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An historical division within the legislature has been over funding of small schools, as balanced against the need to financially support larger school districts.
Some news reports have been confusing because of the complexity of getting bills introduced and passed during a fiscal session. The constitutional amendment that created fiscal sessions in Arkansas is written so as to limit the legislature to considering only budget bills, but there is a mechanism for considering non-budget bills. To file a non-budget bill, a lawmaker has to win adoption of a resolution, which then must be approved by a two-thirds majority of each chamber, the House and the Senate.
As odd as it sounds, the Revenue Stabilization Act, our balanced budget law, is not a budget bill because it does not appropriate funding for a specific agency. It prioritizes state spending in the event revenue fluctuates next year. Because it is not a budget bill, it cannot be introduced until each chamber adopts a resolution to do so, by a two-thirds vote.
Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have a solid two-thirds majority. In the 100-member House there are 46 Republicans and 54 Democrats. In the 35-member Senate there are 20 Democrats and 15 Republicans. Therefore, any budget agreement will require each party to compromise.
Senator Percy Malone is an Arkadelphia resident and businessman who has dedicated his political career to the district with a focus on child advocacy.
