone may take up the entire second half of this session.
--Maylon Rice is a former journalist who worked for several northwest Arkansas publications. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 02/27/2019