Week 10 of the 94^th General Assembly has wrapped up, and the Legislators have returned home for Spring Break.

Week 9 of the 94^th General Assembly has ended. This past week was quite lively and saw substantial action from both the Governor and the public.

94^th General Assembly Weekly Report - February 27 - March 3, 2023

94^th General Assembly

The seventh week of the 94^th General Assembly has wrapped up in Little Rock.

The third week of the 94th General Assembly has come to a close. Since today was the deadline for Members to file a bill related to retirement or employee benefits, this week saw an uptick in proposed legislation. There have been more than 500 bills filed as of this morning. Many of these bills were technical corrections to Arkansas Code.

This week marked the 50thanniversary of the signing of the Vietnam ceasefire. In a very moving moment on the Senate floor, Senator Dave Wallace—a Vietnam Veteran—shared his story from service in the war. His address to the Senate can be found here at the 10:04 mark.

Governor Sanders’ bills related to education, criminal justice reform, or tax cuts have yet to be filed. Although we expect them to be filed soon.

Below are bills that Cove Street Consulting is tracking for you and your organization:

Review: New Bills that have been filed

Fundraiser

On June 28th, Speaker Matthew Shepherd hosted a fundraiser in Rogers, AR benefiting the House Leadership PAC. Cove Street Consulting was asked along with a few other firms to sponsor the well attended event. This was a good opportunity to meet candidates from the northwest part of the state.

2022 Arkansas Primary Election

While the 2022 Primary Election was mostly predictable, there were definitely
some major upsets.

Federal Races
Senator John Boozman-R, was successful Tuesday night winning 58 percent of the
vote. Boozman had three primary opponents with Jake Bequette being his biggest
threat. Boozman pulled away the last three weeks leading up to the election with
strategically placed ads against Bequette and also a solid focus on his own voting
record and the resources he’s brought to Arkansas.

All congressional seats were easily held by the incumbent. They will all face an
opponent in the fall but all are expected to remain victorious.

Speaker's Race
Speaker Matthew Shepherd secured another session in his leadership role despite some very interesting antics from his opposition. In the end, Shepherd's opponent, Representative Austin McCollum withdrew from the race prior to the vote.

Fiscal Session

The fiscal session officially began Monday February 14th. Governor Hutchinson's last state of the state address was interrupted by protesters regarding his prison expansion announcement. Multiple individuals were arrested for unruly behavior inside the gallery.

Only budget bills have been filed thus far, keeping in line with fiscal intent. The weather this week forced session to close Thursday and Friday -- members will be back Monday, February 28th.